Tag Archives: Ken Bailey

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Ken Bailey and his diving buddy, Jack Likins, were amazed at the huge Abalone Ken found while diving last Saturday.

That is an eleven inch gauge. Ken's abalone measured 10 13/16 inches. As his wife, Wendy, put it, "It was a BEAST!!!"  It weighed 9.6 pounds in the shell and 6.3 pounds out of the shell. That's a lot of good eating.

Ken and Jack were filming that day and caught this catch on film. They are in the process of creating their next abalone diving movie. It will be titled, "The Secrets of Successful Abalone Diving." Yes, they sure do know how to successfully dive for abalone!

Thanks to Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here. In a few days I will show you a photo of Ken with this beast of an abalone.

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Before I show you some of the interiors of Fort Ross, I wanted to show you that Salmon are running off the Mendocino Coast. Rick and I live in Anchor Bay. When the clouds lifted a little while ago, I saw fishing boats off of Fish Rocks. Yesterday Ken Bailey and Richard Lewis went out in a Zodiak and look what they caught:

A fifteen pound King Salmon and a seventeen pound Ling Cod - gifts from the sea.

Thanks to Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here and thanks to Wendy Bailey for sending the photo and sighting in.

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Ken Bailey recently photographed a baby Brown Pelican. They are flying by the Coast in great numbers now. It seems there was a high birth rate this year. Some of the young Pelicans have been seen in unexpected places - most are tired and just need to rest. But some aren't going to survive. Rescue centers have been overwhelmed with young Brown Pelicans and will no longer take them. Here's what a baby Brown Pelican looks like:

They have a white belly, or underparts, and their head is brown. It is very distressing to see one starving as we cherish these birds that were almost made extinct by the pesticide DDT. But the fact is some don't survive and it proves out the motto of the survival of the fittest. Of course if something man-made is affecting them, like fishing line, you should try to help them.

Below is a photo Allen Vinson took of a squadron of Brown Pelicans. May the fish be plentiful and the winds favorable. They have a long journey to points north.

Thanks to Allen and Ken for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see a photo comparing adult Brown Pelicans to a juvenile, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/12/05/three-wonderful-photos-of-juvenile-and-adult-brown-pelicans-by-coastal-photographer-allen-vinson/

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The fishing fleet has been busy just north of the border of Sonoma County and Mendocino County. Rick and I can see many boats fishing for Salmon from our home in Anchor Bay. Yesterday Mel Smith purchased one for us from the pier at Point Arena Harbor. Yes, we had fresh salmon, caught in the pristine waters off the Coast, for dinner last night. The cost? $8.00 a pound. The fish Mel got for us was 13.5 pounds. Lots of salmon fillets are now in our freezer.

And today is the last day for Abalone diving. The season is closed for the month of July. The conditions today look ideal, as the Pacific Ocean is very calm. Recently Jack Likins and Ken Bailey went out. The result was this cache of big Abalones and a very nice Lingcod.

They shared these spoils at a birthday party for Ken's wife, Wendy Bailey. I can personally attest to the delicious fish tacos made with the Lingcod and the exquisite Abalone.

Thanks to Jack and Ken for allowing me to share this photo with you here.

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Just look at this huge Abalone! Ken, Jack Likins and Randy Jackson (no relation, darn it) were diving ten days ago in an area most divers avoid because it is "dirty," according to Jack. The secret place, off the Mendonoma Coast, doesn't have many Abalones but what is does have are big Abalones. Randy got his limit of 9+ inchers, Jack got his limit of 10+ inchers - yes, three trophy abs, and Ken got the bragging rights with this huge 10+ incher.

All of these men live on the Mendonoma Coast. They are strong and smart. Trophy Abalones are no strangers to these men in their quest for red treasure. Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his photo. Jack and Ken, along with Richard Lewis, produced a DVD on what it's like to dive for abalone. It's entitled The Hunt for Red Treasure and can be found at my favorite bookstore, The Four-Eyed Frog. http://www.foureyedfrog.com/