Tunnel vision... - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

THE DARKHORSE · 05-19-2009, 01:45 PM

Tunnel vision...

As much as I love watching Yellowtail explode on the surface iron before draining the spool, it's still just a close second in my mind. The essence of kayak fishing "for me"and that automatic stealth our plastic vessels provide is something few kayak anglers take full advantage of. Watching a giant broom tail sneak up from below is pure hand shaking adrenaline, no matter how many times you've been lucky enough to witness it. These beautiful giants are the ultimate kayak trophy in my book and I cherish each and every one of them. I know for a fact that a new wave of life carrying tons of schoolie Yellowtail has moved up the line, but honestly, I could care less. Yellowtail are available year round in La Jolla, and quite frankly they're easy to catch this time of year through the summer. I know they'll be waiting for me as soon as I leave the kelp, but for now the jig sticks sit lonely on the rack at home. Even though I've been posting one out of every six fish I catch lately, I thought I'd share my most recent trophy to reiderate the obvious, something everyone already knows. There's giant fish in La Jolla.

I spoke with a fourth generation local recently that I have a great deal of respect for, concerning the frequency of my posts. Summer is here, and soon every guy trolling a Mackerel will be posting Yellowtail from the productive waters of La Jolla. Out of respect for the local fisherman who might be effected by my frequent posts I've decided to compromise and tone it down a few notches. If you've read my fishing reports from this past year you might have already come to the conclusion: ridiculous fishing for Pelagic species goes off in La Jolla all the time, year round. I hear guys talk about how there's "no fish in north county" or how "over-hyped the fishing in La Jolla is". If that's your belief or you've already bought into this B.S., fantastic! I know guys up the coast from Del Mar, Dana Point, Newport, Malibu, all of which get a trickle of schoolie Yellowtail and White Seabass too. At times it might bust open for a "short while" in these areas with consecutive days of success and it should be obvious that White Seabass can be found on nearly every signifigant kelp patch up the coast. But, what locals don't want you to know is just how many damn fish are in La Jolla, year round. I know this because I was one of them not too long ago...hell, I wasn't born here so I'm not even a local. But, for some time I was disgusted by the fishing pressure put on this area after consecutive reports of succes, especially those put in print and my anti-internet views were well known. The truth of the matter is I didn't even know how to turn on a computer until March of 07' when I signed up for WCW, which was probably a big part of my anti-internet ways. From what I've gathered from my friends up the coast, who all know how to fish, is that you simply can't compare how many fish occasionaly come through all these areas to the north with the Mt. Everest of Kayak fishing...a place that "will be closed" unless every single person reading this speaks up. No, I don't mean freakin' twenty-five of us, I mean every damn person who owns a kayak ,and for that matter every damn person who'll never get a chance to see just how good the fishing really is here. I'm getting ready to battle traffic again, heading up the coast to do something I hate (public speaking), "so I can sleep at night when this special place is closed a year from now". I'll tell you the truth, besides donating huge amounts of my time to helping others catch fish, I'm a pretty selfish fishing guide. I've filled my trophy case, many, many times fishing La Jolla. Besides surfing, catching big fish daily, and helping others to do the same I don't do too much. This isn't written to keep "my fishing spot open" or to help my business. I've prepared myself for the worst and I'll deal with any challenges that present themselves. This is written for you guys just getting into the sport, maybe you've gotten a taste of what La Jolla has to offer, or lived vicariously through others posts for some time. For those guys who've made the pilgrimage a few times and maybe got skunked, that's fishing. The facts are the facts, there's more fish here than "the guys who've learned to catch them" know what to do with. The fact of the matter is "You will never know just how good it is", unless you do something about it.

You don't have to sign up on my post saying you'll come. I don't feel the need to roll call on posts or sign up on others to do what needs to be done, actions speak louder than internet words.

Speak up or forever hold your peace!

05-19-2009, 01:45 PM	#1
THE DARKHORSE Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Seven minutes from the launch! Posts: 987	Tunnel vision... Tunnel vision... As much as I love watching Yellowtail explode on the surface iron before draining the spool, it's still just a close second in my mind. The essence of kayak fishing "for me"and that automatic stealth our plastic vessels provide is something few kayak anglers take full advantage of. Watching a giant broom tail sneak up from below is pure hand shaking adrenaline, no matter how many times you've been lucky enough to witness it. These beautiful giants are the ultimate kayak trophy in my book and I cherish each and every one of them. I know for a fact that a new wave of life carrying tons of schoolie Yellowtail has moved up the line, but honestly, I could care less. Yellowtail are available year round in La Jolla, and quite frankly they're easy to catch this time of year through the summer. I know they'll be waiting for me as soon as I leave the kelp, but for now the jig sticks sit lonely on the rack at home. Even though I've been posting one out of every six fish I catch lately, I thought I'd share my most recent trophy to reiderate the obvious, something everyone already knows. There's giant fish in La Jolla. I spoke with a fourth generation local recently that I have a great deal of respect for, concerning the frequency of my posts. Summer is here, and soon every guy trolling a Mackerel will be posting Yellowtail from the productive waters of La Jolla. Out of respect for the local fisherman who might be effected by my frequent posts I've decided to compromise and tone it down a few notches. If you've read my fishing reports from this past year you might have already come to the conclusion: ridiculous fishing for Pelagic species goes off in La Jolla all the time, year round. I hear guys talk about how there's "no fish in north county" or how "over-hyped the fishing in La Jolla is". If that's your belief or you've already bought into this B.S., fantastic! I know guys up the coast from Del Mar, Dana Point, Newport, Malibu, all of which get a trickle of schoolie Yellowtail and White Seabass too. At times it might bust open for a "short while" in these areas with consecutive days of success and it should be obvious that White Seabass can be found on nearly every signifigant kelp patch up the coast. But, what locals don't want you to know is just how many damn fish are in La Jolla, year round. I know this because I was one of them not too long ago...hell, I wasn't born here so I'm not even a local. But, for some time I was disgusted by the fishing pressure put on this area after consecutive reports of succes, especially those put in print and my anti-internet views were well known. The truth of the matter is I didn't even know how to turn on a computer until March of 07' when I signed up for WCW, which was probably a big part of my anti-internet ways. From what I've gathered from my friends up the coast, who all know how to fish, is that you simply can't compare how many fish occasionaly come through all these areas to the north with the Mt. Everest of Kayak fishing...a place that "will be closed" unless every single person reading this speaks up. No, I don't mean freakin' twenty-five of us, I mean every damn person who owns a kayak ,and for that matter every damn person who'll never get a chance to see just how good the fishing really is here. I'm getting ready to battle traffic again, heading up the coast to do something I hate (public speaking), "so I can sleep at night when this special place is closed a year from now". I'll tell you the truth, besides donating huge amounts of my time to helping others catch fish, I'm a pretty selfish fishing guide. I've filled my trophy case, many, many times fishing La Jolla. Besides surfing, catching big fish daily, and helping others to do the same I don't do too much. This isn't written to keep "my fishing spot open" or to help my business. I've prepared myself for the worst and I'll deal with any challenges that present themselves. This is written for you guys just getting into the sport, maybe you've gotten a taste of what La Jolla has to offer, or lived vicariously through others posts for some time. For those guys who've made the pilgrimage a few times and maybe got skunked, that's fishing. The facts are the facts, there's more fish here than "the guys who've learned to catch them" know what to do with. The fact of the matter is "You will never know just how good it is", unless you do something about it. You don't have to sign up on my post saying you'll come. I don't feel the need to roll call on posts or sign up on others to do what needs to be done, actions speak louder than internet words. Speak up or forever hold your peace! __________________ Last edited by THE DARKHORSE; 05-19-2009 at 01:57 PM.