Breaking fish etiquette

[ronaultmtd]

This time of year bay anchovies school up by the millions...school stripers, tailor blues and Spanish Mackerel tear into these schools...lurking underneath the schools occasionally are bull reds...Terns and gulls give away the location of these breaking fish and boats rush to try to intercept the fish...the proper etiquette is never cut into the breakers...stay within casting distance but do not crowd the breakers...it will bust up the anchovies and drive the fish away. Same etiquette goes for us kayakers...how do you fish for Spanish from a kayak? I use a small Kastmaster lure...cast it over and as far into the breakers as I can....let it sink as I count slowly to five, crank as hard as possible for ten or so turns of the handle- pause, count slowly to five and repeat...a word of caution- check your drag before fishing for Spanish Mackerel...they are speed merchants and a tight drag is an instant breakoff...I keep my Sustain FG 3000 Outfit rigged with a 3/4 Oz. Big eye jighead and a seven inch BKD...it is the heaviest outfit I carry with 20# braid and a 7’ medium action Penn regiment rod...it is my “bull red” rod...if there are large returns near the bottom on my side scan sonar around the breaking fish, I will throw the BKD and let it sink to the bottom jigging it in a medium slow retrieve...not everyone fishes breaking schools but for those of us who chases breakers- know the rules and use proper etiquette...don’t spoil it for others. With these migrations, the opportunity is a very short window of time for us to fish for these “visitor” fish that normally are not available to us...and with the persistent weather patterns many kayakers never get to due to work, storms on weekends, winds and family obligations...but when the opportunity presents itself, I urge you to give it a try...the screaming drag of a Spanish Mackerel on light tackle is addictive.

[Renegade Yaker]

What happens when you are kayak fishing and the fish start breaking all around you!

That happened last weekend for me. It was great!

[ronaultmtd]

You hope no one else saw them!

[Mark]

Breakers are fun. And I’ve read that the “big ones” are underneath. But I can never get my lure through the top feeders to those below. So I usually give up that task and just throw topwater into the frenzy. It’s fun to watch them bat the popper into the air before one finally gets a lip lock on it.

[belairfishing]

Breakers are fun. And I’ve read that the “big ones” are underneath. But I can never get my lure through the top feeders to those below. So I usually give up that task and just throw topwater into the frenzy. It’s fun to watch them bat the popper into the air before one finally gets a lip lock on it.

I had the opportunity to chase some breakers last year in Crab Alley Bay - as you said Mark, I tried jigging underneath, but just caught little ones. I am always reluctant to cast a popper into breaking fish, because with those breaking fish usually comes birds. I tangled one last year but was able to get it lose without injury...to EITHER of us!

[J.A. Veil]

This time of year bay anchovies school up by the millions...school stripers, tailor blues and Spanish Mackerel tear into these schools...lurking underneath the schools occasionally are bull reds...Terns and gulls give away the location of these breaking fish and boats rush to try to intercept the fish...the proper etiquette is never cut into the breakers...stay within casting distance but do not crowd the breakers...it will bust up the anchovies and drive the fish away. Same etiquette goes for us kayakers...how do you fish for Spanish from a kayak? I use a small Kastmaster lure...cast it over and as far into the breakers as I can....let it sink as I count slowly to five, crank as hard as possible for ten or so turns of the handle- pause, count slowly to five and repeat...a word of caution- check your drag before fishing for Spanish Mackerel...they are speed merchants and a tight drag is an instant breakoff...I keep my Sustain FG 3000 Outfit rigged with a 3/4 Oz. Big eye jighead and a seven inch BKD...it is the heaviest outfit I carry with 20# braid and a 7’ medium action Penn regiment rod...it is my “bull red” rod...if there are large returns near the bottom on my side scan sonar around the breaking fish, I will throw the BKD and let it sink to the bottom jigging it in a medium slow retrieve...not everyone fishes breaking schools but for those of us who chases breakers- know the rules and use proper etiquette...don’t spoil it for others. With these migrations, the opportunity is a very short window of time for us to fish for these “visitor” fish that normally are not available to us...and with the persistent weather patterns many kayakers never get to due to work, storms on weekends, winds and family obligations...but when the opportunity presents itself, I urge you to give it a try...the screaming drag of a Spanish Mackerel on light tackle is addictive.

I agree with Ron's etiquette points about working schools of breaking fish when other boats are around. I have worked breakers hundreds of times from boats and do appreciate proper etiquette, such as swinging wide around the school then positioning the boat downstream from the direction the school is moving. I would turn off the motor, drift, and let the fish and birds come to me.

But in a kayak, there is far less noise and disturbance. If I am fortunate to find a school of breaking fish, and no other boats are around, I am prepared to move close or even in the middle of the fish, or troll along the edges of the schools. They are so keyed up about feeding, that the presence of a kayak is unlikely to disturb them much.

We are approaching the time of year when breaking fish can be found. It is fun fishing.

[Mark]

I had the opportunity to chase some breakers last year in Crab Alley Bay - as you said Mark, I tried jigging underneath, but just caught little ones. I am always reluctant to cast a popper into breaking fish, because with those breaking fish usually comes birds. I tangled one last year but was able to get it lose without injury...to EITHER of us!

You're right on that. It can be dicey. Timing is critical to get that popper down on the water so that you don't snag a bird in the air. It's almost like a QB seeing a receiver covered and purposely throwing the ball out of bounds. I've also had to quickly pull a popper on the water away from birds. It may help that I remove the trebles from my poppers and use only a single inline hook on the back. So far, I've hooked just fish, no gulls.