A few yellow tail fishing questions

[jimmyle]

Sabiki Rig:
I have never used one before. I just bought one and don't like to handle this on my kayak. Has anyone ever cut the sabiki rig down to one or two hooks only? I rather spend a little bit more time getting bait and be safe.

Hook Size for trolling with live mackerel:
What hook size do I need to use with the mackerels for Yellowtails in La Jolla? Can you catch Bonita or White Sea Bass with this method?

Fishing with Irons:
I had read various postings about yoyoing for Yellowtails with Irons in the Winter. Basically throwing it down, and cranking it up as fast as you can. Is April-May still a good time to do this? Can you catch White Sea Bass or Bonita with this method?

Many thanks,

[KirkG.]

I had the same concerns using the Sabiki and I think the easiest thing to do is use one of the Sabiki rods, where the hooks go inside the rod and only the weight sticks out the top untill it's in use. Then you just reel in all back inside so there arent any hooks whipping around.
I have seen some homemade jobs, if money is a concern, where you use a PVC pipe and an old reel. Hose clamp the reel to the PVC pipe, drill a small hole about 6-8" above that and thread the line thru the pipe to the top. Attach the Sabiki and weight to your main line and there you go, Sabiki rod on the cheap.

Hope this helps for at least one of the questions.

KirkG.

[beardedguy]

Hi Jimmy!!
I cut mine down to two hooks. I don't like them flying around with a bunch of
macs either. I put a snap swivel on both ends, then a two oz sinker on the bottom
and I snap the upper end to the bait hook on the rod I will use for fly lining bait.
Works for me.

[zinkysd]

Jimmy,
As far hook size goes it depend on the size of the bait you're catching, but as a general rule I start at 2/0 for a 6-7 inch mack and work up from there to a 4/0-5/0 for a 12 inch green back. And yes you can catch White C bass & Bonito by trolling, just drop your bait back about 50' and start a sloooow paddle.

Fishing the yoyo iron is a great way to fish and just about anything will eat it from T-shark to Bonito. As the water warms up fish tend to move up in the water column, so the yoyo iron becomes less effective. Most guys switch over to surface iron. To answer your question April and May are still good times to yoyo.


In the summer months most fishing is done on the surface, with Bonito & Barracuda becoming more of a nuisance when trying to catch a yellow and the White C bass bite slows down. Hope this helps

Ken
Team Dana Point Jet Ski

[jimmyle]

Hi Ken,

Thanks very much for your detailed explaination. Actually I would love to catch a bonita. I love the taste of it (but you need to prepared it right).

I will try to alternate between yoyoing and trolling.

[jimmyle]

Richard,

OK, I will cut my sabiki rig down to 2 hooks. I don't plan to have a separate sabiki rod. There are too much stuffs to carry on the kayak already.

Thanks,