Red Sky in the Morning, Sailor Take Warning

[Kelsea]

When you leave your harbor and the sky looks like this and the winds are already 10kts, make sure you plan your dive carefully. Especially if solo and going long distances... even more especially if your vessels is man-powered. Take your radio and leave a float plan. An extra anchor helps - also make sure to let out plenty of slack. For extra visibility for other boats - take a dive flag on a tall pole, as sometimes the swell can really hide you and your board. Trust me, this came in handy today...

Been studying my arse off for days... needed a quick morning sesh and some grub for my classmates. Three exams await me Monday, and we need brainfood.

Was blessed with "Bookend" Opposing-faced Halibut, and a toad-sized Calico. Not bad for a quick hop in. Viz varied greatly, but if you had a chance to get out, I hope you had a good one. Remember, diving in suboptimal conditions can be rewarding, but be smart out there.

Cheers and dive safe,

The Hali Ho strikes again.

[chasintail]

Dirty ho!
I went down to the beach this afternoon and stuck 3 flounder and threw the net. Got about 4 pounds of white shrimp. Made a hella dinner.

[Nerka]

Damn fine haul. Can I ask a question about shot placement for halibut? In the past I would aim for the head but had a few misses and if the shot hit the jaw the hold was weak. Since then I have been shooting that at "shoulders" or just behind the head. Most of my fish are more in then 24-27" inch range, if that matters. Based on the above images it looks like you have prefect shot placement through the gill plate. Do you normally shot for the gill plate or would you take a body shot under less than optimal conditions?
thanks

[Ethan kills]

Nice calico.

[Kelsea]

Nerka,

Forgive my drawings, they are crude and I am jacked on caffeine.

I like the gill plate and pectoral area right behind it - it minimizes damage to fillets, and provides a good solid area for the shaft flopper or slip to engage/toggle (thus minimizing fish loss). I aim for that area, staying center along the spine. Since the fish is not moving, take time to align your shot. If its surgy, this takes a bit of practice. Use a tube gun or euro style gun that will resist lateral off-tracking from surge, if it helps.

So, even though the entry hole is in the gill plate, the exit wound is actually almost centered on the belly, precisely on the spine line. Usually breaks their vertebrae.

I also shoot at a very low angle. Many halibut can be found laying on top of rocks or on shallow sand with rocks under. Shooting straight down will ricochets out of the fish. Sometimes I even lay on the bottom, facing the fish and shoot at an angle lower than 30 degrees. Also, halibut have a hard time swimming backwards. Shoot face on, and they will swim up your shaft. (**just get out of the way if the thing goes berzerk and charges towards you, I've had one drive my shaft right through my wetsuit onto my sternum) This also allows me to rapidly grab each end of the shaft sticking out of the fish, and immobilize it quickly. Less fight, less headache. Often the fish is brained on on my stringer in less than one minute.

These are just my preferences. Others have methods that work for them. You don't always have the choice/time for the best shot, as conditions may dictate your options.

[Nerka]

Originally Posted by Kelsea

Nerka,

Forgive my drawings, they are crude and I am jacked on caffeine.

I like the gill plate and pectoral area right behind it - it minimizes damage to fillets, and provides a good solid area for the shaft flopper or slip to engage/toggle (thus minimizing fish loss). I aim for that area, staying center along the spine. Since the fish is not moving, take time to align your shot. If its surgy, this takes a bit of practice. Use a tube gun or euro style gun that will resist lateral off-tracking from surge, if it helps.

So, even though the entry hole is in the gill plate, the exit wound is actually almost centered on the belly, precisely on the spine line. Usually breaks their vertebrae.

I also shoot at a very low angle. Many halibut can be found laying on top of rocks or on shallow sand with rocks under. Shooting straight down will ricochets out of the fish. Sometimes I even lay on the bottom, facing the fish and shoot at an angle lower than 30 degrees. Also, halibut have a hard time swimming backwards. Shoot face on, and they will swim up your shaft. (**just get out of the way if the thing goes berzerk and charges towards you, I've had one drive my shaft right through my wetsuit onto my sternum) This also allows me to rapidly grab each end of the shaft sticking out of the fish, and immobilize it quickly. Less fight, less headache.

These are just my preferences. Others have methods that work for them. You don't always have the choice/time for the best shot, as conditions may dictate your options.

Thanks that helps a bunch.

[Kelsea]

Originally Posted by chasintail

Dirty ho!
I went down to the beach this afternoon and stuck 3 flounder and threw the net. Got about 4 pounds of white shrimp. Made a hella dinner.

rad! any picks of dinner???

[chasintail]

No I dont really ever do pics anymore. Kims photos everything though. I didn't have anything to brag about. You did!

[North Star]

Nice pictures and fish! What a great dive! Don't blame you for leaving the books to relax your brain and body. Trouble with me is once I have a dive experience like that, I have a hard time getting my mind back on the books again!

[The Freediver]

Haven't seen you post a report in a while. Is it cause of school? This is a really good report and congrats on the nice haul!

Nerka, and whoever else, you can see exactly what she is talking about in my latest video. I saw the fish, got excited and went down for the shot and realized I was behind it. I went back to the surface and reasessed the situation. I swam around to the front of the fish and this goes double since I had a camera in one hand and was limitted on fighting it. I shot it from the front at the angle I frequently do and it swam right up the shaft and strung itself. Perfect example. Here is a link to it in case you didn't see it on the other thread.

http://www.vimeo.com/16557700

Thanks again for the report Kelsea.

[ApneaAddict]

I always enjoy your reports, Kelsea. This one was particularly great. (I like your halibut illustration too ). Glad you had a good dive and got some time away from the books. Best of luck with the exams. Thanks for sharing.

[Robbert]

Based on your intro there is clearly MORE to this story! Come on Kelsea let us hear it!

- Robbert

[atomic water]

Nice Kelsea!

[C monster]

My favorite part of that post are the drawings. Nice haul for a quickie, Kels...

SC

[ddonnell]

Great post! Toad calico!