First YT - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Caseym · 05-30-2015, 03:21 PM

Short version:
Went to La Jolla, Flylined a Mac, caught a YT
Enriched Version:
Up at 0330, left Temecula at 0400
On The water at 0530, already could see the boats starting to congregate. Made some Bait, put em in my 5gal. Bucket from Lowes. I use a manual bailing pump to pump fresh water in and out every so often...because Im cheap.
Made my way out to the "fleet"...I counted 84 boats at one pt.
At 0830 line starts peeling off my flylined bait. We were out past the Northwest Corner near all the bull kelp in about 120' of water. Fish goes straight for the kelp just like everyone on here has been describing (I read alot). Im using 40lb. Mono and 40lb. Fluoro....the braided line was on my other two reels (genious!).
I start fighting him and then it begins to happen, my reelseat comes loose and my whole reel starts rotating around the pole! Its a Shakespeare from WalMart (remember the cheap theme). So there I am finally hooked up and Everytime I go to reel down my Penn just spins. So I begin lifting the rod, then holding the reel in place with my left hand as I wind downward horribly. Somehow I get him outta the kelp and stick him with my homemade gaff (cut-off broomstick with mountain bike handgrip on one end and a big shark hook epoxied into place on the business end....cheap). First One off the plastic boat is in my lap and Im pumped!!
Additonal Info:
Surface Irons were catching fish left and right out there as well as flylining.
Picked up a Barracuda while trolling a surface iron.
The current was ripping southward...I learned sething today, If the current is ripping one direction and youre trying to go back up-hill, you cant slow troll a Mac very well because he is basically going your speed plus the current and ends up nose out of the water dragging along...not very presentable.
Alot of fun today, looking forward to dinner!!!

05-30-2015, 03:21 PM	#1
Caseym Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Temecula Posts: 194	First YT Short version: Went to La Jolla, Flylined a Mac, caught a YT Enriched Version: Up at 0330, left Temecula at 0400 On The water at 0530, already could see the boats starting to congregate. Made some Bait, put em in my 5gal. Bucket from Lowes. I use a manual bailing pump to pump fresh water in and out every so often...because Im cheap. Made my way out to the "fleet"...I counted 84 boats at one pt. At 0830 line starts peeling off my flylined bait. We were out past the Northwest Corner near all the bull kelp in about 120' of water. Fish goes straight for the kelp just like everyone on here has been describing (I read alot). Im using 40lb. Mono and 40lb. Fluoro....the braided line was on my other two reels (genious!). I start fighting him and then it begins to happen, my reelseat comes loose and my whole reel starts rotating around the pole! Its a Shakespeare from WalMart (remember the cheap theme). So there I am finally hooked up and Everytime I go to reel down my Penn just spins. So I begin lifting the rod, then holding the reel in place with my left hand as I wind downward horribly. Somehow I get him outta the kelp and stick him with my homemade gaff (cut-off broomstick with mountain bike handgrip on one end and a big shark hook epoxied into place on the business end....cheap). First One off the plastic boat is in my lap and Im pumped!! Additonal Info: Surface Irons were catching fish left and right out there as well as flylining. Picked up a Barracuda while trolling a surface iron. The current was ripping southward...I learned sething today, If the current is ripping one direction and youre trying to go back up-hill, you cant slow troll a Mac very well because he is basically going your speed plus the current and ends up nose out of the water dragging along...not very presentable. Alot of fun today, looking forward to dinner!!! Attached Images