After seeing a Dorado that was caught last week ( with my own two eyes) well within kayak range, I thought I would go have a look. My original plan was to take out the Hobie Adventure Island, the full sailing model, complete with two outriggers. Coming up on my departure time, I had second thoughts. My main concern was to accurately pinpoint my range, before getting in over my head. I tried to figure out the worst case scenario, and prepare myself to overcome the challenges. When I fish I can get focused to a fault ( Fishing induced ADDlol), and can become my own worst enemy. The thought of chasing a porp school with breaking fish till dark, and leaving myself stranded 25 miles offshore ran through my mind. With the possibility of an afternoon glass off, I decided to simply pedal, and not take out the full sailing model. This would give me a better idea of my true range, without the aid of a sail, and better prepare me for the worst case scenario.
I recently had a helping hand in putting a fellow kayak angler (Smokey) on his first Yellowtail, and an hour later his second (afternoon bite).
He was pretty pumped (remember your first?), and since then you can see the fire in his eyes. While doing his first happy pedal back to the launch we spoke a little about offshore fishing from a kayak. He told me to keep him in mind if I ever find myself without a partner, and one week later I gave him a call. We planned to launch from the south mission jetty at 4:00a.m., buy sardines, and head 20 miles straight off the jetty, in search of exotics. His voice took a slightly higher tone when he repeated back to me "20 miles" ?
Nine miles off the jetty the bottom drops out to 1,500' and the water has a good 40' of vis. We are searching for that paddy holding fish, maybe even one with birds. After keeping a good pace, for close to six hours, we are 17.5 miles off the tip of the mission jetty. Not one group of birds, breaking fish, free swimmers, or a decent paddy to show. Plenty of smaller paddies holding tons of micro-bait, but no proper signs. We decide to troll a couple of the horse sardines to atleast make it seem like a fishing trip.
Notice La Jolla on the left, and Point loma on the right, with mission beach disappearing with every mile. (mid sleigh ride)
My first sardine is slammed within ten seconds of running in free-spool, and I was excited for a minute. The fish ripped drag straight down, but the sharky feeling became more and more pronounced. Soon after I have a 80lb Blue Shark, all lit up with purple hues below the kayak, beautiful. After donating a pack of Owner ringed hooks, the beauty faded, and bait conservation kicked in. I decided to save the bait for our shot, a paddy, birds, breaking fish, something. We came across a few pods of whales, Rissos, and acres of porps, but never found a paddy that was holding. Around 1:30 p.m we started to do the math, and had concerns of making it back by dark. We were fortunate, that the current had taken us on a northwest track, heading toward La Jolla, and had a good west wind at our back. The trip home was much faster, and I kept my eyes open the whole way. Hoping we would maybe find something closer to home, but no luck.
Back at the launch, even without a fish to show, it was hard to keep from pounding my chest like Tarzan. Our pedal range was bigger than I thought, and I still had plenty in the tank for more. The most humbling part of the experience, wasn't the giant whales, or the fading land in the distance, it was the fact that a 56 year old kayak newbie (fresh off his first Yellowtail) kept up with me (my new hero).