La Jolla Ling, maybe!

[FISH11]

Just a thought, but has anybody had the fish swallow your lead weight and take of with it. Today I went out to La Jolla. Nice change in the weather, blue skies above and only heavy clouds in the distance and inland (rain and hail back at my house). I spent the day in the sun paddling around and trolling and drifting some macs. The largest mac I had spent all day flylining and never got a hit. The drop loop line got some attention and I lost a couple. Them came the weird one, dropped it and drifted with it maybe 10' above the bottom in 140 feet of water. After about 10 minutes it gets hit and the clicker is sounding but not at a fast pace, so I pick up the rod from the holder and get ready. 30 seconds later the clicked starts sounding faster and I point the pole in the direction of the line and after 15 more seconds throw the reel in gear and start winding the line in to tighten it and set the hook. Soon I feel something on the line but think it feels like a smaller rock fish instead of a larger prize. I start winding the line in and can feel a fish on the end when all of the sudden it starts to pull really hard, I start getting a sleigh ride and the thing is sounding and pulling the drag hard. The rod is just bendo and pinned against the kayak. I start pulling up and after a brief fight the line is slack. I reel in the line and the mac is gone the circle hook is still there and the drop loop line is there but not the two 4 oz weight. I thought it was provably a Big Ling but can't explain the bare hook and no weights. It is like the thing swallowed the weights after taking my mac and since the weights were on 20lb line in case it hangs up on the bottom and I can get the rest of my rig up, that is were it broke. Weird, weird. Sure wanted to land a Big Ling. Maybe next trip.

[Zed]

The question is why are you fishing a dropper loop out of gear?

If youre only fishing 20 on the drop to the weight it can easily snag and break by the fish's movement across reef or kelp w/o you knowing it. Yellows have cost me a lot of 12oz over the years.

[FISH11]

Had both lines in the water and was using a 3 way swivel at the drop loop connection. On a couple of other times I got stuck on rocks and I though maybe if the weight is stuck 20 lb line to the weight was easier to break loose than the 50 lb flouro carbon I use for leader to the 65 lb braid. It just seemed weird that it must have had the weights and was pulling so hard it was pulling the drag that was set for Yellows.

[JeffB]

Sounds like a shark. Every shark I've caught finds a way to take my weight. But it's LJ and you never know. Big fish pulls you down to the bottom to the rocks and drags your weight across the rocks, kiss it goodbye! Lings are more of big head shakes and pull drag and head back to their big cosy rock. But again it's LJ and you never know!

[Lipripper92592]

I've had a mako hit my weight a few times while ignoring the mac on the dropper loop. But who knows.......

[captnblood34]

Could have been a halibut, they hit anything. I know guys that put a treble hook on their weights when targeting them. Better luck next time.

J