La Jolla 4-15 Black Sea bass and yellowtail

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by jdvarnold

Tried for the first time about 3 miles outside Newport using mackerel and a 1/8 weight with no luck. I see people catching yellows and BSB all the time. What kind of setup do you use?

Well first off, you won’t typically see yellowtail this early in the season that far north. Black Sea bass are typically caught off the bottom on either a dropper loop type rig or Carolina rig. Weight is dependent on current, wind and depth. Yellowtail can also be caught on a dropper loop type rig or heavy Carolina rig. Typically fish deeper in winter through spring and as the water temps come up and stabilize in the summer and fall, you can get yellowtail almost any day you want on a flyline Mac. That is hook straight to line, no weight. I have already seen a couple schools of breezing yellowtail this winter and spring. Fish all over 30lbs. Your 1/8 sliding sinker or Carolina rig will definitely work, however if you are going that light with a mackerel, you might as well take the weight off because it won’t do much except hinder the baits ability to swim naturally.

[jlabs63]

In case you need a little more color, I would recommend fishing 65# braided line with a 6' leader of 30-40# fluorocarbon. I use a small Spro swivel to connect the two; otherwise a uni-to-uni knot is fine. I use a Owner 1/0 ringed J-hook. Slow troll a 8-12" lively greenback at ~3 knots.

As he said, in the winter and spring the yellows are deeper, so the yo-yo iron works great too. I guess color doesn't matter, but blue/white, scrambled egg and mint seem to be the most popular.

[jdvarnold]

Originally Posted by jlabs63

In case you need a little more color, I would recommend fishing 65# braided line with a 6' leader of 30-40# fluorocarbon. I use a small Spro swivel to connect the two; otherwise a uni-to-uni knot is fine. I use a Owner 1/0 ringed J-hook. Slow troll a 8-12" lively greenback at ~3 knots.

As he said, in the winter and spring the yellows are deeper, so the yo-yo iron works great too. I guess color doesn't matter, but blue/white, scrambled egg and mint seem to be the most popular.

Stupid Question coming....so you are yo-yoing right, how do you know there are fish there? Are you marking them on the FF or Yo-yoing over structure you believe their to be fish?

[jdvarnold]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Well first off, you won’t typically see yellowtail this early in the season that far north. Black Sea bass are typically caught off the bottom on either a dropper loop type rig or Carolina rig. Weight is dependent on current, wind and depth. Yellowtail can also be caught on a dropper loop type rig or heavy Carolina rig. Typically fish deeper in winter through spring and as the water temps come up and stabilize in the summer and fall, you can get yellowtail almost any day you want on a flyline Mac. That is hook straight to line, no weight. I have already seen a couple schools of breezing yellowtail this winter and spring. Fish all over 30lbs. Your 1/8 sliding sinker or Carolina rig will definitely work, however if you are going that light with a mackerel, you might as well take the weight off because it won’t do much except hinder the baits ability to swim naturally.

When using the dropper loop, what is an average size weight?

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by jdvarnold

When using the dropper loop, what is an average size weight?

Meter a school, drop a jig. Wind like crazy. Big yt schools are pretty easy to see on a sonar if you’re comfortable using one. 6-12 oz torpedo for dropper loop, depending on conditions.