Made it to the ocean, was ready to launch the kayak at 5 am and feeling pretty hardcore. Then I met the paddleboarder who had dropped his pots at 2 am and was paddling back out to collect his limit... The crab bait was the normal mix of recycled bits from previous adventures - clam guts, cured shrimp, salmon bits, etc.
Dropped the pots and hung out on the beach until I got twitchy, didn't last an hour. That impatience meant the ring pot only had one keeper red rock. The sport pot was a different story and on the pull I knew I was in business. Then I shamed myself and wasn't strong enough to get the pot over the side of the kayak in the swell (last time I put extra lead on the pot). Luckily the ocean was swarming with boats and I begged for a stable rest on the opposite side so I could hoist my haul.
The big boys had scared off the little ones and there would have been 8 keepers but for the soft shells in the mix (soft shells means they recently molted and have not filled into their new shell). These guys were also feistier than my typical victims and took advantage of my compromised sorting position. My first ever pinch came with a solid latch to my inner thigh... Number two was a vice clamp on my finger but I had already gained some perspective on the pain scale. Kept four dungeness and re-baited for another round but only got one more red rock in the short time I paddled around.
All in all a successful trip and I was home by 8:30. Used up all my good bait so some salmon and/or clamming trips are desperately needed.
