Monterey 09/30/07

     First time fishing on a kayak, first time on this new P15, first time use a fish finder, and first time post a fishing report here.

     Lunch around 11:30a.m. at the front of MBK with one of my co-worker(sounds a little bit late for fishing.)
     Read Sin Coast's post on hook-up about the kelp bed near red bouy so I paddle towards it. Plan to catch a few bait fish and try some bottom fishing.
     Fish finder beeps like crazy around 12:30p.m. near a kelp bed. first fish is a Pacific Mackerel?(a jacksmelt actually, thanks, Chuck.)
After that, three Rockcods bite Sabiki at the same time (size around 10"). (is it legal to use sabiki on a boat?).
     Since I did not bring an anchor , I found out that I am far away from the kelp bed after I unhook the rockcods.
     After I few times of hit and unhook and fighting to relocating myself to the top of the school, I start to go back around 14:00. Didn't have chance to use mackerel or the squid I brought as bait for bottom fishing.

     After get everything flashed with water at home, I did a little bit cooking and enjoyed a good meal. (I cooked both the catch and the squid for bait.)
     
     It is nice to fishing on kayak; but next time, I get to bring an anchor.

Jia, welcome to NCKA and kayak fishing!

Congrats on your first rock fish from the yak.  It can only get better.

Although there are lots of mackerel around Monterey, that first fish looks more like big jacksmelt.

Welcome and Congrats on the rockies!

I saw a lot of jellyfish on Saturday. It was crazy.
PK

Nice Job

 Good report, post and Fishing........

 Quite aspread you put on there ....... Danglin

Jia:

It is legal to use a sabiki on a boat, of course, but it is not legal to use more than 2 hooks on your leader when fishing rockfish.  Also, one rod only is allowed when fishing rockfish. 

You post is written in a manner vague enough to presume you released the illegal rockfish?

Usually, when we fish for rockfish, we do not put out an anchor.  You certainly can do so, esp if you are on a Hot Rock, but usually we drift over the spot and then paddle past it to re-drift, like you were doing.

Nice pix, are you a chef on the side?

Allen

It's nice to know how the veterans of this forum do things. What's the advantage of drifting over anchoring? Doesn't anchoring saves paddling time and relocating frustrations?

It's hard to anchor up so your terminal tackle is x-akly in the right spot.  I prefer to drift, cover more territory, work the whole area of reef.  I used to anchor up all the time r fishing from skiffs.  I catch more fish by drifting..  Remember the fish move around too.

Drift, catch, padddle back, drift again.

There are times where it might be an advantage to anchor for rockfish, but I don't mind paddling a bit.

great job jia,

forget going fishing, I would like to come over for some cooking lessons!! that looks great!

Then there is using a surface anchor (spelled K-E-L-P) to keep you in one place. No worries about getting your anchor irretrievably wedged in some crack. But when I do this, I'm fan casting in order to cover more area, and thus more fish.

I'll say it one more time - using light spinning gear and smaller lures to catch pounder plus rockfish near kelp is a H-O-O-T hoot. The whopper black that I picked up at Elk came on a 3/8 oz jig head and 4" grub tail, so you don't just catch the baby fish.

Scott

Nice report, Jia.  Welcom aboard.   

Next time hook that smelt up with big hook and a treble trailer and drop that baby down! 

I was fishing off Pescado a few weeks ago (on my boat) and we hooked nice 10-13 lb Lings on those smelt!! Check out this pic!

Good luck next time!!

   If you haven't learned paddling yet , be sure to do a goggle search for  -Paddling + kayak + technique- , makes it all easier. You look almost like Iron Chef there, with the fresh fish and the presentation and all. Congrats and bon appetite.

Welcome and enjoy the P15. BTW, 10 points for the presentation and plating.

Scott