La Jolla Canyon deep dropping (2019-12-18)

[BenCantrell]

Unfortunately I don't have any catches to share in this post, but it was an unusual expedition, so I think people will still find it interesting.  I used my last vacation day yesterday to kayak out to where La Jolla Canyon is 1500 ft deep to try bottom fishing for weird species like hake, eelpout, cusk-eel, and a long list of flatfish that prefer deeper water.  I knew it was a shot in the dark, so I didn't expect much.  I'm bummed I didn't get a single bite, but at least I learned a few things and got to practice using the gear and techniques.

Surf launch was easy, and I had the place all to myself.  It was cold though, and I was very glad I invested in a pair of 1.5 mm wetsuit bottoms. They worked out great!



I knew the wind would pick up after 11am, so I wanted to spend the morning at the deepest spots.  It worked out well, because dropping to the bottom in 1500 ft was no problem when there was no wind.  I used a 28 oz torpedo sinker, 500 meters (1640 ft) of 65 lb braid main line, and a Penn Fathom 2-speed (FTH40NLD2).  My terminal tackle had four #4 circle hooks on 10 lb mono branch lines, so really not much bigger than a sabiki with larger size hooks.  I couldn't legally fish for rockfish because of depth and because of the four hooks, so I had a descending device ready to go in case I caught any incidentally.



The fish finder had trouble with anything deeper than about 550 ft. It didn't register 1500 ft, but when I moved up the canyon to the next spot it briefly picked out the bottom at 1325 ft.  If you look closely you can see the bottom on the contour plot, but there would be no way to see structure or fish hanging out at the bottom.  For the most part I'm going off of GPS pins that I mark ahead of time from nautical charts and Google Maps.



I swapped out fresh squid strips on every drop, but I didn't get a single bite.  I also alternated between using a deep drop strobe light and not using a light.  I know lights are important for catching big predators like grouper, but I wasn't sure if they'd help or hurt for the smaller less aggressive species that I was going for.

The wind picked up right on cue and put a stop to the fishing. The paddle back was kind of rough.  I was coming back at about a 30 degree angle to the waves, and the bigger waves would push my bow to the left, and the wind wanted to push my bow to the right.  The wind was the bigger issue, and I pretty much paddled the entire way in using only my right side.  I think I'll have to invest in a rudder kit if I'm going to keep doing these long distance paddles.



miles: 12.70
hours: 7:32

I'm determined to pull some weird critters up from that canyon, so I'll keep trying when I'm able to get out on calm days.

[xjchad]

Dang Ben, that made me sore!

Cool idea, can't wait to see what you catch!

[jrodda]

Quarter mile drop...how many times did you drop?

And 12 miles of paddling..


I'm interested in seeing what you catch. I've always been curious about this kind of fishing but the regulations and my presumed risk of almost guaranteed bycatch (and no private boat, that's the real kicker...) all keep it from being a realistic thing to try.

28 ounce torpedo...

[Latimeria]

That's Ratfish territory, as well as fangtooth!  Wow, I got tired just thinking about dropping and reeling in one of those drops!

Keep it up.  I can't wait to see what you catch!

[vdisney]

I got tired just thinking about dropping and reeling in one of those drops!

Plus 12.7 miles of paddling, I had to take a nap after just reading about it   

[Pinoyfisher]

Holy crap!! That's a ton of paddling and reeling!! Don't stop, I'm dying to see what you pull up.