what did stuart use to catch the flattie?

stuart, what did you use to hook that short near davenport?

Jmairey,
I bought a tray of herring from Bayside.  It looked really, really good!!

If you go there, bring the smallest sabiki you can find.  There were lots of jacksmelt off Scott's.  That would probably be the best bait over the dead herring.  IMO, for butts, the herring is tougher and has better color than anchovies.

I've had my best luck from the bridge, south to where the cliff hits the beach.  
If you drift a little further south, you'll start to get into rocks/rockfish/snags.

PS, 2 years ago I caught 2 keepers, 1 short and lost one at the yak.  Had those 4 hookups all before 11.  That was the first time I ever fished with the Mooch.  And yes, I believe he mooched bait off me that day too.

Stuart

There are jacksmelt all over from Davenport to SC.  I caught them at will on Saturday from a PB.  From nice bait sized ones all the way up to 18" monsters.  But that was all I caught ... no butts for me.

Lower your sabiki about 10' down.  Then cast a swimbait and retrieve it fairly fast.  Schools of jacksmelt would follow the swimbait into the sabiki, et voila, bait!!!

-Allen

PS, 2 years ago I caught 2 keepers, 1 short and lost one at the yak. Had those 4 hookups all before 11. That was the first time I ever fished with the Mooch. And yes, I believe he mooched bait off me that day too.

Stuart

....looks like the mooch brought you some luck   ....IMO: a small price to pay for being mooched by the mooch  

....Bill, we need more emoticons...I'm getting bored with what we currently have   work on it will ya  

more emoticons would be nice            

Stuart,
That one halibut looks pretty big! Mooch, good going on the luck!

I do plan on spending time learning the ways of the sabiki,  

seems like you have to be quick on the draw, or lucky.

so far I have been lucky  , otherwise slow on the draw  .

herring, eh?

stuart, you are drifting the herring? do you ever troll? (just read c-level's article where he covers trolling (ball bouncing) over big sandy areas).

stuart, carolina or reverse dropper loop?

if reverse dropper, how long is the dropper?

torpedo weight on the dropper? chromed?

how long is the leader?

stinger rig?

how big is the primary hook for herring? triple or single?

where do you hook the herring?

did you try for live bait at all?

I actually went out at 4-mile today super early and not for very long. I had a threaded fishtrap

down on a reverse dropper loop rig. I used a 4 oz diamond jig with no hook as a dropper, hoping the extra flash would help me. My plan was to slow-troll it in the sand at the edge of the kelp while trying for bait with my sabiki. just as I put down my paddle, cast past a school of achovies and finally got some to bite, my cellphone rang and a ling hit the fishtrap simultaneously,  .

I missed the call (but called back), lost the bait on the sabiki, and landed and released the ling after a long and careful fight on light drag (because I thought it might be a halibut). well, can't complain too much.

Then about 4 harbour seals escorted my kayak everywhere I went, could not do a thing with those guys around, plus father time was not giving me a break, so I went in.  The kelp there is positively teeming with harbour seals and sea otters.

mooch, time for you to bust out the content creation programs and create us some custom emoticons! Bill is left-brain. we need arteests to make emoticons.

I am glad the left part of my brain can use google!

Check the new emoticons!

 

thanks Bill.

jmairey = I like the fish trap with the treble hook = thanks for posting the pic. Think I might rig a few of those for the Lake Mendo derby  

stuart, you are drifting the herring? do you ever troll? (just read c-level's article where he covers trolling (ball bouncing) over big sandy areas).

stuart, carolina or reverse dropper loop?

if reverse dropper, how long is the dropper?

torpedo weight on the dropper? chromed?

how long is the leader?

stinger rig?

how big is the primary hook for herring? triple or single?

where do you hook the herring?

did you try for live bait at all?

JMairey,
I use basically the same outfit as I do for mooching salmon (plastic slider to a barrel swivel, 5 foot leader), except for the hooks.
For halibut, I use a single sliding hook, to a treble hook.  Not sure of the hook sizes, maybe a 1 or even a 1/0 for the single hook (live bait or octopus) and an 8 or 6 for the treble, similar to what you've got on the FT body.

I'll use this rig for dead squid, dead herring/chovies and live bait.  

If I'm using live bait, I will try to use a small octopus hook, rather than a live bait hook as the sliding hook.  IMO, the thicker body of a live bait hook makes it harder to hook and keep alive, live bait.  It's quite the opposite of what the hook mfgr's promote.

For a weight, anywhere from 2 to 4 ounces (any type) in 40-70ft of water, granted I'm using 15lb test spectra, 10 feet of 17-20lb topshot and 20lb leader on a 9 ft mooching rod.  If you’re using straight mono, you may have to go heavier on the weight.

I try to drift at a speed of maybe .5-.75 MPH to cover ground.  At this speed, the line is at a slight angle, and I’m OCCASSIONALLY bouncing bottom, but not that often.  With a 5 ft leader, the bait is dragging right in the strike zone and by drifting at a slow pace, and your dead bait will have good movement (try to make a very slight bend in the dead bait (herring/chovie) by tightening the slider).  This will give it a rotation as you drift.
If its live bait (smelt, sardine, anchovie, etc), don’t put a bend in the bait.  Leave a TINY amount of slack in the line between the two hooks so the bait can swim as its being drifted.

Hook the bait, under the jaw, out the top of the head with the single, and put the treble in their butt (if its dead) or just off to the side of it if its live bait, not messing up the scales.  If it’s squid, hook the singe at the very tip of the squid and hook the treble right between the eyes.

I didn’t have live bait out last weekend.  We were limited by time and paddling way to much to fight off the super fast drift and chop.  I had a sabiki, but just didn’t tie it on.  The smelt were around and chasing the bait when I’d reel up.

I’d go again if I could, but WAF is extremely low.  I’d also go when the weather and swell are better.

IMO, the Santa Cruz and Capitola area have seen more pressure than further up the coast, say in the middle between SC and HMB.  For that reason, I would target either a Davenport or Bean Hollow kayak launch.

Good luck,
Stuart

I've seen guys troll and hook up, but that was in a boat, using a small dodger and hoochie.  For me, the drift covers enough ground and is easier when in a kayak.  Just my opinion.

I get the best action catching jacksmelt by connecting a small swimbait to the end of the sabiki and casting it across an open area between kelp paddies, then using a jerky retrieve.  They go bonkers for that, and as long as you don't have any rockfish or salmon on board it's perfectly legal.

stuart, thanks for all the details! I wish I had your mooching experience.

you have the reel in gear, then you pop it out of gear when you feel the hit? do you set the hook or just take slack till it loads up?

I agree about capitola being hit harder. however,  nobody fishes the kelp, they all fish outside of it, so maybe there is a hidden spot right under our noses. If a fish makes it through the skiff gauntlet, maybe it's there for the kayakers in the nearshore kelp. but maybe only a few make it through, I don't know.

mooch, no problem with the crazy threaded fishtrap. suggestion: whatever you make, tank test it and remember freshwater is less bouyant than salt. the hook hanging out the bottom in the middle makes it float upright in salt, it is a very slight sinker in fresh (at least that one fishtrap behaved that way for me). I used a bait needle to thread that thing.

also, do not use marine goop to attach anything to a fishtrap, it seems to just melt it slowly. I want to attach eyes. best is to touch a hot nail to the fishtrap, which makes it melt, then stick your eye on.

Sorry JM,
Let me clarify.  For butts, the reel is in gear and I usually keep the rod(s) in the front holder.  If there is a little bit of swell or chop, that helps to give the bait some action.  The sinker will occasionally bounce on the bottom.  I’ve self hooked about as many as when I’m holding the rod.  (I’m a lazy butt fisherman).
Instead of the rod, I’m usually holding the paddle, controlling the drift (or creating one if its dead calm).

BTW, when I was holding the rod (usually w/live bait), you can feel the bait go crazy and come alive just before the subtle hit.  At this point, I lower the rod tip a few seconds, then lift quickly and hope it loads up.  Sometimes you get your bait back and its raked or scratched up.  Can’t describe the feeling, but it sucks!!

Also, if you are using live bait, you can forgo the stinger and just use a single treble and hook it under the jaw.  This works well and it allows the bait to swim more freely and probably last a bit longer than the stinger method.

Oh yeah, I really don’t like the 3 way swivel method (dropper).  I find it tangles more than the slider.

Stuart

thanks again! I also am leery of the three-way swivel,  I think I used either a slido or a carolina rig on the one I got, mainly because I was pretty much in the kelp.  much more steamlined. It also hooked itself.  The paddle was in my hands, I was slowly slaloming the kelp stalks.

maybe over pure open sand, and very clear water, the three-way might allow the bait to sit higher and be seen from a wider area of sand, otherwise it seems the trouble is not worth it over the slido or carolina.