Hooping off the Kayak

[Denis_Ruso]

Hey guys,

Going to give hooping a shot off the kayak this week. I got 3 hoops, I know how to rig em and will be bringing my stable Malibu kayak out there.

I know with anything related to kayaking, there are always helpful tricks you learn on your first few trips out. I'm hoping to reduce the learning curve and avoid some mistakes.

Any tips of tricks appreciated.

I get the whole safety thing, but what's the best approach? A good headlamp, rig up some deck lighting? Any tricks for pulling nets without a Davit? A simple way to hold the nets on deck?

So far I can think of, bring Kevlar gloves, waders, my diving light, headlamp.

[stevie951]

Originally Posted by Denis_Ruso

Hey guys,

Going to give hooping a shot off the kayak this week. I got 3 hoops, I know how to rig em and will be bringing my stable Malibu kayak out there.

I know with anything related to kayaking, there are always helpful tricks you learn on your first few trips out. I'm hoping to reduce the learning curve and avoid some mistakes.

Any tips of tricks appreciated.

I get the whole safety thing, but what's the best approach? A good headlamp, rig up some deck lighting? Any tricks for pulling nets without a Davit? A simple way to hold the nets on deck?

So far I can think of, bring Kevlar gloves, waders, my diving light, headlamp.

Don't pull em on board too fast, make sure to check the nets as you are heaving and they get close to top water or else you may end up with an Eel slithering around your crotch

[ful-rac]

The main thing is to just get out there and do it. You'll learn far faster doing it your way vs trying to learn somebody else's technique or methods. They may not necessarily work on your kayak or for you. You should catch on pretty quick, but go easy the first couple of times so you get your routine down and technique strait.

Armor your bait! Use bait tubes, toss the cages, the new promar bait tubes are pretty sweet, you should try those.

Seals and Divers are going to be your nemesis...When you see the divers roll thru your gear...your night might be cut short. The seals are not going to be a problem as long as your using a bait tube!

Don't feed the seals! When you toss your bait at night, make sure you toss it away from any seals if possible.

Definitely recommend going with a partner, so he can watch your back and vise versa.

[goldenglory18]

What about the divers? I dont see that connection......?

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by goldenglory18

What about the divers? I dont see that connection......?

Go hooping off the breakwall and you'll find out real fast.

[maquinapescado]

Those (not all) a**holes will pluck the bugs from your trap. Any diver that tries to dispute that is as bad as the thieves that do because it is a fact that this occurs. I've been told point blank by several divers that this is how they, "Dive for bugs." They even sabotage your gear or just straight cut your lines from your hoops.

The deal is, specifically with kayaks, is that they are pissed off that kayaks get closer to the rocks than PB'ers taking up , "Their dive zone."

I usually wait until the honeymoon phase of hooping is over for most anglers and start later in the season.

[Denis_Ruso]

Seals and Divers shouldn't be an issue. Planning on shore launching in Malibu conditions permitting. No divers and seals for miles most nights.

[Dannowar]

BE SEEN. tall pole light that vessels can see 360 deg

[GTboosted]

Yeah safety first. Try and get a 360 light but I have been going out with a very bright headlight as the last resort. Helps to be seen and to find your buoys.

1. If you plan on covering ground get some reflective tape for your buoys and something bright for them. I put a hole in the buoy and stick a glow in it. At the opposite end I put a weight to ensure that glow stick is straight up out of the water. You'd be surprise at how hard it is to find your buoy in the dark. The tape is there just in case the stick falls out.

I use these. They are a dollar each but last all night and are brighter than anything I've seen people use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010S58CX8...ing=UTF8&psc=1


2. Leash your gauge and bring a spare. Trust me lol

3. The nets, I just put them in the back and hold with the game clip by the outer ring. Worked with my tarpon and PA14.

[jorluivil]

The temps haven't dropped much but once they do stay away from layering yourself with cotton clothes, they make you sweat a lot and absorb and hold moisture for long periods. Cotton clothing can also be a huge drawback ~IF~ you fall off your kayak.

Setup as much gear as possible on land, the less you do on the kayak the quicker you'll get your nets in the water, if you do most of your setup on the water it'll turn into a cluster fuck in no time.

If you have the space to install one get yourself a Scotty Trap-eeze, this alone will make pulling nets so much easier.

ALWAYS carry an extra gauge and make sure you get the one that measures both crab and lobster, I usually keep an extra one on my PFD.

When you drop your nets always make sure you set a waypoint on your fish finder that indicates where the net was dropped, if your buoy light goes out it's going to be very hard to find your gear.

Don't bother keeping anything that you have to measure 2, 3, 4 times. If it's not legal after measuring it once, it won't be legal after measuring it 2, 3 or 4 times.........when in doubt toss it!

If you're hooping open water and the swells are up you want to make sure you're pulling your nets with your bow pointed into the swells, NEVER EVER be parallel to the swells

carry extra batteries with you, you never seem to need them until you're on the water. Also, test your lights the day before or the day off, especially the lights on your headlamp.

[King Saba]

Check the weather! There were a couple of guys heading out today in winds and swells that I was navigating through during daylight. They were a little short sighted to be heading out that kind of stuff.