Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post

sterling · 07-30-2006, 08:17 AM

If you simply want to get on the board and catch something. Go "low", and or fish the kelp line. In and around the kelp the Calicos have been biting. You can throw fishtraps or other retrieve lures at them. Make a "Surface" anchor with rope brass clips and a shock absorber "Bunge materail" somewhere in the line. You can tie off to the kelp and fish the bottom with squid or macs. The bungee shock absorber is needed so you don't get jerked with the swell and fall out. The bottom along the kelp can produce; Halibut, Sheephead, Whitefish,Sandbass, Calicos,Cabezon,Johnny bass,rockfish,trefish, and others.
If you want to hit a homerun Yellowtail, Whiteseabass. Making bait is usually paramount! Without fresh live bait you can sit in a wide open bite crying your eyes out. Been there. On making bait. FF is really important. Many times I will get right in the kelp "when there is a big forest" and drop a few feet down maybe up to 20 depending on if I can see a hole. One caution is this takes some practice since you could spent a lot of time snaged. You could also try just outside the kelp during first light. I find once the sun gets out they eighter go deep in the kelp or out in deep water. That is where the ff comes in. One can find bait throughout the day by metering bait balls that pass under you. The pier is reliable for the coveted Greenbacks. They are under and around the pier before grey light. The lights on the pier must bring them in. Making bait before grey light sometime is critical to not miss the bite. Also I find it hard to make bait in and around the kelp before you can see into the water. Don't be afraid to retire a sabiki rig. The ones with real mackerel skin I have found very effective. Also you can tip your sabikis with squid and some with chum with dry catfood when the bait is tough.

Slow trolling a mac. These guys are pelagic. Your not fishing a hole but a territory they are hunting. COVER SOME GROUND. Work an area. Keep your eyes open for signs. Diving birds, Crashing bait, Visable yt signs; puddlers, boils, and breezers, other anglers hooked up. Once the fish is running with the bait make sure it is in freespool and WAIT to a count of ten. I am big time guilty of not waiting long enough you get short hookups this way. These guys are schooling most of the time. Once one has the bait they run a bit to get away from the others before swallowing. If you set the drag to early you'll many time just rip it out of his mouth. I've done that enough times to now be broken of that bad habit. The fish I got yesterday I waited soooo long, it was perfectly hooked in the corner of the mouth.

I find it best to use a lever drag and a level wind. This allows you to put in in freespool with the clicker on the mac will usually not be continually taking line. Once the fish runs all you have to do is take the clicker off. In that frenzied second trust me you don't want too many steps. Take the clicker off count to 8-10. Then the lever drag is already set so just push it up to the button. If your using circle hooks then just wait for it to load up. The level wind is a convienece plus while in freespool while paddling to get it way back there it helps in not creating a birds nest.
These are some points that I have learned through trial and error over a few years. I hope some it helps.

07-30-2006, 08:17 AM	#6
sterling Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 118	If you simply want to get on the board and catch something. Go "low", and or fish the kelp line. In and around the kelp the Calicos have been biting. You can throw fishtraps or other retrieve lures at them. Make a "Surface" anchor with rope brass clips and a shock absorber "Bunge materail" somewhere in the line. You can tie off to the kelp and fish the bottom with squid or macs. The bungee shock absorber is needed so you don't get jerked with the swell and fall out. The bottom along the kelp can produce; Halibut, Sheephead, Whitefish,Sandbass, Calicos,Cabezon,Johnny bass,rockfish,trefish, and others. If you want to hit a homerun Yellowtail, Whiteseabass. Making bait is usually paramount! Without fresh live bait you can sit in a wide open bite crying your eyes out. Been there. On making bait. FF is really important. Many times I will get right in the kelp "when there is a big forest" and drop a few feet down maybe up to 20 depending on if I can see a hole. One caution is this takes some practice since you could spent a lot of time snaged. You could also try just outside the kelp during first light. I find once the sun gets out they eighter go deep in the kelp or out in deep water. That is where the ff comes in. One can find bait throughout the day by metering bait balls that pass under you. The pier is reliable for the coveted Greenbacks. They are under and around the pier before grey light. The lights on the pier must bring them in. Making bait before grey light sometime is critical to not miss the bite. Also I find it hard to make bait in and around the kelp before you can see into the water. Don't be afraid to retire a sabiki rig. The ones with real mackerel skin I have found very effective. Also you can tip your sabikis with squid and some with chum with dry catfood when the bait is tough. Slow trolling a mac. These guys are pelagic. Your not fishing a hole but a territory they are hunting. COVER SOME GROUND. Work an area. Keep your eyes open for signs. Diving birds, Crashing bait, Visable yt signs; puddlers, boils, and breezers, other anglers hooked up. Once the fish is running with the bait make sure it is in freespool and WAIT to a count of ten. I am big time guilty of not waiting long enough you get short hookups this way. These guys are schooling most of the time. Once one has the bait they run a bit to get away from the others before swallowing. If you set the drag to early you'll many time just rip it out of his mouth. I've done that enough times to now be broken of that bad habit. The fish I got yesterday I waited soooo long, it was perfectly hooked in the corner of the mouth. I find it best to use a lever drag and a level wind. This allows you to put in in freespool with the clicker on the mac will usually not be continually taking line. Once the fish runs all you have to do is take the clicker off. In that frenzied second trust me you don't want too many steps. Take the clicker off count to 8-10. Then the lever drag is already set so just push it up to the button. If your using circle hooks then just wait for it to load up. The level wind is a convienece plus while in freespool while paddling to get it way back there it helps in not creating a birds nest. These are some points that I have learned through trial and error over a few years. I hope some it helps.