Fishing (Not Flipping) at La Jolla

Fall 2007

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Karen Ezell

La Jolla in Southern California is a great place to catch big fish, but you want to arrive early to get the dawn bite. It’s a little too early for me, leaving the house around 3:00 a.m., driving for 40 minutes and launching in the surf in the dark. So when my husband goes there, I always pass and wait for a fishing day that starts at a more decent hour. Besides, I usually fish in harbors and bays that have easy launches and landings. Now, I’m not a sissy by any means, I’m just scared of the surf taking my kayak, turning it before I can stop it and flipping me over. See, I’ve dumped twice in the surf while landing my kayak after fishing and it isn’t fun.

Several tournaments are held at La Jolla throughout the year; the Steve Moyer Memorial Kayak Fishing Tournament took place on September 8, 2007. I’ve gone to La Jolla during fishing tournaments before, but I kick back, relax and read a good book while everyone else is fishing. A few days before the tournament this year, our friend Keith asked if Mark (my husband) and I were ready for the upcoming tournament. I told him, “I’m not fishing it. I don’t want to flip my kayak in the surf on the way in.” Keith replied, “Well, Nancy is fishing the tournament, and won’t you be mad if she catches a big halibut and you didn’t fish?” Well, game on! Mark and I signed up and we prepared for the tournament getting our gear up to speed for the potential big fish.

It’s a bit windy when we arrive in La Jolla, but that doesn’t deter me. We rig our kayaks and head down to the beach to join approximately 150 other kayak fishermen. I watch the sets and see how the waves look, even though going out isn’t what scares me, it’s the coming in. I drag my kayak toward the surf, and my husband, the great guy that he is, gives me a big push to get me going. I paddle out, taking some water over the bow, keeping my strokes strong and hard to get past the incoming waves. We paddle out to the two boats that are supplying live bait, and with the ocean choppy, I approach one of them. They hold onto me while they fill my bucket with bait. We head off towards the pier and out of the reserve (no fishing allowed in the reserve).

Once we are out near the pier, I bait my hook. I have finally learned to bait my own hook. Mark carries a bait tank which is hooked up to a battery and bilge pump, and I used to paddle over to him every time I needed new bait, but recently I have been putting four to five bait fish in my bait bucket and hooking them on myself.

The bait is on my hook, down it goes and I’m ready to catch a big fish! Soon the bait gets nervous and I can feel something tugging at it (your bait will get nervous when it is being hunted). I reel up too slowly and darn, I lose it—I didn’t set the hook. That was probably the big one! We continue to paddle around, changing bait when needed. I get hooked up twice, excited at first for the hook-up, but knowing from the fight that it isn’t a big fish. Both of my hook-ups are short halibut, not legal and not weighable for the tournament.

The wind starts picking up and with the choppy water and swells, we decide to head in. We paddle down and line up with our landing. We stow our rods inside the kayaks for their well-being in case we flip. We’re ready to start heading in and I’m nervous. I try to remember to lean back, redistributing my weight more to the rear and letting the wave go under me, using my rudder and paddle to keep straight. Mark says we’ll just jump out at waist high water, grab the back of our kayaks and guide them in. He says the word, and off I jump. This technique works great! I grab the back of my kayak and steer it towards shore. I did it, I didn’t flip! A day practising in the surf is what I need to get over my anxiety of flipping.

So now that I have fished La Jolla and know I can do it, I’m ready to go back and get that big yellowtail, white seabass or halibut that eluded me.

For information about kayak fishing tournaments along the Pacific coast:

Southern California
The Plastic Navy Tournament Trail sponsored by Western Outdoor News. This is a 6 series bass tournament. www.plasticnavy.com
La Jolla Kayak Fishing – Steve Moyer Memorial Kayak Fishing Tournament. This event is held in September of each year. www.kayak4fish.com
Big Water’s Edge – www.bigwatersedge.com
Baytuber’s and kayak tournaments – www.baytubers.com

Northern California
NorCal Kayak Anglers have many tournaments throughout the year. www.norcalkayakanglers.com

British Columbia
Moutcha Bay Tyee Kayak Surfing Derby – www.moutchabay.com/Kayaking_Derby.html

Pacific Northwest
Northwest Kayak Anglers – www.northwestkayakanglers.com

HALIBUT FISHING TIPS

  • Halibut can be caught tight into the shore or in 100 feet of water.

  • If you are inshore fishing, look for structure edges that have cobblestone, eel grass or kelp with sand close by.

  • When fishing in harbors or bays, look for points, drop-offs or areas where the water flow gets pinched and will concentrate the bait.

  • The best line size to use is 20 lb.

  • If you are using live bait, you can hook them through the nose or use a “trap rig” which has two hooks. One goes through the nose and the other in the back or stomach area.

  • You can catch halibut with lures. The best lures are swim baits or deep diving crank baits.

  • Use a weight to get your bait or lure on the bottom or very near to it.

  • A new moon is the best time to fish, followed closely by a full moon.

  • Always look for a big tide swing. Fish with the tide retrieving your lure in the direction the tide is going and also drifting with the tide.

  • If the halibut is close to the legal size of 22 inches (California) use a net to land the fish. Use a gaff if the fish is bigger than 26 inches.

  • After catching a legal fish, use a game clip to secure the fish to your kayak.

  • In 2004, Howard McKim of Ketchikan, Alaska, caught a 183 pound halibut from his kayak.