Rockaway 10/10/22

I launched at Rockaway at the crack of 830 this morning. First ever beach launch, went very well. I waded out to thigh deep water, waited for a window between waves, and just slid right into my seat and started paddling. No fuss or drama, felt natural.

Once outside the beach, 2 ft swells lulled me all morning. Easily jigged up a couple macks, and sent one down as a live bait on a
trap rig with 40lb leader. Dragged him around for a couple hours, with no bites to speak of.  Found a reef or rise, and instantly got hit.  Took some drag, made one run and off.  Probably a ling? Felt big. Pulled up the bait, oddly enough not a scratch.  Sent it back down and immediately hit again, this time with a good hook set. Dead weight coming up, with a little head shake here and there. Got it about 3/4 of the way up, and it took off on a big run. Starting bringing it back up, and again got it close and it took off, this time Snap! Breaks off the treble from my trap rig and away it goes.  Had to be a ling, and it had to be a good one.

Getting a little seasick and a little cold, I figured I didn't need to spend much longer out, so I tried the old standard and threw out a shrimp fly for a turn. Hooked one, but it popped off pretty quickly.

Saw lots of whales - they were spouting and feeding maybe 200 yards from me - that was kinda cool.

Turned back to the beach around 1130, uneventful landing.  Went ahead and just rode the waves right on up, but was prepared to hop off reverse of how I launched if needed.  I think the waves calmed down a smidge.

First time in the ocean on a kayak, and first time targeting rockfish in probably 20 years. Was a good day, but have a lot to re-learn, and I could make some gear stowage changes to make things a little more efficient for next trip.

Question - for finding structure in the ocean - are most people just pedaling around till they see a bottom change, or is there a source you are using to identify spots ahead of time?  Nav charts only show so much of the story, would be cool to find a source showing bottom types.

Question - for finding structure in the ocean - are most people just pedaling around till they see a bottom change, or is there a source you are using to identify spots ahead of time?  Nav charts only show so much of the story, would be cool to find a source showing bottom types.

When I am heading to a new area, I use Navionics Boating App to check out the area.  Under "Menu", "Map Option" if you turn on "Relief Shading" you can easily spot structures.

Paul

Question - for finding structure in the ocean - are most people just pedaling around till they see a bottom change, or is there a source you are using to identify spots ahead of time?  Nav charts only show so much of the story, would be cool to find a source showing bottom types.

When I am heading to a new area, I use Navionics Boating App to check out the area.  Under "Menu", "Map Option" if you turn on "Relief Shading" you can easily spot structures.

Paul

Ooo, that's a handy trick, thank you!

Congrats on a successful first ocean launch/landing and getting some bites.   

Great job on your first ocean outing.  Next time instead of live bait, try using a jighead or fly shrimp rig with a weight and pay close attention to what you're seeing on the fish finder and what you feel on the other end of your line.  Recommend using braid though, mono you won't feel/sense as much.  This really helps you understand the bottom structure next time you see something similar on your FF. 

Thanks for the report SS.

Cool to know macks are in the area.
Thanks for the report!

Great job on your first ocean outing.  Next time instead of live bait, try using a jighead or fly shrimp rig with a weight and pay close attention to what you're seeing on the fish finder and what you feel on the other end of your line.  Recommend using braid though, mono you won't feel/sense as much.  This really helps you understand the bottom structure next time you see something similar on your FF.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did rig up a shrimp fly for a few minutes, but definitely wasn't over rocks when I tried that, and didn't really 'scout' that area before launching, so figured I wasn't gonna have much luck with that. I was kinda blind, haha.  I could def tell when I was over rocks vs sand, but didn't have any action to speak of until I found the pile.  I can tell I need to explore a bit more to find the rock piles.

I run 40lb braid on my main line - the fish broke off the mono leader.  It was a pre-tied rig, and the loop the treble was on broke. Thinking about rigging up some like 60lb mono leaders for next time.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how the trip went though, because I launched and landed safely, didn't get too seasick, caught bait, and got a few bites.  It was definitely a proof of concept trip for me, and I am excited to get back out there!

Great job on your first ocean outing.  Next time instead of live bait, try using a jighead or fly shrimp rig with a weight and pay close attention to what you're seeing on the fish finder and what you feel on the other end of your line.  Recommend using braid though, mono you won't feel/sense as much.  This really helps you understand the bottom structure next time you see something similar on your FF.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did rig up a shrimp fly for a few minutes, but definitely wasn't over rocks when I tried that, and didn't really 'scout' that area before launching, so figured I wasn't gonna have much luck with that. I was kinda blind, haha.  I could def tell when I was over rocks vs sand, but didn't have any action to speak of until I found the pile.  I can tell I need to explore a bit more to find the rock piles.

I run 40lb braid on my main line - the fish broke off the mono leader.  It was a pre-tied rig, and the loop the treble was on broke. Thinking about rigging up some like 60lb mono leaders for next time.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how the trip went though, because I launched and landed safely, didn't get too seasick, caught bait, and got a few bites.  It was definitely a proof of concept trip for me, and I am excited to get back out there!

Definitely pay attention to your FF when you locate those rock piles and remember what it looks like on your screen. 

As for 60# mono, I would recommend against that when bottom fishing as it will be hell to break that off in case of a really bad snag.  I use 50# braid to 40# mono and have yet to break off on a big fish, however you should check your line for any knicks as the sharp rocks can really damage your line. 

Nice hookups on your first outing! Yes, def stowaway your gear, cause you can never trust a beach launch.

As for structure, check out this online version of navionics, of course the smartphone version, rocks!

https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@6&key=ggmeFfdrjV

nice report! thanks.  That first beach launch and landing is always fun.

Definitely pay attention to your FF when you locate those rock piles and remember what it looks like on your screen. 

As for 60# mono, I would recommend against that when bottom fishing as it will be hell to break that off in case of a really bad snag.  I use 50# braid to 40# mono and have yet to break off on a big fish, however you should check your line for any knicks as the sharp rocks can really damage your line.

Good call, I just rigged up a bunch of 40lb leaders for live/frozen baits, used big octopus hooks with snell knots instead of a treble on a loop this time. 

Getting better at reading the FF - most helpful features so far are creating waypoints and water depth, but learning to read other marks too. 

Nice hookups on your first outing! Yes, def stowaway your gear, cause you can never trust a beach launch.

As for structure, check out this online version of navionics, of course the smartphone version, rocks!

https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@6&key=ggmeFfdrjV

Working on reducing what I carry and tightening up storage to ensure everything is secured for launch/land.  Biggest challenge right now is for rods, net, gaff, and pedal drive - none of those fit inside any of my hatches.  I typically (not always) carry a milk crate in my aft well, and can fasten some rod holders on that, but a capsize in the surf would probably break my rod tips if they are pointing straight up.  I am thinking that laying them on the deck and lashing down would be the best way to secure for launch/landing - still working out exactly how that looks, but I will figure that out.  Gaff can go along with rods.  That leaves the net and pedal drive - I think I am going to install a few extra padeyes on the deck, and lash those down to the deck.  I am a bit of a setup nerd - I enjoy tackling problems like this, so I am enjoying this!



Thanks all for the tips and encouragement! 

Definitely pay attention to your FF when you locate those rock piles and remember what it looks like on your screen. 

As for 60# mono, I would recommend against that when bottom fishing as it will be hell to break that off in case of a really bad snag.  I use 50# braid to 40# mono and have yet to break off on a big fish, however you should check your line for any knicks as the sharp rocks can really damage your line.

Good call, I just rigged up a bunch of 40lb leaders for live/frozen baits, used big octopus hooks with snell knots instead of a treble on a loop this time. 

Getting better at reading the FF - most helpful features so far are creating waypoints and water depth, but learning to read other marks too. 

Nice hookups on your first outing! Yes, def stowaway your gear, cause you can never trust a beach launch.

As for structure, check out this online version of navionics, of course the smartphone version, rocks!

https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@6&key=ggmeFfdrjV

Working on reducing what I carry and tightening up storage to ensure everything is secured for launch/land.  Biggest challenge right now is for rods, net, gaff, and pedal drive - none of those fit inside any of my hatches.  I typically (not always) carry a milk crate in my aft well, and can fasten some rod holders on that, but a capsize in the surf would probably break my rod tips if they are pointing straight up.  I am thinking that laying them on the deck and lashing down would be the best way to secure for launch/landing - still working out exactly how that looks, but I will figure that out.  Gaff can go along with rods.  That leaves the net and pedal drive - I think I am going to install a few extra padeyes on the deck, and lash those down to the deck.  I am a bit of a setup nerd - I enjoy tackling problems like this, so I am enjoying this!



Thanks all for the tips and encouragement!

I haven't figured out a great way to store rods and reels when coming into land on a beach either. Those items will not fit into the hatches/interior space on my outback. I'd be curious to see any solutions other members have come up with for this. Most of the posts about surf launching and landing all advise storing items within the hull if possible, but what if its not possible?

The most logical option seems to be lashing them down somewhere on the decks or gunwales, but that doesn't seem like it offers much protection if things go south during a landing.

for the net, I would just add some floats to the hoop. Mine will float as is since its made of bamboo. Pedal drive should be leashed and securely connected to one of the handles or other secure lashing point on the deck. I lash and then tuck the fins under my seat and that elastic band.

I think there are a handful of folks here who remove reels and put them in a dry bag before launching/landing on a beach.  Then the rods and gaff can be lashed to the hull, and if you get them wet, no big deal.  Adding a float to the net is a good idea. 

Lots of improvement to make, many ideas, haha.  Just gotta try more stuff!