Your "Go To" Surface and Yo Yo Iron

[seriola_killer]

In reading some past reports from here an other sites (since there's really nothing I can do on the water today) I am surprised at what I read sometimes. For example:

One opinion I've read is that La Jolla is a "small surface iron" fishery. Smaller Tady's and Salas Lures like the J-Pot and 7x Jr. are the "hot ticket". Kind of a blanket statement and maybe bullshit? You sages tell me.

Other opinions are all about fishing the yo yo both as a surface iron and a deep iron. I don't know why other than I guess you can cover the entire water column? To me, this makes no sense. Yo Yo's swim like shit. Actually, they pretty much just spin. Great for a ripping reaction bite down deep, but no way in hell can they possibly be a better choice up in the water column.

Even though we all know that there are no yellowtail in La Jolla, if, by happenstance, you are fishing La Jolla, and if, for some reason, you find a stray spot of yellowtail that got lost, what would you feel most comfortable chucking at them?

On the Surface?

Yo Yo?

Sizes? Does size matter?

Color, if it even matters to you?


Since I am a relative La Jolla newb, and definitely a La Jolla kayak newb I just have to go with what I've known to work for me at places not named La Jolla:

Surface: 544 Lures Candy Bar 112, Tady 45, Salas 7x (if you don't know about 544 plugs you are missing out)
Yo Yo: Tady 4/0, Salas 6x Jr

Colors: Yes, color matters, and no, color does NOT matter. I know that action trumps color as I have a few irons with no color left on them, but when I buy I always seem to end up with the following in order of importance to me for local areas:

Surface: Mint, Mint/White, Blue/White, Dorado












Yo Yo: Blue/White, Scrambled Egg, White, Dorado

So, let's hear it fellas!

[taggermike]

I have confidence in the Tady 45 and have caught most of my YT on this iron. Probobly because I throw it the most. I've had Salas 5X and 7X do well too. I like B/W and mist green. There are many ways to pick a jig that swims, but for YT I like one that will kick well at a fast retrieve. I find for calicos around kelp or boilers a bird shit or scrambled egg iron that kicks wide at slower retrieve works better. Maybe the slower retrieve keeps the jig near the structure longer. For cuda my go to is a fixed hook B/W or black/white Tady C. It may be sacrilege to light iron purists but I have had good success with smaller heavy irons on the surface. I like Iron man #3s and megabaits. The little heavies work better on windy days or when the bait is small. I've seen YT, and tuna, hit small fast moving chrome heavies when they are focussed on mirco baits or krill and ignore big slower light irons. Yo-Yos I like Salas 6X, Tady 9s, and Tady 4/0s in B/W, scrambled egg. Okay enough of my rambleing. Mike

[dorado50]

Try live bait ....it works.

[seriola_killer]

Originally Posted by dorado50

Try live bait ....it works.

Yes indeed it does. I think I'll start a topic about your favorite "go to" live bait at a later date.

[NextBite]

Originally Posted by dorado50

Try live bait ....it works.

No way

[kantstudien]

Tady A1 or AA light and Candy Bar 150 or 200 light. Good luck finding them

[GHOSTHUNTR]

The smaller irons work great in La Jolla sometimes, but you really need a lighter setup to fish them properly and get distance on your cast. 45's and 7x's have caught me many yellows in LJ. Fish the 7x when the wind and current are to much for them lighter 45's. I always throw the 45 if conditions allow. Color is the least important thing to consider, they all get bit. Some of my favorite irons have no paint at all left on them. The most important thing is how the iron swims. If you can find one that will "kick-out" every 4 or 5 handle turns, look out cause a lot of times those yellows will just follow that lure and not eat until the plug kicks-out to the side. Remember, these jigs are all hand finished and no 2 are exactly alike, learn to know the differences in shape and when you find a jig that catches try to pick additional jigs that are the same shape. When you find one that works, DO NOT LOSE IT. I use fresh forty and rarely have any problems. Good luck out there cause there is nothing in the world as fun as catching big yellows on the surface iron.