Big fish and kayak safety?

Not to make waves, but I guess I'm the only guy here who keeps his rod high? (for salmon on the ocean or anywhere else)     I guess if a fish is dragging your yak around you'd have to be using some bigtime serious testage

Maybe I should trade in all those long light rods I've been using all these years and get with the heavy weaponery

I realize we're talking about at least 2 different species of fish


ciao

If you've got a salmon or a rocky do what ever makes you feel good.  If you have big rooster smoking off the 50# spectra or a 100# dino and it starts to matter.

SBD don't take anything I say here too seriously

But roosters, dinos, I still like light tackle

Light tackle yes.... my dino rod is rated 12 to 25#... you don't need to horse those fish (unless they're oversized and tail hooked, which is another topic).  Just let em pull you around, enjoy the ride, set your drag at a comfy setting, and let em tucker out.

Roosters... never done it but I know some BIG roosters have been caught with the same rod as my dino rod.

The heavy line is for abrasion resistence on the dinos... they tend to roll in the line. 

Blue... too bad they don't catch dinos by trolling or I suspect we'd see you out there.   Hang in there bud... hopefully only one more salmon-less summer and you're back in action.

EK

Lots of good info on this thread for some one to soak in that has not yet caught a large fish big enough to tip you over in the kayak. Biggest for me out of a kayak has been largemouth bass out of Berryesa.

Bingo... keep a knife attached to your person (on your leg, in your pfd, etc.).  I

like 40# or greater spectra for dinos... I personally use 65# spectra and 80# mono leader.  I don't like wire leaders... I subscribe to the theory that dissimilar metals can give off offensive weak electric fields, plus I'd rather rely on a knot I tied myself than someone else's crimp job.  Heavy spectra leaders should be fine too... probably 100# or so just for good abrasion resistance.

EK

I've been messing around with the idea of tying my own mono leaders. I usually use wire but hate how the hooks can twist and piont the same direction. I snelled 2 hooks in opposite directions and I like how the mono holds them tight from twisting, leaving the hooks with the pionts ready for action. I'll tie some with and with out weights, havn't had a chance to use them to see how they work out.

I've been messing around with the idea of tying my own mono leaders. I usually use wire but hate how the hooks can twist and piont the same direction. I snelled 2 hooks in opposite directions and I like how the mono holds them tight from twisting, leaving the hooks with the pionts ready for action. I'll tie some with and with out weights, havn't had a chance to use them to see how they work out.

That's a very popular leader design for some of the charter boats in the delta.  Having two hooks in line causes less drag when fishing at deeper depths with stronger currents.  In the delta they'll often tye roe above the top hook, and adding some eel or grass shrimp to the lower hook. 

If you've got a salmon or a rocky do what ever makes you feel good.  If you have big rooster smoking off the 50# spectra or a 100# dino and it starts to matter.

amen to that... my biggest salmon is only mid 20's and it didn't really matter how i held the rod, but when my avatar pic decided it didn't want to beach itself and went for blue water I was shocked at how far over my Trevala could bend, and how much line could peel off my little avet so fast. I'm sure if i had my rod perpendicular to the yak i would have gone in.

If you've got a salmon or a rocky do what ever makes you feel good. 

As long as that salmon isn't in the 30-50# class. I'll testify that it'd get ya in the drink right quick w/o letting that drag out on it's first few runs.

Z