Need advice! - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

kixchad · 10-26-2013, 06:32 AM

Have not been on in awhile. The web or my boat. I have been studying like a mad man and it has paid off. I just got accepted to humboldt for fisheries biology, so ill be relocating!

Any advice or hints for arcata bay or a little outside? rock fish, lings, salmon! Aint no yellowtail, but still delicious.

Witty1 · 10-26-2013, 08:26 AM

They get the occasional albacore up there...
The ling & rock cod fishery up there is amazing.
Salmon is hit or miss of course... depends on the run & bait.
I've had a lot of luck mooching herring in and around bait balls. If they aren't hitting mooched bait you can troll...
I've had amazing days with a rotary salmon killer behind a flasher. Green & pink are favorites.
once again... herring it just holds up better than frozen anchovies/sardines.
Might want to invest in a downrigger.
You can use a sinker release but that gets $$$ with the price of lead these days.

jbaker · 10-26-2013, 12:47 PM

The rockfish and lingcod season is closing on the 31st of October but Dungeness crab is opening on Nov 2nd. Look up lost coast kayak anglers on facebook, great group of people. Trinidad will be in your backyard and is IMHO the best rockfish Ling, and salmon fishing in the state. My PB ling at 35" and best rockfish at 21" have both been from Trinidad. You'll be trading Yellowtail for SteelHead on the Klamath and Big rockfish. And dont forget about the Abalone, that alone is reason enough to get in the water up here.

Linglifter · 10-26-2013, 02:55 PM

Nice! Lived here 5 yrs "I'm here now" I can put u in touch with some people that will help u out up there. The fishing is off the charts as u know. When do u arrive?

alanw · 10-26-2013, 04:11 PM

My son fished Trinity pier this morning with no bites. I'm headed up there for a week at the end of November, and looking for a good place to stay near Arcata. Klamath River Lodge looks good but it's 1.5 hours from Arcata. Any good places closer? Thinking of trying my luck on some steelhead.

Linglifter · 10-26-2013, 04:14 PM

Steelhead is great but there is no water in the rivers now

alanw · 10-26-2013, 04:21 PM

Oh yea, gotta wait for the rains. Well I guess I'll be "stuck" with the pier and Humboldt Bay shore fishing since I won't be bringing my kayak up.

Linglifter · 10-26-2013, 06:34 PM

U can fish north and south jetty and the surf perch will be running soon. Crab seasons opens on nov 2. Poke pole for monkey faced eel at the negative tides. I never fish that pier lol that's where the tourist go.

plenty of fishing to be had

kixchad · 10-31-2013, 06:13 AM

Awesome. Thank you guys. I am headed up in January.

I am definitely looking forward to the ling fishing. Ive seen the monsters that come from up north.

alanw · 10-31-2013, 10:13 AM

Like jbaker said, ling season closes today, so if you're going up in January to fish them it will have to be shore fishing only.

Linglifter · 10-31-2013, 07:15 PM

North south jetty is good for lings. Fresh water lagoon for trout and bass. Big lagoon for the same and cut throat but when it breaches it's a different story. I frequent Trinidad often ... Just for peace of mind. Enjoy yourself up there man. Maybe ill run into To u some day. Tony

taggermike · 11-03-2013, 10:46 AM

I was at HSU in the late 80s/early 90s. There was a long ass drought the whole time I was there and the river fishing sucked. Definitely good advice from the earlier posters. I'll throw in 1 more thing; BE CAREFUL! The ocean up there is nothing like down here. There are many days in the winter when its not even safe to walk on the beach or on the jetties. Seriously, we had a swell there that was 18-25 feet with a period of almost 30 seconds. Waves were breaking in 60 feet of water and registering on the seismograph in the geology department on campus. There are plenty of nice days too, just be smart. Mike

10-26-2013, 06:32 AM	#1
kixchad Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: San Marcos ca Posts: 71	Need advice! Have not been on in awhile. The web or my boat. I have been studying like a mad man and it has paid off. I just got accepted to humboldt for fisheries biology, so ill be relocating! Any advice or hints for arcata bay or a little outside? rock fish, lings, salmon! Aint no yellowtail, but still delicious.

10-26-2013, 12:47 PM	#3
jbaker Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Redding Ca Posts: 85	The rockfish and lingcod season is closing on the 31st of October but Dungeness crab is opening on Nov 2nd. Look up lost coast kayak anglers on facebook, great group of people. Trinidad will be in your backyard and is IMHO the best rockfish Ling, and salmon fishing in the state. My PB ling at 35" and best rockfish at 21" have both been from Trinidad. You'll be trading Yellowtail for SteelHead on the Klamath and Big rockfish. And dont forget about the Abalone, that alone is reason enough to get in the water up here. __________________ A SoCal to NorCal transplant Hobie Fishing Team Headwaters Adventure Company Kayak Fishing team

10-26-2013, 04:11 PM	#5
alanw Made in U.S.A. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dana Point Posts: 1,625	My son fished Trinity pier this morning with no bites. I'm headed up there for a week at the end of November, and looking for a good place to stay near Arcata. Klamath River Lodge looks good but it's 1.5 hours from Arcata. Any good places closer? Thinking of trying my luck on some steelhead. __________________ Hobie PA 14 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Jackson Kraken ¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu X-Factor ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu Stealth-12 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Its not a spelling B its a fishing B ~yakjoe

10-26-2013, 04:21 PM	#7
alanw Made in U.S.A. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dana Point Posts: 1,625	Oh yea, gotta wait for the rains. Well I guess I'll be "stuck" with the pier and Humboldt Bay shore fishing since I won't be bringing my kayak up. __________________ Hobie PA 14 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Jackson Kraken ¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu X-Factor ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu Stealth-12 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Its not a spelling B its a fishing B ~yakjoe

10-31-2013, 10:13 AM	#10
alanw Made in U.S.A. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dana Point Posts: 1,625	Like jbaker said, ling season closes today, so if you're going up in January to fish them it will have to be shore fishing only. __________________ Hobie PA 14 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Jackson Kraken ¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu X-Factor ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu Stealth-12 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Its not a spelling B its a fishing B ~yakjoe

10-26-2013, 08:26 AM	#2
Witty1 Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 74	They get the occasional albacore up there... The ling & rock cod fishery up there is amazing. Salmon is hit or miss of course... depends on the run & bait. I've had a lot of luck mooching herring in and around bait balls. If they aren't hitting mooched bait you can troll... I've had amazing days with a rotary salmon killer behind a flasher. Green & pink are favorites. once again... herring it just holds up better than frozen anchovies/sardines. Might want to invest in a downrigger. You can use a sinker release but that gets $$$ with the price of lead these days.

10-26-2013, 02:55 PM	#4
Linglifter Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: San diego Posts: 166	Nice! Lived here 5 yrs "I'm here now" I can put u in touch with some people that will help u out up there. The fishing is off the charts as u know. When do u arrive?

10-26-2013, 04:14 PM	#6
Linglifter Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: San diego Posts: 166	Steelhead is great but there is no water in the rivers now

10-26-2013, 06:34 PM	#8
Linglifter Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: San diego Posts: 166	U can fish north and south jetty and the surf perch will be running soon. Crab seasons opens on nov 2. Poke pole for monkey faced eel at the negative tides. I never fish that pier lol that's where the tourist go. plenty of fishing to be had

10-31-2013, 06:13 AM	#9
kixchad Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: San Marcos ca Posts: 71	Awesome. Thank you guys. I am headed up in January. I am definitely looking forward to the ling fishing. Ive seen the monsters that come from up north.

10-31-2013, 07:15 PM	#11
Linglifter Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: San diego Posts: 166	North south jetty is good for lings. Fresh water lagoon for trout and bass. Big lagoon for the same and cut throat but when it breaches it's a different story. I frequent Trinidad often ... Just for peace of mind. Enjoy yourself up there man. Maybe ill run into To u some day. Tony

11-03-2013, 10:46 AM	#12
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	I was at HSU in the late 80s/early 90s. There was a long ass drought the whole time I was there and the river fishing sucked. Definitely good advice from the earlier posters. I'll throw in 1 more thing; BE CAREFUL! The ocean up there is nothing like down here. There are many days in the winter when its not even safe to walk on the beach or on the jetties. Seriously, we had a swell there that was 18-25 feet with a period of almost 30 seconds. Waves were breaking in 60 feet of water and registering on the seismograph in the geology department on campus. There are plenty of nice days too, just be smart. Mike