LJ Reds and almost Ling 8/12

[The pelican]

[QUOTE=ultimatejay;284468]

Originally Posted by The pelican

In the summertime, it's not that complicated. Hard to say what you need to change with such limited info but here are some ideas:

1. Ditch the weight. Flyline means line and a hook with a bait at the end. No weights.

2. Catch plenty of greenbacks (25 of them is a good number for a day in La Jolla) and keep them happy/healthy. Don't throw them in a home depot bucket full of water, don't squeeze the shit out of them, and don't drag around the same half dead mac for hours. Drop directly from the sabiki into the bait tank. Throw back the bleeders. Lively greenbacks are key.

3. Drop to 30 lb flouro.

4. #4 hook is small. Try a ringed 1/0 hook.

5. Fish the right areas. If you aren't keyed in, then cover ground. If you're sitting at the edge of the MPA in one spot all day or in the same spot in the middle of the canyon all day, you're not giving yourself a good shot. Try trolling that greenback about 100 feet behind you from the front of La Valencia around south to marine street, for example, in 60 feet of water. When you reach the end of the road, turn around and troll back to La Valencia in 70 feet of water. Then back to marine in 80, and so on until you're fishing in 120 or deeper. Do that for 8-10 hours a few weekends in a row and see if you

25 green backs in a kayak bait tank?

UltimateJay - Yes! Having plenty of lively baits is key. You'll read reports on this site of guys who will go out, catch 6 macs, and start fishing for the day. In my experience, that doesn't make much sense. Of course there are times when it's hard to find them. But catch as many as you can keep alive and healthy for the entire day, before you start fishing, if they are around. Then put away the sabiki for the day and forget about multitasking. Catch bait for the day, then catch yellowtail without interruption.

Obviously the number of baits depends on the size of the macs and the livewell you're using. My Hobie tank can hold quite a few. If you're catching smaller greenies, the tank's pumping lots of water, bleeders are thrown back, and you're handling them with care (consider using a sabiki de-hooker so you don't need to touch them); they will stay lively all day long.

Regularly check to sure the water is really pumping into the tank. Keep a section of plastic tubing on the kayak to press against the water intake, take a deep breath, and blow against the pump as hard as you can to clear any grass that might be sucked up against the intake under the kayak. Get used to how the pump sounds when it's working properly and stay aware of any changes to the noise it makes (which may indicate a blockage). That can really limit the amount of water that's making it's way into the tank and suffocate your baits.

Also, use a small bait net to quickly scoop up a mac when you need a fresh one. Don't chase them all over the tank with your hand. If you're using your hand, you'll spend more time in the tank scaring them. You'll squeeze the hell out of a bunch that will slip away. And you'll almost certainly catch the slowest baits if you're using your hand. The best pieces will be left in the tank at the end of the day.

Look at the color of their backs. For some reason, the weaker baits (maybe those that were injured) are a darker color. The better baits in the tank have a lighter colored back. You'll really notice the difference if you're short on baits and reel one and put it back in the tank to get away from a dog, for example. The mac that was used already will stand out against the others due to it's darker color.

Hopefully this helps.