LIP GRIPPER
ARSENAL TO FOCUS ON THREE TACTICS. PHOTO: WADE HARNESS
CHUNKY CALICO BASS FALL FOR A VARIETY OF LURES, PARE DOWN YOUR
[TACTICS] CALIFORNIA TRIPLE PLAY TAKE A LOOK INSIDE CAPTAIN WADE HARNESS’ TACKLE BOX
Southern California kayak fishing guide, Captain Wade Harness (
www.captainwade.com), is a pro at locating and scoring big calico and sand bass. Guiding clients on San Diego Bay and off La Jolla, Harness has racked up impressive catches and worked hard to promote conservation and educa- tion. “There are so many ways to catch these fish, but a kayak angler can only carry so many rods,” Harness says. So the skipper has shaved his quiver down to three go-to setups. RIC BURNLEY
TOPWATER
ROD/REEL: Eight-foot, medium-heavy con- ventional rod, high-speed 6.3:1 reel spooled, 65-pound dark green Spectra and a four-foot shock leader of 25-pound fluorocarbon.
RIG: DieZel Chatterbait with five- to six-inch upgraded ElaZtech trailer.
TACTIC: A chatterbait combines a crankbait, spinnerbait and swimjig and it is virtually weedless. I work the lure through heavy cover such as rocks, kelp and grass. I can either rip the lure across the surface, or I can drag it along making frequent pauses in my retrieve. Trolling from one location to another is a great way to keep baits in the water.
TIP: Casting a chatterbait across the grass tables at high tide is a top producer in South Bay.
DROPPER RIG
ROD/REEL: Eight-foot, medium-heavy conventional rod and reel spooled with 65-pound braid and four feet of 25-pound Seagar fluoro. RIG: One-half to one-ounce skirted swimjig with five-inch scented trailer.
TACTIC: As the sun comes up I switch to the “pitchin’ stick.” To fish the shallow tidal flats and back bays, cast the jig out and slow roll it over pockets, tables, rumbling reefs, kelp and grass beds. Pitch the weedless swimjig into dock pilings for the biggest bass. A longer rod allows longer, more accurate casts. It also makes it easier to canepole a swimjig into the dock pilings.
TIP: Fish often strike while the lure is sinking to the bottom. Be ready to set the hook. Use a reel with instant anti-reverse and a tight drag.
26…KAYAK ANGLER INSHORE JIGGING
ROD/REEL: Seven-foot, six-inch medium action conventional combo spooled with 50-pound braid and and a five-foot flouro leader.
RIG: 1/4 to 5/8 ounce dropshot sinker, drop- per loop and four- to six-inch swimbait or soft plastic jig on a ringed live bait hook.
TACTIC: Find where cleaner, blue water meets dirty inshore water over a deep shelf and use a fishfinder to determine how deep the fish are staging. Set the dropshot sinker the same distance below the bait.
TIP: A small-eared dropper loop works bet- ter than a standard dropshot rig because it allows a buoyant soft plastic to swim freely in the current.
ABU GARCIA REVO NACL: “The reel offers a 6.3:1 high speed retrieve to rip a chatterbait through the water sparking a reaction bite.”
www.purefishing.com
CAPTAIN’S TACKLE BOX
DIEZEL CHATTERBAIT AND Z-MAN TRAILER: “I can work this lure slow across the bottom, rip it through the water or even troll it behind the kayak.”
www.zmanfishing.com
LOWRANCE HDS 5 GEN 2: “The color separation and definition of the display differentiates between hard bottom and silty muck.”
www.lowrance.com
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