Flat fish

 Hey has any one in here caught any flat fish (halibut, flounder, sole, etc) off of a kayak? If so where and what bait do you use?

I've done it in California, but not here in Oregon.  I image you can catch starry flounder in the most of the estuaries around here on a simple baited bottom rig.

As for halibut, most halibut in Oregon are caught pretty deep and out of kayak range.  Up north in BC and AK they are more commonly caught by kayakers.

I've fished for CA Halibut in Monterey Bay.  10-15' of water.  Jigs, squid, whole fish bait (herring, chovies, etc...).

With the rise in pinnipeds we don't have much of any flatfish in the bays around here (Yaquina, Alsea, Siletz, Salmon).  We've seen a significant decline over the last 4 years.  That's not to say there aren't any - just that I haven't seen one caught for as long as I can remember.

Greg

 I am amazed that people are not catching flat fish. I did some free divivng off the end of Charleston about 6 weeks ago and there were thousands of small flat fish....Flounder I think. I dont know the habits of those fish, maybe they take off for the deep right away. But it sure seemed like there would be a great fishery for them in this area with the numbers we were seeing that day.

I've done it in California, but not here in Oregon.  I image you can catch starry flounder in the most of the estuaries around here on a simple baited bottom rig.

As for halibut, most halibut in Oregon are caught pretty deep and out of kayak range.  Up north in BC and AK they are more commonly caught by kayakers.

hey brian, dont we have something in archives about chris from ketchikan having a monster hali towing him for several hours?? maybe that would satisfy the curiousity...

I caught a starry flounder off the southern Oregon coast early this summer from the yak. I was using a 4oz. white dart jig. I normally catch lings on that jig, but the flounders must like them to. I'm still waiting to catch a halibut from my kayak. Zac

Flatfish? I was actually considering changing my handle to soleman after a couple of trips to the Seattle area. Zeelander's backyard is crawling with them. I've been up there to fish in the yak 2 or 3 times and all I could catch was little sole or starry eyed flounder or,,,I don't know what they are called (ask bsteves) but little, flat fish. Lots of them (sand dabs?). Not a lot of fight, but next time I'm eating them.

Flatfish? I was actually considering changing my handle to soleman after a couple of trips to the Seattle area. Zeelander's backyard is crawling with them.

This is true. The sole, rock sole I believe, are really thick out here. If you troll any kind of bait too low, they'll be on yout hook. Actually they're so voracious that when I was jigging for halibut they'd go for my 6 oz. jig w/ single assist hook! Not an easy feat for such a small fish.

While trolling for salmon the other day I got some fatties. Both came in at 17" and thick.

Z

I too am interested in catching some sole from the kayak. I used to fish for sand dabs off of the east end of Catalina when I was a kid. We would use squid for bait, and use a setup with 10 long shanked hooks. We fished in about 300ft of water. I remember catching 75 of them one trip. They were very tasty when fried in a little butter! Merlin, if you figure out how to catch them in Charleston, let me know. I also used to see rock sole while diving at the mouth of the Siuslaw. I just might have to give catching them a try.

Dave

I too am interested in catching some sole from the kayak. I used to fish for sand dabs off of the east end of Catalina when I was a kid. We would use squid for bait, and use a setup with 10 long shanked hooks. We fished in about 300ft of water. I remember catching 75 of them one trip. They were very tasty when fried in a little butter! Merlin, if you figure out how to catch them in Charleston, let me know. I also used to see rock sole while diving at the mouth of the Siuslaw. I just might have to give catching them a try.

Dave

Hey GD, sorry for not getting back to your PM. Catching these guys is too easy. Anything shiny. I've had times were I'd be changing looking for something on the yak with the lure in the water and when I'm done ready to pull the line in there was a sole hanging off the hook! Easy as pie to catch and I agree, really tasty!

Z

Zeelander where are you catching all of these sole at? I have now seen these little guys while diving in Charleston and Winchester bay. I have tried to catch them out of Winchester using a bunch of different bait and lures but no luck.....of coarse that was fishing off the rocks so it might have been that my bait just wasnt getting out far enough.
 GD I will keep you let you know if I get it figured out.

I've really caught them all over Puget Sound. Anywhere I drop a lure too close to the bottom they're on my hook. Could be a PS thing, dunno.

Z

Hey Merlin, where off of Charleston were you diving on the flat fish?

 Go into Charleston and take a right at Davey Jones locker. Go all the way down past the end of the docks and there is a dirt/gravel road on the right. If you follow that road all the way out it has a nice little parking spot. At that point you are even with the end of the docks. On the right side is some old building that sits on piers. If you start diving (or theoretically speaking.....fishing) on the left (east I think) side of the building then work your way around the spit in the direction of the jetty you will be into a mass of flat fish.
  The two times I went free diving out there we saw literally thousands of little flat fish. They were all to small to be worth spearing, but I wasn't diving very deep. The water drops off to 30+ feet there and I was only diving about 10. Now as these fish get bigger they are obviously going some place. What I would like to know is if they are just dropping off into the deeper water in the area, or if they are heading out to sea.

Thanks, I walk my dogs there almost every day. Thinking about launching at that beach tomorrow and heading out the mouth of the jetty and fishing for some Salmon in the ocean. It was real flat when i was there this morning.

The flounder probably head out to the ocean after they get a certain age, same as the 5 inch Lings i was catching in the  harbor when i was jigging for Herring with a sabiki rig the last couple of weeks.