I went to San Clemente Island today with Christian Webb and Jeff Bonisa. Clemente is 51 nautical miles offshore and the weather can be a factor. The forecast was bumpy, but considering the forecast, it was an amazingly smooth and pleasant ride.
About 5 miles before we got to the island, we came across this paddy. Not only was it one of the largest I've ever seen, but it was so damn dense that gulls and cormorants were walking across the top rather than sitting in it. I think I might have been able to walk across it.
I know some people get confused on kelp terms. When kelp is attached to the bottom, we call it a kelp bed. When kelp is torn loose from the bottom and floating in the open ocean, we call it a kelp paddy. This paddy was in water over 1000 feet deep, but it looked like an entire bed had been torn loose and transported offshore.
The water was cool and we wanted to get to the island, so we didn't dive it. Maybe we should have.
We tried a few different spots in Pyramid Cove. The water was blue and beautiful, there was no wind at all, the sky was clear and sunny, water temp was 66, there were big schools of blue perch and blacksmith and lots of calicos, but we couldn't seem to find the right spots for yellowtail and white sea bass.
Finally we ran up the front side. The first stop had beautiful blue water and temp of 66, but still no fish. The second spot had slightly less vis, but the temp was an amazing (for this time of year) 70 degrees. Christian and Jeff pretty much stayed in the kelp bed harassing short lobsters and checking out the calicos, while I went down the outside of the bed, trying to hedge my bets. As is true with most front side spots, the bottom dropped off fast outside the kelp, so I would go into the bed a bit looking for whites, and then outside a bit looking for yellowtail.
Finally, a lonely little yellowtail came under me swimming very slowly about 20 feet down and I damn near hyperventilated with surprise. I dove at an angle away from it, and then stopped and hung there. It kept swimming slowly and then turned a bit toward me to check me out. I got the gun pointed at it and did a couple of quick strokes to close the distance and took the shot. I was delighted to find that I had hit it, and then grabbed the float line and pulled for all I was worth to keep it from getting to the deep kelp, and was successful.
It wasn't exactly a monster, but it beat the hell out of going home empty handed after a ride of 121 nautical miles at a cost of $78 for each of us.
Christian and Jeff shot some decent calicos and Christian got a legal lobster. The ride home was also very smooth, and we could see the mainland coast as soon as we left the island. I can't tell you that we wouldn't have preferred to get a few more fish, but with the clear warm water and all the little fish to look at, it was a very pleasant day.
About 5 miles before we got to the island, we came across this paddy. Not only was it one of the largest I've ever seen, but it was so damn dense that gulls and cormorants were walking across the top rather than sitting in it. I think I might have been able to walk across it.
I know some people get confused on kelp terms. When kelp is attached to the bottom, we call it a kelp bed. When kelp is torn loose from the bottom and floating in the open ocean, we call it a kelp paddy. This paddy was in water over 1000 feet deep, but it looked like an entire bed had been torn loose and transported offshore.
The water was cool and we wanted to get to the island, so we didn't dive it. Maybe we should have.
We tried a few different spots in Pyramid Cove. The water was blue and beautiful, there was no wind at all, the sky was clear and sunny, water temp was 66, there were big schools of blue perch and blacksmith and lots of calicos, but we couldn't seem to find the right spots for yellowtail and white sea bass.
Finally we ran up the front side. The first stop had beautiful blue water and temp of 66, but still no fish. The second spot had slightly less vis, but the temp was an amazing (for this time of year) 70 degrees. Christian and Jeff pretty much stayed in the kelp bed harassing short lobsters and checking out the calicos, while I went down the outside of the bed, trying to hedge my bets. As is true with most front side spots, the bottom dropped off fast outside the kelp, so I would go into the bed a bit looking for whites, and then outside a bit looking for yellowtail.
Finally, a lonely little yellowtail came under me swimming very slowly about 20 feet down and I damn near hyperventilated with surprise. I dove at an angle away from it, and then stopped and hung there. It kept swimming slowly and then turned a bit toward me to check me out. I got the gun pointed at it and did a couple of quick strokes to close the distance and took the shot. I was delighted to find that I had hit it, and then grabbed the float line and pulled for all I was worth to keep it from getting to the deep kelp, and was successful.
It wasn't exactly a monster, but it beat the hell out of going home empty handed after a ride of 121 nautical miles at a cost of $78 for each of us.
Christian and Jeff shot some decent calicos and Christian got a legal lobster. The ride home was also very smooth, and we could see the mainland coast as soon as we left the island. I can't tell you that we wouldn't have preferred to get a few more fish, but with the clear warm water and all the little fish to look at, it was a very pleasant day.
