Thoughts on rod lengths/cheaper reels for yakking
 

Hi everyone.

I finally got my 'yaks (two malibu x-factors) and am slowly getting used to paddling/safety issues by going out to Puddingstone lake in San Dimas, CA with my 4 and 6 year old boys with my wife...very cool indeed!

My question is to rod lengths for when I finally get the balls to head out to La Jolla (I think I'll hit some of the local bays first before I take that plunge!)

I've read many articles on here and it seems that most people were recommending longer rods to go around the 'yak. My logic, however, is that it would be better to have shorter, more powerful ones to get the fish up faster as well as having them closer to you for gaff.

Having not actually caught anything off the yak yet, is it really bad if you can't get your line around the bow? To me, it seemed like you could just pull your rod perpendicular to the yak, I mean, how much angle can they really get on you?

Please explain if I'm thinking about it wrong...at any rate, I got a great deal on some Seeker American Series rods that are a little shorter (5-6.5 feet) that I think will make great rods for the yak.

After reading about the wear and tear, I'm also reluctant to put my avets on there as well, any suggestions? I have a TLD-30 I might make my 'kelp cutter' rig. What would be a good surface iron reel? I saw some recent posts about the Shimano 6500B spinning reel (I have this) and since you let the yak go for a ride anyways, I figured this might be a good choice for accuracy.

Thanks for any info!

Ideally, you could sit forward momentarily to reach a short rod around the bow, but why take the risk of losing a fish? You could have a bad grip on the rod and lose your entire set up, you could get cut off by your line rubbing the bottom of your boat, you could give the fish just enough slack to shake free... Yes, a shorter rod will give you leverage on a fish. But realistically, your just going to pull yourself to a big fish quicker, not pull him in quicker. Therefore you pull a very green fish to the boat. And a lot of fish are lost at gaff. So why not tire him out a little bit and give yourself more advantage at that point? For live bait you can get by with a shorter rod, but like i said, 7' is about right. For casting irons, you'll want a 9'+ rod.

You will hear from 98% of people that a 9' rod is too much for a kayak, but I'll just let Josh talk about that one when he gets here.

And by your topic I'm going to assume you meant to ask about reel selection but forgot. Penn 500's are a cheap favorite. But you can get a Daiwa Sealine for $100 from squidco. The Daiwa Sealine is by far my favorite reel. With very little maintnance, and a lot of surf and kayak abuse, my sealines have held up wonderfully, still freespool better than any reel I've owned. Sealine 40 for irons, sealine 30 for live bait. 40 lb for the 40, 30 lb for the 30.

Daiwa Sealines are definitely my favorite reel for the yak. I wouldnt mind a couple more of them.

Do you guys like the 4.9 or 6.1 ratios? Thanks for the help!

Both ratios. 4.9 will give you the power you want to muscle big fish but the 6.1 is good for the iron so you dont have to wind it super fast to make the jig swim.

Hey CJ! Don't know if you remember me, I'm the guy you helped put the Thule racks on the van, then needed longer straps. The straps worked perfectly! I'm taking the stock straps that came with the thule racks and using them to bind the two yaks together to make it even more stable. Ended up not doing the ones to the front and back like you said.

So I'm thinking get a 4.9 for bait fishing, 6.1 to throw irons. I have a SWEET 9' Seeker UULA I bought a month ago, but would be afraid to bring it on the yak for throwing irons.

What do you guys think about the Shimano 6500b baitrunner spinning reel I have for throwing iron? I was thinking of putting a little heavy mono to start (so the spectra won't cut into the spool) then spectra, then a top shot.

Lastly, I've read about the 'kelp cutters' but what about throwing irons close to the kelp, should these be 'kelp cutters' also? Wouldn't it be a drag though with just a few feet of fluorocarbon to change irons? I know you're not supposed to use swivels, what about putting a swivel at the end of the spectra, then your 3-4 feet of fluoro, so that when you've run out, you just tie on another few feet. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Yep I remember you man.

The Ulua is a lot of rod on the kayak, But thats what Josh and I both use and I love it. It takes a special butt cap (or none at all) to fit in the kayaks rod holders though.

Run Mono on the iron man, You want that stretch so you can hammer the drag and not break off when you get bit. Also I recommend sticking with a conventional reel for the Iron, Its easier to Wind into fish that way and also is going to have the power you need. In addition heavy line on a spinning reel doesnt work well.

Save the short leaders for bait or plastics. For iron go with a long enough top shot that you aren't passing the knot through the guides on the cast.

Do you run into problems with the kelp doing that? (too much mono/fish runs into kelp) Or do you use really heavy mono when using irons?

Thanks.

Not sure what guys are using right now for irons but in the winter alot of guys are using straight 40lb mono.

Yes, I would be one of the 98%. 9' is a bit of a challenge from the yak unless you are a very experienced both from the kayak and in throwing the iron. I can see guys like Josh and Siebler being able to handle it and am sure they have a blast doing so but would not recommend them for a newbie. 8' is plenty of rod for most folks..The extra leverage or arc from a 9' rod while sitting down is minimal if any. Start shorter and move up from there if you feel the need..

Agree 100% with the Sealine's....Good price point and you can upgrade the drags a bit to Carbontex once they wear out.

I live for the day that I wear out some drag washers. :)

I use inexpensive gear and don't bother leashing. I've never paid more than $50 for a rod and have caught some amazing fish. I caught my 50lb yt on a $49 7' Dan Hernandez special from Squidco. I like Jigmasters, Sealines, and TLD15 Lever reels.

Use mono for casting to prevent thumb burns on spectra.

I was going to say the same thing about the drag washers...i cant wait till ill have to repalce them!:D

I don't like spectra and a short topshot on the iron for a couple of reasons. Winding spectra back on at high speeds a few hundred times is tough on the fingers. And a high speed spectra backlash on the reel takes tangles to a new level. I'm finding iron fish that are nowhere near the kelp so straight mono works fine. I use the Sealine 40 HV (4.9:1) and 40# mono.

Have kids? use the good old stuff
 

Mike, I fish X Factors too

I take my girls out often, and along with them the cousins (boys) come along.
And believe me, weather you use the good stuff, or the good old 500’s the good old stuff works the best. Not a problem if something goes over the side or dropped in the surf…rinse it at use it.
<O:p
Stick with what you have first…then pick up stuff here and there until you have enough “stuff” Won’t see me with a $600.00 set up on my yak! To cheap and to me, I don’t care!<O:p></O:p>
<O:p
Have fun and don’t worry on what it looks like, worry if your kids are going to have a blast!:luxhello:

<O:p</O:p
<O:p

Just do it!
 

I can see the post now: "My first Yellowtail from the kayak"...just do it!

I live for the day that my drags get used....I feel that day is near....

Man, such awesome responses...I love this community!!

I guess I have to come clean with you guys...

I have a bit of a shark phobia, goes WAYYYYY back to seeing Jaws when I was 11...that's what's making me be chicken s--t to go out. I read about the attack on TWO kayakers off malibu in 1989 and it's really spooked me. I know all the facts/figures but couple this attack with the recent 'upending' of that lady off Catalina (man, that could have been REALLY bad) and I'm just kind of paralyzed to go out there. Also, I'm not a veteran fisherman from the boats moving to a yak, I'm a noob period. I'm afraid of getting out there and doing something really stupid....sooooooooo I guess I'm kinda asking if there's a Sunday in the next few weeks when somebody(s) would like to head out there? I live in Rancho Cucamonga and could get up as early as needed to get to La Jolla (I figure that's the candy store right now, yes?)

Thanks again guys for all the GREAT advice. I hadn't even thought about the spectra backlashes...I'm getting better casting my avets, but am still pretty green. I think straight 40 mono for my 2 speed SX will be the way to go for the 'iron launcher'. Same for the bait rig, for now. I have to admit, I'm a little afraid to bring the 9' out there just yet. It is a BEAUTIFUL set up (maroonish ultra seeker with matching red sx 2 speed---I got my wife to 'allow' it since I switched jobs to be closer to home!!!) and I wouldn't want it to go over.

Lastly, how hard is it to get back on the boat? I'm a big 320 6'3" guy and am a little concerned about that. I think I'll practice it out at Puddingstone b4 I go out. Don't have the balls to actually do it in the ocean!

Again, my sincere thanks to you all for helping me out!

mike collins:jig:

On the weekends there are a ton of kayakers and boaters out there. If there were a shark incident (odds are it wouldnt be with you anyway) there are tons of people nearby. When I first went out there a while back, we saw some threshers jumping out of the water which spooked me pretty good too.

I may go out this sunday, but if not, next weekend for sure. PM me and you can gladly tag along with us....the problem is that you probably wont catch fish with us...at least not the target species anyway;).

Mike, No way that that little SX, as cool as it may be, will hold enough straight 40. It is rated for 220yds of 20lb. I would think you would get only about 100 yrds of 40 on there. If you cast half that, not much left for the first :yt: run!

Use at least a 30 size reel if you have it for chucking the iron and keep the SX loaded with 20-25 for your "light" bait rig.