LJ-Saturday - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Fiskadoro · 03-22-2009, 07:13 PM

I got a late start Saturday as I was "out" Friday night. I'm not sure what time I got in the water, probably around 9:00 Am.

Pretty much straight out I came upon a huge school of six inch greenbacks and made maybe twenty of them, then proceeded up the line to the area I had several good hookups last Monday.

I settled in, got a bait down on the dropper, and maybe had my first pickup after about thirty minutes. The fish was just huge. It took off under my yak digging me in and then spinning me around on a dime as it headed into the kelp. I followed it for maybe seventy feet before it broke off above the top shot in the 65 spectra. Just a huge fish.

After that I hook one up maybe every thirty minutes and whatever they are it becomes obvious I'm just severely under gunned with my forty rig for them in the kelp.

Now I have fished a lot of big fish, up to over 400 pounds, I once landed a 14 ft+ thresher on forty, so by the third one I'm thinking there is no way these could possibly be white seabass, Blacks at best, more likely sharks of some kind, and not small ones either. I mean I'm putting everything I can into them and they are cleaning my clock.

Fishing is always a learning experience for me and by then I just wanted to know what they were.

Well about the seventh one I hooked I got my answer. This one was noticeably smaller and I get him up to deep color before he made it to the kelp. A monster Seven Gill maybe 150 pounds.

Considering his size and compared to the way the others fought all I can say is the others most of just been real monsters. So I got my answer even if it took me most of the day to do it.

So by now it's pushing 4:00 PM and I'm thinking there is no point and trying my "spot" any longer. A guy I know is fishing maybe a hundred yards away so I paddle up to see how he's doing.

About half way there I watched him hook up and it was the right kind. I'm not going to go into details but he was not fishing the way I was: not macks, no dropper, and while I watched or "tried" to catch my own he got two, one of which he released. Before anyone freaks out these fish were caught in shallow water, and the one he let go was in primo shape, and properly revived so I have no doubt it made it.

At any rate here's his small one that ate the hook too deep and came up bleeding. (Sorry about the smudge but the fish just splashed the camera)

For reference the one he released was a third larger.

So here I am, in the middle of a epic trophy Seabass bite. Two fish caught in less then an hours time, one over forty, the other over fifty a storm, with high winds coming the next day...... This was my chance before the conditions changed.

Josh was right there with advice, gave me bait, in fact he did everything but tie on my hook, but though I fished till midnight I could not get one to go.

Call me snake bit, but the truth is he was doing something a little new to me and tired as I was after a long day of messing with prehistoric monsters, I just did not adapt quickly enough and missed the boat....

Well there will be other boats no doubt.

So there you have it. Long day on the water half a dozen hookups on ancient sharks that before then I had only heard about and never seen. Anther half dozen bass and miscellaneous creatures that I did not even bother to photograph, and priceless lesson, at the hands of a master replete with fifty pound plus visual aids.

God I love fishing La Jolla!!!

Jim

03-22-2009, 07:13 PM	#1
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	LJ-Saturday I got a late start Saturday as I was "out" Friday night. I'm not sure what time I got in the water, probably around 9:00 Am. Pretty much straight out I came upon a huge school of six inch greenbacks and made maybe twenty of them, then proceeded up the line to the area I had several good hookups last Monday. I settled in, got a bait down on the dropper, and maybe had my first pickup after about thirty minutes. The fish was just huge. It took off under my yak digging me in and then spinning me around on a dime as it headed into the kelp. I followed it for maybe seventy feet before it broke off above the top shot in the 65 spectra. Just a huge fish. After that I hook one up maybe every thirty minutes and whatever they are it becomes obvious I'm just severely under gunned with my forty rig for them in the kelp. Now I have fished a lot of big fish, up to over 400 pounds, I once landed a 14 ft+ thresher on forty, so by the third one I'm thinking there is no way these could possibly be white seabass, Blacks at best, more likely sharks of some kind, and not small ones either. I mean I'm putting everything I can into them and they are cleaning my clock. Fishing is always a learning experience for me and by then I just wanted to know what they were. Well about the seventh one I hooked I got my answer. This one was noticeably smaller and I get him up to deep color before he made it to the kelp. A monster Seven Gill maybe 150 pounds. Considering his size and compared to the way the others fought all I can say is the others most of just been real monsters. So I got my answer even if it took me most of the day to do it. So by now it's pushing 4:00 PM and I'm thinking there is no point and trying my "spot" any longer. A guy I know is fishing maybe a hundred yards away so I paddle up to see how he's doing. About half way there I watched him hook up and it was the right kind. I'm not going to go into details but he was not fishing the way I was: not macks, no dropper, and while I watched or "tried" to catch my own he got two, one of which he released. Before anyone freaks out these fish were caught in shallow water, and the one he let go was in primo shape, and properly revived so I have no doubt it made it. At any rate here's his small one that ate the hook too deep and came up bleeding. (Sorry about the smudge but the fish just splashed the camera) For reference the one he released was a third larger. So here I am, in the middle of a epic trophy Seabass bite. Two fish caught in less then an hours time, one over forty, the other over fifty a storm, with high winds coming the next day...... This was my chance before the conditions changed. Josh was right there with advice, gave me bait, in fact he did everything but tie on my hook, but though I fished till midnight I could not get one to go. Call me snake bit, but the truth is he was doing something a little new to me and tired as I was after a long day of messing with prehistoric monsters, I just did not adapt quickly enough and missed the boat.... Well there will be other boats no doubt. So there you have it. Long day on the water half a dozen hookups on ancient sharks that before then I had only heard about and never seen. Anther half dozen bass and miscellaneous creatures that I did not even bother to photograph, and priceless lesson, at the hands of a master replete with fifty pound plus visual aids. God I love fishing La Jolla!!! Jim Last edited by Fiskadoro; 03-22-2009 at 11:05 PM.