La jolla help!

[MVPigeoN]

Next weekend is my birthday and my dad and I wanna go out to la jolla and catch some yellowtail. Where do you go once you launch? and any equipment recommendations would be awesome! Thank you!

[Dannowar]

I recommend a half day boat

[bracks]

If its a weekend you should see enough fellow kayakers out there demonstrating their techniques. La Jolla is a dynamic fishery to say the least. If you get skunked, know that most of them did too . Time on the water is the best advice I can give and doing it with your pops on your birthday sounds great. Have fun!

[DanaPT]

Originally Posted by Dannowar

I recommend a half day boat

Maybe a full day for the YT. And who knows even then, probably 20% of the guys on the boat catch 80% of the fish.

https://www.hmlanding.com/trip/half-day-fishing#

Happy birthday !

[MVPigeoN]

Just wanna know where you go once you get past the surf.

[Tekniks]

Originally Posted by MVPigeoN

Just wanna know where you go once you get past the surf.

pass the buoy

[crashcrow]

They are everywhere out there from Torrey Pines to the northwest corner. Bait has been hard to find but usually some by the pier. Here is an article to check out. They seem to be deeper in this warm water.

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/...ing-yellowtail

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Without knowing your own favorite places based on your own fishing style and experience over time, I think a good approach would be to head out past the protected area, then follow the outside edge of the kelp southwest.

Try near the kelp, but not so close that you waste time tangling. If you have a fish finder, that might be around 65' or so. Try that for awhile, or go out a little deeper and follow some depth lines - 100' or 125' for example. That will take you through some areas of general potential. If there are schools of fish roaming the area you can also head north toward the canyon and go out deeper. If you see the birds hitting the water, head that direction.

If you do not have much experience kayaking in the ocean I think it's probably better not to stray too far from your launch point, unless you are acclimated to traveling more miles in your kayak. Check forecast weather reports for surf heights, wind and currents.

Look at the contours on this map and you will see what I mean. It's easy to choose a depth and follow it without knowing where you are relative to visual landmarks and perspective that you will quickly learn as you go out and look around. You can see how 100-125' is a good line to follow along the kelp. It's a place to start and it's a point of reference. Adjust from there according to where you get bites or what other activity you see.

Take some backup squid and lures in case you don't catch live bait.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Before I got my kayak, I used to enjoy the half day boats occassionally when the reports are good. It's a fun activity. Drink beer, fish, meet people, eat whatever they are cooking in the galley, ask questions, learn things.

However, the fish reports from yesterday don't look so hot:
http://www.seaforthlanding.com/pages/fishcount.php

You can check the water and weather forecast here:
http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/...latest/six_day


I see you are coming down from Orange County. IMHO, launching at first light is the easiest time to catch bait. I usually just head to where I'm going and drag a sabiki behind me with a small iron or megabait as my weight. I buy sabiki's with a 30# main line because other more serious fish sometimes hit the lure I use at the bottom of the sabiki as my weight.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by MVPigeoN

any equipment recommendations would be awesome! Thank you!

What kind of equipment do you have now?

[MVPigeoN]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

What kind of equipment do you have now?

Hobie pa14, Hobie xl live well, radio, mxl 2 speed, black diamond 8’, hook 5

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Sounds like you have everything you need. Good luck. Give us a fish report when you get back.