Muir Beach rockfish

Hello!  I’m new to the forum and to kayaking. I’ve been dropping crab pots off Muir Beach the last couple of days and would love to catch some rockfish while I’m out there. Could anyone please give me any tips on spots and techniques?  I’d really appreciate it.

Any crab?  Squid tipped shrimp flies maybe for rockfish?

Just uphill, North, from muir are a couple of good rockpiles in 60 fow. You can see them on a good chart

Welcome to NCKA Glenn 

Welcome to the community.   

Welcome Glenn   

Hi Glenn
Considering heading out on Friday mid morning. Showing 15mph winds, so probably better for a pedal kayak.

PM me if interested.

Thanks all!  Yes I’ve been crabbing twice this week and got a nice half dozen Dungeness each time in just an hour or two.

I’m wondering if people fish for rockfish with swim baits, baited hook, or some other method?  Thanks for any info.

Thanks all!  Yes I’ve been crabbing twice this week and got a nice half dozen Dungeness each time in just an hour or two.

I’m wondering if people fish for rockfish with swim baits, baited hook, or some other method?  Thanks for any info.

I like swimbaits.  I mostly use shad head with a paddle tail or a bullet head with a large grub.  I'll often tie a dropper loop about 18" above and run a teaser with a gulp grub on it.  The cabbies and lingcod mostly go for the swimbait and rockfish go for either.

Thanks for that, I really appreciate the response. Do you paddle your kayak just outside of the rocks and cast out to them, or are there reefs out there that your just casting over?  Also, if I can ask, what weight shad heads do you use? 

Thanks for that, I really appreciate the response. Do you paddle your kayak just outside of the rocks and cast out to them, or are there reefs out there that your just casting over?  Also, if I can ask, what weight shad heads do you use?

I look for rock piles and structure under the water.  Starting on a regular nautical raster chart, I identify potential spots based on the depth curves.  From there, I look at bathymetry to narrow down some spots I want to target.  Then I get on the water and check them out on my fish finder (because I have one, not a required step).  Then I drift over the rock piles and structure bouncing the jig off the bottom.  After a few drifts of no bites, I move on to another spot (which might only be 10 yards away).

As far as weights, I go for lightest possible to hold bottom and get there relatively quickly.  On reefs that are only 20-30' down with a drift of < 1.5 knots, that might mean as light as 1.5 ounce.  Deeper water or stronger current and I go as high as 8 ounces.  I carry shad head jigs in 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 ounce sizes.  I carry bullet head jigs in 4, 6 and 8 ounce sizes.

I’ll give it a try soon. Thanks again!!

Welcome Glenn. Save some for us!   

Welcome Glenn. Get 'em!

Let's geetum before he does...hopefully he'll save us some...Welcome Glenn...

Despite my intense desire to conquer jigging with swimbait (slowly getting there), I cannot argue with the consistent results I get on a double drop / hi lo rig and some squid.  They're easy to rig yourself at home in front of the TV (I make 30 in an hour or so), or they sell them super cheap. 

My favorite premade are the "Pacific Catch" rock cod rig, they have them at Outdoor Outfitters, they're like $2 and come pre-rigged with some bucktails and 3-0 or 5-0 hooks.  I've even caught stuff without squid, just the bucktails.  Loop a 2-4oz weight on there, open your bale, drop it until you hit the bottom, reel up a couple, and jig.  If there's some swell, you don't even need to really do anything.  If it's flat, just slowly lift and drop the line, making sure you maintain some tension on the drop as this is generally when they hit. 

As everyone says, look for structure.  You can generally see it with how the waves and swell distort, if you dont have a fishfinder.  Kelp is surefire way to get black and blues.