La Jolla in September

[gone_fishing]

This is my first year of kayak fishing and headed to La Jolla for 3 days in September (5th, 6th, and 7th). How is the fishing that time of year? I'll take any comments, suggestions and tips. Thanks in advance.

Hank

[PerryC]

Hank,
For a few suggestions, if I was launching before daybreak, take some extra lighting items with you. Also a handhald marine radio is a must, along with your PFD, safety stuff, etc...Alot of the anglers come noonish are off the water, so morning is king.

For rigs, be sure to have a few bait catchers, and your bait tank, and whatever you have is in good shape. Live bait is also king. For rods, I would have a jig stick of some type I could fire a surface iron/plastic/plug at bait that is being chased or dove upon by birds. For trolling rods, I would take 2. One for surface stuff like flylining macks, and the second I would use as a deep rig with a torpedo/egg sinkers etc. I would have spectra on at least one of these rigs for fishing along the kelp lines to act as a kelp-cutter when a hooked fish makes a beeline back into the kelp.

For more exact info, I would look up the posts by Aaron&Julie about LJ. They get to spend alot of time on the water and are doing real good there and wacking the fish. You could see what they use, their rigs maybe by doing a search for their posts.

Other than that, a functional Fish Finder can help alot, and at the sake of sounding like a broken record, make sure you have everything you care to keep leashed down, and have re-entered your kayak once or twice. Have a great time,
Perry

[Robert]

Hank,
What Perry said and a few other things.
La Jolla can be on fire or it can be a tough bite from day to day. You just never know. I say go for it.

Fishing at La Jolla is an 0 dark thirty (5:00 A.M.) kind of a deal. Parking is a bear unless you get there early!

The driveway onto the beach is a bottleneck that can turn chaotic when everyone tries to drive in and out of it. Especially in the late morning/afternoon!
I completely avoid this situation by bringing my launch wheels and parking in the neighborhood, rigging up my kayak at the truck and rolling down to the beach. Then I bungee my launch wheels on my kayak and launch. When you come in you put your launch wheels on and roll right past the chaos laughing all the way to your truck. It is good being part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.



I like to take 3 rigs with me to fish La Jolla. The 2 that Perry mentioned and I also take a 15 lb stick. I use this to make bait with and to use it for fishing plastics for calicos and other lures for cuda and bonito. The 3/4 oz blue and chrome Rattletrap is deadly on the bonito and cuda! Cast it out, let it sink and burn it back to the yak. It also works good on the troll.

You will probably see some sportboats there. Stay at least the distance away from them that a guy might be able to cast a jig. At the same time when they are in and they start to chum the fish go on a frenzy! Throwing
iron, krocks, Rattletraps, and other lures into the mix at this time can be a ton of fun!

Be aware that other people have trolling lines out too. Don't get too close to other people that you get your lines tangled with theirs.

Stow your gear below deck when launching and landing. Tons of gear has been lost by careless people that didn't stow their stuff below deck.

I rig all of my rods at home before I go. You don't want to do this on the water at 5:00 A.M. This is especially true with sabiki rigs. I take mine out of the package at home. Sometimes they come from the factory tied in knots!
I start by cutting off a few of the hooks to make them more user friendly. Then I get a piece of pool noodle and wrap the sabiki around it embedding the hooks as I go. I clip a 2 oz torpedo sinker on it and slide the sinker down the hole in the middle of the noodle. It is way easier to handle like this. I bring a couple of them as they can be destroyed by a 7 lb bonito quite easily. You can use a snap on the end of your 15lb rig to make it easier to change from your sabiki to a lure quickly.



Know where the boundrys of the reserve are. Here is a picture of the sign at the launch. Do not fish inside the reserve.

I hope this helps.

Robert

[gone_fishing]

Great advice and tips gents! Much appreciated. I'll be headed out with a fishing buddy and we're trying to cover all bases prior to heading out. There's a wealth of knowledge and experience at AKF and sites targeting So Cal kayak fishing. Thanks again. See you on the water!
Hank