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
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