Why Kayaks are great for fishing...

quietman · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 372 Location: Dana Point

I had just a few hours window today between taking kids to school, santa pictures and teaching, so I went down to my regular spot in Dana Point for a quick session.

Met up with Yanni, Cucamonga Keith, and Absinthe Minded. I did all my fishing within about 300 yards of the launch, Absinthe minded went searching for the supposed epic Thresher bite that has been going on our way, but came back empty handed.

absinthe showed up late to get back into the little fish fun...

Any way it was a really, really fun hour and a half or so, with all of us constantly hooked up, and doubled-up on Halibut and Yellow-fin croaker and for Yanni fishing with dead chovies, sharks.

Yanni with both poles going off

Keith and I caught and released an endless stream of short halibut, and then caught some legals. We all kept one legal, and released all the rest. I had a nice legal that after a long battle would *not* let me get my worm back...my only one. So I got the gaff out and threatened her with it. It worked and I quickly had that nice flatty free and uninjured to get a little bigger.

One kept 28" 7pound 5 ounce flatty and some YF croaker to 2.5 pounds

The surf was up, but it can't...quite...get you where we fish, except Keith came soooo close to being wiped out I only wish I had a picture of his Prowler bursting through the back of a head-high roller that wanted him bad. Keith really has that Prowler set up, and it is a handsome boat!

Looking Good!

Keith was the first to get in tight where you have to be for the legal flatty action, and he and I were constantly hooked up at the same time on fish-traps and curly tailed jigs, which was all we used. At times we were either getting a fish or a short-bite on every cast. Really, really fun fishing, and unusually good even for our place.

Keith with a legal on the gaff...

The bottom must look like a rug store with all the short and legal halibuts stacked on top of each other.

It was non-stop, fish every cast or two, double-dead stick hook up fun. Not big WSB. Not Yellowtail. Not even Big Bonies. But a two-minute paddle 10 minutes from my house. In the dead of winter. Plus hanging out and chatting, hollering and helping each other out was the BEST!
....and we all went home with some tasty halibut all on plastic...

Just watch the swell! Shocked

_________________
quietman

www.kayakfishingpro.com

cajunman · Joined: 21 Nov 2003 Posts: 71 Location: Escondido

great shots,, it is fun when the butts go off together,,
looks like u guys had a great day
rich

Absinthe_minded · Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 60

Yep, sure was a blast hooking up with those Halibut. After you (QM) left, they relly started to nail the Frenzy. About every other cast yielded a pretty good fish. I had a couple that were either legal or just short. But hey, I have a full freezer of yellowfin tuna from a trip on the sum-fun (great crew) so I didn't think it was necessary for me to keep any flatties. It was awesome hanging out with you, Keith, and Yanni- Let's do it again soon.

quietman · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 372 Location: Dana Point

Hey way to go on the frenzy, AM!

I really hated to leave 'em biting like I did, but I had a class I absolutely had to teach. Yanni and I are most likely going to hit the tide today and head up to the point and SoLag looking for Mr T.
_________________
quietman

www.kayakfishingpro.com

Yak Slam · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 65

gabe · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 37 Location: Azusa

Did you guys have to roll your kayaks to the beach or is it like La Jolla and you can drive onto the beach to launch?

Thanks guys

gabe

Yak Slam · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 65

Sean · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 6

what plastics were you using...what color...and how deep were you? you think i could get them like that here in SD??? Any tips you could give would be sweet.
Thanks
sean

Cucamonga Keith · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:06 pm Post subject: Fun at Doho

John, Yanni and Matt,

Had a great time fishing with you guys yesterday. Great weather, lots of fun, light tackle action, fishing/talking with old and new friends and launching airborn through several nearly breaking waves; very e-ticket stuff!!(love the new yak). Reminds me why I keep sitting through hours of traffic jams in SoCal. Cool

Lost count of how many fish released. Kept one legal halbut (I only keep what I can eat fresh) and split it with Mark & Karen (Hook 1) since they had to work and couldn't get out to fish on a weekday.

later,
Keith

Hellfish · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 9 Location: New Zealand

Hey Yanni,

That life vest doesnt do you any good sitting on the back of your boat. What a classic example of what not to do.

Glad you're not a member of my crew.

For those of you who realize that you cant breathe with your head under water but realize that a vest like Yanni has is as uncomfortable as a a hemroid get an inflatable vest. AND WEAR IT.

bajabum · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 23

Hey Hellfish, thanks for your concern for the SoCal yakkers all the way from down under (or is the term synonymous only with Australia?)
OK, at the risk of a total flame war, here goes...

I don't see the big benefit of the inflatables. Can someone elighten me? I know a few fishermen who wear them and I repect their choice and commend them for wearing a vest 100% of the time.

I do want to get one, cause I hate the others, but a vital job of a vest is to protect you if you get knocked unconscious. From what I hear, it is a manual process to inflate them. If that is the case, how is an inflatable vest any better than leaving one unsecured on the deck to grab if you get into weather or if you dump or your yak sinks quickly. Since it is untethered it will float... (I will agree that it is easier for a buddy to inflate a vest than to put one on me, but let's assume I am not within reach of aid from anyone)

Hopefully we can have a reasonable discussion of safety methods here without a flame war.

Just as I slow down when driving in the rain; I wear a non-inflatable vest in rough conditions, in the surf and when there is heavy boat/whale traffic, but do not when I am in calm, near-shore conditions like where Yanni was fishing... It ain't a perfect method and a lot of guys I respect wear them all the time, I just have not found one to wear all the time with a high back seat.

I am thinking of taking out the back foam on a vest (and testing it) to see if that results in a vest that I can wear al the time...

-JP