Early season shrimping near Whittier-how far?

[Mark Collett]

Maybe a Little Bit Crazy

Hey Rudy,
Best of luck to you with your yak shrimping.I have to think you gotta be just a little bit crazy but I'm all for ya guy.Be safe out there.We all want to hear how it worked out-or not.Have fun too.There must be a fine line you're treading with this endevour.:think:Get a bunch of them shrimps.........:topjob:

[Kardinal_84]

Hey Rudy,
Best of luck to you with your yak shrimping.I have to think you gotta be just a little bit crazy but I'm all for ya guy.Be safe out there.We all want to hear how it worked out-or not.Have fun too.There must be a fine line you're treading with this endevour.:think:Get a bunch of them shrimps.........:topjob:

Your wrong Mark! It's more than a "little bit crazy." Maybe on the cusp of mediocre crazy even! lol.

I see two scenarios. I am going to load it up, fiddle around with it, and come straight back to the launch because I have determined that it is too unstable to attempt. The second scenario is I am worrying too much and this is going to be easy! Haha. The reality is its going to be somewhere in between.

The plan, is to get out this afternoon to test stability. If its good to go I will set the pots. If its bad, I will just go fishing. If its in between, I plan to wait for my support boat friends to show up and have them accompany me for the first drop and pull on Saturday. So I think I have it covered.

dry suit, pfd, vhf, cell phone, spare paddle, whistle, kayak stuffed inside with flotations...check, check, check.

If anyone sees a malibu mini-x floating by without a person in PWS, make sure you save the waterproof camera. It should contain some pretty interesting shots...especially if its out there by itself!

I will definitely report back even if it is an EPIC failure. At least its progress that we would know what doesn't work.

[Kardinal_84]

I survived the test run. A little gustier and windier than I like but beautiful day for the most part. Got out on the water late in the afternoon. Dropped two pots at 350ft and 300ft. Had time to test out the gear so I pulled one pot after 90 minute soak. 4 shrimp. 2 small spots and 2 coonstripes. I think the system works fine. This body however does not. I am out of shape after this winter!!!!

We will see how they do with a little longer soak tomorrow.

[dudemandude]

Sweet! Looks Awesome! Good Job on the shrimp!

[Kardinal_84]

3 dozen for two small pots after overnight soak. Not bad dozen empty shells. Almost got the octopus. Felt pot get lighter at the top.

[jrogers]

I didn't shrimp today, just brought the boat down for a test run and to get in the slip. It was incredible out. This was at Decision Point.



The parking lot is pretty full of equipment, but the upper lot is open so there is plenty of room for parking trailers.



Ready to hit the shrimping hard next weekend, hopefully the weather holds...

[Grizzly Man]

my dinghy is a 15ft zodiac....the harbormaster doesn't like seeing me with my camping gear loaded heading out - but I do go low and slow and have no fear of sinking it.

LOL...nothing scarier than going out on the water with someone that no fear about sinking his boat!!!

[AK2AZ]

Was an awesome day today...flat glass past Decision Point. Dropped two pots at random and picked them up 4 hours later...43 nice spots. Quite the sunburn as well but no `butts.

[Kardinal_84]

Posted this in the Kayak forums

Ok. I can't figure this software out. But I didn't want to upload another poorly edited video and eat bandwith until i can figure it out. Didn't mess with the audio so it cuts in and out. At any rate, not going to win any awards but you should get an idea of what i went through to catch shrimp from a Kayak. It was remarkably easy and stable...but it was also very calm out there.

Here's the video link: http://youtu.be/Z-EPDlMzhas

[Mark Collett]

Cool Video Kard,
What are you gonna do when you do bring up that octopus ? That water was very nice,you picked a great day.And not a bad haul of shrimp either.I especially like where you sped up the tape,looked like you were hauling tail.
Anyway,keep em coming.......

[Kardinal_84]

Cool Video Kard,
What are you gonna do when you do bring up that octopus ? That water was very nice,you picked a great day.And not a bad haul of shrimp either.I especially like where you sped up the tape,looked like you were hauling tail.
Anyway,keep em coming.......

I have no clue what I am going to do. That does scare me. At leas with the shrimping, I had a plan and I was prepared. A 30 or heck a 100 pound Octopus???? No clue... Pepper spray? 410 shotgun? 9-1-1???? They all sound about as equally reasonable (which of course is not at all).

To clarify my Yak goals...they are:

1) Harvest shrimp - Check
2) Battle an Octopus with tip to tip arm span longer than my kayak on video.
3) Harvest a 50 pound plus halibut without a boat assist.

Nothing about "harvesting" it once I get it on board. I am thinking either quick knife work or he's gone. I can't imagine having much leverage over it when you are sitting on a 9ft Kayak. Kind of like the halibut, the hope here is to catch a reasonably sized one. 9 ft span (4.5 ft per arm) isn't huge by these guys standards. But like the halibut, if I hook a monster, I'm not giving up without a reasonable fight!!!!!!!

[Mark Collett]

I'll really be looking forward to seeing the video of you wrestling a 9' octopus,scrambing to get out the pepper spray,dropping pepper spray overboard,going for the 410,oops there it goes,now quick...where's my cell phone.That vid's gonna be something else.Can't wait to see it.
Heck,wrestling a 50 lb butt in your 9'er should be pretty good too.I hope you have that camera well secured.......

[Kardinal_84]

I'll really be looking forward to seeing the video of you wrestling a 9' octopus,scrambing to get out the pepper spray,dropping pepper spray overboard,going for the 410,oops there it goes,now quick...where's my cell phone.That vid's gonna be something else.Can't wait to see it.
Heck,wrestling a 50 lb butt in your 9'er should be pretty good too.I hope you have that camera well secured.......

Taser?

Hopefully no chance of "wrestling" with a halibut. Harpoon that's tied off to a buoy. Maybe another 10 ft of rope tied of to a smaller buoy that you could hold on to if you wanted to go for a ride. Bleed it out when you get a chance, then wait another 10 minutes, then haul it on board. That's the plan at any rate. Inspired by the movie "Jaws"...ok, so I am not using drums as buoys but it should be fun if I can make it happen.

[Grizzly Man]

To clarify my Yak goals...they are:

1) Harvest shrimp - Check
2) Battle an Octopus with tip to tip arm span longer than my kayak on video.
3) Harvest a 50 pound plus halibut without a boat assist.

I wish you the best of luck with #2, and I wish I was within video range when it happens!

[jrogers]

Bleed it out when you get a chance, then wait another 10 minutes, then haul it on board. That's the plan at any rate.

I have seen some big halibut start flopping long after they should have been dead. I would consider taking it to short and filleting it there if I were you before you haul it 'on board'.