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1

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Saturday Delta

« on: February 11, 2022, 09:29:42 AM »

I was out the next day, Wed. 2/9, in the SJ & was totally skunked. Nice job actually catching something!
Bill

2

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Hobies on the Fall?

« on: December 29, 2021, 01:14:22 PM »

I've fished it from my Hobie Quest (no pedals). It was summer though, with a lot of hatches going on, so no idea what it's like now.

I launched from the CalTrout access, paddled upstream for ~1 hr - tough paddling against the current but doable. I then anchored, using a drag chain & a small tang anchor attached to the end of the drag chain. I have it rigged with a trolley so I set the anchor point at the aft end, so I was facing downstream. Then I'd pull up the anchor & float down a bit, then reanchor, all the way back to the launch.

I then swung streamers & Jay Fair wiggle nymphs mostly on fast sinking line, and caught some real nice fish that way. I also tried nymphing near the top but never got a bite.

Gorgeous place & fun to fish.

3

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Grail Fish on Your Kayak with a Fly?

« on: November 05, 2021, 07:59:25 PM »

Halibut. Very tough to catch with flies.

4

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Good day at SWS

« on: August 26, 2021, 04:17:25 PM »

I get the fly down by using a T14 head attached to an intermediate running line. I also use a 6' piece of T14 doubled over (so it's 3' long) & tied together with nail knots. That loops on between the 28' T14 head & the leader, so it pulls the front end down faster. Flies have dumbbell eyes as well.

I use a pretty solid Scott 9 wt; it handles the extra weight pretty well. It's not a pretty cast though!

I mostly fish the kelp edges, and mostly out beyond the boiler rock. So typically 60-80' FOW. Mostly the fish bite on the way up, and often right at the last second.

I typically bring an 8 wt rigged the same but without the extra T14 piece for fishing shallower water, esp. inside the boiler rock.

Hope this helps.

5

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Good day at SWS

« on: August 07, 2021, 12:02:22 PM »

Given your location, try Sunset Beach on Monterey Bay. That’s where I caught my first surfperch on the fly. I mostly hit Kehoe Beach at Pt. Reyes now for that.
Bill

6

Kayak Fly Fishing / Good day at SWS

« on: July 29, 2021, 06:10:50 PM »

Finally went fishing again. Took the pandemic off, but now that I'm vaccinated & the forecast for wind & swell was good, well, what the heck.

Landed ~15 rockfish & 1 decent ling on a chart/white flashtail clouser. Used the same fly all day. It's still on my rod.

One observation: I think many of us who've fished SWS over the years have noticed the reduction in giant kelp - a global problem, as it turns out. Today I noticed that there was a ton of bull kelp, the one with the bulbous head & a bunch of fronds at the top. Definitely more than I recall the last time I was there in 2019. I wonder if the urchins don't like it as much?

Could be otters too. I saw some & they looked pretty healthy. Maybe they're keeping the urchins in check in this area.

Seals, otters, pelicans, rockfish, lings. And very little swell. A good day at SWS.
Bill

7

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Sunday Stripers - San Joaquin 4/18/2021

« on: April 23, 2021, 04:22:37 PM »

I don't recognize the spot in the photo but I hit the SJ either from Pirate's Lair or Eddo's.
Bill

8

Safety First / Re: Hobie kayak almost sinking in Pacifica

« on: September 25, 2020, 07:55:49 AM »

I had a leak in a brand new Hobie Quest many years ago. It was on a seam between the two halves of the hull. Made it back to shore no problem because it wasn't a big leak & like Croker I had a pump. Cal Kayak & Hobie replaced the boat.

Later I scraped the keel at the very end of the replaced kayak, causing a small leak. I fixed that with a kayak repair kit I got, I think from Hobie. It's like a small hot iron with plastic rods. Very easy to use, and by using a couple of the rods I was able to build up the keel so it was stronger than when new. Of course I've been a lot more careful with that keel ever since!

I echo a couple of other comments: get pool noodles & carry a pump & a radio.
Bill

9

Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) / Re: franks tract/bethal island

« on: July 08, 2019, 02:19:44 PM »

Here's a suggestion which has worked for me in the Delta: Find a marina near where you want to fish that doesn't have a boat ramp. Call them up & ask if you can launch off their docks. All the ones I have asked allow me to launch off their docks. Most charge, some don't - you never know until you ask.
Bill

10

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?

« on: June 10, 2019, 04:56:25 PM »

Finally got these organized & used them today trying to pull my kayak up the stairs. Short story: no deal.

I'm keeping them anyway, because they are the best ones I've used for hard surfaces, and they do roll up stairs with low risers (like less than 6") sort of OK. But you really need to pull to get it the wheels up the stairs, and you need to have the kayak very well strapped to the cart. Frankly it's easier to just carry it.

So that's what I'll be doing at Pigeon.

Good luck out there.
Bill

11

General Talk / Re: Fishing in Juneau Alaska

« on: June 05, 2019, 04:35:52 PM »

It's been over 20 years since I was there, so I don't remember any of the names of the waters we fished in Juneau.

The one place I do recall well was Greens Creek, which is located on Admiralty Island. We (3 of us) hired a float plane to drop us off at the outlet of the creek, and we caught pink salmon on 8 wt fly rods all day. They were swirling around in the tide water all around the creek mouth. And we only saw one bear.

In Juneau, we fished at least 3 different streams, catching pink & chum salmon and Dollies. You can hit all of these stream easily if you rent a car. I think all you would need is a decent map, and mark out some good spots to access the streams off the road.

There's also tons of great hiking in the area, and glaciers to explore, but I haven't done any of that.

Visit the Alaska Fish & Game home page, and sign up for the emailed fishing reports for Southeast AK. They post them there too.

Good luck. Let us know how you do.
Bill

12

Safety First / Re: Kayak fisherman killed in collision

« on: June 05, 2019, 04:15:43 PM »

Another suggestion: get a red bike safety light. Since I ride a bike, I have one. When I'm going out early, typically in the Delta, I use my headlamp on the front of my hat & the bike light, set to blink bright red, on the back.

Typically I don't launch when it's that dark, but if I do it's usually mid-winter.
Bill

13

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Need a new saltwater reel

« on: June 01, 2019, 03:28:30 PM »

Galvan Torque. Expensive but I've been using one in the salt for over 15 years with no problems. EVERY other reel I've ever used in the salt has frozen up, no matter what it was 'rated' for.
Bill

14

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?

« on: May 11, 2019, 01:33:25 PM »

Pigeon Point stairs are too narrow for Wheeleez, at least the ones I have. And the beach wheels on mine are also too small to roll up the stairs.

I like the idea of the modified hand truck & will look into that.

In the meantime, REI has a sale beginning 5/17 (20% off) & I'm going to order & try out the Suspenz one. Turns out it is ~5 lbs heavier than the Seattle Sports. Guy on the phone thinks it has heavier duty components. I can return it if it doesn't work or I don't like it.

I'll post again once I have tried it out. I have a strong feeling it will work well for this purpose.
Bill

15

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?

« on: May 10, 2019, 07:30:53 PM »

Yep, that's what I saw on the REI site. Seattle Sports makes one that looks identical & is priced the same. Reviews are all over the place for the Seattle Sports one.

https://www.rei.com/product/121841/seattle-sports-all-terrain-kayak-canoe-cart

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Messages - pindo124

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Saturday Delta

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Hobies on the Fall?

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Grail Fish on Your Kayak with a Fly?

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Good day at SWS

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Good day at SWS

Kayak Fly Fishing / Good day at SWS

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Sunday Stripers - San Joaquin 4/18/2021

Safety First / Re: Hobie kayak almost sinking in Pacifica

Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) / Re: franks tract/bethal island

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?

General Talk / Re: Fishing in Juneau Alaska

Safety First / Re: Kayak fisherman killed in collision

Kayak Fly Fishing / Re: Need a new saltwater reel

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Re: Kayak wheels that do stairs well?