What is your ideal rig for ...
 

I fully admit to being completely lost when it comes to saltwater fishing. I have also noticed that I'm not the only newb that has been here lately. That being said, I am not new to fishing and know that you can ask a dozen fishermen for the "best way" to do something and you'll get a dozen different responses. I'm still curious what you experienced Yakkers do to haul in the big ones. So, allow me to ask you fish masters a couple of questions.

What is your favorite reel/rod/line/bait set-up for catching:
1) White seabass
2) yellow tail
3) halibut
4) calico
5) ling cod
6) any favorite fish you have in mind

I'd appreciate any details you can include, i.e. carolina rig, circle hook, weight size, etc. Thanks, fellas!

Welcome aboard all of the info your looking for is available with the search function

Ouch! That's not fair....all that searching takes forever :pcguru:

I use a fish'n pole and some string and hooks they aint rusted or nutin,n sum ole sparkplugs or lugnuts fer weights...:o

blah blah blah, everyones giving you a hard time. I personaly like carolina rigs, for every fish listed. Its just a matter of the bait you use. Flylining swim baits is more natural, but keeping them weighed down helps with a fast drifting current/wing/trolling, and keeps furfaces off your back. Double dropper loops work well for rock fish/ling cod/whitefish/sheeps with cut squid.

Sheesh! Guess I'll just go pick up a copy of Fishing for Dummies! :confused:

the patient and persistent man gets the. . .
 

That's a lot of fish on your list. . .

Be patient, and don't forget you have to give to get.

I'll chime in with a few disclaimers. I have never caught a legal WSB, I don't fish at night with the squid crew, my fish finder broke down a few years ago and I never replaced it, I rarely fish for calicos, rock fish, or lings, I started "kayak" fishing from a paddle board about 15 years ago, Iv'e fished from IB to Salt Creek and on the east coast, and due to some personal and finance issues I haven't been fishing as much as I would like of late. OK, I can carry about 4 rods on my kayak so I have to double duty my gear. I typicly bring a surface iron stick, a 30-40lb heavy bait/yo-yo stick, a 25-30lb bait rod. Depending on season and what is biting I'll sub in another jig stick or another a bait rod a my 4th outfit. I can say that I never fish less than 30lb line in LJ. Most of my YT have been taken on slow trolled green macks. I rarely use a wieght, usually have a short fluoro leader, and a circle hook that matches bait size. I target halibut with the same bait, line, and hooks but use a torpedo sinker and dropper loop. I have also caught YT, bass, and lings while fishing the bottom for halis. I try to keep things simple tackle wise; 3-4 light irons, 3-4 heavies, 2 sizes fluoro, 3-5 sinkers, 2 sibikis, 1 pack each of 3 sizes of hooks. I rambled a bit. Hope it helps. Mike

Welcome!
As RK mentioned, use the search function. When I started a few years back, I scoured the various kayak fishing sites reading every article a dozen times over and searching thousands of old threads. I finally settled on BWE as my home and you chose wisely in doing the same.

If you are fishing La Jolla, pony up the money to hire a guide, pm either The Kid or the Darkhorse to take you out and show you around. They have kayaks and fishing gear. That way you can get a feel for what works and why before you purchase your own setups. The money you spend in hiring one of them you will recoup by not buying a bunch of stuff you do not need, not to mention the amount of knowledge you will gain from a day on the water with one of these guys.

I would highly suggest a guided service to learn for the first time out at La Jolla. I hired the Sea Samurai which was an awesome learning experience.

Didn't mean to get anybody all upset. I thought it would make an interesting read, but no worries. I have been doing my homework and have a friend that's showing me the ropes. I've also talked to him about going out with a guide - he's said that he had a great experience with the Darkhorse, and I will more that likely go out with a guide eventually.

Based on my internet reading and advice from friends I've made some purchases on CL. My gear to this point includes:

Reels-
1. Saltist 40 spooled with 30 lb mono.
2. Sealine 50 with 65 lb spectra
3. Sealine 30 with 20 lb mono
4. Penn 146 (Squidder Jr) with 20 lb mono.
Rods-
1. Kencor 7' 20-50
2. Kencor 7' 8-30
3. Californian 7' 15-40
4. Kencor 5'6" 12-30

All my rods and reels have been purchased off CL for a grand total of $280 and I feel pretty good about my rigs.
I'll get this figured out one way or another. When I do, I'll come up with the best damned recipe for fish tacos on the planet and I'll share it with you. :reel:

How about a rig for Mr. T ? Still looking for my first T on a kayak.

Get yourself a bass rig too. 7'6" Teramar and either a Cardiff or Curado to go on it.

Each targeted fish requires its own rig and that changes too.

For example, yellowtail: live bait, surface iron, or yo yo. Add in winter or summer...

And, halibut: shallow or deep? Live bait or artificial? Long Beach, Dana or La Jolla...

Don't worry about learning it all at once. It's kinda like
dating, learn as you go.

I'd put that 65 spectra on that saltist 40 and pair it with the 15-40 lb rig for YT and WSB, and on a lighter rod for halibut. While it may not be the ideal rig for every type of fishing that you will do, it will certainly be a good base to start. With a flouro leader, you could turn that into a pretty versitile rig for a variety of species.

I too have the Sealine 50 w/ 65# spectra. I love it! I use either a 30 or 40# floro leader. I have it on a 800M, and this is my TY, WS, Halibut rig. The first two I have yet to catch. My lighter rig is a 700L on a 40SHA w/25# mono.

I like to keep my shit simple. I just have two rods/reels.

For hooks I use 1/0-3/0 gamakatsu circle hooks and 3/0 Mustand 94150. Again simple, I don't care to have a whole tray of random hooks. Others will say different, but that's the nature of the sport.

I'm willing to heed to the advice of others, but ultimately, it's what you are comfortable with. And of course YMMV....