BUZZBAIT
P R O F I LE | C O N S E R V A T I O N | TA C K L E | G E A R | C LO W N FI S H | B O AT S A VINTAGE PHOTO OF A KAYAK FISHING
ORIGINAL, AT HOME IN THE MALIBU KELP. PHOTO: MIKE CARSON
[PROFI L E ]
WEST COAST ORIGINAL AS TOLD TO PAUL LEBOWITZ
MALIBU MIKE
ANGLER: Mike Carson PORT: Malibu, California. REAL JOB: Truck driver, recently retired.
HISTORY: A Santa Monica pier rat, Mike learned to fish from local old-timers.
KAYAK: In the ‘80s, surfer Mike was looking for a beach-worthy boat when he stumbled upon a second-hand fiberglass Scupper sit-on-top.
It was everything he wanted: nimble, quick, with a hatch to stash rods and fish. While he’s moved on to an Ocean Kayak Prowler 15—“It can endure the choppy, sloppy stuff”—he hasn’t forgotten his first love.
FISHING: Mike’s a careful, deliberate an- gler—all successful halibut hunters are—but he can’t resist one particular quick-moving thrill. “I love to chase feeding frenzies, no matter how far away. I’m always looking for birds and dolphins. The odds I’ll catch them aren’t very good, but I always take the chance because it’s paid off four or five times with big seabass. That’s why I want a fast ‘yak.”
KAYAK FISHING: “My favorite places to fish are too far from the marinas, 30 miles in either direction,” he says. What if a harbor magi- cally appeared on his doorstep? Mike doesn’t see himself hanging up the paddle. “I love the quiet.”
CLAIM TO FAME: “I’ve won a couple tourna- ments. Jerry Esten’s [possibly the first kayak fishing competition anywhere]. At the Moyer Memorial, a nine-pound barracuda won me a new Tarpon kayak. Now that I’m retired, I plan to fish tournaments more often,” he says.
GO-TO OUTFIT: “A 229 Newell on a Calstar 270. I’m a Newell man. They’re such light reels, easy to repair. You can dunk them in the sand and fix ‘em when you get home, they’re so simple. I wrap my own Calstar rods,” he says, a West Coaster to the heart.
CONFIDENCE BAIT: “Live greenback mackerel caught on the spot. They catch the biggest fish.”
TROPHY TALE: “Halibut fishing’s my thing. I’ve caught three fish over 50 pounds,” he says. Corralling the short-fused slabs of muscle via kayak is no mean feat.
www.kayakanglermag.com… 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56