New to kayak fishing. Advice needed! - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Ozstriker22 · 05-08-2015, 03:18 PM

I live in good 'ole Hell Cajon, here in SD. I'd love to fish the kelp eventually... But agree it'd be wiser to start off in the bay. I grew up fishing the bay for spotties and HolyButts in a 14 foot aluminum Gregor, so I'd be very comfortable there. I prolly need to build up my cardio a bit before I hit the ocean anyway, but by the end of this summer, I deff want to be on the kelp.

As to flipping over, how do u prevent your rods from falling out of the pole holders? I imagine it'd be good practice to flip once or twice in the bay before hitting the surf

Also, I'd like to fish lake Cuyamaca with the kiddo, if SOT's are allowed there?

FISH11 · 05-08-2015, 03:59 PM

To keep all your gear just buy or make leashes about 3 feet long that you secure all fishing poles and any other loose gear on top of the deck. practice getting back in while wearing your PFD. It is a lot different while wearing your gear than just in a bathing suit. Get a VHF radio and a whistle if your going to go out in the ocean and clip it on to the PFD, do not put it in a pocket or your likely to loose it as others have. A VHF radio isn't any good on the bottom of the ocean. Get a floating one if possible. After the PDF, whistle a Fish Finder is the most useful for finding bait and fish. Build up the cardio while paddling in the bay and get used to your Yaks handling to the boat waves and paddle input. Time on the water is the best teacher. Also read all the post you can on BWE and use the search menu to find answer to your questions on rigging and targeting different kinds of fish. Yes you can fish Cuyamaca but you'll need to pay to have it washed off with some chemical to protect against the quagga mussels. I took my X Factor out there but was disappointed to find that most of the lake is less than 10 feet deep. Good Luck see you out there.

tacmik · 05-08-2015, 04:14 PM

Kayaks are allowed on lake Cuyamaca. Have taken mine there many a time. Just have to watch for the wind that comes up around 10 am most days. They charge like 6 to 8 bucks to launch but you also have to have them wash it down for quagga mussles. Think it's 10 bucks.

Ozstriker22 · 05-08-2015, 07:31 PM

Very cool. The bay it is...

Caseym · 05-08-2015, 10:12 PM

Its a PFD (Personal Flotation Device)
A PDF is a file used in computer dork world.

"Jeeees Napolean, friggin' IDIOT!"

5-20 · 05-09-2015, 09:14 AM

I have a 2014 XFactor and I've mounted a couple of slide-traxxs on the rails of my yak right in front of my seat so I can have the adjustable/sliding ram balls and rod holders on them. Pix in my avatar kind of shows that a bit. That's been pretty convenient for me, mostly so I can have my rods in front of me when paddling.

I have my livewell plumbed.

I plan to mount a blacktip three rod holder in the rear cargo area, right behind the seat.

That's pretty much the extent of the mods I've made.

Paddling out through the waves, a bit of water tends to get into the yak and that ends up getting most of the stuff in my hatches wet. Those cloth boxes do not keep your stuff dry and so I always have everything in plastic bags and generally have to take those cloth boxes out when I get home, otherwise your stuff will stay damp... and everything will rust pretty fast (don't ask me how I learned this...)

That's about it. It's a barge of a yak that's safe and stable. Not the fastest yaks but you'll be very happy with it if it's your first yak and you're just getting into all this.

Definitely practice flipping your yak and climbing back into it before you take it out into the ocean. And before you take it into the ocean, I'd practice paddling out into the waves and returning with an empty yak. I generally back paddle with my nose pointed into the waves when returning -- a lot easier to do this than to surf the waves but everyone has their own way of doing things! You might even want to flip a few times in the waves just to get an idea of how that feels and how you'd handle that.

Enjoy!!!! Post some pixs!!!

Goose1993 · 05-09-2015, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozstriker22

Very cool. The bay it is...

I wouldn't start in the bay. Fishing the ocean is a lot more fun.

It's not really that difficult. Just paddle out there, tie off to the kelp, and fish.

Everything you said is good. A fish finder would be great. It's pretty necessary to use if you want to fish yellowtail off your yak. I don't have one on my kayak so I only fish the kelp off the kayak and fish for yellowtail off my boat. I did try yellowtail off my kayak once and it was a disaster.

05-08-2015, 03:18 PM	#1
Ozstriker22 Junior Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 12	Thanks for the welcome! I live in good 'ole Hell Cajon, here in SD. I'd love to fish the kelp eventually... But agree it'd be wiser to start off in the bay. I grew up fishing the bay for spotties and HolyButts in a 14 foot aluminum Gregor, so I'd be very comfortable there. I prolly need to build up my cardio a bit before I hit the ocean anyway, but by the end of this summer, I deff want to be on the kelp. As to flipping over, how do u prevent your rods from falling out of the pole holders? I imagine it'd be good practice to flip once or twice in the bay before hitting the surf Also, I'd like to fish lake Cuyamaca with the kiddo, if SOT's are allowed there?

05-08-2015, 03:59 PM	#2
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	To keep all your gear just buy or make leashes about 3 feet long that you secure all fishing poles and any other loose gear on top of the deck. practice getting back in while wearing your PFD. It is a lot different while wearing your gear than just in a bathing suit. Get a VHF radio and a whistle if your going to go out in the ocean and clip it on to the PFD, do not put it in a pocket or your likely to loose it as others have. A VHF radio isn't any good on the bottom of the ocean. Get a floating one if possible. After the PDF, whistle a Fish Finder is the most useful for finding bait and fish. Build up the cardio while paddling in the bay and get used to your Yaks handling to the boat waves and paddle input. Time on the water is the best teacher. Also read all the post you can on BWE and use the search menu to find answer to your questions on rigging and targeting different kinds of fish. Yes you can fish Cuyamaca but you'll need to pay to have it washed off with some chemical to protect against the quagga mussels. I took my X Factor out there but was disappointed to find that most of the lake is less than 10 feet deep. Good Luck see you out there. __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids ) Last edited by FISH11; 05-09-2015 at 04:41 PM.

05-08-2015, 04:14 PM	#3
tacmik Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: East County Posts: 914	Kayaks are allowed on lake Cuyamaca. Have taken mine there many a time. Just have to watch for the wind that comes up around 10 am most days. They charge like 6 to 8 bucks to launch but you also have to have them wash it down for quagga mussles. Think it's 10 bucks. __________________

05-08-2015, 07:31 PM	#4
Ozstriker22 Junior Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 12	Very cool. The bay it is...

05-08-2015, 10:12 PM	#5
Caseym Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Temecula Posts: 194	Its a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) A PDF is a file used in computer dork world. "Jeeees Napolean, friggin' IDIOT!"

05-09-2015, 09:14 AM	#6
5-20 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 241	I have a 2014 XFactor and I've mounted a couple of slide-traxxs on the rails of my yak right in front of my seat so I can have the adjustable/sliding ram balls and rod holders on them. Pix in my avatar kind of shows that a bit. That's been pretty convenient for me, mostly so I can have my rods in front of me when paddling. I have my livewell plumbed. I plan to mount a blacktip three rod holder in the rear cargo area, right behind the seat. That's pretty much the extent of the mods I've made. Paddling out through the waves, a bit of water tends to get into the yak and that ends up getting most of the stuff in my hatches wet. Those cloth boxes do not keep your stuff dry and so I always have everything in plastic bags and generally have to take those cloth boxes out when I get home, otherwise your stuff will stay damp... and everything will rust pretty fast (don't ask me how I learned this...) That's about it. It's a barge of a yak that's safe and stable. Not the fastest yaks but you'll be very happy with it if it's your first yak and you're just getting into all this. Definitely practice flipping your yak and climbing back into it before you take it out into the ocean. And before you take it into the ocean, I'd practice paddling out into the waves and returning with an empty yak. I generally back paddle with my nose pointed into the waves when returning -- a lot easier to do this than to surf the waves but everyone has their own way of doing things! You might even want to flip a few times in the waves just to get an idea of how that feels and how you'd handle that. Enjoy!!!! Post some pixs!!!