Few species of game fish generate as much excitement among Southern California anglers as the Pacific Yellowtail. When these powerful, great-tasting predators show up in bigger numbers, fisherman up and down the coast are quick to give chase. Hot spots range from Catalina and San Clemente Islands, all the way down to the lower Baja peninsula. But locating this powerful member of the Jack family is just part of the equation. You have to arm yourself with the right equipment and employ proper technique to gain the upper hand, especially when taking on oversized yellows. Everything from selecting an ideal hookbait to applying the right amount of pressure at a crucial stage of the fight can impact your success. FishingOnly.com (www.FishingOnly.com), an online angling community Web site
powered by e-commerce leader BoatersWorld.com, offers the following tips for putting more yellowtail on your boat
Gearing Up
Selecting gear that’s appropriate for taking on these hard-fighting game
fish should definitely be the first step of your battle plan. When
choosing your tackle, first consider the average size of the fish you’ll be catching. Going up against little 5- to 8-pound “rat” yellows may be an easy task on lighter-action tackle, but you will be severely out-gunned if you attempt to take on a 30-pound “mossback” yellow using the same type of outfit. Choosing quality line that’s strong enough to get the job done is equally important. Don’t expect to overtake and land a big yellow around heavy structure using 12- to 15-pound test. Match your gear and line to the size of the fish and the specific angling situation. If you will be live-bait fishing for larger yellows around heavy kelp or structure, you’ll need at least a medium-action saltwater rod, and a 3/O-size conventional reel spooled with 30-pound test. This kind of set-up will give you the backbone, line-strength and cranking power you’ll need to gain the upper hand. Your exact tackle needs, however, will depend heavily upon the specific angling technique/application you will be employing. While some rod and reel combinations may be able to serve “double duty,” you’ll probably want to gear up with an outfit that’s specialized for the application (ie. jig fishing, live-bait fishing, trolling). The safest approach is to bring multiple outfits with you, as you never really know what will work best until your out on the water.
Alive and Kicking
Yellowtail prefer a lively bait, so take the extra time to select the
healthiest anchovy, sardine or mackerel in the tank. If you are lucky enough to have live squid, you won't need to worry as much about how your bait swims -- yellows love this "candy bait" in any way, shape or form. Try fly-lining your bait (with little or no weight) when the fish are feeding near the surface. If the yellowtail are deeper in the water column, use a 1-to 4-ounce sliding sinker to get your offering down to the strike zone.
Current Events
Fishing a spot with a moderate amount of current will improve your chances of catching a yellowtail. Current adds more action to your bait, keeps it moving, and lets you cover more ground. If you can find an area with clean, blue 62- to 66-degree water, kelp and some current, the yellows should be willing to cooperate. At times when the current is totally slack, try slow trolling a sardine or small mackerel about 50 yards behind the boat, along the perimeter of a kelp bed or past an offshore kelp paddy.
Strike While the Iron is Hot
Yellowtail also love to nail fast-retrieved metal jigs. If the fish are
schooled up and boiling under the birds, cast a lighter surface iron (such as a Salas 7X or Tady 45) toward the school and work it rapidly back to boat. If the yellows are feeding deeper, try fishing a Salas 6X Jr. or Tady 9 jig "yo-yo" style. This technique involves dropping the jig down deep (up to 150 feet or more), cranking up as fast as possible, and then repeating the process. When employing the “yo-yo” technique for yellowtail, it’s best to use a reel with a high-speed retrieve ratio of at least 5 to 1, such as a Penn 555GS. This will enable you to fast-crank a jig and create a presentation that effectively mimics a fleeing baitfish. Sometimes a yellow will bite the fluttering jig on the drop, but most of the time, strikes occur as the jig is quickly retrieved from back to the boat from deeper water.
Take Control
Yellowtail hit like a freight train, and immediately head for the closest
cover when hooked – usually kelp stringers or the rocky bottom. With this in mind, be sure to crank on the fish right away to keep it from swimming into its favorite lair, where it will have the definite advantage. Take control of the fight from the start, working your fish to the boat as quickly as possible. If you let a yellow take you into a kelp forest, or precariously close to the rocks, chances are you’ll end up losing the battle.
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Contact:
Marc Malkin
Ritz Interactive, Inc.
2010 Main Street, Ste. 400
Irvine, CA 92614
Tel: 949-442-0202, ext. 236
marc@ritzinteractive.com
