I'm a noob with ?'s

[BJBurbage]

I am an easterner and yankee, new to the west coast. I have been doing alot of reading lately and there are a few things i can't find quality literature on. So i am hoping I can get some answers here or atelast pointed in the right directions. I will be coming out of Newport Harbor just as a reference.
First, I am curious about the squid spawn. How far north it happens, where it can happen or how to spot school of squid? Anything that will be usefill, i'd appreciate.
Second, I am curious about kelp. I know nothing of kelp. Does it float and move, does it grow from the bottom? Once again anything helpful is appreciated.
Lastly, I am curious as to whether or not typical fish, and depth finders work on the ocean in the same manner as lake and rivers?
Thanks for reading, hope to get some usefull info.

Keep ur line wet.
Bradley Joe

[Baseballer44]

I am an easterner and yankee, new to the west coast. I have been doing alot of reading lately and there are a few things i can't find quality literature on. So i am hoping I can get some answers here or atelast pointed in the right directions. I will be coming out of Newport Harbor just as a reference.
First, I am curious about the squid spawn. How far north it happens, where it can happen or how to spot school of squid? Anything that will be usefill, i'd appreciate.
Second, I am curious about kelp. I know nothing of kelp. Does it float and move, does it grow from the bottom? Once again anything helpful is appreciated.
Lastly, I am curious as to whether or not typical fish, and depth finders work on the ocean in the same manner as lake and rivers?
Thanks for reading, hope to get some usefull info.

Keep ur line wet.
Bradley Joe

I know nothing about squid, so I wont touch that.

Kelp grows from the bottom of the ocean up. The air filled bulbs in the leaves are used to carry the upper part of the plant towards the surface, and therefore towards the sun. Sometimes large portions of kelp get ripped off from the bottom, and float in the current.

Im guessing that lake and river fish finders are the same as the ocean and used in the same way, but with a better/different ability to work at greater depths. So one for freshwater might not work too well used in the open ocean, but the other way around should be fine. Im not an expert, but this is what I have come to understand.

[BJBurbage]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

Thanks for the Help
Bradley Joe

[BJBurbage]

How do you spot a kelp "field"?

[Brian_GSC]

1) Squid
Good question. There are certain areas that squid spawn in. Once you get your feet wet and get a feel for Socal you will learn where all the good spots are. Your best bet is to charter some 6-packs and pick their brains. These guys are GOOD.


2) Kelp
There are basically two types of kelp:
Paddies - free floating collections of kelp. Typical kinds of fish found on paddies are yellowtail, dorado, and tuna (of course it depends on where you are and what season). More often than not, paddy fishing is done further south. If you go on a tuna trip out of San Diego you will definitely be looking for paddies as you are trolling.
Beds - This is the type of kelp that is anchored to the sea floor. This is what you see when you drive up PCH (especially up in central California). This type of kelp sometimes is is visible on the surface, but when the current is strong it lays down. There are many types of fish that roam the beds....it just depends on where you are and what time of year.

Don't be surprised if nobody tells you exact locations on where to fish ESPECIALLY at Catalina. WAY too much pressure.

I hope I provided you with enough info to get you started in the right direction. If you need some suggestions on what boats to charter PM me.

[SanDimasLMB]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

Thanks for the Help
Bradley Joe

Here's the answers to all your kelp fishing questions

Kelp Paddies/Patties: Floating clumps of kelp the aer at the murcy of the current. This structure attracts baitfish which in turn attract gamefish.

Kelp Forest: Pretty much self-explanatory. Large to HUGE "forests" of kelp that are attatched to the bottom.




Here's the list of fish that are lured to kelp paddies and kelp forests starting from least exotic to most exotic and also what part of the water column they can be found:
Mackerel: All Levels of the Water Column
Perch: All Levels of the Water Column
Baitfish: All levels of the Water Column

Kelp(Calico) Bass: All Levels of the Water Column
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Calico.jpg

Barred Sandbass: Bottom **Sometimes Mid-Level and Up**
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Sandbass.jpg

Halibut: Bottom
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Halibut.jpg

Rockfish: Bottom
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/rockfish3.jpg

Bonito: Surface to Mid-Depth
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Bonito.jpg

Barrauda: Surface to Mid-Depth
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Barracuda.jpg

Yellowtail: Surface to Mid-Depth **Sometimes Bottom**
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Yellowtail.jpg

White Seabass: All Levels of the Water Column
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/WhiteSeaBass.jpg

Albacore Tuna: Surface to Mid-Depth
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Albacore.png

Bluefin Tuna: Surface to Mid-Depth
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/Bluefin.jpg

Yellowfin Tuna: Surface to Mid-Depth
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/YellowFin_tuna.jpg

Giant Black Seabass: Mid-Depth to Bottom *****Protected Fish and Is ILLEGAL to have in Possesion***** All Black Seabass caught must be returned to the water promptly!!!!
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/BlackSeabass.jpg

[sansou]

BJburbage,

Lots of great info given here. No doubt.

I would recommend that you simply take a couple 3/4 day or overnighter trips on a cattle boat. You will quickly learn a lot real quick about what us westcoasters do to catch fish.

Good luck!

[Brian_GSC]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

White Seabass: All Levels of the Water Column
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/WhiteSeaBass.jpg



HEY! That's me! Where'd you get that picture??? :)

[Funjunkie74]

Many will laugh, but another great place to get an idea of what you're dealing with, the fishing habitat and some basic info, is at the Aquarium.
It won't improve your casting, but you'll learn about what is in the water.
Since you can't see deep into the water when you're on the boat, a lot of times the information given to you can get confusing.

The Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach.
Sea World, San Diego.

I personally love SW because they have a separate aquarium with nothing but California local fishes in their "natural habitat".
You can see the fish swimming and hanging out, which helps you envision what your line and bait, lures or jigs "should" look like to them.

And if you have kids, you become "super-dad" to them too!!


FJ74

[ymin72]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

White Seabass: All Levels of the Water Column
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/WhiteSeaBass.jpg



HEY! That's me! Where'd you get that picture??? :)

Nice WSB.

[SanDimasLMB]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

White Seabass: All Levels of the Water Column
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/sandimaslmb/WhiteSeaBass.jpg



HEY! That's me! Where'd you get that picture??? :)

The internet, LOL JK













Go it from Sportfishingrepot.com I think

Nice WSB anywho :mrgreen:

[ymin72]

When people talk about fishing kelp paddies, does this mean they fish the kelp growing on the bottom or the floating broken kelp? Can you find fish in both places or are the pieces that break not big enough to draw attention from fish?

Thanks for the Help
Bradley Joe

Usually when people talk about fishing kelp paddies they are talking about offshore fishing looking for the kelp paddies, often called paddy hopping. This is done mostly by San Diego overnight - multi day boats. Most of the fishes relate to some sort of structure, be it rocky bottom or debris / kelp on top. Kelp paddies are more times than not, only structure out in the middle of the ocean thus attracting bait and game fish. Even the smallest kelp paddy can hold enormous amount of fish.

There are also kelp forest fishing often done near the islands. This is where the kelp start its life before breaking off and washing offshore. Once again, fish being structure oriented, there is good chance of finding fish in / around kelp forest.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

[BJBurbage]

I appreciate all the info, absolutly what i was looking for with the kelp. I would like to hear a little more about the squid. What depth does it happen? What kind of numbers? Do squid like structure or are they just big schools swimming around? Thanks for all the help so far.

Bradley Joe

[ymin72]

Sorry, I've never fished or had any interest for squid although I love using them for bait.

Hopefully someone else can chime in and give both of us some knowledge.

[Ambassadorhawg]

I agree with Sansou & Funjunkie74. Put your boat away and take at least 3 trips on a local sportboat. Also visit our Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach so that you can see for yourself what our local sportfish look like and how they behave.

Kelp forests grow in shallow water, generally in 100 feet or less. They are a mecca for sealife. Down here in So Cal, the number one targeted species in and around kelp forests is the Calico bass although most all of our coastal fish are found in and around it.

Kelp paddies are drifting, floating masses of kelp found anywhere in current. You will see them along the beach, inner waters and outer waters. They can be a small as a few strands to as large as a house in size. They attract all levels of the food chain. Like a covenience store out in the middle of nowhere on a long empty highway. The farther offshore the kelp paddy, the more likely it will be holding exotic fish, assuming it is floating in a comfortable water temp range for those fish.

Generally speaking, depthfinder equipment designed for use in saltwater has a higher wattage level and a higher screen resolution to deliver a better quality reading and picture from thicker, deeper saltwater than a unit designed for freshwater. However, any depthfinder equipment will work in saltwater.

Water temp is another big issue with our local fishing. If it dips below the 60's along the coast, much of our sportfish become less active. Sometimes special baits like live squid can be magic in those times, though.

As fas as squid, are you interested in small, bait sized squid or Giant squid? We have both here and they are often concentrated in or around underwater canyons. The small squid are most often available in the cooler months here but they can be found year round.

We have had some problems with Giant squid here as of late. Our local coastal fishing suffered this year and many blame it on the over abundance of Giant squid this year. They have a voracious appetite and will eat anything, even eachother when frenzied.

[Brian_GSC]

HEY! That's me! Where'd you get that picture??? :)


Go it from Sportfishingrepot.com I think

Nice WSB anywho :mrgreen:

Ah, that makes sense. I worked for SFR for a couple seasons running all of the charters. I got that on on the Island Tak off Santa Cruz. We had boat limits (33 fish) in MINUTES. Good day.

[CoffeaRobusta]

With regards to squid, the big guys, Humboldt Squid aka jumbo squid, are more common south of here (in the Humboldt current) but have been found as far north as the gulf of Alaska during times of range expansion. This year has been an example of such a range expansion. I am not sure that they spawn in this area or not, but I have heard of some anecdoatal reports of what might be spawing behavior. At this year's CalCOFI conference, the subject will be about the Humboldt Squid invasions.

http://oceaninformatics.ucsd.edu/calcofi/conference/

With regard to the small guys, the market squid, they spawn in the southern California bight during the winter months over suitable sandy substrate. The commercial purse seiners go after them at night with fish finders and they use secondary boats rigged with lights to attract them. Durring the day I susposse you could spot them just like spotting any other schooling bait fish....follow the birds. One guy hooping off the pier told me he caught some squid while targeting lobster using a hoop net and a chem light stick. Spring and early summer is usually the peak spawning time for market squid off Monterey, but the vast majority of market squid landed is in southern california.

Oh yes the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro also has local fish and the enterance fee is by donation only.