Posted on July 19, 2020

Peddling racism is a terrible waste of time. Paddling for salmon is a great way to spend a little time.

Yesterday I paddled quite deep into the Monterey Canyon. 7 miles west of Moss Landing I connected with a king salmon in 280 feet of water. Great fight, a long way to bring in this fish, and it was a good one: a little over 32 inches and around 18 pounds.

This adventure had all the ingredients I love about kayak fishing. A good paddle, big whales, even sharks, and a nice catch to bring home. Total distance: 18 miles.

At the beginning of my session I went for Petrale Sole since this was the safest bet to bring something home for dinner. I had paddled almost three hours just to get there and definitely didn't want to take the long way back without a fish. During this period I caught a very nice sole and also a spiny dogfish shark.

An hour later I switched up to my mooching rod and to my excitement I learned that Petrale Sole will also chase and swallow a big herring. Of course the big prize was the king salmon, however, I learned something new that is even more valuable. In the future my Petrale Sole gear will stay at home, the mooching setup is all I need to catch a ton of fish of many different species.

The catch:
4 Petrale Sole, 1 King Salmon (about 32 inches, 18 pounds)