Author: Tavis Kagawa
Part 3 (Offshore Kayak Fishing Series)
Sorry for the delay, but here is part 3 of impractical, practical kayak fishing techniques. Keep in mind that the purpose of this is for those who want to multipurpose and in some cases Bullbuster tackle in bulk can help to save money and allow you to spend more time fishing.
It all starts with the secondary pole. My secondary pole is actually my main pole in a lot of ways. Although I don't rig it for bigger fish by default, I often find that I catch more pounds of fish on this pole than my “main†line. This set up is intended to be extremely versatile and I usually catch bait and large game fish on the same pole on the same trip.
Basics, I usually use a pole 6-7 feet in length and go for lighter action. Having a high quality rod and reel is important here, even though it is set for lighter line because of large gap between fish weights. I typically use a fairly soft jigging pole and a small reel that can handle line weights between 30-65 lb braid. Soft tips are crucial here when dealing with the smaller fish.
Backing the reel up with 30-50 lb test, I like to have at least 400 yards of line in case I hook on to something large. I usually top this off with 40-100lb flouro or mono. This will let me switch to any rig that I need for larger predatory fish. My favorite knot for this connection is hands down the FG. The reason for this is I often use jigs or other lures and the FG knot is easy to cast when necessary.
After this I usually attach about 10-15 feet of light flouro or mono (10-15lb test) to the existing top shot by using an albright knot. This is essentially used as a breakaway line. Usually when you are live baiting, you will catch your bait first. So having the light line at the end before you tie on your sabiki rig will help with shy bait fish. When you are done catching bait you can simply clip the light line off and tie your hook, lure, or other leader to the top shot for bigger fish.
I find that using a breakaway style helps to save time on the water and allows you to be a lot more versatile while bringing less equipment on the kayak. Although many anglers would prefer to just have separate poles for separate set-ups, I enjoy the benefits of less gear on the water. Some of them are:
Less equipment to maintain and spool.
Quicker set up and break down.
More cost effective.
Less clutter on the kayak.
The primary rod usually always has a bait or trolling lure on it. At the same time the secondary rod gives me options to throw an additional bait out, jig, or bottom fish at the same time depending on what I am doing that day. Double strikes are still highly likely and I have even managed to get fish in the 60-80lb range up on the lighter pole.
Hope this was useful for those looking for some alternative rigging set-ups or those who want to reduce the amount of gear on their yak. Good luck out there!
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