Help with bottom yt in kelp

[pingpangdang]

Need some advice on bottom fishing for yt...my success rate needs some serious tweaking because it's nonexistent. I've lost some good fish within the first minute. Here is the info: 100' water with few lines of kelp. 65lb pp spectra, three way swivel 20 lb floro, 4/0 j hook with a gb hooked in the nose. Torpedo weight bouncing on the bottom. Penn jigmaster drag not hammered down but star tragedy set somewhat tight. Reel in retrieve.

Now on to the strike. The hit was ferocious. .pulled line off like a beast as if what little drag the jigmaster had was nothing. My rod was decent and could handle the load this time. Plan was to keep her off the bottom. Got a few cranks and thought I was making progress then bam taking more line. Pulled some more and felt some pops from the kelp getting cut. Took off again and felt heavy..probably found some more kelp...slowly applied rod pressure and snap she's gone. Looking at the line knots held. Line broke clean about an inch from the swivel. This all occurred in about a minute or less.

Kicked my self for using 20 lb when I had a rig made with 40lb...figured the fish would be finicky so went light. So I tie on the 40lb. 15 minutes later another run but broke me off in about 10 seconds or less...reel screamed like crazy and pow....looked at the 40lb floro and knots good but not a clean break. This time near the hook but with noticeable abrasion. ..rocks? Teeth?

Reflecting back for next trip...maybe I should of thumbed the spool? Reading up on aj and bottom fishing they say hammer the drag and don't give the fish an inch. Last 15 to 30 seconds keeping ajs off the bottom you should be able to bring them in the open water...but we have kelp here. For my jigmaster can I hammer the drag and thumb it down for the first 20 seconds to get it off the bottom? Or do I need 50lb floro? With it hammered down will 40lb take the initial shock? Also I was using a j hook...better off with a circle hook to avoid line abrasion? Also if the fish gets stuck in kelp what to do...wait it out? Paddle to the side? Give slack? I'm assuming the top shot could get wrapped and bust.

Also is it better to keep the weight a few feet off the bottom to prevent toothy bottom dwellers from taking bait and to give you a buffer from the bottom if you get at bite?

A lot of questions bu I'll take whatever you got...I've been reading posts all over and watching about a million videos....A lot is not local and is for east coast ajs

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by pingpangdang

Need some advice on bottom fishing for yt...my success rate needs some serious tweaking because it's nonexistent. I've lost some good fish within the first minute. Here is the info: 100' water with few lines of kelp. 65lb pp spectra, three way swivel 20 lb floro, 4/0 j hook with a gb hooked in the nose. Torpedo weight bouncing on the bottom. Penn jigmaster drag not hammered down but star tragedy set somewhat tight. Reel in retrieve.

Now on to the strike. The hit was ferocious. .pulled line off like a beast as if what little drag the jigmaster had was nothing. My rod was decent and could handle the load this time. Plan was to keep her off the bottom. Got a few cranks and thought I was making progress then bam taking more line. Pulled some more and felt some pops from the kelp getting cut. Took off again and felt heavy..probably found some more kelp...slowly applied rod pressure and snap she's gone. Looking at the line knots held. Line broke clean about an inch from the swivel. This all occurred in about a minute or less.

Kicked my self for using 20 lb when I had a rig made with 40lb...figured the fish would be finicky so went light. So I tie on the 40lb. 15 minutes later another run but broke me off in about 10 seconds or less...reel screamed like crazy and pow....looked at the 40lb floro and knots good but not a clean break. This time near the hook but with noticeable abrasion. ..rocks? Teeth?

Reflecting back for next trip...maybe I should of thumbed the spool? Reading up on aj and bottom fishing they say hammer the drag and don't give the fish an inch. Last 15 to 30 seconds keeping ajs off the bottom you should be able to bring them in the open water...but we have kelp here. For my jigmaster can I hammer the drag and thumb it down for the first 20 seconds to get it off the bottom? Or do I need 50lb floro? With it hammered down will 40lb take the initial shock? Also I was using a j hook...better off with a circle hook to avoid line abrasion? Also if the fish gets stuck in kelp what to do...wait it out? Paddle to the side? Give slack? I'm assuming the top shot could get wrapped and bust.

Also is it better to keep the weight a few feet off the bottom to prevent toothy bottom dwellers from taking bait and to give you a buffer from the bottom if you get at bite?

A lot of questions bu I'll take whatever you got...I've been reading posts all over and watching about a million videos....A lot is not local and is for east coast ajs

based on the comment in bold font I'm guessing it was a BSB.

Again, its just a guess.

If you never saw it you can call it a 60lb YT or a 50 halibut or a 80lb WSB but I'm still sticking with the BSB


ANYONE who has ever pulled up a BSB will tell you that they love to hug the bottom.

[TheBoyScout]

Not an expert but from what I've seen and done don't worry about thickness of mono. I personally use 50-60 lb mono when bottom fishing yellowtail or yoyoing. Also it helps to have a Hobie so you can peddle to be on top of the fish, you wanna be up and down on a yellowtail. Take this with a grain of salt there are much more experienced people on her than me lol

[jorluivil]

As far as getting fish out of the kelp..................well, all I can tell you is that the only method that has worked for me is to pull on that fish fish as hard as f*cking possible. If the line breaks you tie your rig and get back to fishing, if it doesn't break you can thank me later.

[pingpangdang]

It would be great if all the you tube videos didn't have music blasting. ..my opinion. ..it's nice to see and hear the reels in action and drag adjustments. Maybe once I land a few I'll enjoy the music. ..probably not.

I plan on hammering the drag down next trip with 40lb floro. .If the jigmaster still gives off too much initially I'm going to thumb it. Once clear from the bottom I'll reduce the drag a bit.....but then I'll probably have to worry about the dogs getting it....dang

Need more time on the water

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

As far as getting fish out of the kelp..................well, all I can tell you is that the only method that has worked for me is to pull on that fish fish as hard as f*cking possible. If the line breaks you tie your rig and get back to fishing, if it doesn't break you can thank me later.

I'm sure I'll end up resorting to that

[jorluivil]

It'll take some time to get used to your drag setting. I recall the very first time I went fishing on a cattle boat my initial thought was to get the drag as tight as possible, I learned pretty quick what a mistake that was. My drag is usually set to a point where I know its tight enough for the fish to get hooked but light enough so that I can allow it to run. Once I know the hook is set I slowly tighten the drag until it gets to a point where I can muscle the fish up while still allowing it to run.

If you start a thread asking how tight your drag should be you'll get a million answers from a million experts but only you will know the setting and this is something you'll learn over time. Don't get discouraged, keep at it and before you know you'll land that first big fish, after that it's all downhill.

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by TheBoyScout

Not an expert but from what I've seen and done don't worry about thickness of mono. I personally use 50-60 lb mono when bottom fishing yellowtail or yoyoing. Also it helps to have a Hobie so you can peddle to be on top of the fish, you wanna be up and down on a yellowtail. Take this with a grain of salt there are much more experienced people on her than me lol

Still just have a paddle...may jam the rod under my leg and paddle out...

[TheBoyScout]

Originally Posted by pingpangdang

Still just have a paddle...may jam the rod under my leg and paddle out...

Let me know if you wanna buy a Hobie lol
Goodluck

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

It'll take some time to get used to your drag setting. I recall the very first time I went fishing on a cattle boat my initial thought was to get the drag as tight as possible, I learned pretty quick what a mistake that was. My drag is usually set to a point where I know its tight enough for the fish to get hooked but light enough so that I can allow it to run. Once I know the hook is set I slowly tighten the drag until it gets to a point where I can muscle the fish up while still allowing it to run.

If you start a thread asking how tight your drag should be you'll get a million answers from a million experts but only you will know the setting and this is something you'll learn over time. Don't get discouraged, keep at it and before you know you'll land that first big fish, after that it's all downhill.

Thx...Once I actually see some color it's all going to sink in....at this point I have no reference base for yt, wsb, hb, threshers etc....only Mahi and small bass. Once the fishing picks up I'll have more opportunities to get the feel for It I'm sure....

[dmrides]

Originally Posted by pingpangdang

If the jigmaster still gives off too much initially I'm going to thumb it.

The reel has a drag for a reason, let it work for you. It's easy to get caught in the excitement when line is ripping off and use your thumb. Usually what happens is you lock the spool and

Set your drags to the right pressure before head out and let the fish run if it wants to run. Take a deep breath, be patient and you'll get the line back.

Only use your thumb if you have been stuck in the kelp for a few minutes and really need to pull. Sometimes in a stalemate I will take the reel out of gear and let the fish or weight of the fish pull out a little line, while keeping tension. Then reel it back in and repeat. Try to let the braid saw through or weaken the kelp.

[chris138]

To me it sounds like it wasn't kelp, the popping you were feeling was the fish in the rocks. Big fish, blacks especially, swim right into caves and shit. The popping was your flouro being abraded on the rocks ie knicked near the hook. They get the weight snagged and then they can shake the hook easily.

Most likely it was a black, so look at the bright side; when you hook into a 20# yt it will feel like nothing in comparison. Personally I would say you did the right thing by trying to horse it off the bottom quickly. If you're taking the time to test your knots and drags the night before fishing, you should have no doubt in your equipment and know exactly how much you can thumb it.

[taggermike]

Heart break right there. Definitely ditch the the 20 lb. 30 or 40 is the way to go. The bad side of heavy line is that if you get hung on the bottom breaking off 40 lb and higher is difficult, especially when you're holding spectra.

Another possibility is that you weren't hooking yt. In winter n spring we can get a influx of soupfin and some times 7 gill sharks in to local reef structure and along deeper kelp lines. These sharks aren't dangerous but they are big and can be aggressive predators. And unlike big leopard sharks, soups and 7's have real shark teeth they mono or fluoro will not stand up to. Mike

[taggermike]

Heart break right there. Definitely ditch the the 20 lb. 30 or 40 is the way to go. The bad side of heavy line is that if you get hung on the bottom breaking off 40 lb and higher is difficult, especially when you're holding spectra.

Another possibility is that you weren't hooking yt. In winter n spring we can get a influx of soupfin and some times 7 gill sharks in to local reef structure and along deeper kelp lines. These sharks aren't dangerous but they are big and can be aggressive predators. And unlike big leopard sharks, soups and 7's have real shark teeth they mono or fluoro will not stand up to. Mike

[FullFlavorPike]

Originally Posted by pingpangdang

Now on to the strike. The hit was ferocious. ...... 15 minutes later another run but broke me off in about 10 seconds or less...reel screamed like crazy and pow...

Nice to get bit twice in half an hour

[chris138]

Originally Posted by FullFlavorPike

Nice to get bit twice in half an hour

Sounds like a familiar story EH?

[FullFlavorPike]

Originally Posted by chris138

Sounds like a familiar story EH?

I might know a guy who had to do some serious tweaking to his rig.

Heard he bought a $6 scale to get the drag dialed in on a TLD15. It worked. Next thing you know, he was hanging fish on that same scale.