THE RIG
ROD: 7-foot Fishing Tackle Unlimited Specs and Reds Katcher, rated medium light
REEL: Shimano Curado E7 casting reel
LINE: 30-pound PowerPro braided line with a 6-foot leader of 15-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon
BAIT: 4-inch chartreuse Berkley Gulp! Swimming Mullet on a 1/4-ounce RipTide Jighead
4 Speckled Trout
“THERE’S A TON of fish here. You just have to know where to go,” Steve Mullins says of the speckled trout that swim in the muddy brown water of Galveston Bay. When you go matters too. During the sweltering Texas summer, that means heading out in the evening. “There’s a bite at sunset, then it picks up around 9 or 10, and usually goes gangbusters at midnight,” Mullins says. Other than that, it’s simple as can be. Mullins, a staffer for Hook 1 Kayak Fishing Gear, takes two identical setups—any more would just mean more cleanup—and both have a chartreuse Berkley Gulp! Swimming Mullet tied onto the end. “We don’t move too much, we don’t look for too much in the way of structure.
We concentrate on the weather, current and wind. They dictate where the fish stage,” Mullins says. That means focusing on current breaks and eddies, places fish can rest while they wait for something tasty to come swimming by. “It has to look natural. Make sure to swim it with the current,” Mullins says.
CALICO CAT-AND-MOUSE: Mark Pierpont and his
quarry of choice. PHOTO: PAUL LEBOWITZ
THE RIG
ROD: 7-foot Shimano Compre casting rod, rated medium heavy
REEL: Shimano Trinidad 14 conventional reel
LINE: 50-pound PowerPro braided line with a 10-yard leader of 40-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon
TERMINAL TACKLE: 6/0 to 8/0 wide-gap Owner circle hook
BAIT: Live kayak-caught mackerel 6 Yellowtail THE RIG
ROD: 8-foot Shimano Terramar casting rod, medium light
REEL: Shimano Calcutta TE 200 casting reel
LINE: 12-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament
BAIT: 4-inch brown FishTrap swimbait with a 1/2-ounce shad- pattern jighead
FORK-TAILED LIGHTNING fuels the dreams of Southern California’s big- water kayak anglers. That holds true for Jim Sammons too. After traveling to the continent’s most exotic fisheries for the DVD Kayak Fishing—Game On and its in-the-works sequel, the yellowtail is still his favorite hard-charger. “They pull so hard, it’s a slugfest. They love to run into the kelp, the rocks. They wrap around anything they can,” Sammons says. Yellowtail are suckers for a lively mackerel, so catching these baitfish is always the first task of his La Jolla Kayak Fishing guided trips. After pinning one through the back of the head on a wide- gap, lighter wire circle hook (6/0 or better), Sammons trolls the kelp edge. “I’m looking for signs of bait along current breaks, or fishing over the top of submerged kelp,” Sammons says, and then offers this bit of sage advice: Match power with power. “Fish a tight drag and pull hard.” Otherwise the yellowtail will get the better of the battle.
NIGHT
Mark Pierpont had a vexing problem. He lived right next to the beach, but miles from the nearest port. “I knew if I could somehow get out there, I could catch fish,” Pierpont remembers. Fortunately for the Wilderness Systems staffer, the beach in question was Malibu, birthplace of the modern kayak fishing. He was quick to plug in, and even quicker to hone his skills on the calico bass that dominate Southern California’s rocky shallows. “Out of all of my options, they take the most thinking, the best boat handling around rocks and kelp beds, and excellent casting skills for pitching baits into heavy structure. Calicos are the most full-contact, interactive fishing I know,” Pierpont says.
5 Calico Bass
When asked to choose just one bait, he says “I can pontificate for days on this subject,” but then rises to the task: “A 4-inch FishTrap swimbait in brown or some variation is a good place to start. But then I’ll gravitate to what the fish are telling me. Definitely pay attention to the size of the forage fish.”
MOVES Kayak anglers such as Steve Mullins and Cory Routh don’t head for the barn when the sun hits the horizon. They are just getting started. There’s a little more risk involved
than during a daylight outing, which Mullins manages through preparation: “I take a regulation 360-degree light, a backup light, and an LED headlamp. The headlamp keeps my hands free to tie knots or paddle. I also pack a marine VHF radio, a cell phone in a dry pack and my trusty PFD. You’ve always got to have that.”
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