Del Valle Nov 7

I’ve got the hooking part down (7) but the landing part sucks (0).  Put the kayak in about 8:30 am, No fog, just a few clouds in the sky.  Morning air temp 65, water temp 62, very slight breeze from the west, water level down about 15 feet.  I trolled from the ramp to Heron Bay and back trying to maintain about 1.8 mph.  I started off with a Rapala Countdown 7 in Firetiger at about 10-15 ‘ on one side and a Rapala Jointed Shad Rap 7 in Firetiger on the other  This is only my second time out trolling for trout with lures, and the first time in six months and I have all new gear, so my method for putting the lures out back was to cast to the side and clear all of the backlash, so the lures were way back there.  About 10 minutes out, about even with the drain pipes, the pole with the countdown doubled over and line started stripping out.  I tightened the drag a bit and kept the tip high.  It ran up in front of the kayak, I turned it and it took off to the back.  I turned sideways to the fish and brought him in close.  I was going to grip him with the Boga, but as I brought his head up, he straightened the snap swivel and took off with my lure.  This beautiful trout was at least 25” which would have beat my PB by 10” (yeah, I know, no pictures, didn’t happen).  The other six all hit the JSR7, two, about 15 to 20” got loose about 10 feet from the boat, as did two less then 15”, then there were two little ones that I only new they were on because the tip of the rod lost its rhythm.  Got off the water at about 2:30 pm.  Air temp was 74, water temp was 64, breeze probably about 5 mph from the west. 

I learned a few things:  Have your landing tools ready, ie Boga and/or net.  On the big one, the Boga wasn’t immediately handy, and my collapsible net was just that, collapsed.   Also my JSR7 got logged into a braided rope and I had to push it through and smash the barbs to get it out.  I can land trout if barbless flys, but I don’t have the experience with barbless lures.  Gonna get rid of the roap.   

I have a few questions, when trying to land a big fish with a net, should you scoop from the nose or the tail?  Not that the other six were close enough to net.  Second, what brand hook and size do you recommend to replace the JRS 7 hooks?

All in all, a beautiful day and great fun!                     

well, you are clearly doing something right. congrats and thanks for the report.

Where are the pics? (I never take 'em myself, but do as I say, not as I do,  )

I use a net on trout, the mouth is too small to grip. net the head end if possible.

I have heard good fishermen say there is no excuse for equipment failure, so do something
about that snap swivel, like ditch it,  .

as for the hooks, any good tackle store will sell the VMC trebles in size 6 to 4 
which are what are on those rapalas, but any of owner, gamakatsu, mustad or eagle will
do just fine if they are the right size.

I have a few questions, when trying to land a big fish with a net, should you scoop from the nose or the tail?  Not that the other six were close enough to net.  Second, what brand hook and size do you recommend to replace the JRS 7 hooks?
               

I net trout from the tail so they don't see the net coming. I use a clear rubber net to minimize hook tangles and for low vis. For the big trout I wear them down and land them with a lip gripper. I Gamakatsu EWG trebles in red or bronze depending on the lure color. Use the same size as the the stock treble but the EWG has a wider gap which results in better hookups. Rope is a magnet for treble hooks so i minimize rigging, and use coiled plastic leashes for rods and paddle. Another  tip is try trolling the rapalas slower which gives you a better shot at a good hook set. The rear hook on the JSR is smaller so it is easier for the fish to come unbuttoned on only the rear hook. One last tip is don't set the hook like you do on a bass. Usually on the troll by the time you get the rod out of the holder the hook is already set (for trout). Trout have soft mouths so if you set too hard or pull too hard you can pull the hook. Bass and stipers are a different story. BTW, if you get the fish to the boat it counts so you didn't get skunked and I have lost more than my share of trout while landing them. See you out there

scott

I like to net trout (all fish, for that matter) from the head.  That way the fish can only swim towards the net.  IMO if you try to net the fish from the tail, there's a good chance the fish will freak out once tail meets net and swim out.  You'd have to be pretty quick to be successful when netting from the tail.

Personally, I think the VMC hooks are pretty nice, as is, because trout mouths are really not all that hard.  I don't change them out on my rapalas.  But the Gamakatsu trebles are as nice as they come.  If you didn't want to risk it, spend the extra money and buy them.  I used to have the same problems with losing a lot of trout on the rapalas but I made some changes that seem to have helped. I troll 4lb test which has a lot of stretch so I troll a little closer than i would if i had heavier line on.  kayaks are so quiet that I don't think i miss out on bites because my lures are too close.  I started trolling with a 5' UL rod and have now moved to a 7'.  I think this helps keep pressure on these fish but it is soft enough not to tear the hooks out.  However, some UL rods are too soft and you just can't set the hook no matter what you do.  It's a fine line between good and disaster.  And to set the hook on a trout I don't even take it out of the holder.  I just make one good power stroke to keep the line tight while I get the rod out of the holder and i almost never have problems that way.  I am in no way a professional but those changes helped me land a lot more fish.  I hope they help!

Grizz,

I, like J and JBF3, net from head first.  GB2 made a good point about the possibility of the fish seeing the net, but I feel that if done correctly, it shouldn't be an issue.  When I go to net a fish, I have him ready with the line tight & rod tip up which brings the fish's head to the surface.  Then I dip, scoop (head to tail), and lift - all done in about 2-3 seconds.  If I am unsuccessful, I start over again by pulling the net out of the water.  It's important to not leave your net in water for a long period of time becuase the fish will become spastic.  I cringe when I see people put the net in the water and try to direct the fish into the net with the rod.


GB2,

I would be curious to now the name of your net as well as see a picture.  It sounds like a high quality, fish-friendly net.  Where did you get it.  Thanks!


Michael

Morning air temp 65, water temp 62, very slight breeze from the west, water level down about 15 feet.

Great report I like the fact that you included the air and water temps I will try and do so in my future reports maybe we will spot trends.

I always net trout head first don't think it makes much of a diff on bass(lipgrip) as they don't have the instant acceleration that trout have. I have seen people net trout tail first and the next thing you know they jump out of the net, don't think they can jump backwards. I also loosen the drag when the trout starts getting close to the boat, I think they are much more afraid of the boat than they are of the net. Some fish don't fight well until they see the boat then they go ballistic. Don't be in a hurry while landing a green fish that's when most are lost.

I never use a snap swivels with Hardbaits it messes with the action and it's one more thing to fail(I also know who to cuss at), I use just a loop knot most of the time,with lures that have a hard tie and I am switching lures often I will use a high quality SS Wire Snap. Not a lot of choices out there for swivels SAMPO,SPRO or ROSCO don't buy anything else, it's not worth saving a few cents, I only use brass for sinkers.

Never had any problems with the hooks on Rapalas but I suggest that you replace the splits rings they are too soft. They might save you a few lures and help you lose a big fish. I do like the offset hooks on the Spittn Image lures. When replacing hooks I use the Gamakatsu's on spoons and spinners but on cranks I like the Owner 5641s much better just a stronger hook and I think Owner has better quality control the Mustad Ultra Point hooks are a nice hook also. 

JBF hit it on the head when you get hit take a couple of extra strokes then reach for the rod I know it's hard but in a kayak I think it will improve  your catch rate it has mine. As soon as I know I've hooked a good fish I give it 1 or 2 soft drag loose sets just to ensure that it's past the barb.

Ditto on the long rods especially if you use braid, plus they are a lot more fun and you get a bigger spread with 2 rods out.

I use snap swivels for my bass fishing and even the smallest size snap swivel can handle a double-digit bass and more. I can tell you that my swivels take a lot of abuse since I pull big fish out of trees and brush on a regular basis.
As I understand it, the smallest of the swivels can handle up to 30 lbs. So it is very hard to straighten out a snap swivel. The only thing I can think of is that the latch on the snap slipped up (if you used one of the cheap ones) allowing the snap to open up. I have seen that happen before and fortunately for me that I was not fighting a fish at the time.
I would also net the trout head first. But I don't carry a net most of the times. I just grab them by the gills with my hands. 

GB2,

I would be curious to now the name of your net as well as see a picture.  It sounds like a high quality, fish-friendly net.  Where did you get it.  Thanks!


Michael

Michael

It is a Brodin 18 inch float tube net with a clear rubber net. Good for most trout but the over 20 inchers won't fit in it and I use the lip gripper. It is a work of art but pricey about $90. You can get less expensive rubber nets at Cabelas.

Scott

I net all fish head first. I play the fish until I can actually direct the fish using the rod. At this point, the fish has used up all it's energy. Then I get my net ready (I try to avoid keeping the net in the water - simply because it's harder to swing the net when the entire hoop is underwater) . Once I can get the fish to swim on a straight line, I guide it torwards the yak and drop the net as fast I could right in front of it. "Fish on the deck" 

As far as Hooks, I used Gamakatsu in the past, I'm now a believer of the Owner triple edge hooks 

I'm also a big believer of AWAYS HAVING A NET ON BOARD. Why? Cause you'll never know when you'll have a fish of a life time at the end of your line 

I'm also a big believer of AWAYS HAVING A NET ON BOARD. Why? Cause you'll never know when you'll have a fish of a life time at the end of your line 

Bass having a big  mouth is easy to grab by the lips. But trout, carp and catfish are a different story. I have had situations when I had a 15# cat or a 20# carp at the end of the line and had no way to boat it in a float tube and the little trout nets would'nt work very well anyway. But when there is a will there is a way. What I do is to tire the fish out first. Once it is tired out I can them get on shore and beach it. It worked for me and I like to travel lite. 

Thank you all for your great suggestions.  I’m heading out the fishing supply store for some hooks in a little bit. 

Mooch,  For trout, that would have been my fish of a lifetime, probably by at least 10”, especially on a kayak.  Me betcha you I’ll be going back out soon.

the other possibility is that your hooks were dull for some reason. get yourself a hook file or two when you get the hooks.

Jmairey,

I am new to this type of fishing so all my gear is brand new.  This was the first time these lures had been used.  I think it was more operator error than equipment failure.  That is what is so great about learning new techniques, and trying to perfect them.  I’m sure I’ll be out there next week trying to put some of the great information told here into use.  But I put a hook file on my list.

A question on playing a trout to exhaustion, for catch and release, I have read that you should land it as quickly as possible since tiring them out increases the mortality rate.  What are your opinions and experiences?     

sometimes even new hooks come dull, or get dulled in the tackle box, or catch on something like braided rope in your yak and get dulled,  . unfortunately, it's not always fish that dull the hooks.

as for releasing, I would think landing quick is the way to go but I like to smoke my trout,  , they are planters anyways around here. so if I release one, it's an accident.

But here's something. my boys are young, 7 and 10, and last spring they paddled out in a kayak, fishing for the first time. lo, and behold, to my amazement, they hooked fish 3 weekends running and landed all they hooked.

they were using single barbless hooks on small spinners, spoons and plastics, or with a worm. I didnt want them with 6 barbed hooks per lure!

with no barb, the hook penetrates better, making the whole hook set issue moot.

it's safer for the fish and the people. apparently, based on my boy's success, a barb is not required to land a high percentage of your hookups.

but when you do want to unhook them, the hook does slide right out when you want it to do so.

if you are going to be releasing anyways, you might consider barbless hooks, and trying something like a plastic curl tail grub or trolling fly with the barb crimped.

J

Grizz dont stress loosing the fish,,In my opinion new gear needs to be run through the ringer once to get the mojo workin, ill be there sat, looking for another 10+lber, there are lots there ive caught 7 in the last year