2019 Kayak Diving Highlights

by jimrussell | Jan 24, 2020 | Fishing, Kraken, Saltwater Fishing

2019 was a fun filled year full of freediving and spearfishing from both my Kraken 13.5 and from shore. When I have a choice I always like diving off my Kraken because it allows me to cover more ground, and to safely stow any fish I take. I spent seven months of the...

Spearfishing California Halibut 2019

by jimrussell | Oct 10, 2019 | Fishing, Fishing Reports, Internationalisation, Kraken, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing

I have put in a LOT of time this year either diving off my Kraken, jumping in from shore, or off buddies boats staring at sand looking for California Halibut. The Kraken makes a great platform for hunting these fish and allows me to cover more ground, and keep the...

Basic Gear For Spear Fishing

by jimrussell | Aug 10, 2019 | Fishing, Internationalisation, Kraken, United States, Video

Huge thank you to Jameson Redding for putting together this awesome video and giving me a chance to talk about some of the basic gear I use for spearfishing out here in Northern California. Everyone has different ways of doing things so I encourage you to experiment...

Start of 2019

by jimrussell | May 9, 2019 | Fishing, Internationalisation, United States, Video

The Ocean has been rough when I have had free time and haven’t shot a fish in over a month, so put together some footage from the first few months of the year. Fish shown include Lingcod, Cabezon, CA Sheephead, Blue/Black/Olive/Vermilion Rockfish, and some Rock...

“The Kayak Spear Fisherman”

by jimrussell | Apr 17, 2019 | Fishing, Fishing Feature, Internationalisation, Kraken, United States, Video

Last summer Jameson Redding from the JK Media House came out and spent a few days with me. I’ve met Jameson twice before at past Gimme Shelter tournaments, and he is a super cool guy and a ton of fun to be around. He is also a super enthusiastic kayak angler,...

Big Jim’s 2018

by jimrussell | Dec 16, 2018 | Fishing, Kraken, Video

I had a really fun year of diving!! I dove from my Kraken 13.5, from shore, from boats and was even lucky enough to do a mothership trip with Jameson Redding off my friends sailboat!! Below is a video of some of the highlights of the year…species featured...

November in Monterey County

by jimrussell | Dec 2, 2018 | Fishing, Fishing Subjects, Internationalisation, Kraken, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing, United States

Blew off work on Saturday AM and headed down to the beach. Little bit of a shorebreak but was able to get out between sets. Nice and glassy once offshore, but very foggy…was very glad I had my Navionics GPS app to help keep me oriented. First area produced one...

Bring The Ling

by jimrussell | Nov 6, 2018 | Fishing, Internationalisation, Kraken, United States

A new fishing and diving shop recently opened up on the Breakwater Pier in Monterey, and they put on a Lingcod Tournament with both hook and line and speargun categories. The conditions were pretty bad, but I paddled out in my Kraken anyway… All my usual holes...

Spearfishing California Halibut

by jimrussell | Sep 5, 2018 | Fishing, Fishing Subjects, Internationalisation, Kraken, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing, United States, Video

I have put in a LOT of time this year either diving off my Kraken, or just jumping in from shore, staring at sand looking for California Halibut. These fish are delicious, but can be frustrating to hunt as you can stare at miles of sand without seeing any, or you can...

January to March 2018

by jimrussell | Apr 27, 2018 | Fishing, Internationalisation, Kraken, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing, United States, Video

It has been a busy first three months of the year, but I have still been able to sneak out and get in some diving here and there off my Kraken 13.5, from shore, and even once from my buddy Jeff’s boat. While I haven’t gotten out as much as I would have...

Big Jim’s 2017

by jimrussell | Jan 21, 2018 | Fishing, Fishing Reports, Fishing Subjects, Internationalisation, Kraken, Media, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing, United States, Video

This time last year I could barely walk and was just starting the painful process of PT to recover from a torn quadriceps tendon in my left knee…  While I’m still not 100% I am stoked that I have been able to get out diving both off kayak and from...

Caught Him Slipping…

by jimrussell | Jul 7, 2017 | Fishing, Fishing Subjects, Internationalisation, Kraken, Saltwater, Saltwater Fishing, United States, Video

A couple years ago I started exploring a new (for me) area that is only diveable on very calm days… The area is fun to dive with varied depths, cool structure and a good variety of fish and so I try and get out there once or twice a year when the ocean lays...