Homer halibut trip 3/10-3/14

Flasher or dodger. Inline flashers are great because you can put the weight directly to it but it doesn't impart any additional action.

I HATE circle hooks. My advice. Do t bother. But there folks who have no problem with them. I'm not going to use them unless I run into a bunch of chickens. Even then I'd prefer to set the hook early to avoid gut hookung. My theory is the kayak doesn't offer enough resistance line an anchored long line or a big powerboat. Multiple times I have had a halibut come up, open its mouth and the hook just popped up.

I'm with you. I LOVE rearing back and setting the hook. No circle hooks for me except in specialized cases.

ARGH.... Did anyone survive?

Not looking good for this weekend. I think it's fishable from off the spit but it's not going to be fun.  Maybe I;ll work this weekend to get days off before the derby.  Looks like the weather will get better by then.  Hoping this crazy weather mixes up the fish a bit.  It'll give us a better chance if the fish are on the move. 

Comine this forecast with single digit or temps in the low teens and its a problem....

PKZ141-130115-
KACHEMAK BAY-
356 AM AKDT THU MAR 12 2015

...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY...
.TODAY...NW WIND 15 KT. GUSTS TO 25 KT NEAR THE OUTER BAY. SEAS 2
FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY NEAR THE OUTER BAY.
.TONIGHT...N WIND 15 KT. GUSTS TO 25 KT NEAR THE OUTER BAY. SEAS
2 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY NEAR THE OUTER BAY.
.FRI...NW WIND 15 KT. GUSTS TO 25 KT NEAR THE OUTER BAY. SEAS 3
FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY NEAR THE OUTER BAY.
.FRI NIGHT...NW WIND 20 KT. SEAS 2 FT.
.SAT...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 6 FT.
.SUN...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 5 FT.
.MON...E WIND 15 KT. SEAS 2 FT.

I am going to hit the Spit on the 20th for a trial run before the derby, I don't have the courage to try earlier as the weather looks pretty snarky. If the long range weather projections hold for the 21st it may be a good day to be out ... for March.

I plan to prefish on the 20th as well, though I have learned  not to succumb too badly to my fishing addiction and call it an early day on pre-fish day.  Just getting too damn old to fish three or four consecutive days it seems!

Nasty now, but I think this might help us.  Hopefully it keeps a lot of powerboats off the water.  I know a few are fishing hard and they AREN'T sharing the info. Typical pre-derby.  lol. 

Lets stay in touch here.  I;ll wait till tomorrow before I make a call for Sat or Sun.  I don't mind fishing omne short day in brutall conditions as I want to get some winter footage.   

I'm supposed to hit Homer the night of the 20th but let me know if you're going down earlier and maybe I will too.

7 months in a row baby!!  No vid.   Still on the water.

7 months in a row baby!!  No vid.   Still on the water.

Good on ya Rudy, you desevre the fish. You have to be the hardest working fisherman I know.

It was nice seeing all of you down there for the tournament. I heard many comments from others about the number of kayaks out there. Someone suggested and I thought about maybe next year we can do a side bet just for the kayaks/non-motorized anglers which would include those anglers that were on the beach. What are your thoughts?

Although I caught a few cod and a huge Irish Lord, I had my shot at a king but blew it. I had a lot of fun trolling out there and I learned a few valuable lessons on this trip like:
o I would have liked to get down there and fish a few days before but my schedule just didn't allow it. Next year I'll make sure to have enough time to get down there and do some scouting trips, maybe even take a water taxi to the Bluffs or Pogi Point. 

o This was my first time fishing with a 9ft rod and having the down rigger in the position that I had it. I now know why EVERYONE says reel the down rigger up so you can play your fish without an additional worry. I also am going to switch my down rigger cable to braid instead of the steel that came with it. It was humming pretty loud whenever I went against the current and my ball was probably too light because it would rise up significantly.

o I'll make sure to have my net extended already. When I went to net the salmon I somehow managed to make the retainer pin slip into the hand and the net separated completely from the handle. Not cool. I also need to work on landing a thrashing king with a mooching rig hanging from its mouth because I scooped at a bad angle and hit the second hook with the net, further helping the down rigger cable neatly cut my fluorocarbon leader.

o The structure and down scan feature on my fish finder is awesome and I saw my salmon trail behind my bait before taking it. Of course I had no way to know if it was a salmon or a cod but I knew it was a decent sized fish that strayed away from a huge bait ball to follow my kayak. That was very exciting to watch. I wish I had one of those cool down rigger camera things that allows you to see the strike.

o I learned the precious lesson of clip tension on the down rigger cable. My first fish didn't release the clip for quite some time. What is the best tension strength for salmon?

This was my first Cook Inlet/Kachemak Bay trip in the kayak so thank you Rudy for all the info you have put on this site and your other sites. I got to see the tide swing in action and that gives me more confidence to hit the other places like Deep Creek and Whiskey Gulch.

Again, it was nice to meet you all and I had a blast. If any of you want to hit the water sometime just let me know and I'll see if I'm available.

my 2cents - set the DR clip only as tight as it needs to be to avoid most false releases. err on the side of too loose. you want generally want to set the hook as soon as possible after the fish hits, and you can't do so until the clip has released.

Great write up Derrick!  Dang you almost had it.  I think what dwb123 says is generally true. BUT I use braid and I prefer it as tight as I can comfortable release with a decent yank. The thought being I want as much pressure on the initial strike to drive the hook home. I would say that even with kings, half my fish I have to release the clip by yanking on the rod.  By then I've towed the fish 20 yards.  A lot of fish swim with the kayak after hooked.   But Hook is set. I try to Set the hook while traveling at full speed. That takes up the slack the fastest. It also keeps the fish away from the kayak as you reel in the downrigger ball.

.  I also have my drag ultralight. I bet no more than 5 to 7 pounds of drag. That's all tha is required to turn the kayak and I can thumb down for additional pressure. I've had my release over tightened and a ten pound King just about pulled me over.

Mid April to May I'll switch to Whiskey Gulch. Bigger kings and a shot at halibut.

Let's fish!!!!

They are also really soft.

Thanks for the input from both of you. I think I'll hit Homer mid Apr and see if I can't find my first kayak king.