Two Days at DP

[rossman]

Went out of DP on Tues and Wed this week. Tues there was an abundance of bait of every shape and description. From the jetty to the point there was a solid 20 feet of chovies and deeper water was plugged with greenies and Jack macs. As far as you could see there were birds working bait in every direction. As far as fishing goes, it was thresher city. Every trolled maceral was hit. I hooked 4 before 8 am and broke them off when I realized what they were. I had one hook up that did not feel the same. Sort of hugged the bottom until I got over top of him. Then he started coming up fairly easily. Suddenly this 200+ lb thresher breaches directly in front of my yak and came within a few inches of landing on my bow. He made one more jump and came unbuttoned but then continued to greyhound a few more times. That was the one time I wished I had a GoPro mounted behind me.
Managed a few bass and a ling cod after that.

Headed out on Wed and the bait situation was quite different. I could find it but not nearly as easy. Caught one nice ling of 30 inches and one of about 12 inches. Not much bigger than the bait I was using. Both released.

Managed to stick this guy mid morning. 39 inches and just shy of 25




On a greenie in 70 ft of water. My son (Zed) tangled with a big Thresher and was able to get him to the yak and release him. He also caught a porker Calico. Probably the largest I have seen in local waters.

[YakHanded]

Awesome report and nice flatty!

[YakDout]

Thanks for the report. Headed out on Thursday, but definitely not trying to threshers. Looks like by-catch will be a good possibility

[alanhighhand]

Nice thanks for sharing

[Zed]

23". Ate a jackmack, carolina rigged.

[blitzburgh]

Nice!

[paddle man]

nice flatty I landed one that size in the surf zone doheny a few years ago great job

[Bert Vega]

I am interested in catching a thresher. Never really fished for them. And have only been to DP twice. Any tips on technique and location would be more then helpful.

[alanw]

Nice catch. I was out Sunday and there was tons of bait outside the jetty with lots of birds crashing around sunset. I couldn't keep the macks off my Waxwing! Not sure how they think they can eat something that big but they sure tried. On the south side of the pipe I was pulling up 3-6 lizards at a time on the sabiki. No luck for me on the butts that day but DP is looking pretty good right now.

[Zed]

Originally Posted by Bert Vega

I am interested in catching a thresher. Never really fished for them. And have only been to DP twice. Any tips on technique and location would be more then helpful.

Troll a mack in 60'-80'. They're like vermin right now. At the slack high tide they are more likely at the surface.

[Bert Vega]

Originally Posted by Zed

Troll a mack in 60'-80'. They're like vermin right now. At the slack high tide they are more likely at the surface.

Are you fishing for them straight out of the entrance. I have only been to the right up towards the rock and kelp bed to the north.

[Zed]

No but I'm sure you can.

Leave the harbor and go out to about 60' on a 270 and hang a R toward 300, staying outside of the kelp. Stay on that contour roughly all the way to Laguna and you're bound to run into 20 of them between 10# and 200#. I've caught them in every month from NoLag to SanO. It's not hard hooking them.

Makos are mixed in too, but those are small ones. Any week now and the schoolie yellows will be around too.

The one I hooked Wed bit like a tuna. I was swapping out to a smaller mack. I pitched it out and it ran and ran until it found another gear. I slid the lever to strike and I was headed off the shelf. I never saw it until late, and it was hooked mid tail. I pulled it up hand over fist to get the hook out, sending the slack tail over the other side, but it didn't like being that far out of the water and took off snapping its tail in front of my face, and I was less than a degree from going swimming. I had backed way off on the drag once I got a hold, so I tightened it again and started over. It was a big girl, in that upper range.

[Bert Vega]

Thank you Zed!

[SLYACKER]

Sounds like an awesome couple days of fishing. Nice catch

[crazywakeboarder]

Originally Posted by Zed

No but I'm sure you can.

Leave the harbor and go out to about 60' on a 270 and hang a R toward 300, staying outside of the kelp. Stay on that contour roughly all the way to Laguna and you're bound to run into 20 of them between 10# and 200#. I've caught them in every month from NoLag to SanO. It's not hard hooking them.

Makos are mixed in too, but those are small ones. Any week now and the schoolie yellows will be around too.

The one I hooked Wed bit like a tuna. I was swapping out to a smaller mack. I pitched it out and it ran and ran until it found another gear. I slid the lever to strike and I was headed off the shelf. I never saw it until late, and it was hooked mid tail. I pulled it up hand over fist to get the hook out, sending the slack tail over the other side, but it didn't like being that far out of the water and took off snapping its tail in front of my face, and I was less than a degree from going swimming. I had backed way off on the drag once I got a hold, so I tightened it again and started over. It was a big girl, in that upper range.

What type of setup are you using for this? Rod/reel/line a leader, weights?

Im new and was out there yesterday trolling macs on the outside and didnt get anything. I noticed as I was trolling, the macs were just skimming under the suface of the water. I hooked them through the upper mouth and trolled about 30ft back

[YakDout]

Try adding a 1-3 oz slide sinker all the way down to the hook. No need for swivel. You can also hook them in their back to help them swim down.

[crazywakeboarder]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Try adding a 1-3 oz slide sinker all the way down to the hook. No need for swivel. You can also hook them in their back to help them swim down.

Thanks! How far down from the dorsal are you inserting the hook

What lb test would you suggest to prevent them biting off

[Zed]

If youre going to troll hook across the nose. My last few hookups have been flylined. I think my dad has been hooking up on carolina'd recently.

I dont like having the slider right up against the bait personally. The egg can hinder the hookset and the bait doesnt swim naturally.

I was using straight 40 on a tld20 successfully. I dont recommend trolling a rapala because it adds problems but no denying it works. The rate of tail snagging goes way up and the successful release goes down. Plus w the rapala in the tail the natural "handle" now has trebles in it flying around. They fight way better hooked in the mouth.

[YakDout]

[YakDout]

The reason I don't like adding a swivel is 3 more fail points. Two extra knots plus the swivel itself