Awesome Kayak Fishing At Catalina Island

[daperrin]

Have you done any fishing around Catalina? I used to take a day boat out to the island on the Redondo Special 30 years ago but nothing in recent history. I went out last weekend and rented a kayak to do some fishing, man what a blast. There are so many fish around that island its amazing.

I did not have a lot of time as I was actually on a 34th wedding anniversary trip, so I did not want to push my luck Anyway the little fishing I got in was amazing. Got a fish on just about every drop in the kelp. Just used some frozen shrimp I brought along in my cooler. Was going to do some jigging but did not get a chance.

I brought a rather small rod and reel not knowing what the 'Catalina Express' boat people might say. As it turned out guys were coming on board with multiple single piece rods and such. Due to my light gear I lost some big ones to the kelp. Next time I'll come more prepared. Just wish I could bring the Hobie along

https://youtu.be/fDGrB--1IbY

If you have a chance to go over there you will not regret it. And its beautiful to boot.

[Southwest Kayak Fishing]

Good idea to just rent out the kayak and just have some fun fishing!

[JohnMckroidJr]

Congratulations on 34 years of marriage! Nice clip of kayak fishing action.
Mahigeer goes over there with a hefty amount of gear to fish off the Avalon wharf. Catalina is a magical place. I remember my first sportfishing trip over there in the late 70s. Child's fare was $5.50 on the 3/4 day boat Mascot IV. Back then the all-day boat was the Pursuit. If you did an all-day trip from Redondo 30yrs ago, That would have been on the BlackJack. I am pretty sure the Redondo Special has always run half-day.

[daperrin]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

Congratulations on 34 years of marriage! Nice clip of kayak fishing action.
Mahigeer goes over there with a hefty amount of gear to fish off the Avalon wharf. Catalina is a magical place. I remember my first sportfishing trip over there in the late 70s. Child's fare was $5.50 on the 3/4 day boat Mascot IV. Back then the all-day boat was the Pursuit. If you did an all-day trip from Redondo 30yrs ago, That would have been on the BlackJack. I am pretty sure the Redondo Special has always run half-day.

Oh ya, the Black Jack. Well the memory is just not what is used to be.
Those were the good ol days I guess. Thanks for the kind words!

A little article I wrote up on the excursion... https://thekayaklaunch.com/kayak-fis...island-avalon/

[vincentek9]

glad you had fun out there. cat express and cat flyer are full of fishermen. i've brought multiple 1pc jig sticks on the boat without issue. The flyer is a safer bet as you put them on a carpeted section behind the window while the cat express made me put my rods in their storage area before.

Overall, amazing place to fish even without a FF or a rigged yak. With a ff, you'd find the structure spots much faster and get on some bigger fish. squid and shrimp will catch tons of stuff. jigs and plastics will target the more predatory fish.

[Tomol]

Some day someone's going to figure out the mechanics of keeping macs alive in a rented kayak, and then it's game on. That 2 mile stretch between Descanso and Toyon is pretty reliable for yellowtail in summer and fall, and is occasionally productive for seabass in the spring. Same from Avalon east to Little Farnsworth. And then there's Two Harbors...

[Saba Slayer]

Try an "old school" bait tank...they don't hold a lot of bait but it's better than nothing...or try the PVC pipe bait tube...

[AnglerBob]

Read this and your excellent write up with great interest. When I was a kid my dad’s friend had a sailboat and we used to go over there and they’d let me fish from the stern @ mooring. Fishing was almost too easy, although the fish were small - you caught some nicer ones.

Anyway, I’m practically ready to jump on the ferry...but checking the price of lodging there during the summer season it is truly frightening. Then you add in the ferry, the overpriced kayak rental, and it starts looking like a pretty expensive fishing trip. OTOH, we too are on the cusp of an anniversary (20th) and my wife does like kayaking ...hm...

Couple quick questions: did you c&r those tasty fish, bring them back on the ferry, eat them there? Also, did the kayak rental people have any misgivings about letting you fish from their craft?

[daperrin]

Originally Posted by AnglerBob

Read this and your excellent write up with great interest. When I was a kid my dad’s friend had a sailboat and we used to go over there and they’d let me fish from the stern @ mooring. Fishing was almost too easy, although the fish were small - you caught some nicer ones.

Anyway, I’m practically ready to jump on the ferry...but checking the price of lodging there during the summer season it is truly frightening. Then you add in the ferry, the overpriced kayak rental, and it starts looking like a pretty expensive fishing trip. OTOH, we too are on the cusp of an anniversary (20th) and my wife does like kayaking ...hm...

Couple quick questions: did you c&r those tasty fish, bring them back on the ferry, eat them there? Also, did the kayak rental people have any misgivings about letting you fish from their craft?

I just did catch and release. It was our last day and we were leaving that evening. Kayak people were very accommodating at descanso. No issues using their craft for fishing. They just asked me to keep the slime to a minimum if possible 😁 and I agree the cost of a condo there in the summer is a bit much for the average Joe. I lucked out and got our place a week or two before the price almost doubled for the summer. But that's the way it goes just about anywhere these days for a beautiful place like that. I thought the ferry price was a bit high myself at first but having just driven to Santa Maria for the weekend it will end up costing me more for the gas. So I guess a fairy over to the island wasn't too bad compared to everything else these days. I'm just glad I live in SoCal and can be out fishing for calico and rock cod within an hour. Keeps me from wandering off on expensive vacations to often.

[AnglerBob]

Awesome, thanks for the info. Nice score on getting a place before the summer rush. This is on my radar for after Labor Day or whenever I can score a cheap bunk!

[Tomol]

Not to put too fine a point on it but this showed up in my Facebook feed yesterday. Frog Rock is about half a mile from the rental place.