9/29/13 - Solana Kelp Kayak Fishing Report (Species ID Please)

[iethinker]

The morning started out cold and breezy. The grey-light launch included what appeared to be flat surf but as luck would have it the sets came in as I was mid-surf-zone. No harm though as I blasted through the crashing waves.

I must say that my NRS paddle pants and splash jacket are a must for these days. I don't think my clothes underneath were even the slightest bit wet. My baseball-style cap was totally soaked though to give an idea of the drenching. The NRS wear was nevertheless soon removed and stowed away. The sun quickly rose to a cloudless sky, the wind died and the glassy surface appeared. The water temp settled in the 67-degree range before the sun heated my hull to 75-degrees.

As planned, I started to make bait. Mackerel is my usual choice and they were present. A large quantity of Jack Smelt were also in the area so I took a bit of this by-catch as well. Very infrequently while making bait, I catch a Mackerel like fish that does not have the green-blue bars on the back. It's more of a greenish brown solid area on the back. A species ID would be appreciated. Here are a few photos of this mystery fish:

Species ID please (photo #1):


Species ID please (photo #2):


Not only was the bait making process interesting from the mystery species perspective but my sabiki was getting hit by smaller Calico Bass as well. Here are a few photos of the Calicos coming in with other fish on the sabiki

Sabiki Calico +:


Using mostly cut Mackerel on the bottom, I landed multiple Calico Bass, Multiple Sand Bass and one Sculpin. The Sand Bass in the photo below is 17" and put up an epic fight.

Sand Bass - 17" Measured


Calico Bass - 13" Measured


Sculpin (I think) - 10" Measured


During the course of the day I had two major hook-ups that got away. One folded my Ugly Stick Tiger (50-lb pole) completely over and snapped (or cut) (or both) my 40-lb power-pro line. This was within seconds of the hook-up. The second fish hit my medium rig (20-lb pole) and fought for 10-minutes on very high drag. It was able to take 50% of my 200-yard spool on it's second run. This mystery fish was visible on my FF and hit straight under the kayak. I was using a barb-less hook that the the fish eventually spit out. I wrestle with the philospophy here. High drag & less kelp or lower drag and risk mega-tangle. Circle hooks vs barbless.

Anyway, the ride back in was surprisingly smooth. I got a break between sets and was able to peddle as fast as the small waves avoiding any real breakers.

All fish minus bait were released unharmed. The mystery fish was released as well.

Till next time.

[Fiskadoro]

That's Bait!!

Pacific Jack Makerel - Trachurus symmetricus (known local as a Spanish mackerel). Good bait for dropper loop fishing.

[iethinker]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

That's Bait!!

Pacific Jack Makerel - Trachurus symmetricus (known local as a Spanish mackerel). Good bait for dropper loop fishing.

Thanks for the education here Fiskadoro. Now that I am re-looking at the picture of what I thought was a sand bass, I almost wonder if that is a small White Sea Bass. It put up a stronger fight than previous Sand Bass I have caught. It is also lighter colored.

[MrPatrick]

Sandbass!

[Cadillyak]

Originally Posted by MrPatrick

Sandbass!

X2. Dandy sandy

[William Novotny]

I can't see what the point of barbless hooks would be in this area since we dont really get much salmon by catch around here. I use owner mutu circle hooks in various sizes for most everything I do but there is a different hook for every application of fishing

[Deamon]

The ride's ALWAYS smoother in when you've had some action man! Nice report!

[iethinker]

Originally Posted by William Novotny

I can't see what the point of barbless hooks would be in this area since we dont really get much salmon by catch around here.

I have been using some weed guard hooks lately to avoid kelp hook-ups. I have not found weed guard circle hooks though. Because of my enhanced chance of gut-hook, I removed the barb. Call it some experimentation. I agree that circle hooks are generally the best.