Rockfish gear

What kind of tackle do I need for rockfishing on the yak? I have good rod/reel combos but I need to know what lures/hooks weights etc.

I am not the expert here but I will share my rock fishing knowledge.

Squid and live bait will produce good numbers. Bigger baits mean better ling fishing and better quality fish all around. My top producing jig is a 2 oz gibbs minnow green glow but if you hit a school of blues you may not be able to drop through them to better quality fish.

I also use large scampis on 3-8oz lead heads depending on conditions. I used to use swim baits a lot but have moved away as I feel jigs are more production for me.

-Brian G

For rockfish fishing, anything with a hook on it will probably work.  The size and weight of the lure you should use will depend on what you're trying to catch (small rockfish, big rockfish, or lingcod) and how deep you are.

Generally though most people fish lead head jigs (1-8oz) with some sort of plastic on the hook (swimbait, curly tail grub, scampi) or they fish irons (2-12 oz) lures like megabaits, hex bars, or diamond jigs.

Using braided line with a mono topshot will give you all the sensitivity you need and a nice thin diameter line for getting down deep.

Just go to any tackle shop that has a decent selection of rockfishing lures and go nuts.  If it looks pretty to you, it will probably catch fish.  You will loose a lot of tackle to the bottom so buy a lot of it.   Because you end up going through so much tackle anyways, you'll have plenty of time to decide what you like best.

Brian

 What Brian said...
 Bait is easy just buy/make a leader and get some lead and squid. One shrimp fly above a bait hook is very popular.
 I have had good luck with swimbaits and jigs (read-fewer small fish). You need 1 1/2 - 6oz. sizes to keep in the target zone,depending on your drift speed (wind-current, etc). The 3 1/2 -4 oz is a good general size. But if you  are fishing shallow you can go light. If you want Lings or Cabezon  you want to zoom down past the small suspended fish and get to the bottom. So you can catch a 8" Gopher!    or just maybe Lingzilla!

So you can catch a 8" Gopher!    or just maybe Lingzilla!

  haha, agreed! But on the plus side, those Gopher rockies do make great tacos!

Another thing that works well for me is the "Rock Cod" pre-built rigs that Longs sells. They have 6-8 aught sized hooks (2 total) with colored skirts. I throw a chunk of squid on the hooks and attach a 3 ounce sinker to the bottom snap and let it down quick. It works "jigging" style or the let-it-lay and wait method. 

John

With all that said, I seem to do best with dark colored plastic, or chrome metals.  I never seem to do well with the light brite plastic colors although others do,

My favorite at the moment is a Fish Trap color No. 1  called brown bait. It doesn't look appealing to me but the fish seem to like it 

http://www.anglerscenter.com/lures_fishtrap.htm

Kelp is brown, so all the little bugs and fish that live in it are also brown to blend in.  Hence brown lures tend to work the best.  My standby is the 4" root-beer scampi.  The other color pattern you'll find down there is silver (anchovies, ect).  I only buy/use brown and chrome lures.  Adding a chunk of squid to any lure will increase it's effectiveness.

Lure size really depends on where you're fishing.  Off the peninsula you want to go smaller because you're unlikely to limit out, in the nicer spots up north and down south you would want a larger bait, say 6" instead of 4", to keep the smaller fish off.  For the best of both worlds you can put a shrimp fly over a 6" scampi and it'll look like a small fish chasing some kind of bug or something, and that will get other fish excited either to steal the meal or scarf the scampi while he's focused on the fly.

bsteves sez to be ready to lose gear....

I hardly every lose gear.....I send my lure (like a jig) down to hit the bottom....the instant it hits I pull it up four feet, and that's where I spend my time gently "jigging".    I allow my lure to make "bottom reference"....only maybe four times a day.

Is this a poor strategy?

Do you have to get CLOSER than 4-6-8 feet to get those good hits...???...

I put bucks up to register myself for AOTY... and right at the moment it's beginning to look like a gift-to-sumbuddy-else...so I'm ready to listen....

Judd

Hey Judd,

I'd say that for some species (olives, blacks, blues), being 4-8 ft or more off the bottom will work just fine.  Personally, I like catching lings  and they tend to stay pretty close to the bottom.  They also tend to aggregate near decent structure like drop offs and pinnacles.  I guess I tend to allow my lures to make "bottom reference" all the time when I'm fishing over such ever changing bottom conditions.  I spend a lot of time feeling my way across the bottom with my lures much the same way a blind person might use a cane to cross the street.   Oh, and I also believe that lings are attracted to the sound of lures banging on the bottom.

Anyway, my typical day on the water consists of loosing some jigs to catch a ling and then I'll often switch to a shallower presentation to catch some blues or blacks (I like casting smaller swimbaits with a bass rod for this).  I tend to alright with these methods.

Brian

 Oh, and I also believe that lings are attracted to the sound of lures banging on the bottom.

Some people use a dingle bar for making noise on the bottom.
 


-Brian G

There's plenty of good advice here. 

For the most part I use 6 oz. leadhead with 8" tail below a shrimpfly.  I like white split tails, red split tails, rootbeer at times...  I also run a 6 oz. Megabait sometimes - they're so purty, and the reds seem to like them.  I take the fly off after getting tired of C&R'ing blacks and blues, or I don't use the fly at all.  I want big lings, and the big reds and blacks will hit the lead sooner or later too.  That said, I fish where the fish are plentiful, so down in your area you should start with smaller gear.  Once you know how to play the option of having fun catching little guys or getting some meat you can move on to using larger tackle, because it will get you larger fish and more lingcod.  I hit the bottom and reel up a couple of feet and try to stay in close proximity to the bottom like Brian said and like Judd is doing.  Brian's right to be losing gear trying to be by structure - that's how the game works.  I might go a few trips and not lose any gear, and then I might lose 4 rigs on a trip - averages out to losing a setup per trip or so, and they get old and din-jee, so just keep shopping.  It's fun to shop for rockcod and ling gear - there's always something prettier or bigger that's fun to try. 

I did catch a 20+ pound ling on a bare hook, so you NEVER know!!!   

Have fun and good luck.

 

If you use 30-50lb spectra line you will rarely lose jigs because you can pull them out of most snags.  Anything below 20lb line and you will lose gear like crazy.  50lb spectra is still quite thin...

Pulling 30-50 pound line from a yak can be a big challenge if the snag doesn't break free.  I think Josh's idea sounds good for heavy kelp areas, but not otherwise.

I cruised one of the local salty tackle spots just now on my way to Costco.  I woulda made a video but I thought they might kick me outta there!

 

DUDE! That is a sweet lookin shop! I even see lead molds in the background of one pic! I need a multi-cavity mold for 3oz torpedo sinkers (for shore rockfishing).

For rockfishing...you truly can catch them on anything. Bare hooks included.
The easiest method for me (used mainly because I hate to tie knots on the ocean) is to use a shrimp fly rig. Remove one of the shrimp flies and attach a leadhead jig to the bottom. Or attach a spoon to the bottom.
I drop all the way to the bottom and bounce it. Staying in continual contact with the bottom. And I hardly ever loose tackle. Maybe because I use 50lb Spiderwire? Although, it is sometimes difficult to pull free of snags (and never hold braid in your hand!). To recover from snags, I reel all the way down so my rod is pointed at the snag (rod is half-way in the water) and hold on to the spool so it can't spin--the swell will usually pull it free [remember to straddle the yak w/a foot on either side].
Less drift equals less snags too. I try to keep my line vertical. Sometimes this requires special tactics though...like paddling hard into the wind and then letting out line as you continue to glide. By the time I drift back over the spot, my line is vertical.

Ahhh, man. Now I got the fever!! See what you've done. "I got a fever...and the only things thats gonna cure it...is MORE rockfish!"
PK

DUDE! That is a sweet lookin shop! I even see lead molds in the background of one pic! I need a multi-cavity mold for 3oz torpedo sinkers (for shore rockfishing).

I'll look for that mold for you, PK.  Englund Marine is the store.

The easiest method for me (used mainly because I hate to tie knots on the ocean) is to use a shrimp fly rig. Remove one of the shrimp flies and attach a leadhead jig to the bottom. Or attach a spoon to the bottom.
I drop all the way to the bottom and bounce it. Staying in continual contact with the bottom. And I hardly ever loose tackle. Maybe because I use 50lb Spiderwire? Although, it is sometimes difficult to pull free of snags (and never hold braid in your hand!). To recover from snags, I reel all the way down so my rod is pointed at the snag (rod is half-way in the water) and hold on to the spool so it can't spin--the swell will usually pull it free [remember to straddle the yak w/a foot on either side].
Less drift equals less snags too. I try to keep my line vertical. Sometimes this requires special tactics though...like paddling hard into the wind and then letting out line as you continue to glide. By the time I drift back over the spot, my line is vertical.

Exactly like me except for the Spiderwire.  I just use 25# mono.  Some day I'll go advanced and start using special line...     Staying vertical is truly the key to less snags - I'll even paddle with one hand and jig with the other if the current/wind is heavy.