By Andy Allen
I'm really not certain if the term "sleigh ride" was
coined when recounting the adventurous event shortly
after the first kayak angler hooked into a yellowtail, but
that's where I would lay my money. What other SoCal
20-lb. class game fish is capable of quickly
diminishing your spool of line? This relentless
adversary then tows you and your "sled" over great
distances, only to be finalized with a vertical slug-out.
The California yellowtail is the brute of all inshore
species.
Many variables affect when these pelagics will arrive
in our waters, as well as in what numbers and where
they will set up shop. Most of these schools winter in
the waters off central Baja, traveling several hundred
miles. Warming water, water quality and an
abundance of forage will bring them to the areas
surrounding our inshore kelp beds and hold them
there through the summer.
Springtime pursuit of these stubborn, fighting jacks
usually consists of slow-trolling live bait while
searching for visible signs of surfacing fish. This
commences by making bait. Mackerel, both
greenbacks and Spanish, sardines and even smelt
will do. The Pacific greenback is a prime yellowtail bait
and remember, there is no bait too large for that big
game fish. Schools of fish can run anywhere between
5 and 40 lbs. with 20-lb. fish a good year's average.
Once baited up, stalk close to the kelp line, or work
your way along the deep bluewater drop-offs,
constantly scanning the waters for signs of activity.
When fish are holding very tight to the kelp, the use of
spectra with a short top-shot of mono has turned
many potential heartbreakers into stories of success.
The strength and rougher texture of braid will cut
through the kelp strands, pulling the fish - likely lost
otherwise - out of harm's way.
Trolling a single, fly-lined bait keeps it simple. If two
lines are trolled, running one long and one short will
avoid tangles. Instead of nose-hooking the longer run
bait, try hooking it through the back of the head. Doing
so forces the mackerel's head down, causing it to
swim deeper. This further aids in avoiding lines
getting crossed, as well as putting one bait farther
down in the water column. This also keeps your
connections simple with one knot to the hook and no
added weight.
The shorter line can be run very close to the stern. It's
hard to believe how close it will get bit by these
sometimes skittish, yet always curious fish. Keeping
this bait close, combined with rigging it on a longer 8-
foot rod, makes it possible to be retrieved and pitched
when encountering visible fish.
