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| l-r: Eric caught it, Ngyuen hoisted it aboard, I provided moral support and a tow line |
This adventure occured several years ago. I'm just getting around to posting about it now because it came to mind triggered by a recent retelling of the story to a friend. Below I detail a kayak fishing expedition targeting Salmon. Two players in this drama post videos on YouTube where they have captured their live-action accounts of this. I'm in the background in the red kayak:
- Eric Stockwell, LINK - LoletaEric's YouTube Vid
- Ngyuen, LINK - The Lost Anchovy's YouTube Vid
Yes, landing large, hard-fighting fish out in the ocean aboard a kayak is certainly possible. Getting this approximately 130-pounder aboard required the effort of four kayakers: Eric, our guide, Ngyuen, the wrangler, Marc, and me, your author.
Marc and I had engaged Eric, a professional guide, to lead us on a salmon hunt way back in August of 2014. Every indicator was promising: reports of a heavy salmon run in the area, water temperature, swell-surf-wind conditions, all the positive signs were there. And yet, we picked a day when, if salmon were present at all, they were not feeding. Nothing was happening. After several hours of trolling, we had no salmon bites, nibbles, or nudges. Among the three of us, we had a few rockfish, a halibut for Marc, and perhaps a lingcod in someone's burlap sack. We had driven over narrow, winding roads and curves for six hours from the Bay area with very high expectations for an abundance of salmon only to face these dissappointing outcomes. We kayak fisher persons all experience this. That's why we refer to what we do as fishing, not catching fish.
And then, nearing the end of the day's effort, it happened: Eric hooked up, his pole bent double, his reel screamed as the running thresher turned Eric's yak about 90 degrees towing him fast enough to make a small wake. Surging adrenaline put us all into a state of heightened urgency. Marc and I reeled in our lines and paddled to keep up with the sleigh ride. It took Eric about 40-minutes to get the fish to the side of his kayak. We were joined in the effort by Ngyuen, who heard the commotion as he worked a nearby area on his own, knew immediately the cause and came to help.
Eric quickly bled and dispatched the fish in as humane a manner possible--still gruesome, but necessary. We made our way back to shore and the fish cleaning station where Eric and Ngyuen gutted and cleaned this beautiful creature and generously portioned a share for all of us. Upon returning home, I cooked my portion for the family. Yep, delicious. Loved it.