Kayak fishing for salmon tips....

Please feel free to post your tips / thank you!
Here's my 2 cents: Bring 2 rods. Set up one for trolling and the other for mooching. Troll around till you find the bait balls on your fish finder (bait balls will appear like a big cloud under water) once you see the "cloud", make one pass over it on the troll. If nothing happens, reel up your trolling gear and drop your mooching gear. Work the edges of the cloud by slowly working your bait up and down the bait column. If that does not produce, I switch to "trooching" by slowly paddling in and out of the cloud and make sure your line stays as vertical as possible. I keep my rod's butt pinned under my left thigh and the business end leaning against my right shin so I can feel the "taps" from an interested salmon 

Good luck this season and stay safe!

mooch is that the rod/reel you use for this? if so what is the set up, cameron

mooch is that the rod/reel you use for this? if so what is the set up, cameron

Cameron,

Rod: I use an 8'6" Shimano Clarus (CSC-86M-2) Line weight = 8-17 lb / Power = Medium / Action = Fast (same rod in the pic)

Reel: I use a Shimano Calcutta 401 TE loaded with 20# Suffix Braid and about 20 feet (top shot) of 15-17 pound mono.  I'm a big believer of the light stuff

* I prefer the longer rods so I can reach over my bow if the salmon makes a last ditch effort to run around the yak. I also try to keep the rod tip pointed towards the bow if the fish makes a run behind me. I'll keep the rod pointed towards bow between 11:00 to 2:00 - nothing more. Let the fish spin the kayak around but also make sure your drag is set accordingly.

thanks mooch, trying to get everything figured out so i can have a slim shot at a fish, this is all new to me, cameron

thanks mooch, trying to get everything figured out so i can have a slim shot at a fish, this is all new to me, cameron

No problem, just passing on what I've learned from others from this site (and from mistakes I've made...just ask Freddie ) Good luck 

Here's another helpfull article written by Stuart /Potato River...

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=7

Can you possess two rods when salmon fishing?   

North of Pt. Conception: No more than 2 single-point, single-shank barbless hooks shall be used & no more than 1 rod/angler when fishing for salmon or fishing from a boat with salmon on board.

You can "possess" as many rods as you want. But, you may not use more than one rod at a time. Just like rockfishing.

i love that rod! wanna my favorites!

Although your guys salmon don't run that deep the downrigger works well and best of all lets you fight the fish with no weight or anything on the line.

Here's an article I did for the NWKA site: http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/page,32.html

Z

Great article, Zee and awesome pic....Are you in Lake Washington there?

ps:  our salmon are often very deep 250+, esp along the edge of the canyons.  That's one of the reasons I prefer mooching, cause I can drop straight down with 8 or 10 oz banana weight.

100-180 fow is not unusual at all.  Having said that, I have caught salmon in as little as 30 FOW from the yak, and 8 FOW in the old days when we could fish silvers.

Reports I have so far this year iindicates lack of anchovies in Monterey Bay, and along the coast. Lots of sardines, which will work, and even some herring which work as well. A good number of incidental kings have been caught already this year.



My fingers are crossed that we'll see some big schools come through and bunching up outside of Moss this year.


Allen

Good tips, Mooch.  You may have all heard my best tip:  big net!

Good luck.   

Good tips, Mooch.  You may have all heard my best tip:  big net!

Good luck.  

haha big net!     

Also, unhook your leader and CLOSE THE SNAP SWIVEL before you try to get your fish out of the net....

Allen

Great article, Zee and awesome pic....Are you in Lake Washington there?

ps:  our salmon are often very deep 250+, esp along the edge of the canyons.  That's one of the reasons I prefer mooching, cause I can drop straight down with 8 or 10 oz banana weight.

100-180 fow is not unusual at all.  Having said that, I have caught salmon in as little as 30 FOW from the yak, and 8 FOW in the old days when we could fish silvers.

Thanks Allen. Yep, that's Lake Washington fishing for cutthroat.

I guess the DR would be right at home for you guys then.

Z

I have been out at the weather bouy off Bodega. Thats 12.5 miles off at 270 degrees. Its 315' deep out there  and I have caught salmon at 135 OTW. I wont be paddling out there though. It will be rather shallow at DUx or Muir trolling in 90' to 20'. Mooching in the same if it happens at all. April is kind of early. Monterey. Allen are we on?