Rock fish

The only time I have ever gone after rock fish was years ago and on charter boats. What methods do you folks use for them from your kayaks? Are you using live bait or lures?

Both or either.

If I am more checking out new coast line and sort of half assed fishing I'll go with artificial just to keep it simple. Sometimes if that isn't working I'll add some scent or a piece of frozen squid. But live bait when you have the time and are more serious about fishing is my prefered method to fish for just about anything.

Jeff

I hardly ever use live bait for rockfish with the exception of an occasional hitchhiker.

For large rockfish and lingcod I use large swimbaits (5"-7") and scampis on 3-6oz (sometimes up to 12oz) jigheads and I also use irons like hexbars, diamondbars, or megabaits in sizes from 4-12 oz.

For smaller rockfish like blues and blacks I'll use shrimp flies.   Many times I'll add a shrimp fly above a large lingcod lure and get a mixed bag of small rockfish with an occasional ling or vermillion.  If I catch a small rockfish fish on a shrimp fly I'll often send it right back down in hopes of a lingcod hitchhiker.

For fun, I'll also take out a lighter bass rod and throw small swimbaits (2"-4") on 1/2 oz - 2 oz jigheads or even small spoons like a kastmaster and fish in fairly shallow for black rockfish and blue rockfish.  This light gear technique is probably the only thing I think that might differentiate kayak rockfishing from charter/pb rockfishing because it works particularly well in shallow and near wash rocks that larger boats can't go.

Hi Dave. big swimbaits, some Iron and a package of Squid (SAFEWAY) will keep it simple and should be productive. Buy a couple shripfly rigs and then modify as you want. Iron on the bottom 1 fly above. wts 3-8 oz accordingly. 25-30 lb test rigs will handle anything. kind of overkill for blues and blacks but you never know whats waiting down there. Good luck and enjoy yourself you have earned it. Tell Peggy we said howdy. Randall
PS Iguess I should just say "yeah what Bsteves said!"

Don't buy the P-Line hex bars.  Those thing are POS, in my experience.  the body and the hooks will rust on you before you can even get home and unload your boat.  Hate em with a passion now.

Braid or Spectral main line.  Small diameter means small weights or lures you will have to used and less line drift.  Mooching for salmon or drifting for rockcod...the more vertical you line is the better.  You get a better feel (you will feel it hit the bottom or when a fish hits) and if you are vertical...less snags with Braided lines.

Ken kickfish