Kayak Albacore....Is it possible? Will this be the year?

Alright things have been pretty slow around here, the idea has been tossed out there before but nothing has been "discussed" so I thought I'd pose the question just to stir things up a little.   Obviously a kayak isn't the optimal vehicle to chase em in but the same holds true for most of the fishing we do.  I think someone from LJKF (SCAllen if I'm not mistaken) tried to arrange a ride out there but there was liability issues.  If we were to find a mothership how would we target them?  I've seen kayak trolling rigs in PCS but wonder how fast we'd need to be paddling to get the fish to hit em.  Would he have to paddle side by side to keep the jigs concetrated in one area?  You think we'd be able to keep enough live bait on board to work a school if someone got hit?  Under the right circumstances/weather would you wanna be dropped off 30 miles from shore?  Am I crazy?

Pros/Cons, techniques, unforseen safety concerns...........lets get the discussion going.

I'm sure you could 'mooch' albacore once you get a school up to a boat, but from what I've read you have to troll pretty fast for them, several times as fast as we paddle.  Might be able to wakeboard behind a boat, out to the side, and troll behind you, detatching on a hookup.  

That's alot of work, probably I'd be happy just staying on the powerboat, kicking up my feet and enjoying a brew...

Trolling clones or cedar plugs would be hard from a yak.  Need to troll way to fast.  But, late season the Albies start to feed on the bait fish.  This is where you can meter the fish and send down a swimbaits (will almost work without movement) or a mega bait.  You can also cast them also.  Small Diamond jigs work well for this also.

You will need that mother ship (Chris P. if and when he gets his boat fixed).

Ken kickfish

if anyone wants to see my story go to coastside, i posted there, i am growing weary of the sound of my own voice and keystrokes.

I don't think you "need" to troll fast.  PB just do it because they can ... and it helps them cover ground looking for schools.  Trolling a swim bait, rapala, or  bait at kayak speeds will work just fine, provided the fish are around.

Keep it simple.  Albacore are not all that smart.  You just need to find them.  That's what the mothership is for.  Troll around on it looking for concentrations or signs.  Put the yaks in when appropriate.  I'd say paddle close and make yourself look big.  There is a theory (that I subscribe to) that to an albacore the commotion of a boat is like a baitball feeding frenzy.  They get curious and come up to take a look, see some jigs in the water trailing behind and FEED.  So you want to make the yak look bigger than it is so that an albacore cruising at 100' looks up and gets curious.  Trust me, they can see you up there.  I've thought a lot about this, if you can't tell.  I'd troll 2 rods, one being a hookless teaser (or teaser chair) and the other armed.  I don't want to be hooked up on a double on a kayak, but i do want more than 1 lure out there, to attract them.  If their swatting your teaser, they'll keep coming back and sooner or later see your armed lure and you're off to the races.  I'd troll more teasers if I though I could get them in the boat when I hooked up.  In my book, the more the merrier.  My bait of choice would be a swimbait.  If someone got hooked up around me I'd just keep trolling around as close as I can while still being a safe distance.  (Note: I wouldn't troll close in a PB as that's not the way it's done and is considered rude most of the time).

Hey.  I charter the Doble our of Santa Cruz 2-3 times a year specifically for albies.  I probably get another 5-6 days in on privates or walk-on head boat.  I'll shout out when I'm making this years plans.  If you're interested, speak up.  I live for the bluewater.

-Allen

CPYAK's unfortunate event......


http://www.coastsidefishingclub.com/drupal/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=general&Number=146776&Searchpage=1&Main=146776&Words=&topic=1&Search=true#Post146776


we all feel your pain brother!

I seen that over at coastside Chris, I wish you luck in righting everything.  

As far as trolling goes I think it can be done.  The franko tutorial says optimal speed is 7-8 knots which is only 8-9 mph (I didn't notice if it said over water or land) when you factor in wind and current it should be possible.  And if Allen says you don't "need," to troll fast then I'd be hard pressed to disagree.  

   I seen these and they also have a kayak version thats supposed to be smaller and easier to manage.  A cople yaks splasing around towin these should make a decent baitball frenzy.




edit: here is the yak version

"Optimal" speed for me is relative to the water conditions.  There are times when we slow down to 4-5 knots ... like in sloppy water or when circling a school of jumpers to cast on them (troll rigs do get hit still).  Other times we may go up to 10+ knots ... when trying to cover a lot of ground while hunting for fish sign or when gunning on jumpers.

I personally love the bars.   Hmmm ... there is indeed is a yak edition bar (although I troll that size regularly off a PB) so someone is doing it.  I don't think I want all that junk on board though.  I would use a simpler daisy chain, perhaps anchored by a hookless diving plug with hootchies on pigtails above.

That's my gameplan.  Now where is that mothership?

-Allen

New topic on slow trolling on the BATC site ... http://www.offshoreanglers.com/discuss/forum_posts.asp?TID=2131&PN=1

I expect more replies to be posted soon.  I dangled a hook trying to catch a mothership.  

-Allen

i'm planning on giving this a shot this year.  here's the way we're planning on approaching it.  

have my kayak strapped to the swim step of the boat that takes me out to the tuna grounds.  we'll have live bait on board.

once we find the fish on the troll and are having successful live bait stops i'll launch the kayak with a baited rod and try to get one on live bait.  

if the school scatters, the boat will troll in a circle around me in hopes of getting the school back up and hopefully i'll get a hookup.  and then hang on!

any suggestions are welcomed.

pierre

Sounds like a good plan Pierre.  I'd really like to see one of us get into them!!!

-Allen

When I have fished albacore in So Cal they just troll long enough to find a school and then they stop the boat and fly-line bait.  I have only gotten into albacore up here once on a private pb.  It was about 25 miles offshore out of Bragg.  FUN.  If youve never heard the excitement of trolling gear going 7 knots get slammed by a tuna, you need to experience the screaming clicker.