Author: Dave Knecht

It’s no secret that some impressive catches are regularly made on kayaks these days. SoCal has seen countless trophy yellowtail and white seabass and even a few bluefin and yellowfin tuna caught by the kayak fleet over the past couple years. Last week Jeff Mariani of Cedros Tackle Kayak Tours was fishing with the Hobie fishing team at Cedros Island and tied into the catch of a lifetime. He made another routine cast, let his surface iron flutter down about 40-feet before starting the retrieve and he was slammed. After a 20-minute fight managing to keep the fish out of…

Inflatable PFDs have been around for quite some time now, and have become fairly popular with the bass fishing crowd, but haven’t really caught on in the saltwater scene. There’s no arguing that they provide an extra element of protection while on the water and despite hearing of a handful of preventable tragedies each season, very few saltwater anglers include them in their repertoire of gear. Adding an inflatable PFD to your gear bag ups your safety game substantially, especially for those running at night or in foul weather. Many people I’ve talked to argue that there’s no need to…

Dropper loop style rigs have been around for the long time, and for good reason. When fishing live or dead bait near the bottom, especially when on top of structure or a squid bed in deeper water, it’s the go-to setup for most SoCal and Baja anglers. Over the years the rigs have evolved quite a bit. Different (read: better) knots, swivels, and even how you rig it in regards to the length of line to the hook and sinker are constantly changing. While fishing a dropper loop rig isn’t nearly as fun as flylining a hot bait, and doesn’t…

There are two types of people that have never lost a fish, those that don’t fish much and liars. As much as we all hate losing fish, it unfortunately happens. Pulled hooks, cut-offs on the prop or anchor line, tackle malfunctions, sea lions and sharks, broken lines and being under-gunned. Some are out of your control, while others are the result of your own screw up. The one thing they have in common is that they all suck. That sickening slack line leaves one wondering if the pulled hook, 30 minutes into the fight, was the tuna that would have…

Let’s face it… It’s winter and you’re probably not spending much time fishing. Most of the exotics have moved out of the area for warmer water, the bite on most local species has slowed as the water has cooled down, and rockfish season is now closed in U.S. waters. Hunting season is in full swing, there is snow in the local mountains and football is on TV. Even with all those things telling you to keep your fishing gear in the garage, I’m here to tell you that there is one type of fishing that is on fire right now…

If you’ve fished any of the ‘well known’ seabass bites along the coast this year, I’m sure you’ve seen the number of yaks almost matching the number of boats on the grounds. Long gone are the days of a small and unstable piece of plastic with a rod or two. Most of these modern day fishing kayaks are equipped with fish finders, GPS, livewells, and the capacity to carry enough rods and gear to open up a small tackle shop. It’s no secret that kayak fishing has gained in popularity, and all for good reason. These plastic fish killing machines…

It’s that time of year… the offshore water temps are getting warmer, yellows are showing up under kelps on the local banks, and the tuna and dorado are a little further down the line, but no doubt moving north into private boat range. Time to dust off the offshore gear and get ready for some fun if you haven’t already. While some of us anglers are lucky enough to be able to afford our own boat that is capable of making the run offshore, many of us are also sitting here with our fingers crossed hoping to get an invite…