San Diego Bay 8/15 Got butt kicked by a big butt - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

kauaiboy04 · 08-16-2013, 02:37 PM

good stuff man! too bad on the lost landing. learning a lot from everyone, hopefully i can get on some too!

todd one · 08-16-2013, 05:51 PM

I hook the sardines in the mouth and out one nostril. I'm with Baja.

todd one · 08-16-2013, 06:29 PM

That was good advise from everyone. Regardless of the tide, I'm still not understanding the Tidelands launch.

GregAndrew · 08-16-2013, 06:31 PM

Either tether your game clip before you launch or have a quick clip, on your leash, you can easily operate with one hand to attach it before you get the Halibut to the surface. Without a game clip you can try a piece of stiff rope, but watch out for those jaws. A Boga grip can work for fish up to about 10#s (30") but will probably not work for larger fish. You can typically slide belly gaffed Halibut up onto your kayak if you keep most of the weight on the gaff. If you have a big hatch, you could try to slide it right in. Short of that, I would try to double gaff the fish (after the first gaff shot, turn the gaff down to get another bite). Then bring it on board and beat the hell out of it while pinning it with a leg or two.

GregAndrew · 08-16-2013, 06:37 PM

Actually, I kinda like the tide idea. Drifting with the current/tide (same thing in the bay) is the best way to fish for Halibut. And a great idea for finding spots in a large area of water that you may not be familiar with.

Dail14 · 08-16-2013, 06:54 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys. The whole idea of covering that distance was to find areas with good amounts of fish as this was my first halibut trip. All in all the trip was successful since I don't think I have read many reports of people getting more than one or two butts. I did manage to find at least one good spot for future return trips. And when I was hooking the sardines in the mouth like was said above I couldn't get the hookup. I ended up collar hooking and then put a trap hook in their back. It was really hard to not set the hook immediately when the clicker started to click.

oneyedeer · 08-16-2013, 08:53 PM

Or jus use a smaller hook

08-16-2013, 02:37 PM	#1
kauaiboy04 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Sandy Eggo Posts: 215	good stuff man! too bad on the lost landing. learning a lot from everyone, hopefully i can get on some too! __________________ http://socalkayak.blogspot.com

08-16-2013, 05:51 PM	#2
todd one Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 364	I hook the sardines in the mouth and out one nostril. I'm with Baja.

08-16-2013, 06:29 PM	#3
todd one Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 364	That was good advise from everyone. Regardless of the tide, I'm still not understanding the Tidelands launch.

08-16-2013, 06:31 PM	#4
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	Either tether your game clip before you launch or have a quick clip, on your leash, you can easily operate with one hand to attach it before you get the Halibut to the surface. Without a game clip you can try a piece of stiff rope, but watch out for those jaws. A Boga grip can work for fish up to about 10#s (30") but will probably not work for larger fish. You can typically slide belly gaffed Halibut up onto your kayak if you keep most of the weight on the gaff. If you have a big hatch, you could try to slide it right in. Short of that, I would try to double gaff the fish (after the first gaff shot, turn the gaff down to get another bite). Then bring it on board and beat the hell out of it while pinning it with a leg or two.

08-16-2013, 06:37 PM	#5
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	Actually, I kinda like the tide idea. Drifting with the current/tide (same thing in the bay) is the best way to fish for Halibut. And a great idea for finding spots in a large area of water that you may not be familiar with.

08-16-2013, 06:54 PM	#6
Dail14 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 123	Thanks for all the advice guys. The whole idea of covering that distance was to find areas with good amounts of fish as this was my first halibut trip. All in all the trip was successful since I don't think I have read many reports of people getting more than one or two butts. I did manage to find at least one good spot for future return trips. And when I was hooking the sardines in the mouth like was said above I couldn't get the hookup. I ended up collar hooking and then put a trap hook in their back. It was really hard to not set the hook immediately when the clicker started to click.

08-16-2013, 08:53 PM	#7
oneyedeer Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Orange County, ca Posts: 684	Or jus use a smaller hook