Wouldn't you know it.
Had a friend up from Portland who doesn't fish but likes to kayak. It was his birthday wish to explore Mats Mats area. How could I say no, even though Area 9 is closed to blackmouth. So fishing out of my drift boat while he kayaked I thought I'd catch a rockfish for dinner. No way! For two hours all I could catch was blackmouth, fishing darts in 60-100 ft. at tide change. And they were all keepers. The first fish I hooked in 40 ft off the rocks was the biggest I have caught or seen in years, easily 14+! It was pure heaven; gorgeous weather, clear skies, no wind, calm seas and all the blackmouth I could catch and release with no one in sight but my kyacking buddy who coulda cared less about all the commotion that was going on. I'm black and blue from all the pinching I was giving myself. Seems like the fishing always better where you can't keep em'. Oh well, At least this time I brought the camera and had a witness to boot.