Soooo about this flylining thing.... and other questions

[saltlifedoc]

I'm still trying to adjust to the west coast fishing lingo.

Is flylining the east coast equivalent of flatlining? (No weight/float, just line/leader to hook/bait)

Are market squid the little (5-6 inches long) brown ones I caught a couple nights ago?

You guys ever use kites?

What's up with the lack of bucktails at tackle shops? It's by far my favorite bait to use especially with a tuna belly or squid strip pinned on.

Are irons what we call spoons/vertical jigs?

I feel like I've come to a foreign country

Thanks dudes









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[MrPatrick]

You got the "Dudes" part right though.

[Fish Taco]

saltlifedoc,

I'm a SoCal native, but recently moved back to the area after spending 12 years on the No. Shore of Long Island, NY (wife's job took us there). When I landed in NY, I too felt like I'd come to a foreign country. Hardly anybody used soft bodied shad plastic/rubber baits there... the ones I did find looked skinny and strange... Fish Traps, Big Hammers, AA baits were non-existant. I used these kinds of baits quite frequently here in SoCal with great success, especially sweetened up with a bit of Pro Cure "Calico Cocktail"... that too was impossible to find in NY. And what was with the white fishing rods, and white deck boots? Strange...

After awhile, I finally was getting the hang of targeting Striped Bass, Fluke, and Tautog... just when we had to pack up and move back to L.A. (again, wife's job).

So yeah, I understand your frustration.

Seems like some things have changed a little bit since I was here last too... so I can't answer all your questions... as I'm always learning in this sport too... and kayak fishing is relatively new to me too (been at it since around 2011-12).

I can say that "live-lining" or "fly-lining" as I know it is simply main line to a live bait hook w/live fin bait, or squid - or you can add a leader (fluorocarbon or mono) to that equation if preferred. On Long Island, guys were doing this also with snagged bunker (menhaden) to catch big stripers with success - that was my only witness to much of this being done on the East Coast. The West Coast is HUGE on live-lining baits and it's a big part of fishing the salt here.

I too noticed the lack of bucktails here on the West Coast recently... and it's strange... it's just one of those regional things I guess. East Coast definitely is BIG on using bucktails... and IMO for good reason... they work! I think that a bucktail tipped with a Gulp Alive minnow is one of the deadliest baits out there. Fortunately, I stocked up on them when in NY... lol.

West Coast "irons" IMO are different than the diamond jigs and spoons you see on the East Coast... I never saw any of the West Coast style irons for sale in any of the tackle stores I saw in NY. Again, a regional thing I guess. The fact probably is that there are more species that would hit a iron in SoCal than what's out there (at least where I lived in the NY area) on the East Coast... but I could be wrong.

I'm sure the more experienced locals will pipe in and answer your questions better than I can... but that's my two cents anyway. Good luck and welcome to SoCal!

[saltlifedoc]

Well you answered a lot of my questions actually. It's funny I worked on boats since I was a little guy, and ran a few charter boats until I enlisted and I have never heard of a surprisingly good amount of tackle/lures/techniques used out here.

For example, when I was talking about daytime deep drop sword fishing to a guy in the tackle shop he looked at me like I was an alien.

Oh and no ballyhoo? My mind was blown. Then I found out cast nets are illegal the hard way... That one still makes me laugh, you should of seen the game wardens reaction when I tossed right in front of him.

Anyways I do love it down here, and as I can see from all of your guys posts some killer fishing. I appreciate the help with the learning curve!


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[Lipripper92592]

Originally Posted by saltlifedoc

Well you answered a lot of my questions actually. It's funny I worked on boats since I was a little guy, and ran a few charter boats until I enlisted and I have never heard of a surprisingly good amount of tackle/lures/techniques used out here.

For example, when I was talking about daytime deep drop sword fishing to a guy in the tackle shop he looked at me like I was an alien.

Oh and no ballyhoo? My mind was blown. Then I found out cast nets are illegal the hard way... That one still makes me laugh, you should of seen the game wardens reaction when I tossed right in front of him.

Anyways I do love it down here, and as I can see from all of your guys posts some killer fishing. I appreciate the help with the learning curve!


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From Floridia....same issue...tossed a cast net in Ventura harbor and the look on the wardens face was priceless. Took a bit of explaining, but he gave me a pass.

[taggermike]

I had the reverse situation. I was born and raised here in San Diego and spent a year on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Like you're finding out, man what a difference. And I never did figure out the east coaster fascination with spinning reels. Any way, we do a lot o fly lining around SD in the summer. Fly lining is basically letting a live bait swim with a hook in it. No weight and fished with the reel in free spool. Yep, market squid are the small ones we catch around here. As for buck tails, we just use em much out here. I'm sure they'd work and many of our local species though. I you need some you might have make a purchase on line. West coast irons are different than east coast ones. Our heavy irons are similar but I don't think they ever use surface irons. I showed a tady 45 to some serious anglers in NC and they had never seen a aluminum iron before or heard of west coast surface iron fishing. You'll figure it out and, it seamed to me at least, that west coast fishing styles are simpler and more straight forward than some of the stuff I saw back east. Mike

[SLYACKER]

Turners carries bucktails Well the one in corona does


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[Zed]

Dan Hernandez keeps it real with the B52.

[saltlifedoc]

Outer Banks is awesome, we slayed some white marlin out there in the summers and killed the bluefin around winter time. Ever heard of the SeaBreeze?

Zed thanks for the link


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[saltlifedoc]

Oh and mike, I'm assuming a surface iron is some sort of light weight elongated spoon type jig you fish near the surface? Like a Krocodile


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[Fishwhisperer619]

Originally Posted by saltlifedoc

Well you answered a lot of my questions actually. It's funny I worked on boats since I was a little guy, and ran a few charter boats until I enlisted and I have never heard of a surprisingly good amount of tackle/lures/techniques used out here.

For example, when I was talking about daytime deep drop sword fishing to a guy in the tackle shop he looked at me like I was an alien.

Oh and no ballyhoo? My mind was blown. Then I found out cast nets are illegal the hard way... That one still makes me laugh, you should of seen the game wardens reaction when I tossed right in front of him.

Anyways I do love it down here, and as I can see from all of your guys posts some killer fishing. I appreciate the help with the learning curve!


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It really is a different game out here in socal. Ive spent time fishing in Florida, Wyoming, Georgia, and Texas. Mostly coastal but still saw the variances by region. I never understood why they love spinning reels so much on the east coast but to each their own. Yea the cast net thing doesn't sit well over here lol. But you can catch bait with sabiki rigs, or make a stop at a bait barge on your way out if you launch from the bay. Surface irons out here are different from the "spoons" that they have out there. The same action pretty much but different in design for good reason. A surface iron out here resembles the sardine and the spoon out there resembles the pilchards and other baitfish of that region.
Keep asking questions and spend time on the water out here. Feel free to pm me when you head out

[IN2DEEP]

Originally Posted by saltlifedoc

Oh and mike, I'm assuming a surface iron is some sort of light weight elongated spoon type jig you fish near the surface? Like a Krocodile


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A Krocodile would be considered a spoon
Surface iron is a sand cast aluminum jig like this Tady C or 45 and Salas 6X, 7X are are a few brand examples
You can fish it on the surface or let it sink to different depths before starting your retrieve. Not all casted jigs get bit. Some swim more enticingly than others depending on how it got sanded and the ring hole placement.

Yoyo iron is also a casted jig but is made out of zinc and is heavier than the surface iron
Generally, you drop the yoyo iron to the bottom, then wind it back to the surface at a rapid pace, then repeat. Sometimes you might only wind half way up then free spool it back to the bottom... like a yoyo.

Very few people use bucktails out here but they do work.
Think the technique that they use to catch fluke back east... It works on the Halibut out here at times. You just have to have confidence in it and stay with it.

[Zed]

Originally Posted by saltlifedoc

Zed thanks for the link

I like the Spro bucktails, too. They're sold out here.
http://www.spro.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=47

A magambo grub pinned on is something different. They've worked well in MEX for me, too. But that's like saying the ice cream man works when it's hot out.

[Iceman]

gonna give these some serious effort at SCI manana!

[saltlifedoc]

Iceman that's my favorite jig, white head, red thread and white tail. That tipped with any type of strip is by far my favorite bait. If I had to choose any one bait forever that'd be, except I usually tye in two red feathers


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[Fish Taco]

Funny, didn't know about the "no no" on cast netting out here... is that pretty much everywhere in SoCal salt?

Not a big deal tho... I'm getting all set-up for sabiki catching my own bait... and there is always the SoCal phenomenon to go to if all else fails... live-bait barges... totally non-existant where I was in NY... lol...

PS - Caught my PB halibut when I was 15 yrs old from the Mission Bay Bait Barge in Quivara Basin in SD while the Seaforth was loading up bait... grabbed a flopping 'chovie off the deck and sent it down right away... boat had to wait for me to land the 22 pounder before taking off to the kelp beds... ha!

[Zed]

Funny, didn't know about the "no no" on cast netting out here... is that pretty much everywhere in SoCal salt?

LEGAL north of Pt Conception.

[taggermike]

Hey Saltlife. A surface iron is a larger sized lure that is made of aluminum. Typically they are cast toward breaking fish or working birds and retrieved at a moderate speed just under the surface. The technique has evolved lately but is still mostly done with rods between 8 and 10 feet, lighter weight reels, and 40lb line. There is, and has been, endless debate on sizes, brands, and colors of the irons. It's my absolute favorite way to fish. Pick your target, make a long cast, start your retieve, and watch nice fish blow up on your jig. Serious adrenalin.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk2KmcBarTU

These will give you and idea. Mike

[FlyFishinYakr]

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but when I'm not throwing 'The Fly' I like to throw the old Bomber bucktails with a strip of squid on lite line outfits 8-12# for everything from rockfish to Calicos, & . Really sorry to see they are no longer available. Glad I stocked up back in the day! (too bad I lost most of them. ...looks like I'll have to try the Spro's. )
FFY

[Silbaugh4liberty]

There's a good little selection of bucktails at the long fin in orange. They're right by the back wall with the surface irons.