Corpusfishing.com

[Prof. Salt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6MGZL6MKi0&ab_channel=GlennMadden%28Prof.Salt%29

When I was assigned to work a busy registration event on Saturday I informed the boss that I would not be at work on Friday. All the gear was checked and ready, so by first light Friday morning I was on the beach prepping to head out through the surf. Waves were running 2.5 feet and it was pretty easy getting through ...although I did manage to catch a breaking wave on the third bar right that hit me right in the face, lol. I had launched behind a pair of guys in Hobie kayaks, and they were specks on the horizon as I came through the surf and got into a paddling rhythm. As I paddled I noticed a big shape ahead, and as I got close I could see a big loggerhead turtle was sleeping on the surface. As I passed him, he stuck his head above the surface to get a breath, and his eyes widened as he saw me and realized the potential danger. He dove out of sight as I paddled on. I used the two guys ahead as a carrot to keep motivated to move at a good clip, and 400 yards before the first rig I had passed them up. Getting there first isn't a primary goal, but it had been nearly a year since I'd paddled offshore and I was motivated to get to the fish.

At the first rig I put out one lure and one ribbonfish. I made three loops around the rig, trying normal trolling speeds, slow drifts and at different distances from the rig as I tried to locate a school or two of feeding fish. With no bites, I decided to troll on out to the other rigs in this set in the search. The second rig got one tight loop out of me before I headed to the third and by far the largest rig. This one almost always has a school around it, and on the second loop around I finally got a hit. It wasn't a giant king but was a good eating size at 37". I stored the fish on ice and got back after it. A few rounds later I was on the same corner that gave me the earlier fish, and I stopped paddling to let the baits drift quietly deeper. There was no traffic around and there were no motor boats within earshot. As if the fish had read my mind, I got a strong bite that began to peel drag off the reel. As I wound in the other line, the drag was still dumping line, and even as I got the camera on and got the rod in hand, the fish was still running hard to the South. I finally stopped it about 150 yards out. The fish didn't feel like a typical kingfish, and I hoped that with all the heavy resistance maybe it was a cobia. If so this would be a keeper sized fish. I kept working as the fish towed us well North of the rig and into very open water. I gained line a few inches at a time and wondered if it was actually a kingfish where it might be hooked. I imagined having a hook in the back or belly (been there, done that) that would result in a longer and harder fight than usual, but that would also lend itself to pulling the hooks before landing the fish. When I finally got color and could see that it was a kingfish, I was still wondering why this fish was able to pull so hard. It was hooked in the mouth, but was heavier than it should be. From where I was sitting it didn't look that large, but sometimes fish are deeper than you think and end up being surprisingly large when they actually come aboard. I carry a gaff, but only keep the smaller fish if possible so this one would be grabbed by the tail and lifted into my lap for hook removal. Most fish are handled this way, and it allows for a very fast and pretty gentle release. As the fish tired and finally swam in the small circles that come at the very end of a fight, I was able to get a good grab on the tail. When I pulled it aboard to remove the hooks I was reminded of just how large kings can be - this one would measure just over 55" and since it was nowhere near eating size it needed to be released quickly. After a quick heft to get some video, I put it back into the water and pumped the fish up and down a few times before letting it go. I'm always amazed that even in pretty clear water they disappear from view as quickly as you let them go. I splashed some water on my sleeves and pants to remove most of the slime and straightened out the bent wire rig before re-rigging it to go again.

On the next trip around the rig I had another hit followed by a short run. I knew pretty quickly it was probably a Spanish Mackerel, and that was fine by me. These fish are good table fare and I have several friends who love to eat them. The fish was about 22" and went right onto the ice. I reloaded a ribbonfish and continued to circle the rig in search of more kings. I paddled out to the small standpipe farther offshore, then around another rig before returning to the larger rig. As I approached, an odd looking bird caught my attention. It was the size of a frigate bird but the wings were a different shape. I watched as it approached and flew right over me. It was a booby, a pretty rare bird in this neighborhood. I watched as it worked around the rig and left towards the North still searching for its next meal.

As I paddled back to the rig I noticed one of the Hobie guys was approaching. I let him know how I was finding fish and went back to my search. It took several more times around the rig to locate another fish. Usually there will be fish staged off to the South of this one, but I made several passes in that area without any strikes. As I made my way back to the rig again and passed by that SE corner that gave me the big fish, I slowed down and drifted to let the baits go deep again. I big green sea turtle surfaced beside the rig and dove back into the depths out of view. Right on cue the line went off again, and I switched on the camera. This fish was a solid one, but didn't fight as well as the previous one. Within a couple of minutes this one was pinwheeling beside the boat as I waited for the chance to grab its tail. I planned to let this 45" fish go, but when it came aboard one of the hooks was badly embedded inside the mouth against the gills. It was bleeding a lot and I knew it would not survive as I wrenched the hook out with pliers. As the pliers twisted a tooth shot out of the kings jaw and landed right in my open mouth ...ew. I spit the little tooth out and removed the hook from my latest guest before putting him on ice.

I worked around all the rigs for several hours and things had become pretty quiet. At one point I paddled up to a rig and dropped a 1 ounce spoon to catch a live bait. As I brought the spoon back toward the surfaces I was twitching it while reeling. Suddenly the rod bent and drag began to scream. Oops, this was not live bait. I let the wind blow us away from the rig as I worked on the fish, and when it finally came up it was another king around 40". This fish completed my limit, and I began to work toward the truck as I circled each rig a few more times on the way back. When I got no attention at the closest rig, I reeled in the lures and just headed for the beach. I had forgotten what it felt like to sit on a kayak for over 6 hours without a seat to lean on. My core felt pretty good, but some of the muscles attached to my hips were burning and not used to this anymore, lol. The answer to that is to do it more, so I will be on the lookout for calm seas so I can spend more time out here on the open water.

[ziacatcher]

Dang Glenn! That is awesome. And what is even more awesome is that you were able to sit in that kayak for 6 hours and catch fish. I can't sit in my recliner for 6 hours. Lol