Dana Point; Leopard Shark Off The Kayak

[Southwest Kayak Fishing]

Last Saturday I was really wanting to hit some of the rock piles and reefs outside Dana Point harbor. I took some new jigging rods, reels and jigs to play around with, but it was a very slow day. You could see fish on the meter, but they didn’t want anything to do with what I had. Surprisingly my trip changed for the better!

I was fishing with Bill out of Dana Point harbor, and launched at
Pure Watersports where I store my kayak. There’s also free parking and launching at baby beach in the back of the harbor.

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https://youtu.be/5g4TnjFSYiw

[JohnMckroidJr]

Sorry to hear that you did not have better success with the slow pitch jigging outfit, but Congratulations on the Leopard shark action. Already subscribed.

If the intentions are release, it is always best not to attempt to bring a shark onto a kayak. Most of the time I bust them off alongside.
For smaller species that are less risky to unhook (like that leopard shark), peddle Fwd to maintain a slight headway. The headway will cause the shark to face the bow(parallel to the kayak) which will make it easier to control. At this point, slacken the drag, and place the rod in a vertical rod holder on the opposite side of the kayak while maintaining tension on the line with one hand. Now that the other hand is free, use a long extension unhooking device to keep well clear of the jaws while unhooking.

If you plan on landing big fish off the port side of the kayak, best to have the fishfinder mounted on the STB side. Whichever side you choose for landing bigger fish should be as clear as possible of gear that might obstruct the operations. Everyone has their own style, hopefully, the above suggestions will help yours. Cheers.

[Pinhead]

Nice fish!....Looks like a great time on the water. Tight-lines Always!

[dorado123]

Well I haven't catch leopard shark this year , last year, a lot !
Leopard is not my cup of tea but they fight really hard

Looks like you had a good day

[Southwest Kayak Fishing]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

Sorry to hear that you did not have better success with the slow pitch jigging outfit, but Congratulations on the Leopard shark action. Already subscribed.

If the intentions are release, it is always best not to attempt to bring a shark onto a kayak. Most of the time I bust them off alongside.
For smaller species that are less risky to unhook (like that leopard shark), peddle Fwd to maintain a slight headway. The headway will cause the shark to face the bow(parallel to the kayak) which will make it easier to control. At this point, slacken the drag, and place the rod in a vertical rod holder on the opposite side of the kayak while maintaining tension on the line with one hand. Now that the other hand is free, use a long extension unhooking device to keep well clear of the jaws while unhooking.

If you plan on landing big fish off the port side of the kayak, best to have the fishfinder mounted on the STB side. Whichever side you choose for landing bigger fish should be as clear as possible of gear that might obstruct the operations. Everyone has their own style, hopefully, the above suggestions will help yours. Cheers.

Thanks John, that’s a good idea. I should give that a try. I also just noticed those unhooking deceives that you mentioned. I’m not sure how I was able to grab their tail in the past and set them on the H-Rail, but that’s when they usually give up and I can pull the hook out.

I definitely wouldn’t try boating any other toothy shark but I feel pretty comfortable with Leopard sharks. Lol I still wouldn’t want to get bit by one. I would feel bad leaving the hook in its mouth. This one busted it off so I couldn’t pull it.

This past weekend I actually boated one that was bigger than this one and I was able to pull the hook and release the shark and get some decent footage and also an underwater water release. It’s kind of exciting to do all that and then release it.

[Southwest Kayak Fishing]

Originally Posted by Pinhead

Nice fish!....Looks like a great time on the water. Tight-lines Always!

Thanks it was exciting for sure!

[Southwest Kayak Fishing]

Originally Posted by Pinhead

Nice fish!....Looks like a great time on the water. Tight-lines Always!

Originally Posted by dorado123

Well I haven't catch leopard shark this year , last year, a lot !
Leopard is not my cup of tea but they fight really hard

Looks like you had a good day

Thanks it was a good day! I was actually trying to catch a halibut or possibly a WSB, but it seems inevitable not catch one or two Leopard Shark off the beach. I was just out there Saturday and sure enough I found another but I also caught a nice sand bass and a legal butt.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Southwest Kayak Fishing

Thanks John, that’s a good idea. I should give that a try. I also just noticed those unhooking deceives that you mentioned. I’m not sure how I was able to grab their tail in the past and set them on the H-Rail, but that’s when they usually give up and I can pull the hook out.

I definitely wouldn’t try boating any other toothy shark but I feel pretty comfortable with Leopard sharks. Lol I still wouldn’t want to get bit by one. I would feel bad leaving the hook in its mouth. This one busted it off so I couldn’t pull it.

This past weekend I actually boated one that was bigger than this one and I was able to pull the hook and release the shark and get some decent footage and also an underwater water release. It’s kind of exciting to do all that and then release it.

Awesome, I look forward to seeing your future videos. Cheers!