i gave good old goleta beach another shot today. there was a lot less oil in the water wich made fishing a lot easier. i caught 3 sand bass (two small and one 5+) and 6 or so rockfish. all the fish were caught on a 4 inch bighammer.

now for the interesting part.

i was just fishing away and i heard the familiar pffffffft behind me. i turned around to see the seal. my heart just about stopped when i saw a very large, very close grey whale. thats right no more than ten feet away a whale had breached. the length from spout to tail had to be at least 15 ft. i gathered my wits in time to see the 7ft wide tail aproach the surface. suddenly all the discovery channel whale specials flashed through my mind, i could see that tail raising out of the water and crashing down on my tiny kayak. luckily though it just slid by gracefully. these animals are very large and ive come to realize they are also incredibally gracefull. this is one of the most humbling experiences ive ever had. just like that a half decient day of fishing was turned into an unforgetable afternoon.