San Pablo Bay Equipment Advice for a Beginner

Hello,

I'm interested in attending the Frank J. Miller Memorial Striper-Hali Day at Pt. San Pablo Yacht Harbor this month. I am relatively new to kayak fishing and have a Hobie Island. As far as fishing equipment, I just relocated back to the US and have almost nothing. I picked up a Penn senator reel at a swap meet that seems to function.

Assuming that I can use this reel, what rod, braid (weight and length), leader, weight, hooks would I need to buy to join this event and catch some striper/halibut? What size net do I need? Is there anything else that I'd need at a minimum to join the event? I suppose something to measure a fish, and a way of storing any fish I catch (I already have a crate sized kayak cooler which may be too small).

Hello,

I'm interested in attending the Frank J. Miller Memorial Striper-Hali Day at Pt. San Pablo Yacht Harbor this month. I am relatively new to kayak fishing and have a Hobie Island. As far as fishing equipment, I just relocated back to the US and have almost nothing. I picked up a Penn senator reel at a swap meet that seems to function.

Assuming that I can use this reel, what rod, braid (weight and length), leader, weight, hooks would I need to buy to join this event and catch some striper/halibut? What size net do I need? Is there anything else that I'd need at a minimum to join the event? I suppose something to measure a fish, and a way of storing any fish I catch (I already have a crate sized kayak cooler which may be too small).

Hey there vortex, get a decent all around rod like a Trevala or uglystik for most bay fishing.  They’re popular among most of us here and you can’t go wrong with either of them. 

As for tackle specifically for the event, I’ll have both live bait rigs and stinger rigs there for new participants.  Just bring a variety of weights, 3oz up to 8oz, your preference and we’ll get you sorted out. 

Kevin

This sounds awesome to me! I am looking forward to learning. What sort of braid and length should I have loaded onto my reel? I'm thinking about getting this rod:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDEPZHC/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ABzsDbYK3Y824

Won't I need some way of keeping the live anchovies alive?

Also, I noticed there will be a safety briefing on Friday evening, but due to work I can't make it on Friday. I'm planning to arrive very early on Saturday. Are there any aspects of the safety briefing that I could learn some other place other than by attending on Friday? I do have some minimal experience on the water with small cruising sailboats in the bay.