Rock Cod Kayak Fishing
Nothing feels better than heading out on a beautiful morning to your favorite fishing spot. You start to see fish on your fish finder, so you drop a jig or squid strip down to the bottom. After just a moment your hopes come true and you feel that strong ‘thump’…’thump’ at the end of your rod. After a long haul back to the surface you are rewarded with a big fat colorful Rock Cod.
The waters around So Cal are full of these healthy, good tasting fish. A lot of kayak fisherman and woman would love to have a chance at catching a few of these awesome fish of the deep. To be successful, there are many questions that need to be answered. Being successful means spending less time in unproductive waters and more time catching fish! A successful outing also requires having the right equipment, so you consistently get fish into the kayak and avoid hardware issues on the water.
Common Questions About Rock Cod Fishing
- What is the Best Bait When Kayak Fishing For Rock Cod?
The most common bait for rock cod are squid, octopus and cut bait like anchovies or sardines. Squid can be in strips or to discourage smaller fish, I use whole squid. Another great bait for large rock cod is a whole live Mackerel around 6 inches in length but can be bigger.
- How Do You Rig A Fishing Pole for Rockfish?
In So Cal the max number of hooks for a Rock Cod is two. So most people buy or make a ‘rock cod rig’ that has 2 hooks about 18 inches apart. Then about 6 inches below the bottom hook is a torpedo weight.
- What Size Hook Should I Use For Rock Cod?
A common hook size is around 5/0 (not to be confused with #5). To discourage smaller fish many use a 7/0 or even 10/0 hook with a whole bait.
- How Much Weight Should I Use When Rock Cod Fishing?
This is difficult to answer as it depends on the current, wind drift, bait size and depth. If you are fishing in 150-200 ft of water and there is light current and minimal wind I would suggest anywhere from 2 to 6 ounces of lead. For deeper water and some wind and current in the mix 6 to 12 ounces may be better. Also if you want to get your bait down fast, use a heavier weight.
- What Depth Should I Fish For Rock Cod?
This is where a good fish finder comes in and knowledge of the area. Most kayak fishing for Rock Cod along the So Ca coast is done in water of 150 feet or more. That’s not always the case though, rockfish can sometimes be found in water just 40 feet or so, especially ones that orient themselves to the kelp. Rock Cod can be taken up to the maximum depth of 600 ft in most locations of So Ca.
- How Do You Jig For Rock Cod?
There are many types of jigs one can use for Rockfish. Many people use plastics like Hookup Baits and 5-7 inch fish imitations. Hard jigs like Shimano Butterfly Jigs or traditional jigs like Salas 6X are also good. Basically, anything you can drop to the bottom with a hook, has a chance to catch a rock cod. Once your bait hits the bottom, reel up a turn or two and then periodically lift your rod tip up in a quick upward motion, and then let the lure fall back down. Its best to keep the lure from hitting the bottom so you don’t snag the sea floor. Up, down…up, down…that’s what it’s all about!
- Are Rockfish Poisonous?
Yes! Rockfish, like all the Scorpaenidae group of fish, have venomous spines on their dorsal fins. Some fish in this group have spines that are very poisonous. That’s not the case for rockfish, but rockfish venom can cause a good amount of pain and lead to infection. For this reason, be cautious when cleaning your fish or taking out the hook by staying away from the spines.
Where Are The Best So Cal Fishing Locations For Rock Cod?
In many So Cal coastal areas like La Jolla, Dana Point and Redondo you typically will start looking for schools of rock fish when you reach a depth of around 150 ft. I generally start looking for schools or bottom structure when I get to about 200 feet.
A good place to look is around canyon walls like the La Jolla, Redondo or similar canyons along the CA coast. You can look for interesting structure by accessing Google Earth or using an app like Navionics. These maps will show the bottom contour of the coast and help you pick out potential spots to check out.
If there is no canyon where you are planning to do your kayak fishing, paddle out a mile or so where the coastal plane starts to drop off sharply into deeper water. When you see a school near the bottom on your fish finder or an isolated hump on the bottom, those are great spots to ‘drop down’ and see if you catch anything. If you don’t get a bite in the next few minutes, reel up and move on. When you finally find a spot that’s holding feeding fish, you will know it, as the bites will come hot and heavy.
Below is a Google Earth example of the Redondo/Palos Verdes area. Notice the canyon that comes right up to the Redondo Harbor entrance. And just off the Palos Verdes Peninsula there is a steep drop off to deeper water. All good spots for Rock Cod.
While kayak fishing for Rock Cod in the San Diego, Orange County, LA and Ventura waters can certainly be productive, the areas north of Santa Barbara are where really great Rock Cod fishing starts. We are focusing on the So Cal area but I would be amiss if I did not mention the area around Cambria as it is within a days drive from LA. If you love fishing for Rock Fish from your kayak then you need to set aside a weekend and make the drive to this area and give it a try. Great fishing can be had just a hundred yards off the beach with hefty size fish in just 35-45 feet of water.
Ling Cod – The Prize Catch Of The Rockfish Family
One of the prize catches everyone hopes to come home with when fishing for Rockfish is the big, bad and beautiful Ling Cod. These fish are mean and aggressive. They put up a good fight and are routinely over 30 inches and in the 15-20lb range or more. Ling Cod are not only caught up north though. These big guys can be found anywhere along the So Ca coast in the same areas as you will be fishing for rock cod. They are often caught as an incidental catch.
If you want to have the best chance at a Ling Cod use a big bait. These fish will routinely go after 7 inch plastic baits. Ling Cod are aggressive so many people drop back down a smaller live rock cod they just caught or a medium size mackerel to lure a Ling out of his rocky lair. Another tactic is to use a large 6-8 inch plastic bait with a 4-8 oz lead head and bounce it noisily along the bottom. This stirs up a commotion that brings out the aggressive fish to fend off the intruder or eat it!
Below is a trip I made to Cambria. I was able to get a big Ling Cod and many other Rock Cod on this kayak fishing trip.
Three Critical Pieces Of Equipment Needed For Rock Cod Kayak Fishing
1. A Good Kayak Fish Finder – A must to locate the right depth, schools of fish and rock piles and drop off areas that will hold fish. When fishing for rock fish at depths of over 250 ft I recommend a transducer with 50/200 kHz for deep water performance, but the standard 80/200 kHz will if you are not going much deeper than that.
A 3.5 to 4 inch screen will save a lot of room on the yak but if your eyes are not as good as they used to be, it may be a bit small. I recommend going with at least a 5 inch screen for better visibility.
The Garmin Striker 4 is a great unit and usually under $150. I used one for years and I never had any issues with it other than the smaller screen. The Lowrance Reveal Hook 5 fish finder is definitely a super unit. It has a 5 inch screen and has all the latest tech. I currently have this on my Hobie and love the clarity of the sonar returns and overall performance. Check out all the features of this unit below.
2. A Quality Conventional Reel – Fishing in potentially deep water requires a fishing reel that can hold sufficient line. Be sure your reel can hold at least 800 ft of 60lb braid line if your looking at fishing in the 300+ ft depths. This means you will likely be looking at conventional reels and not spinning reels. Spinning reels will not usually hold enough line for deeper rock cod. Another problem is the twisting action the spinning reel has on your fishing line. It can cause your line to twist and bunch up into knots by the end of the day.
A level wind conventional reel is also something to consider. Having to manually guide the line back on to the reel when you are taking in 300 feet of line can be tiresome. A level wind reel will move the line back and forth across the spool automatically as you reel in. This is a great convenience and can save your thumb from a blister or two.
I recommend the Penn Fathom conventional line of reels. It has heavy duty construction and powerful gears that make it a true workhorse and a favorite of commercial fishing boats. It is designed to handle rough conditions on a daily basis. Whether you are bottom-fishing or casting live bait, the Fathom will stand up to the toughest fishing conditions. Penn has been around forever and is the standard in saltwater reels, so you can’t go wrong here.
3. The Right Fishing Rod – Using heavy weights to get your bait down 100 to 300 feet requires a quality rod made for the task at hand. A big point you want to consider is the line weight rating of the rod. I usually go with a 20-50 lb rated rod. This has sufficient backbone hauling up a 6-12 oz lead weight and hopefully a couple of 3 lb rockfish on the end.
I find that a 7 ft rod is a good length as it’s not too long to fit into the car and it can allow you to reach around the end of the kayak when fighting a fish.
One of my favorite rods for kayak fishing around So Cal is the Ugly Stik Tiger Casting rod. The 7 ft, medium action rod is just right for jigging and dropping 6-8 oz (or more) lead weight. My favorite thing about this rod, is the cost. I don’t like spending money when its not necessary. The Ugly Stik is under $100 and, in my opinion, the best value out there. Of course there are dozens of great rods that fit the bill and we all have our favorites 😉
How To Use A Fish Descender
A very important subject when fishing for Rock Fish or other deep water fish, is using a fish descender device. There are many kinds of fish descenders from the most simple to complex. Either way the goal of the descender is to send a fish back to the depths from which it came so it can survive and be caught again when it is bigger.
It is very common to catch fish too small to keep, or catch a fish species that you do not want. When fishing for deep water fish, its not as easy as ‘tossing’ it back in the water and letting is swim back to where it came from. Deep water fish come up from areas of very high water pressure. When they come to the surface the air in their bladders expand. Because of this, when you put them back into the water, they are often not able to overcome the air in their bladder and just float helplessly on the surface.
It is very sad to see people killing so many fish because they do not bother to take the time to ‘send’ the undersized fish back down. Instead they thoughtlessly through fish after fish out into the water, destined to be eaten by birds or just die. This could be remedied by a simple home made Fish Descender as I will show in the video below. Although there are many, much more sophisticated descenders on the market, this one I built required about 15 minutes and 50 cents worth of hardware.
Where Can I Launch My Kayak For Rockfish In So CA
With hundreds of miles of coast line there are endless possibilities for a Kayak Launch. Not every location is as good as the next though. The best place to launch is one that is closest to a spot known to hold Rockfish. This means you need to do some homework before you head out and pick the area you think will be best.
Once you have a location in mind, look for a nearby harbor where you can launch from. A harbor launch is one of the best locations for kayakers as it is protected from wind and seas giving you a safe and easy launch. Most harbor locations have specific hand-held-craft launch areas or a boat launch. These areas give you safe parking locations very close to your launch site, so you don’t have to lug your kayak very far.
Harbors Kayak Launch Locations
- San Diego Bay – This huge harbor has many launch locations due to its size. There are lots of street parking right near the water so finding a spot to launch is as easy as looking at your phone’s Google Map app. Fishing in the harbor can be great, but if your heading out to open water you will want to launch close to the harbor exit.
- Dana Point Harbor – This beautiful little harbor is a great place to launch from. You can use the boat launch which is close to the harbor entrance. Its only a quarter mile paddle to get out to open water. You will pass by the bait barge on the way to the exit, so you can load up on the live stuff if you want to. If you would rather not pay the $15 parking/launch fee you can launch out of Baby’s Beach in the back of the harbor. There are great facilities and free parking along with wash stations. The paddle out is a bit longer, about 1 mile.
- Newport Harbor – This busy harbor has some great kayak launches. My favorite is the Coast Guard Station on the south side of the harbor about ½ mile from the entrance. You can park free in the lot or on the street. You will need to transport your kayak over 75 yards of sand to get to the water. There are clean facilities and a hose to wash off your gear on the way back to the car.
- King Harbor, Redondo Beach – Here you will find a dock just for launching kayaks and hand held craft like paddle boards. Parking is near by and you can drive right up to the dock where you launch to unload. Parking is not free and usually costs me around $10 to $12 dollars. There is an outhouse near the launch dock that is usable when its not over flowing ☹ After a quick paddle you will find yourself in open ocean just minutes from a deep water canyon.
So Cal Kayak Surf Launches
Another launch option is a beach launch. This takes an adventurous spirit, practice, and common sense. Literally anywhere along the coast can be used as a surf launch if there is public access. As is usually the case, some spots are better than others.
You want to find a surf launch that is sheltered or is known for small surf conditions. La Jolla Shores in San Diego has a surf launch that normally has surf under 3 ft. It gives great access to some of the best fishing in So Cal and has some great Rock Cod fishing nearby. (see picture above)
Another great beach launch is Doheny State Beach just south of Dana Point Harbor. Parking is cheap and you can launch just below the parking lot next to the harbor jetty. Surf is usually under a foot.
There are many possibilities for surf launches in the Malibu area. Just cruise PCH and look for public access beaches with parking nearby. You will need to keep an eye on the surf reports and pick a time when surf is at its lowest. Malibu has access to deep water just offshore and can produced lots of rockfish catches.
Know how your kayak will handle in a surf launch by practicing. Take an empty kayak down to the beach on a sunny day and have fun. Get to know how your kayak handles both cutting through the surf on the way out and riding a small wave back in. Coming back in can be the trickiest part of the day. If you know how your kayak will handle before you go out the better your chances of not flipping your kayak. And yes, you must be prepared for a flip, and it happens to the best of us. Tie down everything and be prepared to get wet.
So get prepared for some Kayak Rock Cod fishing this spring. Be sure to have the right fishing equipment to make your trip a success. Find a few likely spots you want to fish and see which has a convenient launch nearby. So Cal has so many kayak fishing opportunities to offer, so what are you waiting for, get out there and have a blast.
