Lossely related to kayaking but Non kayak Report

[Fiskadoro]

Offshore Sunday 8-30

Short version: Fished down in Mexican waters and caught a few Yellowfin Sunday. Not wide open but we were able to scratch up a few fish playing with some tricks I usually reserve for the kayak.


Long Version: Norm my old fishing buddy has been twisting my arm trying to get me out of the yak and on to his boat for some tuna action. With the recent reports and SST's We figured we had a good chance at some quality YFT, on some assorted current breaks down near the 1010 trench roughly fifty to sixty miles out of Point Loma.

Met in Culver City Saturday night and headed down with Khanh of KPN lure fame.



He and I had a blast talking about stripers and plugs all the way down to the Ramp. Launched somewhere around 3:00 AM. at Shelter, and some beat up dines at the receiver (they were very generous) and headed out into some choppy seas. By the time it got light it started to flatten down, and we had our baits in the water in pretty short order. Must of trolled for three or four hours for nothing. Patty's were covered in bait but nothing else, and it started to look like one of those days when things just do not go your way out there.

Decided to try some new stuff so I put out a little clear lipped Rapala one of my favorite kayak trolling lures tight below a couple of daisey chains. After a while it got ripped by a skippy, then a nice fat YFT, and while fighting that one Norm and Khanh hooked baitfish as well.

Maybe fifteen minutes later it got ripped again, and this time we kept the boat and gear and turned it into a double when a second fish ate a cedar plug.

Things slowed down and it got glass calm so I climbed up on the mini tower I made for Norms boat, and we baited maybe half a dozen patties for nothing.

At this point I decided to try a second Rapala a x-rap that I use on the yak, but instead of close I decided to put it way back maybe 50 feet behind the spread.

After a short while it got attacked and eaten by something that burned almost 300 yds of forty off the reel in less then a minute. I was thinking Bigeye or big bluefin till I turned it but then it came to the boat almost dead with hardly any fight and turned out to be a smaller grade of YFT. The thing just knocked itself out on that first run.

Since it was now getting later we started working up the line along some breaks and scum lines towards the 371. Norm took a nap, I took the wheel, Khanh got up on the tower. Some Sporties started coming through on their way in to point Lama. I was just about to cross behind the Morning Star when Khanh called out out breaking fish three O clock. I turned and saw three YFT on some pinheads. Swung the rig so the long rod crossed right over them and got this solo fish.



A little while later he said: Fin!! at 200yds!!! I was expecting a shark but it turned out to be a sword maybe 200 pounds.

Since we did not have any heavy gear or even bait for him I decided to just drive by for a look. At the last minute I realized he was not a sword but a Marlin and he had two others with him. By then I was right on top of them and spooked them before I could react. Bummer!

So some fog started building inshore and by the time Norm woke up it was a heavy gray bank maybe a few hundred feet tall and thick by the looks of it. We decided to run up the line outside it and did that for a while baiting patties along the way.

Baiting is kind of a relative term here as by then we'd gone through all the good bait we had got that morning and were left with some zombieish red headed half scaled dines that could barely make the trip around the bait tank.

I just gave up on the bait and went to another of my kayak standbys a sardine megabait. We must of hit another half dozen pattys, but with lure or dead bait there was nothing going on.

After a while I saw Neal run by in his Aluminum beast doing what we were doing. (trying to beat the fog and get a few patties in on the way) Waved hello. They waved back and we went or respective ways.

Maybe a hour before dark we saw some birds working between the 302 and nine, but whatever they were on it was gone by the time we got to it. At that point I saw two patties maybe 300yards+ away both huge, drifting together.

Pulled up I dropped the mega bait and Khanh and Norm soaked their half dead sardines. I was ripping my mega back to the surface after a deep drop when Khanh and I hooked up. My fish was on spinning gear a new slammer 560 with thirty braid, and a 25 invisa-X fluoro topshot. His was on a Calcutta with straight twenty mono.... he almost got spooled, I stopped mine in it's tracks and decked it in short order. We both got our cookie cutter fish, but I have to add that I do like these new stronger spinning reels.

Here's mine with the megabait.


It was getting pretty close to sunset and the fog was almost on us, so we headed in.




We found that the fog was thick as soup, but there was some kind of weird separation where there was thick fog above but a low band of clear air below it.

I've never seen anything like it. It's like we were in a room with a low white ceiling with a huge diffused light source above but for maybe ten to fifteen feet below it the air was crystal clear tight to the water.

That lead to this picture:


Weird weird weird....a setting sun underneath the fog bank ceiling the way to the Point.


Down hill relatively still and clear enough under the fog Norm kicked it up to thirty knots and we just flew in in less then an hour.

By the time we got to Shelter I was beat, but I stayed awake to keep Norm company on the way up to LA. What can I say we've caught a lot of fish together over the years. Kahn said we act like an old married couple and it is probably true, tired maybe were a little grumpy, but Norms a good buddy, and good fisherman. Thanks for the trip Norm, twist my arm any time. Kahn it was cool.. First time I have fished with him, good fisherman, and good eye as he spotted the majority of the kelp..

Now on a sad note we saw Niel and his rig on the side of the road with Sheriffs and a bunch of flares staked out. I don't know what the deal was because we were two lanes over and unable to stop. I just hope everything was alright!

At Culver city we divided the catch, nine fish, three a piece, here's a pic of me with the fish. I got by this by setting the camera on the ground and setting the timer:


As you can see I'm just beat tired.

Here's a better pic of the catch.



Back at Shelter I went down the line asking about the guys trips. We were the only ones with Tuna I talked to so I guess we did OK. I'll tell ya I have seen those days before out there where they just do not want to eat jigs. Too many of them.. LOL!! I'm glad the Rapalas got some action, or we'd of probably had a pretty slow day.

So there you have it nine fish total (if you don't count skippies) to maybe 25 pounds, four on Rapalas, three on bait, one on a cedar plug part of a double, and one fish on a mega bait jigging deep under the a patty. A little slow but still a great day on the water.

Jim

[dorado50]

Your right Jim not a kayak report! Did you post on BD?

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by dorado50

Your right Jim not a kayak report! Did you post on BD?

Initially wasn't going to but did anyway.... man that site is turning into a real zoo..

You know it's funny but if not for the kayak fishing I've been doing I would of never got any of those fish.

It's like I told Norm out on the water: The reason I do alright on Yellows at La Jolla is due to tricks I've learned on Yellows offshore. Now Ironically I'm catching Yellowfin Tuna Offshore do to tricks I've learned at La Jolla

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

Offshore Sunday 8-30



I put out a little clear lipped Rapala one of my favorite kayak trolling lures tight in below a couple of daisey chains.

Jim

Hey Jim,

Please translate the above. What are " a couple of daisey chains"

Bob

[dorado50]

Yea, funny how that works! Catching bass and such in the bay is also an excellent (practice) or technique that helps in catching palagics.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by dsafety

Hey Jim, Please translate the above. What are " a couple of daisey chains"

Bob

Daisy chains are where you take a number of lures and rig them in a row to mimic schools of fish or bait splashing on the surface.

In this case we had a purple hootchie Daisy Chain like this one..


On the left side forty feet back, and Zuccini Zukers daisy chain made of two of these lures




Om the right side forty feet back.

What I did was put the hootchies and zukers out side by side, and then I ran a shallow running cd14 Rapala



...right underneath them.

The idea being that they would be attracted by the hoochies and zukers and all the commotion they would make but then nail the Rapala that in theory looks like part of the bait school that just got away from the others and therefore was easier prey.

The other way I used the x-rap was a similar idea. In that case I put the Rapala way behind the others maybe 60 ft behind the nearest bait. In that case the lure looked like a straggler that was trying to keep up but not quite cutting it.

Here' the deal... Offshore the water is incredibly clear. when the tuna are feeding they are often on top but when they are not chasing bait they are often deep and on the move.

When they see a boat it looks like a huge shadow that a school of bait would make, the lures behind it look like larger baitfish chasing that shadow or feeding on whatever it's made of. They come up for the whole school or presentation as a whole then isolate of one or to baits to attack if they bite at all.

You want think of the lures in your trolling pattern then as part of a whole presentation. Hootchies or daisy chains side by side make more commotion so they work well in tandem. Lots of guys use them that way. My thing is I just took it one step further and added one of my favorite kayak lures, right under the chains to make it look like one bait that got to low away from the school and was therefore and easy meal.


What can I say... It worked. All the fish we got except the last two were do to fish coming up and hitting the rapalas first.

Jim

[grey zone]

You forgot the most important trick of them all, the sabiki. Its very easy to make candy off the kelps. The big scores are made off bait fish, once you stop the boat. Good job!

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by grey zone

You forgot the most important trick of them all, the sabiki. Its very easy to make candy off the kelps. The big scores are made off bait fish, once you stop the boat. Good job!

Your right!!!

Norm said to only bring five rods, with the trolling sticks and bait sticks, I decided to leave my sabiki rod at home. I meant to pack one in that package just in case, but I forgot about it.

With all that bait out on the paddies the sabiki would of been the ticket no doubt.

Jim

['Cuda]

How well would a daisy chain work trolled at yak speed?

[bender0240]

Crazy Fun!!!

[Iceman]

How well would a daisy chain work trolled at yak speed?

I have done it and caught bonito and too close to the kelp for calicos

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Iceman

I have done it and caught bonito and too close to the kelp for calicos

Similar experience for me... they work but mainly for Bones and macks. If we constantly had tuna inshore where we could fish for them they might be red hot way to rig but personally I'd rather troll a rapala inshore due to the white seabass and yellowtail factor.

Jim