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Topic: Capitola Wharf - 7/30  (Read 1700 times)

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Usagi

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Arrived in Capitola around 7:15 and drove around trying to find the best place to park.  Finally decided on the 12-hour meters just above the wharf on the right and started unloading.  Bill (rockaway) pulled up just after I did and met me on the water (after busting his paddle in half - I'll let him share that story).   :smt009

Water was nice and smooth the whole time we were out...beautiful day for a drift.  Too bad the fish weren't playing along.  :sad:  Fished the kelp from 8:00ish until 11:15 or so, caught one copper.  Was using a hi-low setup with a bucktail on top and swimbait on the bottom, both with squid teasers.  Switched to iron without any improvement.  Had a couple of other bites that were probably baitfish nibbling on my squid.  Several rental skiffs were in the vicinity & it didn't look as if they were doing any better.  In all a very slow morning.  Better than doing yardwork tho! 
You don't quit playing because you get old, you get old because you quit playing...


jselli

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I know this is a tried an true method of fishing (topping diamond jigs/other jigs with squid) but I found it not effective.  Has anyone had the same experience.  One day I was fishing it for at least an hour, took off the squid and proceeded to land a ling and other rockfish for the next hour.  Just curious if anyone has had the same opinion. Maybe I'm a purist.

Jason
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holds one in its net of wonders forever.
                          Jacques Cousteau


jmairey

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jason, I never caught anything big that way, but using an 8oz diamond jig with an assist hook at the top,
I would pin the squid so it lies along the iron, pinned at each end.  some good rockfish near davenport that way,
when the waves were big and the drift strong, my only way to get anything that day.
stick with the pure iron if it works, I only go to the squid as a last resort these days. whole squid on a hallibut
rig or on a shrimpfly rig seems to get some good fish, see alien's post from last week.

you know that whole day with alan t., we never used a lick of bait and did great.

usagi_pj, I think it's too shallow for iron.  did you try for live bait (achovies?)
with live anchovies you catch more, I've caught
halibut, lingcod and decent rockfish with bait there. skiffs never do well unless they catch a halibut, they always
just catch small rockfish.  small anchovy swimbaits catch fish for me there too, but outside the kelp usually.
try some different things next time, you might do better.

J
john m. airey


BigRed

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Yeah, Captola can be really hit-or-miss if you don't know where to go.  I'm a fan of the mile reef and several other reefs that are a (relatively) long paddle out.  I've not spent much time paddling down to New Brighton so I'm not familiar with that area but I have some GPS marks that produce regularly including rockfish, halibut, and, most recently, octopus.
Joel M
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MolBasser

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Yeah, Captola can be really hit-or-miss if you don't know where to go.  I'm a fan of the mile reef and several other reefs that are a (relatively) long paddle out.  I've not spent much time paddling down to New Brighton so I'm not familiar with that area but I have some GPS marks that produce regularly including rockfish, halibut, and, most recently, octopus.

Pony up!   :smt003

MolBasser
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rockaway

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Hi Pete I was still down at Cap.While you were posting.I went back to the pier to pay for the rental of the paddle.And had a beer with the guy at the rental place.He was telling he was trying to get our attention to see if we could free a sea otter that had a boat bumper tangle around him that he had been watching for awhile and was stuck in the same place.I would given it a try if i would of seen him.Well about my paddle this morning i had noticed a couple a days ago a crack.I had used a couple times prior was ok.But today as soon as I did my first stroke while launching it snapped.Luckily for the rental place on the pier.On the way home bought a new paddle at kayak connection.We covered a lot of water today had a great time maybe next time we get a couple of locals to show us the honey holes.  Bill


Usagi

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usagi_pj, I think it's too shallow for iron.  did you try for live bait (achovies?)
with live anchovies you catch more, I've caught
halibut, lingcod and decent rockfish with bait there. skiffs never do well unless they catch a halibut, they always
just catch small rockfish.  small anchovy swimbaits catch fish for me there too, but outside the kelp usually.
try some different things next time, you might do better.

Didn't try any live bait...almost brought a sabiki rig but I haven't picked up a bait bucket yet so decided to stick with jigs and squid.  You're probably right about the iron.  I only switched to that near the end of the morning after getting zilch on the anchovie swimbait, just to try something different.  The one fish I did catch hit after I switched out the bottom lure, albiet it hit on the feather lure on top, which I hadn't changed. 

As far as the squid goes, I was simply using the technique Allen had us use on his clinic last weekend.  I figured that he probably knew what he was doing.  :smt002  As previously stated, I'm a newby kayak fisherman...although I've been fishing shore and lakes for years I haven't gone rock fishing since I was a kid in SoCal.  So my knowledge base there is pretty slim.  I'm picking up some good tips here tho! 

It would be nice to try Capitola again with someone who knew the hot spots.  Not having a fishfinder (yet) made it pretty much a hit & miss adventure. 

Thanks for the info~ Pete R. (since there's more than one Pete here)
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e2g

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I was out riding my bicycle with my wife and rode by the capitola wharf on the 30th around 2 pm.  Two yaks had landed and they had some rockfish and a really nice ling.  Most of my lings in that area were short but this one was WAY legal.

on a secondary note, capitola surf was huge! It rained on us later and West Cliff drive looked really rough.  Then about an hour later on the way back, capitola looked like a pond.  Just a reminder how fast conditions can change out there.

Eugene
Winner 2011 MBK Derby
Winner 2009 Fishermans Warehouse Santa Cruz Tournament
Winner 2008 MBK Derby


jmairey

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Allen teaches techniques that are efficient when the fishing action is pretty good.

the basics in other words, easy to teach and easy to use. He is also teaching safety and kayaking.

over good structure and fish the fishing techniques he teaches work great.

but more complicated things can work better if the fishing is slower.

the difference between a fun day and a great day in capitola is one legal ling or halibut after all.

dead squid gets eaten by kingfish, I'm not a fan of squid there, but it could work. small kingfish are
decent bait for lings.

plastics, minnow shaped plugs (2 hooks only) on a three way rig, live bait,
fresh dead bait are some non basic stuff that can work and have worked for me there.

if going to capitola, always bring a sabiki and bait bucket or tube. don't expect to come back with a
limit of really big fish. figure 1 fish for every 4 live anchovies you put down.

good luck,

J
john m. airey


 

anything