Trolling lures??
 

Hey guys, I am heading out tomorrow in DP and was thinking about trolling a Rapala X-rap 15 while I head out to the kelp. I don't have a pedal drive, so my question comes to whether or not I will be moving fast enough to make that lure effective? I have plenty of shallow diver minnows but the seagulls have a tendency to go for them. I have had several awesome hits, only to turn around and realize a have caught a seagull. I figure at 15 feet deep, I will be out of seagull range and hopefully in Butt or bigger bass range. Do you have any other suggestions on trolling bait?

Thanks

Rapala should work. Anything that swims and waddles eventually gets bit.

I paddle and troll rapala
 

Just be careful of the little Mako sharks when you have to bring them in your kayak to get your $20 Lure back even tho they might be 15lbs they still have a nasty set of teeth. Makos love rapalas. Everything will eat a rapala.

One time I was in my canoe trolling around....a rapala cd18 magnum in la Jolla
 

And a big sealion grab it right at my canoe lucky for him and me it was lip hooked cause I was able to pop it loose with a hefty jerk
I would use any color except one that looks identity to a mackerel it fooled a sealoin :doh:

Your rapala will work if there are bass and sometimes yellows around, the macs like them too same with the bonita when they are around but for halibut, it won't get deep enough, you will need like a bounce ball or trap rig, something with heavy weight 6+ ounces so your bait stays on the bottom of the water column while you paddle..

This one fooled a sealoin lucky I got it back.
 

IStill trying to get my first legal halibut on the bounce ball rig.need more time on the water. Im sure a thresher shark will hit this rig to.

Various Rapala's work good for me in SD Bay when I'm going out to my fishing areas.

For La Jolla I drag a sabiki with a small iron on the end as my weight to catch bait. When I get hit, I stop and drop again or double back for more bait. Saves time and sometimes I have all the bait I need before I start looking for bait.

Around sunrise this works in typical bait zones in SD Bay as well on my way to the bait barge. Often, the bait barge can be avoided altogether. Ditto for the channel exiting Mission Bay to the ocean.

I've picked up corvina in the bay by keeping something in the water as I move around. It's usually a Rapala or small iron. Luckycraft is good too.

Anything is better than nothing. It just depends. Kayak travel speed is good for neutral depth fast moving lures. Catching seagulls has been rare for me over my lifetime. I can remember once.

X-Rap 15 should do you pretty well. I use a 10 or 15 depending on what I feel like trolling. Color wise the green/yellow mackerel works the most consistently. I've had some good hits off the Yellowfin, sardine and bonito colors. They recently added Wahoo and Sailfish colors but I haven't tried those yet.

You can expect to run across WSB, Bonito, Thresher, Mako and the occasional Yellowtail, at least in Dana Point. My favorite is the Thresher, I've hooked some that are pretty large. Fought one for three hours and 5 miles, about 8 feet not including the tail. I lost it right at the kayak, line got wrapped around the fins and popped off. I was kind of relieved to be honest.

Thanks guys!! I used a Green Mack collored X-rap 15 and was pleased to see my rod tip shaking from the action of the lure. The good news is it seems there are aton of Macks in the water out side of DP Harbor. I would cast it back and paddle maybe 40 yards and get hit by a mack. I spent over an hour getting hit by macks. I put a medium size mack on the bottom with 8 oz of weight, and drifted a while, while I threw 3 different sizes of Big Hammers, still hookin up on a mack every 4 or 5 casts. Finally my bottom rig got caught up in some rocks. half hour of tring to get undone, and I cut the line. After that I went in a bit the threw the lucky craft, and Big hammers some more. Nothing but Macks all day. Hopefully the YT follow the up here soon.

When you see a lot of macs out at DP, the threshers aren't far away. Try heading out just past the mac schools and troll a mac.

Thank you. I'm on it. I'm heading out next weekend, and will do just that. and while my Mac is out back I'm gonna throw the HookUp Baits and see what happens.

This is helpful, I always seem to struggle finding bait. I'll have to try this

I have a VERY relatable story like that out of newport, went too heavy on the leader and broke a thick owner treble at the 3rd weld crotch! Fish was easily 14 ft+ (with tail) and I had the gear to take the fish down, but was somewhat relieved!