Headed to Seward for my first Hobie trip.

Is anyone else headed out for the derby? I'm headed down Monday the 8th til Thursday. This will be my first time out on the open water on my PA 12, got the boat squared away but I'm worried about my fishing gear. I have a Abu Garcia 5500 with braided line, a couple of short rods I picked up second hand...and a flasher I picked up on clearance. I'm hoping that trolling vibrax will be adequate, but I haven't done this since I was a pre teen, and never from a kayak.

Anyone headed down ...i already asked that. Is anyone willing to straighten my trolling gear out at Cabelas? I'm on a <$150 budget for the fishing gear until payday. I'll pack up my fishing gear and meet someone at the store?

First time out and I really don't want to skunk out. I know the silvers are overall slow this year but I'll be fishing for 4 days.

Lastly, does anyone have a packing list they use for trips? If you don't have one handy I'll make my own, I like to have my checklist then rewrite it after every trip until the kitchen sink is on there.

I plan to use a spoon, 18" leader attached to a banana weight.  You gotta get it down there 20-40 feet.  I confess to NEVER have caught a silver via kayak, but I hope to have the jist by now.  This time last year we saw Rudy in Seward, but I think we were just a little early for the Silvers.  I plan to go down with my crew the 26th.  Hopefully they'll be running more heavily by then. 

Question:  How do i use a flasher?  I used every combination of leader, banana weight, and flasher that I could come up with, but the result was always the same.  The weight goes down first and makes everything else tangle around it.  What am i doing wrong?

I'm thinking of using a spreader bar, or a three way swivel. Might have both of those hookups set up for whatever situations I see on the water. Either way, I'm making this up on the fly.

I plan to use a spoon, 18" leader attached to a banana weight.  You gotta get it down there 20-40 feet. 
Question:  How do i use a flasher?  I used every combination of leader, banana weight, and flasher that I could come up with, but the result was always the same.  The weight goes down first and makes everything else tangle around it.  What am i doing wrong?

Keep your speed up as you drop your line, if your still getting tangles slow the rate that you drop your line to depth. A lesson I got from Rudy is to keep your leader less than 3 feet to help land fish.
GOOD LUCK

LOL!  I KNEW it!  I was out there over an hour trying to figure it out and the speed thing was the only possible solution I could come up with.  Unfortunately, since my wife is the only one with a mirage drive, I'll have to figure out something else or not use a flasher. 

LOL!  I KNEW it!  I was out there over an hour trying to figure it out and the speed thing was the only possible solution I could come up with.  Unfortunately, since my wife is the only one with a mirage drive, I'll have to figure out something else or not use a flasher.

If you're in a paddle kayak, you need a rod holder that holds your rod in a position that won't interfere with your paddle stroke and a casting/conventional reel.  Paddle to build some momentum, then engage free spool to drop your gear while the boat is still moving.  Adjust the free spool tension so that your gear descends at a slow, controlled rate.  Keep adding paddle strokes to keep the boat moving forward until your gear is on depth.  If you have a spinning rod, you're in quite the pickle since deploying your gear ar a controlled rate takes both hands.  Pedal drive boats are a troller's best friend.

Anyone going for Seward derby August 11-21?    I will be there 8/16-18; my first time for this event...any help would be great: where I should launch, park, and campgrounds?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like to use Miller's Landing to camp when I'm in Seward.  You can pull your yak up on the rocks under the porch and not have to herc it to your campsite every time.  I'm going down on the 26th.  I went this time last year and the silvers weren't really in there too thick.

Like coastie I like to camp at miller landing and launch from there.  If you are trying for salmon you can troll the entire side from the sea life center to cains head, last time I was down there people were catching sea run dollies as well. just know that the current starts to pick up as well as the wind between noon and 2 with it seeming to die down between 6 & 8.   The earlier or later you  go the easier it is to get around in the bay.  I have not yet tried the other side by thumbs cove but it seems to be a shorter paddle with more protected waters which makes it easy going. I am going  to do that at the end of the month but I will be trolling until I get to some rock fish spots people have told me about. 

I'll probably see you down there t bird, I'm there same days and launching from millers. Rudy did a good writeup on alaskakayakfisher.com

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

fished seward today off a 71ft yacht.  more business than fishing.  still these guys knew what the were doing  granite pt, Cape Resurrection, rugged island...ZERO cohos if yiu don't count the dozen shakers.  BUT  we did land 3 feeder kings.  crazy year.  I may actually try the derby.  any decent fish has a chance.  it's going to be tough unless there is some crazy surge soon.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

hmmmmmm some noobie mooching a size 3 vibrax is going to win! I will be that noobie!

Food for thought, Silvers came into Valdez maybe might happen at Seward

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/154369-Valdez-silvers-coming

As I mentioned, I may try it later in the week.  it's a derby and it only takes one big fish or one tagged fish.  I'd rather compete against fewer fish anyways.  the closer they are to Seward, the bigger they tend to be. 

The bad thing is I've heard they are already snagging fish by the culverts so a few fish are already into town....makes me think the mass isn't there... but yah never know.  This cooler weather might help. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Hope to see you out there Rudy. As I mentioned I could use some help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk