My first two years of kayak fishing …. Goals Accomplished

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So I bought a kayak two years ago with the main reasons being fun and photography. Our family had just bought a Costco 2 seater a month earlier. Now the whole family of 4 can go out on the water together. Sweet.

I really like launching in La Jolla (all the wildlife) and started noticing the fishing kayaks and thought to myself, hmmm.

Talked with a few fisherman at the launch and decided that I wanted to try out this cool sport. (I have fished most of my life but had not for many years)

I go to some tackle shops, pick up some stuff, talk with some people and I'm ready. I think , anyway.


So my first trip out, big swell, tying knots as I'm looking down and……………………………….. you guessed out, chum time…..

I think to myself, this is actually cool as I am the captain of my own boat and I can go in right now as I have seasickness, which never happens on a party boat.

Get in and my day is wrecked. Down but not out.

Go to some more tackle shops talk with more people and everyone says to use "the patch"

All I can say is that the Patch works 100% of the time in the last 2 years in the ocean.


So I start fishing trying out different areas, see a great white, no biggie.


I end up liking La Jolla by far over all the other areas. It is also the closest body of saltwater to my house at 23 miles.

I concentrate on rock fish and bass. I catch loads of all type of bottom fish (no halis). I target sheepshead with shrimp and limit. A few nice sized one too.

I do this for the first year. Always saw these other guys fishing for bigger fish, but never getting them. I'm thinking, geez, I catch fish all the time.

First year anniversary of kayak fishing and I am getting bored of catching rockfish and kelp bass.

I decide to take it up notch and go buy a bait tank.

Within the first week of having a bait tank, I catch my first ever white sea bass and I get hooked on going after bigger fish.

I keep trying for bigger fish and learning all the time by being on the water and talking with other kayak fisherman on the water.

I get in the middle of a couple close to wide open yellowtail bites during the late summer / fall of 2012. People all around me catch yt's but I fail to hook up. Lessons learned tho.

Lobster season opens and I am all over it. Previous year I got 2 legals on the yak. This new season brings me 26 legals with one being in the 3-4 pound range, and limiting in one night. Goal accomplished.

Back to fishing, I see some nice halibut being caught so I know they are around.

I target Halibut and get a 21 1/2 incher and then my first legal halibut at 26 inches on my first day using live anchovies. Goal accomplished.

I try again with a friend and we get skunked except for a fat sand bass.

I try again and this time the bait barge was out of anchovies so I tried sardines, bigger bait, bigger fish right?

I catch a 28 inch halibut in 13 feet of water, sweet., targeting works.

Late winter early spring I go to chasing yellowtail. Go on quite a few trips.

I only catch by catch, that being my largest ever Calico and Sand Bass. Wow making a lot of person bests in the last few months.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I got out and see a few yellowtails here and there caught.

Super fast forward to a week ago Tuesday …….


I get to the launch site at 5:30 as I do most tuesdays and hmmm, this tuesday 20 yakkers on the beach or in the water …

I talk with a fisherman who said he got 3 YTs the day before. wow.


As I am paddling out I see another yakked who had not caught a YT yet. I point to him and tell him he will catch one, he does. Almost everyone around me catches one but I get skunked.

Bites over and I go in thinking I have to come back tomorrow. I do.

I get out there on wed with the masses. I see some YTs being hooked up. Then I see a guy in a rental kayak and a fishing pole paddle by me. I look and tell him that he will catch a YT today. He is hooked up within 15 mins on frozen squid and lands a nice fish as I was by his side. Geeez. wow. He thanks me over and over again..

I get skunked and go in and decide that I have to try one more day, I have never kayak fished 2 days in a row and now I was going for 3.

Thursday a week ago, ………………

I am on the beach at O dark thirty and start talking with a guy with a private boat. I start telling him about the story about the guy in the rental kayak when he stops me and says, "dude, that was me"


We crack up, he thanks me again and tells me how I will catch a YT today, then they motor off to the squid grounds.

I get out to the grounds and make plenty of squid. I see my new friend in the pb fishing and he hooks up. I see him and his buddy hook up a few more times and am just shaking my head,


And then …………… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz goes the clicker on one of my poles …. I'm like wow, I have a yellowtail … disengage clicker ….. Flip the switch and bendo goes my rod, finally I am thinking.

Then my line gets wrapped up with another kayak fisherman and I'm like dude, can you please cut your line as this is my first YT. He's like " why should I cut off my fish", then I say, " oh, sorry dude, I did not know that you had a fish on too" We worked together and got untangled .

Got to go for my sleigh ride. Got to gaff a Big Yellowtail. Goal Accomplished. In fact that was my goal for the year. Pressure is off, now I get to have fun fishing ……

I want to thank all of you who gave me encouragement, advice, and tips out on the water or on the beach. You guys are great!

See you all on the water ………...