BajaNomad

San Nicholas Island

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woody with a view - 2-22-2012 at 09:58 PM

The last two days out here have been perfect. warm and sunny! last week was 30-40 knot winds mixed with some rain.....:barf:

so after work i took the fishing pole and scoured the southeast side for exactly one buttermouth perch. i left him to fend for himself against the elephant seals and sea lions. i did see dozens of green abalone on the rocks from 3-9", but they are protected....

[Edited on 2-23-2012 by woody with a view]

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woody with a view - 2-22-2012 at 10:00 PM

the end of the day from the jobsite looking west. it is pretty awesome up here with a 360 degree view of the ocean.

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woody with a view - 2-22-2012 at 10:03 PM

i found this old rusting landing craft after fishing while dodging seals on the beach. the wave in the background is about chest high, but getting a board out here is nearly impossible....

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woody with a view - 2-22-2012 at 10:05 PM

same beach from another angle. i really like how the algae and the layers of the rock look here.

anyway, more next time.

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tripledigitken - 2-22-2012 at 10:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
i found this old rusting landing craft after fishing while dodging seals on the beach. the wave in the background is about chest high, but getting a board out here is nearly impossible....


Very nice shot.

Islandbuilder - 2-22-2012 at 10:42 PM

I worked on an urchin/abalone boat in Santa Barbara in the early 70's, and regreted never getting out there. Great pics!

There are some work days that you feel like you should pay your boss for, looks like these are some of them.

Cool gig!!

KaceyJ - 2-22-2012 at 10:45 PM

So what are you doing out there , Woody?

9" green abs?

If they would just turn the baby killers into fur coats the whole California coast would be lush with abs again.

I'm sorry, I forgot , they're soo cute,

oh my , yum!:smug:

woody with a view - 2-22-2012 at 10:50 PM

building stuff for the Navy.

apparently 95% of the abs were killed off a few years ago due to some illness. it is really cool seeing them all over the rocks. literally, 5 of them in a 10' square on the reef at low tide.

oh. and tens of millions of ping-pong sized urchins EVERYWHERE!!!!

so far, the fishing sucks!

Ateo - 2-23-2012 at 12:32 AM

Having just back from Baja, all those pictures could be mistaken for Baja. Woody, looks like a pretty pristine place.

Bwana_John - 2-23-2012 at 07:41 AM

Quote:

looks like a pretty pristine place.

As long as you avoid the unexploded ordinance.

Been diving off the island but never landed.

wessongroup - 2-23-2012 at 07:49 AM

Some days .. looks like work is OK !! must have been nice out there ... thanks

bacquito - 2-23-2012 at 09:28 AM

neat! Always wanted to visit. My dad, the tuna fisherman, was familiar with the area.

Bajamatic - 2-23-2012 at 09:40 AM

I've always wanted to go check the waves out there. Looks super cool!

larryC - 2-23-2012 at 09:48 AM

I have taken my boat out there many times and right off that barge in about 5 to 15' of water was the best lobster diving I have ever encountered, lots of 3 to 10 lb bugs. Seven a night was no problem and in 3 nights we filled our 3 day permits.
The only better place I found was the cave off Santa Barbara Is. Completely filled with lobster and really easy pickens, good memories.
Larry

Sunman - 2-23-2012 at 10:11 AM

South end of San Nicolas from a helo last summer...

Bajamatic - 2-23-2012 at 10:28 AM

:?::?::?::?::?::?:

(read - whaa?? That kinda looks like a really good wave!)

[Edited on 2-23-2012 by Bajamatic]

Abs

tehag - 2-23-2012 at 05:02 PM

Nice island pics, thanks.

About those abs, there are plenty of "theories" about their decline, but fishing pressure in the 50s, 60s, and 70s took population densities down to where they could not hook up their gametes through their broadcasting reproductive strategy and thus ceased reproducing in sufficient numbers to maintain anything like sustainable levels through much of their former range. If abs are too scattered, they are doomed to fail at reproducing. They don't creep around looking for mates, they all just "go off" at the same time and let the currents do the hooking up. There are places where ab population densities are still very high, but they don't spread out far or fast enough to re-colonize depressed habitat in time to sustain any kind of harvest.

Roberto - 2-23-2012 at 07:05 PM

Great shots. Been there in my boat too, never landed. Beautiful place as far as I could see. Did some fishing fairly tight to the shore, did pretty good.

You fyl back every night? What kind of aircraft? F-A/18? :biggrin:

woody with a view - 2-23-2012 at 07:27 PM

we fly out on Phoenix Air usually, or on the bosses personal 6 seater. coming home tomorrow and expect to have a 5 hour drive thru LA.:barf:

BTW, a guy i went fishing with today grabbed a solid 4 pound lobster while wading in the shallows with a mask and a wetsuit.......:rolleyes:

when they said, "Island Foxes"

woody with a view - 2-23-2012 at 08:50 PM

i kept seeing girls in hula skirts. well, the Island Fox is cuter than any hula skirt. apparently there are around 300 on SNI. over on Santa Rosa Island the guvmint reintroduced bald eagles and guess what? foxes have had ZERO predators for the past 50 years so they lost the ability to look up. easy meal for the eagles.....

these guys are pretty awesome, and have zero fear of humans.



[Edited on 2-24-2012 by woody with a view]

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zero fear!

woody with a view - 2-23-2012 at 08:52 PM

those are 12 inch floor tiles.

edit: 12

[Edited on 2-25-2012 by woody with a view]

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oladulce - 2-24-2012 at 08:24 AM

Interesting stuff, and what's with the rumor that foxes are mean? Urban myth? The little guy in your last pic doesn't look vicious.

vgabndo - 2-24-2012 at 04:40 PM

WOW, Bob that guy is TOOOOO cute!

ElCap - 2-24-2012 at 07:21 PM

I have done a few bird surveys on San Clemente Island - the other Navy-controlled Channel Island. While I was out looking for the endangered Loggerhead shrike, this little guy walked right up to me and tried to run off with my camera case.

ElCap - 2-24-2012 at 07:24 PM

And after decades of Navy target practice out there, you really had to be careful where you stepped. The jumping cholla were the least of your worries.


[Edited on 2-25-2012 by ElCap]

[Edited on 2-25-2012 by ElCap]

Ken Bondy - 2-24-2012 at 08:56 PM

This is a great thread woody! I am envious that you got on the island. I've made many dives at Nick but never got to go on land. Here's an underwater wide angle shot from Nick, notice the bug :)

woody with a view - 2-24-2012 at 09:12 PM

they come into your room to look for some snacks. the people on the island don't mind if they get fed scraps. actually, the ones away from the rooms are pretty scraggly.

they are not mean at all. they have no fear of anything because they have no predators.

yes, they are about the size of a cat, with a bushy tail.

a corner on the world....

woody with a view - 2-24-2012 at 09:25 PM

:light:

edit: from 2.5 miles away.

[Edited on 2-25-2012 by woody with a view]

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name this flowering plant

woody with a view - 2-24-2012 at 09:33 PM

the island is covered in them and in a month or so they lose all color and look dead until next spring.

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woody with a view - 2-24-2012 at 09:35 PM

hey Cap, i'm going to San Clemente Island in april. can't wait to kick some cholla, not ordinance.

Ken, great shot!

Mexitron - 2-24-2012 at 11:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
the island is covered in them and in a month or so they lose all color and look dead until next spring.


Giant Coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea)....all in bloom around Point Mugu and Santa Monica Mountains now too.

Sunman - 2-24-2012 at 11:36 PM

Looks like a soft Sissy Cove?

acadist - 2-25-2012 at 02:52 AM

Great shots, I am jealous as right now we have the second highest snow total in Denver's history for the month of Feb....and expecting to possibly break the record Monday

woody with a view - 2-25-2012 at 09:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sunman
Looks like a soft Sissy Cove?


nope. somewhere near balloon launch.

shari - 2-25-2012 at 09:51 AM

hey woody, Juan was looking at the fox fotos and told me about how some ranchers had raised one like a pet and he saw it asleep on their couch! cool eh.

woody with a view - 2-25-2012 at 09:54 AM

very cool. Bia wants me to stow-away one of the critters in my duffel bag!:o

woody with a view - 2-25-2012 at 10:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexitron
Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
the island is covered in them and in a month or so they lose all color and look dead until next spring.


Giant Coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea)....all in bloom around Point Mugu and Santa Monica Mountains now too.


i've never seen them, and you are correct.

woody with a view - 3-2-2012 at 09:12 PM

yesterday at san nicholas island a Mexican guy wearing a life jacket came walking up to our jobsite. he said 2 other guys were on the beach below us. the guy said their motor broke 3 days before and their food and water was soaked with sea water. they drifted ashore. the wind had been 30-40 knots non stop since monday. i spoke to the guy and he said they didn't need help, he just needed to use a phone and he wanted to go home.

he had no idea he was on a restricted access military base. he said they were trying to get to santa cruz from L.A.! yeah right. a C130 was dispatched to search for the other 2 guys, then a coast guard helicopter. we watched for a couple of hours as the birds made numerous passes. the guy in the life jacket was given an orange and some drinking water and then one of our guys took him in the car to the cop shop! i doubt they let him use the phone.

in the terminal waiting to get on the plane home for the weekend another plane landed right after ours did. the second plane was full of ICE and NCIS agents fully loaded to the teeth with some impressive hardware and two badasss German Shepherds. i over heard one say they were going to sweep the island with the dogs to flush out any possible bad guys. there is going to be a special operation this coming week on the island so these guys couldn't have picked a worse place to maroon.

the first foto is the view from our work site. notice the gale force winds over the outer waters. keep in mind SNI is about 60 miles offshore. the boat is to the right of the rocks jutting into the ocean right at the waterline.

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woody with a view - 3-2-2012 at 09:18 PM

you can see in the foto above that the guy had a major hike up a ridge to make it up to us. he said he saw our backhoe and that's why he came towards us.

now, my camera lens isn't all that good, and we are 830' above sea level and prolly 2 miles as the crow flies from that beach but it sure looks like bales of contraband scattered around the panga.

:light:

those idiots probably were down there trying to wait out the storm and either didn't bring enough food and water to wait it out or really did spoil the rations. somewhere there is a cartel missing a load. i'd hate to be these guys.....

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/02/panga-found-on-san-ni...

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BajaWarrior - 3-3-2012 at 06:24 AM

Saw this on the local news the other night about San Nicholas Island... Don't suppose you saw a cat while you were there?http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/26/local/la-me-adv-san-nicolas-20120227

woody with a view - 3-3-2012 at 07:58 AM

no cats, buy i've heard the official version and the other version of how they removed around 100 cats. almost double the number the report states.

bajario - 3-3-2012 at 08:16 AM

Wood,

Are you working on the rehab of some BEQ's? We bid on some there last year, red windows I think, big leaky sloped glass solarium or something?

Anyways looks like every day is an adventure there. Sure wouldn't want to take off in a six seater with that wind.

woody with a view - 3-3-2012 at 08:45 AM

no, that job hasn't been awarded yet. it looks like a biatch as they want to save it. they'd do better/cheaper to demo the whole thing and replace it with less exposed steel beams.

the wind has been crazy and we've been flying Phoenix Air lately.

bajario - 3-3-2012 at 05:40 PM

That's what I was thinking when I saw the pics. Big rust bucket. I thought KOO construction was awarded it a while back but haven't confirmed it. They are on one of the smaller MAC's.

woody with a view - 3-3-2012 at 06:07 PM

maybe they got it then. we want nothing to do with it. i wonder if a famous admiral slept in one of the rooms once and they can't demo it for that reason.

it's a turd....

primordial palm garden

woody with a view - 3-16-2012 at 12:12 PM

note the moss growing on the dead fronds. this is at a place where a spring bubbles to the surface and they get their non potable water.

[Edited on 3-16-2012 by woody with a view]

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Meanwhile...on Santa Rosa Island

El Camote - 3-16-2012 at 01:14 PM

Flew out to SR Island a couple weekends ago when the weather was perfect. Pictures can't do it justice. Amazingly quiet and serene.

This shot was taken on the hike back from the Torrey Pines forest. Notice the dirt air strip on the far left and Pier in the distant right.

[Edited on 3-16-2012 by El Camote]

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El Camote - 3-16-2012 at 01:17 PM

I don't think this elephant seal was feeling too well. I got within 10 feet of him and he didn't seem bothered.

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El Camote - 3-16-2012 at 01:20 PM

Oldest wooden structure in Santa Barbara County. Built during the civil war and was last used as a bunk house for hunters.

Notice anything unusual about these photos?

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elgatoloco - 3-16-2012 at 01:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by El Camote

Notice anything unusual about these photos?


It's sunny?

elgatoloco - 3-16-2012 at 01:55 PM

Woody. Cool stuff. Thanks for posting. You should check out the book Ghost Wave by Chris Dixon. It would be the perfect read on your next trip out there.

woody with a view - 3-16-2012 at 02:16 PM

thanks Gato. read the review on amazon about "the lost channel island" and bought it. 3 more weeks on SNI and then San Clemente Island in may for 5 months.

BTW, went diving for lobster on monday and got skunked. a friend and his brother got a dozen a week ago in 1.5 hours. the fishing has been sh!tty, too! it's a nice place to visit but jeez, between the 30% days of 20+mph wind and not much to do, i'm ready for a change 'o scenery.

woody with a view - 3-16-2012 at 02:24 PM

you all have heard of this story, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins

FINALLY

woody with a view - 3-22-2012 at 06:11 AM

got my first calico out here! 3 lb'er about 15inches. another guy got a 7 lb cabezon!

edit: for as pristine as the conditions seem, there is very little fish out here! it must be the 1000's of seals on the beaches are taking the low hanging fruit!

[Edited on 3-22-2012 by woody with a view]

Bwana_John - 3-22-2012 at 06:50 AM

Quote:

you all have heard of this story, right?

There is a autobiography by George Nydiver, a early mountain man who came to California with the Walker Party and he has a chapter about finding the woman.

bacquito - 3-22-2012 at 04:05 PM

great report, thanks. I can remember diving for bugs and abs. north of Solana Beach back in the 50's-60's. I was with my father in the 50's on a tuna boat and we passed San Nicohlas. How time flys!

bajario - 3-22-2012 at 06:37 PM

Have your company ship you to Yuma after SCI. Fish the river and head south from there for long weekends. The new job there should last you 1 1/2-2 years.

woody with a view - 3-22-2012 at 08:07 PM

we'll see!

watch for foxes!

woody with a view - 4-3-2012 at 06:00 AM

AND a crosswalk? CLASSIC!!!

woody with a view - 4-3-2012 at 06:02 AM

this little male fox comes by our jobsite daily looking for a scrap. we'll usually feed him a hardboiled egg or some chicken.

this is the only fox i've noticed who keeps his tongue dangling....

woody with a view - 4-3-2012 at 06:06 AM

Hey Gato-

i read thru Ghost Wave in about 4 days. pretty heavy stuff. that, and all of the historical data regarding the Islands and the natives made for a quick read!

Thanks for the heads up.

Curt63 - 4-3-2012 at 06:22 AM

Have you got a board out there?

BajaBlanca - 4-3-2012 at 07:54 AM

very interesting read this thread ...and the photos are amazing. thanks for posting Woody and for adding info everybody else.....

Ateo - 4-3-2012 at 07:55 AM

Looks like a makeable left.

woody with a view - 4-3-2012 at 03:10 PM

they have 2 boards (9.6 & 10.0) but they make you surf in pairs. 2 kayaker's were blown away to the south a few years ago. they found the kayak off san diego and traced it to SNI. the two guys were never seen again.

the only other surfer is the OIC=Officer In Charge, a Lt Commander who is working most of the time.....

that left is a decent sized wave. note the elephant seals on the beach?:o

[Edited on 4-3-2012 by woody with a view]

woody with a view - 4-3-2012 at 04:52 PM

missed it by THAT much!

elgatoloco - 4-4-2012 at 07:50 PM

Cool. Book was hard to put down. Props to the writer for getting and keeping you sucked in. When I was a kid growing up my pops told story about a trip he took on an old fishing trawler out of LA harbor to Cortes Bank in the mid- 50's. He said it was big time spooky and the only time on the water he had trouble relaxing. He did say there was TONS of HUGE abalone everywhere. He read the book and was blown away.

Really nice pic of the fox and that wave does look good.

:cool:

okay, Bros! don't hate....

woody with a view - 4-12-2012 at 08:58 PM

today i flew off the isla at 11am. since we are waiting for a barge to re-supply us there was NADA going on. i decided to take a tour of the south 40. OH MY F*ING NEPTUNE!

i have 1 week left on San Nicolas Island (IF the barge shows!). it seems like i have found a diversion in case the stuff doesn't arrive!!

PRAY 4 SURF !!! gonna be back on monday when the swell should be similar. DON"T HATE ME FOR THIS!













Curt63 - 4-12-2012 at 10:27 PM

Get some!

Sunman - 4-12-2012 at 11:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view

the only other surfer is the OIC=Officer In Charge, a Lt Commander who is working most of the time.....

[Edited on 4-3-2012 by woody with a view]


I didn't realize LCDR S was a surfer. Guess I'm gonna have to give him a ring.

woody with a view - 4-13-2012 at 06:23 AM

i have to get his okay to paddle out. he's letting me go as long as there is someone there in case of emergency. i actually got him to come down on tues but by the time i got a board and got down here the tide had changed and it was backwashing off the jetty. and it wasn't as good as these shots then. fingers crossed for next week. it needs a south.

ALL EIGHT CLUB

Marla Daily - 4-13-2012 at 06:54 AM

There are eight California Channel Islands of which San Nicolas Island is one. There is an All Eight Club for people who have walked on all eight islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands. It is the most exclusive geographic club in the U.S. Currently there are 123 members.

Historic research shows thirteen others who qualify posthumously:
1. George Davidson (1825-1911), cartographer
2. Meryl Dunkle (1888-1969), botanist, L. A. County Museum
3. Barton W. Evermann (1853-1932), Calif. Academy of Sciences
4. Ozra William Howard (1885-1928) ornithologist
5. George Kanakoff (1897-1973), Los Angeles County Museum
6. Lloyd Milo Martin (1912-1989), Los Angeles County Museum
7. Don Meadows (1897-1994), Los Angeles County Museum
8. Reid Moran (1916-2010), botanist
9. John Roy “Bill” Pemberton (1884-1968), ornithologist
10. Joseph R. Slevin (1881-1957), Calif. Academy of Sciences
11. John Van Denburgh (1872-1924), Calif. Academy of Sciences
12. Jack C. Von Bloeker, Jr. (1909-1991), L. A. County Museum
13.George Willett (1879-1945), ornithologist

Taco de Baja - 4-13-2012 at 08:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
i found this old rusting landing craft after fishing while dodging seals on the beach. the wave in the background is about chest high, but getting a board out here is nearly impossible....


Wow, that thing has really rusted away. When I was out there in 1993 and 1994, we could still climb up on the deck...looks like that is completely gone now.

Thanks for the memories. I love that island.

Taco de Baja - 4-13-2012 at 08:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
building stuff for the Navy.

apparently 95% of the abs were killed off a few years ago due to some illness. it is really cool seeing them all over the rocks. literally, 5 of them in a 10' square on the reef at low tide.

oh. and tens of millions of ping-pong sized urchins EVERYWHERE!!!!

so far, the fishing sucks!


When you are out again, Try a place called "Rock Crusher" Only do it on a calm day.... It can still live up to its name in any condition, so still keep an eye on the incoming surf; I almost got swept away by a rouge wave there one day. :o

Got one 35 inch White Sea Bass on an orange Scampi, a couple of legal Halibut and lots of kelp and sand bass at Rock Crusher....Of course this was back in 1993 :lol:

[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/laforzadimente/6844964154/sizes/z/in/photostream/[/url]

[Edited on 4-13-2012 by Taco de Baja]

woody with a view - 4-13-2012 at 09:04 AM

i fished rock crusher wed afternoon. to the right of the launch pad and after throwing plastics i switched to a limpet. ZERO fish. it must be the seals...... epic structure and conditions. it is very similar to baja but there are not many fish.

for the uniformed

durrelllrobert - 4-13-2012 at 09:58 AM

.
The SOCAL Range Complex is the land of SCI, SUA, and surface
and subsurface operating areas off the coast of Southern
California. It is situated between Dana Point and San Diego,
extending more than 600 nautical miles to the southwest into
international waters west of the coast of Baja California,
Mexico. The components of the SOCAL Range Complex encompass
120,000 square nautical miles, including SUA Warning Area 291 (W-
291) and the ocean area beneath it. W-291 is the FAA’s
designation of the SUA of the SOCAL Range Complex. This SUA
extends from the ocean surface to 80,000 feet (24,384 meters)
above mean sea level (MSL) and encompasses 113,000 square
nautical miles (387,500 square kilometers of air space). The
SOCAL surface and subsurface area lies beneath W-291 and extends
from the ocean surface to the seafloor. SCI is within this area
5
and is a major component of the SOCAL Range Complex, providing an
extensive suite of range capabilities for use in tactical
training. It includes a Shore Bombardment Area (SHOBA), landing
beaches, several live fire training areas and ranges (TARs) for
small arms, maneuver areas, and other dedicated ranges for the
conduct of training. SCI also includes extensive instrumentation
and provides opposing force simulation and targets for landbased,
sea-based, and air live-fire training as well as an
airfield and other infrastructure for training and logistical
support. The Southern California ASW Range (SOAR) is located
offshore to the west of SCI. This existing underwater tracking
range covers 670 square nautical miles. SOAR has the capability
to provide three-dimensional underwater tracking of submarines,
practice weapons, and targets with a set of 84 acoustic sensors
(hydrophones) located on the seafloor. Communications with
submarines is possible through use of an underwater telephone
capability. SOAR supports various ASW training scenarios that
involve air, surface, and subsurface units.

woody with a view - 4-13-2012 at 10:04 AM

and there you have it!

durrelllrobert - 4-13-2012 at 10:58 AM

I participated in a SINKEX off the coast of SCI in 1982 using an experimental version of what would become the Tomahawk cruise missile., but that was the only time I was near there.

ddawson - 4-13-2012 at 12:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
today i flew off the isla at 11am. since we are waiting for a barge to re-supply us there was NADA going on. i decided to take a tour of the south 40. OH MY F*ING NEPTUNE!

i have 1 week left on San Nicolas Island (IF the barge shows!). it seems like i have found a diversion in case the stuff doesn't arrive!!

PRAY 4 SURF !!! gonna be back on monday when the swell should be similar. DON"T HATE ME FOR THIS!


Guhhhhh. That lineup shot is sick. Hopefully you get a chance to surf it.

Hi Woody

Gypsy Jan - 4-13-2012 at 01:19 PM

(Cough, sorry that makes me giggle.)

Do you know about the book, "Island of the Blue Dolphins"?

It is based on the true story of a Nicolero Indian girl who was abandoned in the early 1800's and lived alone on the island for eighteen years.

It is a classic novel that won several book awards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins

woody with a view - 4-13-2012 at 01:20 PM

yes, i've heard about it.

oladulce - 4-14-2012 at 07:45 AM

Enjoying the series of photos from the island woody.

woody with a view - 4-14-2012 at 07:47 PM

thanks! looks like i'm going to load my board into our barge container in 2 weeks to be shipped out to San Clemente Island, along with diving gear and bbq/charcoal.

Non Baja Vacation Trip Report to follow......:light:

BajaRat - 4-15-2012 at 12:49 PM

Thanks Woody, fantastic! Awe inspiring photos! Does or can anyone surf from a boat? Like Hollister Ranch.

[Edited on 4-15-2012 by BajaRat]

woody with a view - 4-15-2012 at 01:05 PM

it is sketchy. they don't want you coming too close but the lobster boats come to 50 yards or so. i have a friend who said once the cops were yelling at some guys who were surfing by the pier from their boat but the cops don't have a boat. i don't know what they could really do.

looks like mon-tues will be my last chance to hit this little jetty....

Ateo - 4-15-2012 at 07:52 PM

Tuesday looks good as far as southern hemi energy. SSW....beach breaks like Oside look fun with the background wnw crossing things up a bit. Anyway, good luck.

Bwana_John - 4-16-2012 at 08:58 AM

Quote:

Do you know about the book, "Island of the Blue Dolphins"? It is based on the true story of a Nicolero* Indian girl who was abandoned in the early 1800's and lived alone on the island for eighteen years.


*Nicolero I believe the woman was "Chumash"

For the real story of Juana Maria see "The Life and Adventures of George Nidever", 1802-1883. Santa Barbara, California: Mcnally & Loftin. ISBN 0-87461-058-3.

George Nidiver

His storys of hunting sea otters from an open canoe, going all the way down the Pacific coast from Santa Barbara to Cedros Island are remarkable.
Quote:

ALL EIGHT CLUB There are eight California Channel Islands of which San Nicolas Island is one. There is an All Eight Club for people who have walked on all eight islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands. It is the most exclusive geographic club in the U.S. Currently there are 123 members.

The list of people is much bigger than that. Id also guess the "7 Summits" list is a lot shorter.
And if youre REALLY cool if you have actually "set foot" on Begg Rock :cool:
Begg Rock


[Edited on 4-16-2012 by Bwana_John]

speaking of Rock Crusher Point

woody with a view - 4-17-2012 at 05:47 PM

went out fishing again yesterday and caught a buzz, no fish to be had! this is a picture of the area. pretty cool rock formations.

woody with a view - 4-17-2012 at 05:51 PM

earlier i mentioned BILLIONS of ping-pong urchins. these things absolutely cover the intertidal zone around the entire island. i wonder if the urchins came first or the holes in the rocks? i don't see any bigger ones anywhere.

meanwhile, on the other side of the island

woody with a view - 4-17-2012 at 05:54 PM

my buddies speared this 18# sheepshead. the biggest one i've ever seen. Jessie with the remnants....

woody with a view - 4-17-2012 at 05:55 PM

oh, and the jetty has been lame. bummer!

Skipjack Joe - 4-17-2012 at 07:47 PM

Woody,

Something is wrong. That cove looks fishy and there isn't enough pressure to cause their absence.

The obvious: have you tried mussels with all the goo still attached. You should at least get blueperch, senoritas, blacksmith. The small stuff.

Have you tried cut freshly caught squid cast as far as possible. That should get you kelp bass and sheephead.

What is your diving friend seeing underwater? An absence of fish?

Are there kelp beds close to shore that your cast can reach?

woody with a view - 4-17-2012 at 08:03 PM

the guys diving are only seeing 15" calicos, rock bass (their name), cabazon, buttermouth perch and opal eye. occassionally they get a good one - see above.

as good as the setup looks the fish just aren't here. there is only 5 lines MAX in the water at one time daily, on the entire island. no pressure at all. there are 10's of thousands of seals tho and i think that has alot to do with it.

there are kelp stringers reachable, but not producing. it is spring so maybe it just hasn't turned on yet..... i took my gear home last week it is so slow. looking forward to San Clemente Island.

Skipjack Joe - 4-17-2012 at 09:39 PM

Woody,

I was once fishing with my dad from a rental skiff on the santa monica breakwater. My practice had always been to use only the 'lip' of a mussel as it stays on best. Lots of mostly buttermouth perch. So dad changes the game. With his handline he removes 2 large mussels and drapes them whole on the hook. I have my doubts cause the little stuff will eat it like soup. Suddenly he gets a hookup and it feels big. He handlines it in and it's an 8lb opaleye. Holy cow. I never thought they got that big and I seldom caught them. He tries again and pulls out a 4 pounder. I had never caught anything bigger since. It was one of those times when your dad who seldom fishes lets you know he still has it.

The kelp stringers should move closer to shore as the water warms.

[Edited on 4-18-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

willardguy - 4-17-2012 at 09:47 PM

the key to keeping mussel on the hook is using thread wound around that ball of snot. works great!

Skipjack Joe - 4-17-2012 at 09:50 PM

Too lazy.

BajaRat - 4-18-2012 at 11:09 AM

Please start a San Clemente thread when you get there Woody. Your photos are awesome. :cool:

prolly the last shot from SNI

woody with a view - 4-21-2012 at 02:12 PM

i got 2-3 days left. maybe this week, maybe not! LA Bay next week!!!

all in all it has been all over the spectrum as far as working conditions. sideways rain, WIND, sunny days 25% of the time, fog, WIND! it's been a privilege to have spent 2 months there. most people only spend a week or two. long/short~i'm looking forward to san clemente island.....

woody with a view - 4-25-2012 at 05:26 PM

came out to the island today to install some guard rail. it started out beautiful, warm and the water was like oily glass. we flew with the boss and it was awesome!

woody with a view - 4-25-2012 at 05:29 PM

final approach landing backward! usually the wind is from the north but today was from the southwest. note the beautiful high clouds. it was prolly 75 degrees when we landed. that righthand jetty is down there somewhere....
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