Dana Report 10/10/11

[Monovasia]

Posted this on the KFM site as well....

Wet the hull around 0930 this morning, pushed off from Tim's and headed straight out to the barber poles...beautiful morning, calm seas, sunshine....water temps between 64 and 67 degrees...bait barge had a mix of dines and chovies...mostly chovies.. trolled a Rapala out and caught a Barracuda....nice omen for sure....drifted in 80 feet of water...3 halibuts...one legal, one borderline and one short...my first California Halibut!!....this time of year in NJ they would be called a Fluke.

Looked up around 1230 and wondered "Where did the sun go?" looked behind me and WHOA...that Marine layer appeared out of no where....reeled in and trolled down to the green buoy. Drifted the bottom...pulled up a couple of sand bass and then BANG, the drag spun out on steroids.....hooked something that turned the boat around.... trimmed the drag...regained my composure and figured I would let what ever it was tire out..no such luck... fought me for a good ten minutes, pulled the boat a good 60 yards parallel to the sea wall and then broke the line.... what a rush...but this is the 4th or 5th time I have had this happen in the same area...Thresher? Bat Ray?? do I switch to a wire leader? Anyone have any thoughts?

By now the Fog Horn is blaring and visibility is dropping fast...can"t see the bluff, start heading in....meet up with another kayaker fishing a short sit in Yak.... he had caught a skulpin just outside some lobster buoys...later he picked up a very nice halibut off the bait barge jetty...

Besides the one YAK...no one else around me all day...planning to head out Friday...