Don't winterize the kayak yet... Homer Kings

[Kardinal_84]

lol. The GREAT news is the kayaks take very little winterization! Makes it easy to hit up these feeder kings in late fall and winter during a break in the weather. MUCH easier than those beautiful 26ft plus dual outboard heated cabin boats I secretly lust for!

The fishing is apparently better much further off shore but you can still scratch out a few in lower cook inlet close to shore. It makes me chuckle to think I used to combat fish for kings. A) these saltwater fish are premium in terms of meat quality. B) There is never anyone else around. I would welcome more particiaption in a large bay!!

[stid2677]

Darn cool,, I like it.

[MaxBaglimit]

Very nice! Thanks for the heads up.

[AKBroncoII]

Great video! I saw you on saturday and it looked like you were having a great time. I'm glad you found them. I tried over near seldovia for a couple hours. Didn't get anything so caught some rockfish and halibut instead. Saw you around 4 near the green can. I was in the big red inflatable. Almost stopped to see how you were faring.

[Kardinal_84]

Great video! I saw you on saturday and it looked like you were having a great time. I'm glad you found them. I tried over near seldovia for a couple hours. Didn't get anything so caught some rockfish and halibut instead. Saw you around 4 near the green can. I was in the big red inflatable. Almost stopped to see how you were faring.

Thx all. Definitely stop by next time and say hello. Lots of bait but lots of pollocj too. Should pick up all through November! My salmon season just started! Lol.


AlaskaKayakFisher.com
Guidesak.blogspot.com
My personal pages...I'm not a guide.

[Burntfrog]

What kind of bait you using out there? Incoming tide or outgoing? I dont have a sea Kayak, but you're making me want to get one!

[Kardinal_84]

What kind of bait you using out there? Incoming tide or outgoing? I don't have a sea Kayak, but you're making me want to get one!

I am telling ya (no bias..lol) these things are the ULTIMATE individual fishing platforms! Takes the place of my friends float tubes, pontoon, canoe, drift boat, AND ocean going boat! I recommend a sit on top kayak and a paddling suit. Not a traditional sit inside sea kayak.

In that area, I fish the outgoing tide. i think that water flow pins the bait up against the shore. If you look at a depth chart, the contour line runs along land's end hotel out to about the mid way point of the condos. then it heads out towards the buoy. That "corner" at various depths is a great spot. Here's a good charting app online. Click on the sonar wavy thing on the bottom left to get better detail. zoom out and find the spit http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en

You can't use bait or downriggers near the tip of the spit right now because there are just too many pollock. I use a deep six, to a flasher, to needlefish hoochies. I have a write up here: https://sites.google.com/site/kayakf...shery---how-to

I think if you had surfcasting rods and gave it a go, you could catch a king if you didn't mind sorting through about 50 pollock for every king. But they are there.

[Myers]

I have a 12ft Old Town Vapor Angler, I added lots of stuff for fishing, rod holders, cargo cords, etc. The other day we went down the Kenai from Cooper Landing to Jim's, it was a challenge with that type of boat. My buddy had a 10.5 Perception. We knew what we were up against, usually doing it in a raft. The weather was epic and we were prepared for some wet boats! Recommend whitewater boats unless you really know the river! Our boats are not meant to be swift water boats, get the right kind for the water.

On that note: I'd like to try those winter kings! I was paddling around the spit this summer in the Vapor, it's better suited for a lake, but not bad near shore in the ocean.

[Burntfrog]

I am telling ya (no bias..lol) these things are the ULTIMATE individual fishing platforms! Takes the place of my friends float tubes, pontoon, canoe, drift boat, AND ocean going boat! I recommend a sit on top kayak and a paddling suit. Not a traditional sit inside sea kayak.

In that area, I fish the outgoing tide. i think that water flow pins the bait up against the shore. If you look at a depth chart, the contour line runs along land's end hotel out to about the mid way point of the condos. then it heads out towards the buoy. That "corner" at various depths is a great spot. Here's a good charting app online. Click on the sonar wavy thing on the bottom left to get better detail. zoom out and find the spit http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en

You can't use bait or downriggers near the tip of the spit right now because there are just too many pollock. I use a deep six, to a flasher, to needlefish hoochies. I have a write up here: https://sites.google.com/site/kayakf...shery---how-to

I think if you had surfcasting rods and gave it a go, you could catch a king if you didn't mind sorting through about 50 pollock for every king. But they are there.

Hey, I'll keep some pollock, thats good eating! I mean, that's what they make filet-o-fish from, right?

[Kardinal_84]

I have a 12ft Old Town Vapor Angler, I added lots of stuff for fishing, rod holders, cargo cords, etc. The other day we went down the Kenai from Cooper Landing to Jim's, it was a challenge with that type of boat. My buddy had a 10.5 Perception. We knew what we were up against, usually doing it in a raft. The weather was epic and we were prepared for some wet boats! Recommend whitewater boats unless you really know the river! Our boats are not meant to be swift water boats, get the right kind for the water.

On that note: I'd like to try those winter kings! I was paddling around the spit this summer in the Vapor, it's better suited for a lake, but not bad near shore in the ocean.

Nice!!

I have taken my 9 ft mini-x (paddle sit on top) and my Hobie Outback (13ft Pedal kayak) on the upper Kenai. Both worked great! The Upper was a tad too shallow for my Hobie. I could only use the pedal drive about a third of the time. I agree these kayaks without thigh straps are not the ideal craft but I have yet to have an issue with them in both flood stage and super skinny water on the Upper kenai. Too many people right now...give it another month! lol.

However, I do think my pedal kayak has the potential to revolutionize the non motorized days on the Lower Kenai...but that is another story....

Homer Spit kings are good for kayaks due to the natural wind block the spit makes from the East winds. I don't know how many times I have gone down after a forecast of 4 to 5 footers and found it to be glass calm right there.

[Kardinal_84]

Hey, I'll keep some pollock, thats good eating! I mean, that's what they make filet-o-fish from, right?

The Pollock right there are pretty clean. But yah, that's what fish sticks and fillet o fish are made out of. You just have to get past the worms. Even the clean ones have them. Commercial fillets have all been "candled" (worms picked out over a light table). I'm a pretty hard core meat fisherman who loves white fish....I don't keep them. But I can see if I had a boat that I could make a quick few strokes and soak the fillets in saltwater or something that would naturally de-worm them, i would consider it. My parents LOVE the pollock. They are a good eating fish.

[Myers]

Kardinal,
I'm on the same brain-wave as you! I too have a nice ocean boat, my favorite accessory on it is the kayak roof rack, if ya get my drift! I love kayaking!
I use to have about five different inflatable kayaks I would travel with (not at the same time of course...) they got sand in the hotel rooms. I rented a "Trident" brand sit on top angler kayak in New Zealand last year, incredible boat!!!

I get excited about kayaking when I read about your adventures, thanks for posting!

[Kardinal_84]

Ok...had to try again. Good news...a LOT fewer pollock. Bad news...no big kings. But I did manage another dozen smaller shakers. I wish I wouldn't catch so many of them. These fish are a lot softer than "river" salmon and the 4/0 hooks on these little guys can tear them up when they fight a kayak and a 11 inch flasher. I could have done a better job on the release.

Here's a 3 minute, minimally edited video just to document the conditions and the strikes. It's only in 480P for easier uploading. The little kings sure hit hard. No mistaking it versus a pollock. makes your heart jump but they need to grow a year or two more!

Weather was beautiful until I ran out of batteries. It was a pretty wild and wet rodeo after 1pm.

[Kardinal_84]

Tried again off a kayak. Managed a small keeper and a bunch of shakers. A few boats picked up some nice fish close. Pollock are a lot thinner...



AlaskaKayakFisher.com
Guidesak.blogspot.com
My personal pages...I'm not a guide.

[Kardinal_84]

Crappy but obligatory video since I did shoot some footage. Sorry the text stuff got misaligned. The small 6 pounder I kept I didn't get on video. as a perspective, I don't think any of the fish I landed on video were more than two pounds.