Newbie needs help rockcod fishing

I have not fished for rockcod in probably 25 years.  

1) What exactly do I need in the way of lures, jigs, and line weight?  Can you point me to a place online where I can find this stuff?  the only thing I have now are diamond bars in various sizes.

2) Also any tips on handling rockfish?  Do I need a glove or some other way to grab the fish so I can remove the hook?  

3) I'm thinking about launching from Stillwater Cove since it will be my first ocean kayak fishing trip, anything I need to know about?  I don't plan to go far.

4) How do you rig your line for the various lures, jigs etc?  

Thanks for any help.  I love this site and the way everyone contributes.

Diamond bars are awesome lures...Just tie it on, drop it down and jig up and down. 4-6 oz is good, although depending on winds and currents, you can go lighter or heavier. Using a single hook instead of a treble can help reduce snags. Leadhead jigs with rubber bodies and wigly tails are also good...

I'm planning on going out at Stillwater next Saturday, if you'd like to hook up let me know. Ive had real good luck with white scampis on a 2 or 3 oz lead head. Also with channel island anchovie fish traps. If all else fails you can usually catch blues on a rock cod rig with a peice of squid on the hook. You could pick up stuff like that at just about any fishing tackle store. I live in Morgan Hill so I usually hit Coyote Bait and Tackle. I just bought a new bait casting reel and rod. Egads what a dangerous store. I recently upgraded from 12 pound to 15 pound line.
Gloves are nice, I poked myself with a vermillion and could not believe how painful it was, it took almost a week for my finger to return to normal. I jabbed myself pretty deep right in the knuckle. Ow ow ow!
There are quite a few things you need to take into consideration anytime you go out into the ocean. Im assuming you've kayaked in the ocean before?
Like I said, let me know if you want to hook up, I'd be more than happy to impart what little knowledge I have to you, Im fairly new at this myself and learn something new every time I go out. One thing I know Im definitely hooked! (Pun Intended).

All my reels are spooled with 30-40 PowerPro Spectra braided line which has an 8-10# diameter. It's expensive compared to monofilament but it last a long, long time, cuts through kelp, and can handle the abrasion dealt to it by contact with rocks, etc. I also run about 20 feet of 20# test flourocarbon leader tied to the end of that Spectra line and replace that every few trips when it gets shortened from continuous re-ties from abrasion. If I fish mono I use 20 to 25# test.

2-4oz triangular jig heads with 5" swim tails in anchovy type colors have been hot all summer long for me on the big Ling's and Vermillion rockfish. The key there is SWIM them, don't jig them. The BIG fish like that presentation.

A glove is good. I use a Berkeley gripper and a 12" floating gaff that I bought from Bass Pro.

Being a relative noob myself, here's what I have learnt in the last year and even passed on to my rocket scientist friend:

rockfish bite almost anything. so anything that gets to the bottom and is pointy and hook shaped will work as long as fish are there:

• swimbait (rubber fish-shaped thing on a 1-8oz lead head)
• iron (metal vaguely fish-shaped thing, from 2-8 oz)
• plastic scampi or grub on lead head (strange plastic wiggly things)
• frozen squid on a hook. can't go wrong there. just get it to the bottom.
• any small live fish. big live fish (or big dead fish) catch big ling cod.
• frozen fish on a hook. frozen fish parts "cut bait" on a hook.
• little feathers on a hook (shimp fly)
• some guy here put a hook on a lead torpedo weight and caught fish...
• most any lure you try.
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Basically almost anything thrown in front of a rockfish will get hit, so it's mostly about what is easy to fish from the perspective of the fisherman, not what the fish bite the most. Having frozen squid on a hook of some sort is a good way to start fishing if you want lots of bites.

Fish in 20 to 120 feet of water, over or near rocky bottom. if you don't find fish after a few minutes, move or drift to another spot. repeat until you get a bite.

A

drift chute or sea anchor means you can more easily fish after the wind starts blowing. you want to be moving over the ocean floor at less than walking pace, or even be still.

Use enough weight to keep your line relatively vertical. more weight won't really hurt but may impair lure action and be less fun. if the line is at an angle of more than about 30 degrees you will hang up on the bottom or on kelp, etc, more frequently than you might like. deeper water, faster current, thicker line, bigger lure, or more wind means you need more weight.

nylon monofilament (mono) fishing line about 15-20lb test is good. some people like the new 'super-lines' made from dupont spectra and other non-monofilament nylon line. the super-line is stronger for a given diameter, and has no stretch, both of which can help an advanced angler. But a beginner should start with monofilament line. A 3 to 10 foot leader of up to 50lb test mono can be used to resist line failure due to abrasion on rocks, fish, kayak, etc. some people use 'flourocarbon' leader which reputedly resists abrasion and has a coefficient of refraction equivalent to water, making it less visible to fish. As if rockfish care!

any reel capable of holding 15-20 lb test will work, but conventional round reels with level-wind make it slightly easier to keep the lure in the vicinity of the bottom while drifting over terrain of changing depths.  shallow water rockfishing does not tax reels very much, sometimes a big vermillion or ling will pull line back to the bottom a few times, but long horizontal runs are not very common. A tuna-capable reel is not required. but that will work of course.

Some tools that make things easier:

A fish gripper, rockfish have spines and lingcod have teeth.

Get one of these babies from Cabelas and you'll get poked a lot less...

For less than $10, you can't go wrong... and they float too.  Sean "Scwafish" and I use them on stripers, rockfish, and lings.  On bigger lings, I'll use my gaff first, then use the fish grip to hold them securely and keep them from spinning off.

This thing is good for underlings (lingcod < 24") or any rockfish you want to release. thanks many times over to ChuckE and guys like him for much great advice on this and other topics.

A stringer, the 'game clips' the scuba divers use is good for holding your catch, either in the water or on your yak. if in the water, a seal could steal it, but it might stay fresher, even alive.

A sharpener for your filet knife. filetting rockfish with a dull knife is no fun.

oil, breadcrumbs, and a good frypan!

somebody to help you eat it all.

thank goodness for rockfish, is all I can say. A boost to the ego of fisherman far and wide.

One more thing, don't forget the Cal DFG regulations. Know them well and know the fish ID well. It's not like 25 years ago. Now you practically have to be a Biologist and an Attorney wrapped into one to keep yourself legal out there!  

Everyone thank you very much, that is exactly the help I needed.

marvmars - I'd love to hook up with you on Saturday.  However, I should warn you this is my first ocean kayaking trip. That's one reason I want to launch from stillwater.  My understanding is it is a safer launch/landing and the fish are much closer.

My plan is to get there Friday night and camp.

Well said jmairey  

Just so you know, MobyWhite...

There are *two* Stillwater Coves frequently referred to on this board.  I suspect Kim was referring to the one in Carmel, just off Pebble Beach.  You mentioned camping, so I'm guessing you're planning to visit the  one farther north.  

Pat and I will probably launch from "Stillwater South" Saturday at about 7:00.  If you're in the neighborhood, you're welcome to fish with us.

Then we can all watch Kim kick butt!

 

Randy

Lodi wine festival or stillwater saturday? hmmmmm...... calculating gaf@

-Brian

Does Stillwater South have the ease of launch and landing that this site says Stillwater North has?  Or another way to put it is it appropriate for someones first launch into the ocean?

If so, and you guys don't mind a beginner then how do I get there?  where do I park, etc.

Bill

Here's a link with some info and directions to Stillwater Cove in Carmel:

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_West/CalN/Stillwater_Cove/index.htm

It's great for a first launch - the waves are typically ankle deep and even if the wind and swell kick up outside, it's always sheltered in the cove.  Lings, Cabezon and various Rock fish are the targets.  

They open the gate to "paying customers" at 6:00 and we'll launch at about 7:00.  If you'd like more specific information, PM me and I'll send my phone number.

Randy

Just curious, I read the info from the link, are kayakers limited in number as the "divers" are?

The limiting factor is the number of guest parking spaces.  I don't remember exactly, but I think it's something like 14 or 17 in total.  

No need to check in at the clubhouse.  Just drive down to the pier, unload your stuff, drive back to the guest parking and walk back.  It's only a couple hundred yards.

Randy

Wow if Pat or Randy can set you up with a map, even better. Those guys are the butt kickers! Im still trying to catch my first cabezone...........