Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3711 May 11-25 2018 | Page 2

Sonoma County Kayak Bottom Fish Adventure by Savanna Maddox As a Santa Rosa native, I’ve always had a taste for the water rather than the wine that consumes most of the agriculture in Sonoma County. With less than an hour drive from prime rockfish and lingcod fishing, I set off to quench my desire for the water and, most importantly, fishing. My boyfriend and I soon arrive to our destination and see other excited anglers who had the same plan as us. As we venture out into the ocean, I visualize the huge lingcod and cabezon we both hope to catch. The waves are mild and the morning’s daylight begins to break through the overcast, foretelling a good day on the northern California coast. We set off in our Hobie kayaks, a 2015 Hobie Mi- rage Outback and a 2017 Hobie Mirage Revolution, equipped with 4oz jigs and Big Hammer swimbaits. As we approach large rock formations that protrude from the oceans waves, I know there’s opportunity to catch my tar- get species. With my Hobie Mirage Drive 180, I utilize the reverse feature when I float too close to the rocks, a huge benefit when I’m holding the rod and can quickly move backwards rather than grab my paddle. Once the fish finder reads 30 - 40 feet and displays the ocean floor arched and studded with rocks, it’s telling me that these ambushing fish are there. I drop my swimbait until I feel the structure underneath and bounce it along the bottom as I sway with the waves. Keeping the line tot, I eventually feel a swift pull that actives an intense fight between me and this unknown fish. As I crank the fish up, I see the beautiful blue and grey camou- flage gleaming in the water; my first lingcod of the day. As I am only out on the ocean to catch fish and enjoy the day at the coast, I release him to swim again. With more than several lingcod and a cabezon caught and released, I kayak to a rock that sits farther out from the shore. Soon enough, I am sitting above a depth of 90 - 150 feet. I pause when the fish finder outlines a rough ocean floor and then I send my lure on its long journey to the bottom. Jigging the swimbait up and down, I feel it bump against varying rocks and catch on the kelp. Eventually, my adrenaline starts pumping as I feel my sturdy rod bend and my muscles brace for another fight. I’m convinced it’s a lingcod as it’s pulling like large lingcod do. This fight lasts a lot longer, compared to the usual shallow waters that I fish. After reeling my line 120 ft., I see a color I did not anticipate- orange! I’d caught an unusually large Copper Rockfish almost equivalent to the record weight for this species caught in California. I attempted to release the fish; however, its body stayed afloat like a buoy on the tide. Because rockfish experience barotrauma, which causes the gas in the fish’s swim bladder to expand and often preventing the fish from swimming down to its original depth, I decided to save the copper rockfish for a future meal. This was a reminder to me to keep a descending device on me, espe- cially when fishing deep depths. Although I usually target lingcod and cabezon with large swimbaits, I now have a new desire to catch trophy rockfish with these large lures. The fight of these massive groundfish is what keeps my allure for the ocean alive and the reason you will see me on my kayak from sunrise to sunset. As I wait for the recreational groundfish season for my location to open, I’m dreaming of the fish that will be the highlight of my 2018 saltwater fishing season. Savanna Maddox- Instagram: @svnnmddx For Kayaks, Advise & More.... KayakCity.com 916-565-1400 7812 Auburn Blvd • Citrus Heights, CA