Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3908 Mar 27- Apr 10 | Page 22

20 Mar 27-Apr 10, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 8 Spotlight On Kayak Fishing... Sponsered by Kayak City in Citrus Heights, CA Kayak City.Com 916.565.1400 Kayaking for Ocean Kings! By Uminchu Naoaki Salmon season is just around the corner, and near shore Northern California provides one of the premier king salmon fisheries on the West Coast. Nothing compares to freshly killed fatty Chinook salmon meat, and in my opinion, the bigger fish the better! The big salmon have such a nice and firm meat and are higher in good oil. With a kayak and a little knowledge, you can get high end bay area restaurant grade fish practically for free. When I started kayak fishing back in 2005, the salmon fishery was nearly collapsed in our region. I lived in Bodega Bay at that time, so I was targeting them almost every day. I finally got one on a kayak 2009, but still the fishing was hit or miss. If you even got Uminchu Naoaki crushed this incredible king salmon while fishing offshore of Fort Bragg last a hookup from a kayak, that would be a good day. summer. Photo courtesy of UMINCHU NAOAKI, What a difference a little time Kayak City Fishing Team. makes. In the last few years salmon fishing has been really good, and I’ve been doing pretty well. Lots of small fish have been around but last season I limited out on my last half dozen trips while kayaking. Safety First! Make sure to have all the safety equipment and know your way around a kayak before fishing. Salmon fishing in the ocean is pretty high-level stuff. You’re paddling a mile or so offshore with heavy equipment, so make sure you’re comfortable in any situation (practice safe rescue, in & out of the surf zone, navigating heavy fog, etc…) Also, always keep your eyes on the weather. The online weather sites and weather apps are a big help. You can check out good detailed predictions hour Chris Mayes got this beautiful chrome while kayaking off the north coast in 2019. Photo courtesy of UMINCHU NAOAKI, Kayak City Fishing Team. by hour in lots of popular locations. But know that everyone has a different tolerance of conditions and the ocean can change in an instant, so be ready to pull the plug if you’re not comfortable. Location, Location, Location! Fish must be there to get caught and salmon are a school fish, so whether they are there or not will determine your success. On a kayak, you can only cover so many miles, so keep up on the reports and choose the locations. I believe the depth is very important for salmon fishing, not only the depth of water fish are cruising, but also which contour lines they are following. Listening to the marine radio to get on the water real time reports will help increase the odds of catching them. How? Most methods will work on the kayak (trolling diver, sinker releases, and downriggers), some are easier than others. I use downriggers mainly because I do not like to buy expensive lead weights every time I hook rockfish or snag on the jelly. It’s a little more sophisticated to use a downrigger on the kayak, but I like the idea of knowing exactly where my bait is compared to divers. It’s definitely nice to have a peddle kayak while you are trolling. It takes much less effort to peddle a kayak at a good trolling speed and you can deploy your setups easier. Most kayak trolling speeds are 1.5-2.5mph and usually a little slower than the power boats, so you want to use presentations that work at a low speed. Best of all, just enjoy being outdoors! Many people pay good money to be out there to see the wildlife and nature. Most of us chasing salmon encounter whales breaching regularly since they’re eating on the same thing as the kings. Kayaking for salmon off the California coast is sort of like seeing a National Geographic show in person! TACTICAL STORM PROOF GEAR BAGS TAKE THE BATTLE TO THE WATER WITH THE EGO TACTICAL DRY BAG SERIES! 100% WATERPROOF HIGH-PERFORMANCE TPU FABRIC Landing a limit of handsome kings is one of the ultimate accomplishments for a Norcal kayaker. Photo courtesy of UMINCHU NAOAKI, Kayak City Fishing Team. NOW AVAIABLE AT WWW.EGOFISHING.COM NEW FOR 2019