Jeanine_Langvik_at_moh.govt.nz wrote: > > Re fishing from kayaks.... Has anyone (fishermen and women) got any good > tips on how to fish successfully from a seakayak, (ie without doing stupid > things like losing the fishing rod, getting constantly tangled up in > seaweed, catching inedible fish like baracudas... etc etc). We're planning > an extended kayak trip in remote areas of Fiordland, New Zealand, and would > be really keen to get better at catching those fish! Use a short "boat rod," max length 6 - 7 feet, with a casting reel -- Penn makes good ones -- not a spinning reel. Equip it with 30 lb test monofilament. Purists will go for light tackle and a spinning reel. I assume you want meat, not sport. Buy a dozen "plastic worms," favoring dark colors with metal-flake in them, and a half-dozen "bottom-fishing lead-headed jigs." These things have the hook molded right in with the lead, and come in sizes from 1/2 ounce on up. I use 1 oz, 1.5 oz., 2 oz., and 3 oz., depending on how much weight is needed to get down. Thread the worm head first onto the hook, leaving the curved and pointed part of the hook exposed, and the tail of the worm dangling seductively. These arrangments are way cheaper than pre-manufactured lures like the buzz bomb. And it's a good thing, 'cause bottom-fishing involves lots of lost lures. To catch fish, select water 30 - 50 feet deep (you can fish as deep as 100 feet, but it is a lot more work) and allow the worm-equipped jig to hit the bottom. Set the drag, and reel in slightly, so you can feel the jig hit the bottom (line will go slack). Bounce the lure on the bottom, using a "jigging" motion, and haul like hell when you feel a fish hit the lure (they are not subtle). Only keep the big ones. (Use long-nose pliers to release the hook, because the spines on fish will make nasty puncture wounds.) There is not much meat on small (young) bottom fish, especially if you do not know how to use a fillet knife. The best fishing is in rocky-bottomed channels in which the current runs during flood and ebb, though it is very difficult to fish on the bottom in even weak currents (1 knot is tough; 1.5 knots or greater is impossible without a downrigger). NZ bottom fish are probably similar to those in our (cold) waters up here, but check with the NZ fish and game people for species/size limits, and for species which might be poisonous or inedible. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Oct 07 1998 - 21:25:53 PDT
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