[THE DARKHORSE]

Originally Posted by mikecollins86

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!

Fantastic iron platform, great boat!

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!)

The bay's cool and all, but this is peak season for big fish...a.k.a. easy fishing for Yellowtail. Get the balls to fish La Jolla? There's no surf 90% of the time and the X-Factor is great in the surf. La Jolla's just like the bay...with giant fish . My advice would be to fish the bay when the weather doesn't permit fishing the ocean: heavy rain with 25 mph wind.

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.

Shorter rods have better leverage, yep, it's true.

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?

No need to have a rod long enough to go around the bow. My favorite rod for yo-yo iron is 5' long (rated 30-80 lb), or 5' short I should say. This rod has caught tons of giant Yellowtail and I never even thought of trying to cross sides of the kayak in the heat of battle, absolutely no need. Just point the rod straight down if the fish runs to the other side at color or gaff and the kayak will swing accordingly, easy!

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.

Those are perfect for a kayak, stainless guides, lifetime blank warranty, nuff said.

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.

Sounds like you have everything you need already. Use your brand new jig-stick, that's what it's for. If you can cast a 9' rod with the best of them from the bow of a sportie, then you can cast with the best of them sitting down. On the other hand, if you just have a beautiful jig-stick and can't cast for crap from the bow of a sportie, then you'll still cast like crap from a kayak . Not bringing your jig-stick would be like telling your dog you're going for a walk, then getting out his leash and going on a walk by yourself . I've never owned rod leashes, but if your concerned they're great until you gain a little confidence...especially with nice gear. You don't need to go buy crap gear to fish off a kayak, you control the wear and tear, right? The X-Factor is a stable/dry ride and if you want to be 100% sure about those clean Avets, and I'm sure you do, it's really not a big deal. Just don't bolt them on, this makes for an easy breakdown outside the surf, wrap them in a towel to prevent scratching, then put them inside a dry bag when you come in, easy!



Thanks for any info!

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