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Fished the Berry Monday and we pretty well due to one our fellow BFTers. I had been struggling to get into fish this year and put out a call for help.  
We had pelicans following us around like we were the government with a fresh batch of covid checks.
When we would have a fish splashing at the boat they would move in closer. We had their undivided attention.
Guess they are hanging around boats picking up injured fish that don't make it. This is better than having rotting fish floating around however.
It pains me when I have a bleeding trout that is in the slot. He is going to die but I am not allowed to take him. I can understand the DWR not allowing fishers to keep injured slot fish that's for sure. I see enough slot cuts at the cleaning stations as it is. I'm afraid some would claim injured and not wanting to waste just to keep fish.
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Yep, those pelicans have been trained by all of the anglers.
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(08-11-2021, 09:46 PM)PACMEN Wrote: Fished the Berry Monday and we pretty well due to one our fellow BFTers. I had been struggling to get into fish this year and put out a call for help.
We had pelicans following us around like we were the government with a fresh batch of covid checks.
When we would have a fish splashing at the boat they would move in closer. We had their undivided attention.
Guess they are hanging around boats picking up injured fish that don't make it. This is better than having rotting fish floating around however.
It pains me when I have a bleeding trout that is in the slot. He is going to die but I am not allowed to take him. I can understand the DWR not allowing fishers to keep injured slot fish that's for sure. I see enough slot cuts at the cleaning stations as it is. I'm afraid some would claim injured and not wanting to waste just to keep fish. Years ago they were trained too. I used to target trout and would score them stripping streamers on the fly rod or by jigging jigs. I swear everytime I caught a slot cutt, i would gently release them, watch them struggle on the surface, then get gobbled up by the pelicans. It never seemed to fail.
Gabe
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Well at least they aren't taking the fish off your lines like the sea lions out of Oceanside California... Last trip down there about half the fish caught were half fish.... thanks to the seal tax... Later Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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(08-12-2021, 11:47 AM)SkunkedAgain Wrote: Well at least they aren't taking the fish off your lines like the sea lions out of Oceanside California... Last trip down there about half the fish caught were half fish.... thanks to the seal tax... Later Jeff
Maybe a long pause then a good hard hook set. You'd have the fight of your life.
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Actually we were fly lining (I think is what they called it) basically we put a live minnow on our line with only a hook in it and let it swim, well, I got a hit that pulled like crazy, I thought I had the fish of the day, well after an exciting 10-20 seconds of reel screaming, a seal surfaced with my line in his mouth headed for Japan... It was a crazy fight till they seen what it was, then they made me point the rod at it and break it off... So yes it was one of the fights of my life... just didn't last very long... but fun while it was an unknown... My hook up was the first seal/sea lion that we had seen that day... Had to modify how we were fishing after they learned the seals had found us.. Later Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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I deck handed on several party boats in so Cal in my earlier years. A big problem with "fly-lining" live anchovies was having seagulls snarf them. So we would catch one, bring it in and tie a partially inflated pink balloon to one of its legs and turn it loose. As it flew off with the purty pink "goodies" all the other gulls would follow...and it would be semi quiet for a few minutes.
For the sea lions, we kept some cherry bombs and M-80 firecrackers. (Not legal...but necessary) One of those lit and tossed out with a 3 oz. weight would go off underwater and hurt some poor sea lion eardrums. Thinned the herd and oh so therapeutic.
Since sea lions became the protected darlings of the tree huggers it greatly effected several California and north coast fisheries. Anyone who has ever witnessed the wholesale slaughter of returning steelhead and salmon below the upriver dams will not have any love for the marauding sea lions. And anyone who has paid good money to get on a fishing boat...only to lose every fish they hook...doesn't get the warm fuzzies when discussion those pinnipeds either. Many of them have learned to follow the sound of the boat engines to their fishing spots...and then to follow them to wherever they go to get away.
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(08-12-2021, 08:14 PM)TubeDude Wrote: I deck handed on several party boats in so Cal in my earlier years. A big problem with "fly-lining" live anchovies was having seagulls snarf them. So we would catch one, bring it in and tie a partially inflated pink balloon to one of its legs and turn it loose. As it flew off with the purty pink "goodies" all the other gulls would follow...and it would be semi quiet for a few minutes.
For the sea lions, we kept some cherry bombs and M-80 firecrackers. (Not legal...but necessary) One of those lit and tossed out with a 3 oz. weight would go off underwater and hurt some poor sea lion eardrums. Thinned the herd and oh so therapeutic.
Since sea lions became the protected darlings of the tree huggers it greatly effected several California and north coast fisheries. Anyone who has ever witnessed the wholesale slaughter of returning steelhead and salmon below the upriver dams will not have any love for the marauding sea lions. And anyone who has paid good money to get on a fishing boat...only to lose every fish they hook...doesn't get the warm fuzzies when discussion those pinnipeds either. Many of them have learned to follow the sound of the boat engines to their fishing spots...and then to follow them to wherever they go to get away.
How about lining me out on some cherry bomb and M-80s. Been 50 years since I got any real firecrackers.
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(08-13-2021, 05:51 PM)PACMEN Wrote: (08-12-2021, 08:14 PM)TubeDude Wrote: I deck handed on several party boats in so Cal in my earlier years. A big problem with "fly-lining" live anchovies was having seagulls snarf them. So we would catch one, bring it in and tie a partially inflated pink balloon to one of its legs and turn it loose. As it flew off with the purty pink "goodies" all the other gulls would follow...and it would be semi quiet for a few minutes.
For the sea lions, we kept some cherry bombs and M-80 firecrackers. (Not legal...but necessary) One of those lit and tossed out with a 3 oz. weight would go off underwater and hurt some poor sea lion eardrums. Thinned the herd and oh so therapeutic.
Since sea lions became the protected darlings of the tree huggers it greatly effected several California and north coast fisheries. Anyone who has ever witnessed the wholesale slaughter of returning steelhead and salmon below the upriver dams will not have any love for the marauding sea lions. And anyone who has paid good money to get on a fishing boat...only to lose every fish they hook...doesn't get the warm fuzzies when discussion those pinnipeds either. Many of them have learned to follow the sound of the boat engines to their fishing spots...and then to follow them to wherever they go to get away.
How about lining me out on some cherry bomb and M-80s. Been 50 years since I got any real firecrackers. Well, that was over 50 years ago too. We got our "illegal" fireworks by a quick and easy (both ways) crossing the border at Tijuana...in the days before cartels, drugs and the flood of undocumented non-citizens. Never had car inspections or sniffer dogs on either side in those days. Nowadays there are 20 lanes of cars backed up for hours and every car and driver gets the CSI treatment. I miss the olden days. At least I think I do. I sometimes don't remember too good.
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The Pelicans at Strawberry are more aggressive right now than I've ever seen them in years past. They used to patiently circle the boat until a floundering slot cutt would make it out to them...now they come within 6 to 8 feet of the boat! At least the trout had a chance to revive before, but not now!
It is a shame to release a fish that you know is going to die. Jigging helps, and paying attention when jigging helps even more, but I still manage to kill a few each trip. It's good to see the food chain at work. But it's still a shame to watch a 21.5" fat cutthroat get eaten (still alive) by a Pelican! It's just an unfortunate part of the sport.
I used to N.ot have E.nough T.ime O.ff to go fishing. Then I retired. Now I have less time than I had before. Sheesh.
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That was fun, it really peeled the line didn't it??? Anyway they (sea lions) did exactly like Pat mentioned following us from spot to spot, we'd only get maybe a half hour of fishing before they would catch up with us at the new spot... Glad we don't have to deal with them around here, pelican's are bad enough... Luckily they aren't that bad everywhere in the state... Later J
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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