Doing the happy paddle times two - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Aaron&Julie · 05-11-2006, 08:00 PM

We launched at 4:15AM. Shore break, but somehow we managed to get sloshed. Wet, but motivated, we paddled to the pier to make bait. Outside of the surf zone dolphins were working the bait. They stopped to give us an escort for a couple of hundred yards. We were paddling 5 feet apart and they were in between, and all around us, within a foot many times. The bioluminescence displayed their whole bodies. Julie was in heaven, Aaron was a little tripped out at how close they were in the dark. These were good 8 foot specimens, and we were bouncing from their wake.
After making greenies and spanish we made our way in front of the "big condo" just after grey light. It was a lake out there, no wind, no waves. And the fish activity seemed the same, flat. No bait or fish seen by us for 2 hours as we tried mackeral both high and low, and the Storm plugs.
We worked our way south and closer to shore to find bait ball after bait ball of sardines. Massive amounts. We threw iron at them, through them, trolled past them, but nobody was home. So we went back to our normal routine, working our way north.
Around 9:00AM Julie's low mackeral has a taker. Off with the clicker, let it eat it, load, and she's on. The fish breaks the surface, makes a few runs wrapping all loose lines, then sounds. Aaron clears the lines. Now the fish has found kelp. Aaron reminds her about the spectra and to put pressure on it. Sure enough, she starts slicing through the kelp. Minutes later, up comes the white and Aaron sinks the gaff. Julie's first white sea bass ever, and the completion of the kayak slam of yellowtail-halibut-wsb. This was something Aaron said would happen when we bought our kayaks 2 years ago. Done deal.
Here's her beauty at 33 lbs:

The wind has picked up by now and we're being blown onto the kelp beds. We start making for the barn, trolling the rest of our macks. We take turns getting hung in the kelp, each time the victim would paddle back to retrieve their rig. Julie was the last victim. As Aaron paddles ahead and gets closer to the canyon, he's bit. Let 'em eat, load, on. Then the longest run he's ever had, a good 200 yards. Before he can even get the forward momentum going on the kayak this fish has cut a dozen strands of bull kelp. Man, do we love spectra. Still, the fish is kicking his ass. Finally straight up and down, he works it, cutting still more kelp. Julie arrives, and lends a hand by clearing his other rod out of the way. Many curls later, up comes the fish, a 34 lb yellowtail.
This picture doesn't do justice to the shoulders on this fish:

We both did the happy paddle in, landing high and dry.

05-11-2006, 08:00 PM	#1
Aaron&Julie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Valley Posts: 1,400	Doing the happy paddle times two We launched at 4:15AM. Shore break, but somehow we managed to get sloshed. Wet, but motivated, we paddled to the pier to make bait. Outside of the surf zone dolphins were working the bait. They stopped to give us an escort for a couple of hundred yards. We were paddling 5 feet apart and they were in between, and all around us, within a foot many times. The bioluminescence displayed their whole bodies. Julie was in heaven, Aaron was a little tripped out at how close they were in the dark. These were good 8 foot specimens, and we were bouncing from their wake. After making greenies and spanish we made our way in front of the "big condo" just after grey light. It was a lake out there, no wind, no waves. And the fish activity seemed the same, flat. No bait or fish seen by us for 2 hours as we tried mackeral both high and low, and the Storm plugs. We worked our way south and closer to shore to find bait ball after bait ball of sardines. Massive amounts. We threw iron at them, through them, trolled past them, but nobody was home. So we went back to our normal routine, working our way north. Around 9:00AM Julie's low mackeral has a taker. Off with the clicker, let it eat it, load, and she's on. The fish breaks the surface, makes a few runs wrapping all loose lines, then sounds. Aaron clears the lines. Now the fish has found kelp. Aaron reminds her about the spectra and to put pressure on it. Sure enough, she starts slicing through the kelp. Minutes later, up comes the white and Aaron sinks the gaff. Julie's first white sea bass ever, and the completion of the kayak slam of yellowtail-halibut-wsb. This was something Aaron said would happen when we bought our kayaks 2 years ago. Done deal. Here's her beauty at 33 lbs: The wind has picked up by now and we're being blown onto the kelp beds. We start making for the barn, trolling the rest of our macks. We take turns getting hung in the kelp, each time the victim would paddle back to retrieve their rig. Julie was the last victim. As Aaron paddles ahead and gets closer to the canyon, he's bit. Let 'em eat, load, on. Then the longest run he's ever had, a good 200 yards. Before he can even get the forward momentum going on the kayak this fish has cut a dozen strands of bull kelp. Man, do we love spectra. Still, the fish is kicking his ass. Finally straight up and down, he works it, cutting still more kelp. Julie arrives, and lends a hand by clearing his other rod out of the way. Many curls later, up comes the fish, a 34 lb yellowtail. This picture doesn't do justice to the shoulders on this fish: We both did the happy paddle in, landing high and dry. __________________ "Never say die"