Fishing Conditions- how much do you overthink your trip?

[kenb]

Prof, that was pretty much the same question I asked you when after being out all day you landed your kayak on leo beach and pulled out the halibut and the dozen other fish along with it. And when I asked you if you 'had been fishing out here a lot'? You told me with a smile, "it was beginner's luck".

Thinking more about it, it seems to me it's like most other things in life... it's how much time you put into something that makes it a success. You ain't going to catch any fish sitting in a chair watching a football game on Sunday afternoon.

What was your 'secret' on catching the halibut and the other fish that day?

[TheBentRod]

Originally Posted by kenb

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What was your 'secret' on catching the halibut and the other fish that day?

Follow other anglers!

Sorry, I could not help it!

[2-Stix]

I don't kayak fish much anymore...but by January of every year I have already paid for all my boat trips for that season. Full day, over nights and 2.5 day trips are all locked in.

[ProfessorLongArms]

Originally Posted by TheBentRod

Follow other anglers!

Sorry, I could not help it!

I can say with utmost certainty that I *probably* did not hide a tracking device in your hull.

[kaya_one]

Here's one of my go to sites...
http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/california/san-diego

it charts the sun rise, moon rise, and recently went through an upgrade to the web interface.

[kenb]

Just wondering, is the bait you use as important as the fishing conditions?

Does anyone have a procedure for determining the correct bait to use? Take several different baits with you and try them one by one to see what's working that day?

Was told, 'using lures is the best, but at $5 apiece it's too expensive when fishing around kelp beds because it's so easy to lose them'. Didn't ask what lures they were, guessing they were using some nicely, realistic sardine lures.

[ProfessorLongArms]

Originally Posted by kenb

Just wondering, is the bait you use as important as the fishing conditions?

Does anyone have a procedure for determining the correct bait to use? Take several different baits with you and try them one by one to see what's working that day?

Was told, 'using lures is the best, but at $5 apiece it's too expensive when fishing around kelp beds because it's so easy to lose them'. Didn't ask what lures they were, guessing they were using some nicely, realistic sardine lures.

Similar to the spirit of previous replies, making bait usually happens so quickly before taking off to the fishing spot that I tend to run with whatever I can pull up. I would always prefer a big greenback or two in my tank, but at a certain point I will troll with whatever ends up on the line.

For bottom fishing, I have been playing around with heavy jigs a lot more, just because a little piece of squid on a dropper loop tends to get cleaned off if there are any whitefish around. Saves a lot of cranking the line to check your bait.

[ProfessorLongArms]

Originally Posted by kaya_one

Here's one of my go to sites...
http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/california/san-diego

it charts the sun rise, moon rise, and recently went through an upgrade to the web interface.

This is really awesome site, and I appreciate you sharing it. Kind of a data overload, but fun to play around with.