9/6 La Jolla AM

[skrilla]

On the sand at graylight. Swift launch thru knee high breakers. 68°, glassy, and a layer of smoke dissipating to the West.

Made a right turn and headed for the pier. Met up with the absolute most aggressive school of mixed mini macks and sardines to date. They wanted in the bait tank. Pod of dolphins getting their fill didn't even phase this school. Best bait quality and quantity in a long while. Filled up and headed for the corner.

On the way marked a couple deep spots at canyon's edge that lit up the screen. Dropped the yoyo but the dinks were on it. Not wanting to waste more time I continued on to the target zone.

Upon arrival silence for about 5 minutes then all hell breaks loose. Boils, birds, and jigs go flying. Instant hits on all you want calicos. That was the name of the game all day. Schools of anchovy would breeze thru and the calicos would demolish all they could along with the birds. An occasional yellow would break the surface but the bass were on the jig/bait before the yellows even noticed. Lots of doubles on the double rig. Even had a couple sculpin join the party.

And of course the day wouldn't be complete without a handful of whitefish in the kill bag.

Landed to a cool and crowded beach. Packed up and blasted the AC for the ride home. Pulled up to the driveway and opened the door to a 106° oven. And that's with the smoke screen. Yikes!

Smoked chicken wings, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes for dinner. Paired up with every cold drink available in the fridge. Every, cold, drink, available.

[sasquatch]

Glad you finally got into them.

[vdisney]

Works for me...............

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

Great reports. Makes me want to make the drive south to give it a try.

[Latimeria]

You have some great reports Len!  Now we just need you to turn some of those PM Yellowtail into the real thing!   

I can't believe you braved the beach this weekend.  I stayed away as far as possible even though I was walled in with 110 degree heat and a light dusting of ash all weekend.  lol

Great report once again bud!

[skrilla]

The beach has been more crowded this summer as it's been the place where you can be the most "free". But the masses don't show up til later. It's mostly fishermen, divers, and surfers battling for front row parking that early LOL. On the water wasn't crowded either. Lots of radio chatter offshore though.

Going to sell this kayak soon. Spent all summer dialing it in and honestly it's been fun. But the juju on this thing stinks for mossback hunting. I've been neglecting my newer model Trident because the fish finder I want has been out of stock... until this morning. 

[Latimeria]

Going to sell this kayak soon. Spent all summer dialing it in and honestly it's been fun. But the juju on this thing stinks for mossback hunting. I've been neglecting my newer model Trident because the fish finder I want has been out of stock... until this morning. 

Wow, the Trident is the broader stand up kayak?  If it's the one I'm thinking of, that's a nice rig.  Now the next easy question is.... what sonar did you get?   

[skrilla]

Going to sell this kayak soon. Spent all summer dialing it in and honestly it's been fun. But the juju on this thing stinks for mossback hunting. I've been neglecting my newer model Trident because the fish finder I want has been out of stock... until this morning. 

Wow, the Trident is the broader stand up kayak?  If it's the one I'm thinking of, that's a nice rig.  Now the next easy question is.... what sonar did you get?   

I used to have that yellow Prowler. Light, fast, and simple. Moved on to this older Trident because it has a center hatch for more storage but can be rigged exactly how my Prowler was above deck. Easy transition very little dialing it in. My newer Trident, same one Ben on here has, went thru a lot of design changes which means I'm going to have to spend some time rigging and dialing it in. But it has a better seat which my back will appreciate. All 3 kayaks are not known for their standability because they're on the narrow side. But because of that they are the fastest paddle kayaks around. Lesser resistance per stroke. I keep up with the peddle drives no problem. Also the bow has a rocker and the hull surfs way better than any other fishing kayak which is a plus since I primarily launch and land LJ.

New sonar is the Humminbird Helix. I'll now have GPS and a color screen. Big upgrade from the grayscale workhorse I've been using. I wont have to bust out my phone and Google Maps/triangulate my location anymore. Ocean Kayaks also feature a scupper hole that is molded specifically for my transducer since Humminbird and Ocean Kayaks are owned by the same company, Johnson Outdoors.

[Latimeria]

Man, things have come a long way... I bought a Cobra back in 1997 and fished the bay with it.  I swear I barely ever saw another boat on the bay from Fall through Spring and rarely had to deal with anything, so fishing was easy from that thing.  Your kayaks sound like Mars Rovers compared to the tube of grey plastic I floated around on.  hahaha

That Helix FF looks sweet.  I've had my eyes on them for a while, but stuck with Lowrance.  Let me know how well the Hummingbird does!  I need an upgrade here soon and have been tossing up the idea of trying HB again.  It's been 20 years since my last one.