Heading To Cali

[yakfish85]

Hey,

This seems like a very informative and popular forum on the West Coast. I live in NC right now. I mainly fish from my kayak on rivers and lakes, and occasionally get to hit some inshore stuff. I am thinking about planning a trip with a couple friends this summer and heading out west. We are talking about splitting the trip up for big bass and some offshore stuff. Any recommendations on what areas to hit.

Thanks

[TJones]

And could give you the names of the best professional kayak guides in the So. Cal area. Private message me , and I will get back to you a.s.a.p. . I will refrain from mentioning names on the post , but it is no secret . Good luck .

[janines.fishtales@cox.net]

You will have a great time here! I am a native San Diegan and I never tire of this place. Been a while so I can't be too informative on the "green" bass fishing. Used to be lakes like Otay, Miramar, Hodges, El Capitan, and San Vicente were the places to go for largemouth.

I really like SD Bay for halibut and really, there are some big ones there. Also SD and Mission Bay have bait receivers where you can get anchovies and sardines. There are also opportunites for spotted bay bass, calico bass, and sand bass there too. Artificial baits and live for them.

Now as far as Yellow tail and white seabass, I have caught many on my days (years ago) working the sport boats out of San Diego. That is always an option for you in the summer. However I am still in the quest for a Yellow or a white seabass on my kayak. Guys like to go to La Jolla Shores for those.

See you this summer!

Janine

[yakfish85]

Thanks for the quick replies. I feel like I could spend days on this forum, there is a ton of info. I will have to continue talking with my friends about which species to target. One thing I did happen to notice so far from my exploring of the forum is that there aren't many folks using jackson kayaks. Back over here in the southeast they are super popular, and was just curious. We were talking about trying to rent some since we would be flying out, and I'm used to the jackson models...the seat, layouts, etc. I haven't sat in too many other brands so was more of just a curious question to why they don't seem as popular out west as they do on the east. Thanks again.

[TJones]

with all the info of the top notch players.

[TJones]

hobie peddle drives . 6 - 8 hours on the water is easily attainable . 12 hours is not out of the picture . sometime you have to put in the hours to take home the trophy of a lifetime .

[tacmik]

What you might do is get in touch with our local kayak shop OEX. If you are staying in San Diego, contact the shop in Mission Bay. They could probably set you up in a kayak rigged for fishing. If you just go to a kayak rental, say down in La Jolla , what you will get is a stripped down kayak with just a back brace, no seat. They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

[The Nothing]

I still haven't figured out why the Jackson's aren't as popular as they should be, but I run mine. Granted, I haven't fished down southward of most of the guys here, but I do fish in some rougher conditions. The Cuda's great for west coast salt.

The fishing on the west coast, however, is drastically different. I've done some east coast salt, and it's just like a lot of our freshwater stuff. I definitely prefer our fisheries.

[tacmik]

I still haven't figured out why the Jackson's aren't as popular as they should be, but I run mine. Granted, I haven't fished down southward of most of the guys here, but I do fish in some rougher conditions. The Cuda's great for west coast salt.

Probably has a lot to do with the marketing and where the different brands are manufactured. A lot of yaks probably started out regionally and the locals used them, and now it's just a matter of brand recognition and product loyalty. Also, how many different brands can one kayak shop carry? Like cars, some people like Fords and some people like Ferrari's.