Today was my day...1st yelowtail at la jolla!

[ore714]

After 7 or 8 attempts over the summer I finally landed my first yellowtail at la jolla! Anyhow I launched about 515 to 1 to 3 foot rollers and one soaked me pretty good. I headed over to the peir and made bait most small mack and 2 decent sized ones. Unfortunately my fish finder died due to a short since o got soaked hope it still works! Next I headed west and slightly south west about a mile past the condo I got hit on a fly line big mack I put out but I missed it due to fumbling the rod a bit. Damn...so I put out another mack and keep going west until I decide to turn around and slowly paddle back. I put put a dead mack on a reverse dropper loop to thw bottom and kept slowly paddling back east. I was still pretty far out aND about 20 minutes after putting the dead mack out my reverse dropper loop gets slammed zzzzzzzzzzzzzz goes my clicker then it was on. Not sure how deep it since my fish finder died but maybe 80 to 100 and I was using 40lb line with 6oz of lead. It took me about 10 minutes or to wrangle the a decent sized yellow and I got a perfect heads hot with the gaff. I was super jazzed I finally got a yellow. I bled my fish and stowed him in a trash bag on the way in. I was off the ate by 10am spent most of the time paddling g out then back in. Coditions were decent with a little wind, current heading south wasn't bad, but some consistent swells made it bit bumpy but fun. Landing was easy since I timed it just right letting some bigger wave go before I raced in! All in all great morbing out and I still super stoked my first kayak yellowtail. The fish measured about 38.5 inches and was probaby about 20 to 25 pounds was my best guess.