Looking for rockfish tips

any recommendations on how to work a diamond jig: bob it up and down like a sabiki??? Drop it deep and reel it in fast??? troll it (seems snaggy)??? Or all these things??? Maybe walk-the-dog?  I'm just clueless on working this type of jig.

Anyone have any opinions on a shrimp fly dangled by a dropper loop on the leader above the diamond jig? I'm thinking the Jig chasing the shrimp fly would attract by appearing as a large minnow chasing a krill to stir things up a bit.

Nice thread!

Mako, what was that lure you used out of albion last spring when me, pisci, and peteb ran into you during the Northern Boy farewell tour?  It almost looked like a pink brush hog bass lure or something.  You were pitching that toward a washrock and pulling out schoolies as we were paddling in.

Yakuza, I was using bass jigs, the biggest I can find, 1.5 ouncers, with Mogombo tails.

nice thread. i'm just about to try rock fishing from a kayak myself. although, i had some more technical questions.

most likely i'll be using bait, such as squid or anchovies, to fish for them. i think i'll try the 3-swivel with 2 hooks rig that was mentioned earlier, or just a typical high/low surf rig that i use sometimes for surfperch. i had a couple questions, but that depends on the fish i'm going for.

i'm going to be heading out to albion river campground and trying my luck around the kelp beds. so i guess the fish i catch would be the typical black, vermillion or maybe a lingcod if lucky. so i'm wondering what i should do to prepare:

1. how strong should the line test be? i'm using 14 lb. right now on my rod, but i'm wondering if that's enough.
2. what size hooks to use?
3. should you use stronger lines, because they seem to have sharp teeth, especially lingcod.

finally, how's the fishing there in albion? has anyone been there lately?

1. how strong should the line test be? i'm using 14 lb. right now on my rod, but i'm wondering if that's enough.
2. what size hooks to use?
3. should you use stronger lines, because they seem to have sharp teeth, especially lingcod.

finally, how's the fishing there in albion? has anyone been there lately?

1. I use 30lb braid these days, with a 30lb mono or flouro leader of about 10 feet (the braid offers less resistance to the water due to smaller diameter which makes vertical presentaion easier, and braid has no stretch which means more sensitivity for the angler.
14lb is much too light IMHO, unless you are only targeting schoolie blacks & blues near the surface.

2. I like big hooks for rockies, so they are easier to unhook if I want to release them. With bigger hooks, say 2/0 and up, I get mostly lip or roof-of-the-mouth hooksets. Smaller hooks will get swallowed, especially with squid or other bait. Go big.

3. Lingcod are very strong, and will drag your line into holes or between rocks to break it off. I still have this happen on occasion even fishing 30lb line on an appropriate rod/reel. Again, if you use the braided line you can go up substantially in strength and still keep the same line diameter of mono.  I use a 10 foot leader of mono tied on with an uni-to-uni knot on the end of the braid. This makes tying lures etc on much easier, plus the mono has a much higher abrasion resistance, in general, than the braid does. If & when you do get nicks & abrasions on your leader it is easy to spot on the mono, and then I just cliup off the nicked up potion & rte-tie. At a days' end I've usually gone from a 10-12 foot mono leader to about 2 feet.

what Sean said.

1. Replace all trebles with BIG single hooks. Yes, a small rock fish will eat a 5/0 hook
2. The shrimp fly above a swimbait or bar type jig will do great (its my go to rig)
3. Use heavy lures. Snags happen when you 'drag' along the bottom. So heavier will keep you vertical
4. when you get to the bottom. Bang the lure into the rocks, jig or reel up 2-3 feet and drop it hard to the bottom. You wanna make a ton of noise to pull them out of their holes.
5. Find structure (and edges of kelp) and then drop on the uphill and downhill sides. Spend a few minutes there and if no takes move on.

I like swim baits, about 5-6".  I like a teaser above the jig / lure.  Seems to excite the fish.  Caught my big ling at GS4 on the teaser as I was trying to unhook a snagged 6" painted diamond jig.  Brown and orange jigs are my go to colors, do not seem to get as many hits on the crome, but they do work.  If you are not snagging and losing gear, you are not going to get big fish most likely.  You will get schoolies mid water.  I use braid.  50# power pro most of the time.  50# as I can see it to tie knots, without glasses.  I use a leader.  Was 25 floro at GS4, but would have preferred 20# when I had to break off a snag.  any mono should work as leader, as rockfish do not seem to be leader shy.  I just happen to have a couple spools of floro with me and no mono for leaders.  Couple years ago, I bought some painted heavy diamond jigs about 6" long.  Have been fantastic on rockfish.  I like to bounce the jig on the rocks, as seems to bring out the bad boys.  Swimbaits are good for this as they do not snag as much as jigs.  whipping the rod will release the jig a lot of times.  I have caught some nice lings on purple and black Tady lures over the years.  A little expensive for rockfish in the North, but work well.  I fish SoCal at times and their reefs are not as prone to snag the the jig.  Use heavy enough line to be able to horse the fish away from the rocks and get it's head pointed up.  Then is easier to get them to the surface.  Braid is the line of choice.  You can feel the bottom and the fish hitting the hook.  Used to not always tip the jigs with bait, but this January in Gold Beach, I was next to live fish commercials, and I had a few hits and landed one huge black.  While the commercials were landing lots of fish.  Difference is they used squid on the lure.  sold on bait tipping now.  If you use trebles the light wire ones will bend the hook with heavy braid to release from a snag.  also have a pair of pliers that will cut any hook you use!  I now have shimano Bernard types.  Has a 20" ling on one hook of a Tady and my arm on another hook of the treble.  Finally got the hook cut with the junk pliars I had at the time.  Was a lot of pain fighting a ling with my arm and a 2" length of metal between us.  sort of Max Max thunder Dome with a ling.

another popular few jigs i know, point wilson darts and anchovies, 4 oz and up, pline hex bars 4oz and up.

I'm a recent convert from master of baiting into the theory of go big or go home, if you can find yourself some 6 or 8 oz jigheads and a 9 inch scampy tip it with a thin strip of squid and soak in in chovy oil it will get beat up by short strikes but when you hook one it will be a quality fish.

I'm a recent convert from master of baiting into the theory of go big or go home, if you can find yourself some 6 or 8 oz jigheads and a 9 inch scampy tip it with a thin strip of squid and soak in in chovy oil it will get beat up by short strikes but when you hook one it will be a quality fish.

Glad you..uh..converted over..lol

I'm a recent convert from master of baiting into the theory of go big or go home, if you can find yourself some 6 or 8 oz jigheads and a 9 inch scampy tip it with a thin strip of squid and soak in in chovy oil it will get beat up by short strikes but when you hook one it will be a quality fish.

This is pretty much how I roll.
Big bait=fewer gophers & dink blacks but plenty of nice verms, lings or halis. I rarely use a teaser anymore but sometimes I will if there are nice schoolie size blacks or blues to be had.

I use a chrome bar, and I tie my own shrimp flies with 3/0-5/0 hooks with polar flash and 2-4" feathers.  Have caught some big fish on them.  Not much of a swimbait or scampi guy.

If you are not snagging and losing gear, you are not going to get big fish most likely. 

Words to live by.....and I believe in it moreso since I started diving.

Here you go, my go-to lure. Now that I no longer live in the area I'll share it. I've given this lure as a gift to others on the board and they have always caught fish. Vermillion, ling cod, even halibut have all come on the 3 oz version of this lure. When i moved and sold my rock fishing gear I still kept 5 of these because I love them so much. They are made by "Braid" and can be purchased from Charkbait. Drop it to the bottom, and gently jig it as you drift over reefs. 


My second go-to is a 7" halloween swim bait on a 2-4oz jig head with eyes.

pline hex bars 4oz and up.

I will never buy another P-line lure again.  they are a little less expensive, but damn, the quality is poor - they rust like crazy!! 

Here you go, my go-to lure. Now that I no longer live in the area I'll share it. I've given this lure as a gift to others on the board and they have always caught fish. Vermillion, ling cod, even halibut have all come on the 3 oz version of this lure. When i moved and sold my rock fishing gear I still kept 5 of these because I love them so much. They are made by "Braid" and can be purchased from Charkbait. Drop it to the bottom, and gently jig it as you drift over reefs. 


My second go-to is a 7" halloween swim bait on a 2-4oz jig head with eyes.

yeah these look awesome. MattS and I were just talking about making NCKA knock off