La Jolla working rigs - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

William Novotny · 03-30-2014, 11:30 AM

Conditions change frequently and what worked for one person yesterday could be the wrong rig for today. I think most would agree that at least 6' of good floro is a good bet for the more finicky trophy fish like yellows and wsb. When I say conditions might change is mostly to do with where fish are holding in the water column and what kelp conditions are. The way the kelp lays can change in a matter of hours depending on current and other factors. The right rig can mean the difference between presenting your bait to your target naturally or pulling your rig out of kelp stringers every 5 minutes and scaring everything away. 3 common rigs to use are dropper loop, Carolina rig and fly lined. Dropper loops are good to hit many levels of the water column fast if you mark something and is good for drifting if there is not a lot of loose kelp to get hung on. Carolina rig is good to troll if you want your bait moving at a deeper level and cover more ground. Fly lining is good around thicker kelp and a lot of stringers because there is less terminal tackle to get hung up on. Be sure to check your troll lines from time to time for bits of debris like kelp "mustaches" that can spook smarter fish like yellowtail.

I'm far from an expert at fishing lj. These are just a few things that have been taught to me. It's a learning curve and part of that curve is applying what little bit we know with actual time on the water.

BigTunaL · 03-30-2014, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Novotny

Conditions change frequently and what worked for one person yesterday could be the wrong rig for today. I think most would agree that at least 6' of good floro is a good bet for the more finicky trophy fish like yellows and wsb. When I say conditions might change is mostly to do with where fish are holding in the water column and what kelp conditions are. The way the kelp lays can change in a matter of hours depending on current and other factors. The right rig can mean the difference between presenting your bait to your target naturally or pulling your rig out of kelp stringers every 5 minutes and scaring everything away. 3 common rigs to use are dropper loop, Carolina rig and fly lined. Dropper loops are good to hit many levels of the water column fast if you mark something and is good for drifting if there is not a lot of loose kelp to get hung on. Carolina rig is good to troll if you want your bait moving at a deeper level and cover more ground. Fly lining is good around thicker kelp and a lot of stringers because there is less terminal tackle to get hung up on. Be sure to check your troll lines from time to time for bits of debris like kelp "mustaches" that can spook smarter fish like yellowtail.

I'm far from an expert at fishing lj. These are just a few things that have been taught to me. It's a learning curve and part of that curve is applying what little bit we know with actual time on the water.

Thank you very much William. I appreciate your input.

William Novotny · 03-30-2014, 11:43 AM

One thing that will save time and frustration is to have a designated setup for each rig plus a designated bait rod setup before hand. You may see something out there (birds working the surface 150 yards away or see a school on your sonar) and the time it takes to setup the right rig could cost you your one shot at a fish. I usually have an iron tied onto my fly line setup on standby because I don't like taking more then 4 setups out.

But then again I'm only regurgitating info that had been told me. I've yet to bag my trophy but this all seems like sound advice.

LawDog · 03-30-2014, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Novotny

One thing that will save time and frustration is to have a designated setup for each rig plus a designated bait rod setup before hand. You may see something out there (birds working the surface 150 yards away or see a school on your sonar) and the time it takes to setup the right rig could cost you your one shot at a fish. I usually have an iron tied onto my fly line setup on standby because I don't like taking more then 4 setups out.

But then again I'm only regurgitating info that had been told me. I've yet to bag my trophy but this all seems like sound advice.

Agreed 100%. Bait rig, fly line, yoyo, and surface irons are my standard 4 rigs unless I'm fishing rockfish or halibut.

03-30-2014, 11:30 AM	#1
William Novotny The carpetbagger Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: tha newps Posts: 1,474	Conditions change frequently and what worked for one person yesterday could be the wrong rig for today. I think most would agree that at least 6' of good floro is a good bet for the more finicky trophy fish like yellows and wsb. When I say conditions might change is mostly to do with where fish are holding in the water column and what kelp conditions are. The way the kelp lays can change in a matter of hours depending on current and other factors. The right rig can mean the difference between presenting your bait to your target naturally or pulling your rig out of kelp stringers every 5 minutes and scaring everything away. 3 common rigs to use are dropper loop, Carolina rig and fly lined. Dropper loops are good to hit many levels of the water column fast if you mark something and is good for drifting if there is not a lot of loose kelp to get hung on. Carolina rig is good to troll if you want your bait moving at a deeper level and cover more ground. Fly lining is good around thicker kelp and a lot of stringers because there is less terminal tackle to get hung up on. Be sure to check your troll lines from time to time for bits of debris like kelp "mustaches" that can spook smarter fish like yellowtail. I'm far from an expert at fishing lj. These are just a few things that have been taught to me. It's a learning curve and part of that curve is applying what little bit we know with actual time on the water. __________________ "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." http://www.badinfluencetattoo.com/gallery.php?artist=21

03-30-2014, 11:43 AM	#3
William Novotny The carpetbagger Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: tha newps Posts: 1,474	One thing that will save time and frustration is to have a designated setup for each rig plus a designated bait rod setup before hand. You may see something out there (birds working the surface 150 yards away or see a school on your sonar) and the time it takes to setup the right rig could cost you your one shot at a fish. I usually have an iron tied onto my fly line setup on standby because I don't like taking more then 4 setups out. But then again I'm only regurgitating info that had been told me. I've yet to bag my trophy but this all seems like sound advice. __________________ "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." http://www.badinfluencetattoo.com/gallery.php?artist=21 Last edited by William Novotny; 03-30-2014 at 11:53 AM.