DORADAS A ROCKFISHING FROM KAYAK

Rockfishing and lighter spinning have evolved in such a way that nowadays, many species that were unusual prey a few years ago, become habitual prey and much sought after by amateurs. This is what has happened to the bream, a sparrow lover of molluscs and crustaceans, that with these techniques and using the right lures, will fall prey and hopelessly, to make us enjoy a good fight and a great picture. In some areas of the Peninsula is a fishing that is fashionable and we can say without fear of being wrong, which are the Mediterranean gilthead the most frequent when it comes to snacking with rock lures.



It is feasible to fish from shore, wading and from boat, but without a doubt, from a kayak is an incredible option that will give us new sensations, being able to access impossible corners and further away from the fishermen on the shore and in the most stressed areas, in silence , practicing a healthy sport and respectful with the environment. Galaxy kayaks have specific models for fishing such as the Cruz, Blaze and Alboran models, fully equipped to make the fishing day more comfortable. We can take several equipment already assembled, given the comfort offered by these kayaks and even mount a probe, which although not necessary in shallow areas, yes it will be if we search for rocks deeper and away from the coast. Personally I use an Alboran and fishing a whole day from sun to sun is not as complicated as before, given the comforts that such a magnificent kayak offers us, where we can carry a variety of fishing equipment, mount a cooler for fresh drinks in its spacious bathtub back and even fish sitting with your feet in the water (summer is a pleasure) with total security. A life jacket and to enjoy. The one who tries, repeats.

Where and when to look for it?

A la dorada likes to move through different coastal scenarios, staying longer in those areas that offer plenty of food most of the year. To find them from kayak we have different areas:

     . Rocky coasts: Rock and mussel, the perfect binomial for sea bream. The rocky coasts are a paradise for this species that usually roams the best areas during the same day, mixed with bream and corvallos (pieces that can also enter us). A good trick is to practice snorkeling to know those holes, rocks and sandy clearings that are conducive, then insist on kayaking in the best areas. Unlike the bream, a dorada does not like too much water moved, which for our safety is much better. With the kayak we can fish the best holes and rocks that we know beforehand, but it will be perfect to travel many kilometers of coastline, looking for new areas and surprises. From late spring to late autumn it is the perfect time.

Rocks in depth: Thanks to the kayak and our probe, we have the option of accessing those solitary rocks that are over 8, 10 or 15m. in the background and at a certain distance from the coast, which are magnets not only for sea breams during most of the year, but also that Azole and dentex can surprise us. It is difficult to find those areas if we do not know the coordinates in advance, since normally they are not usually counted, so when we find one, we have to mark it on the Gps and take care of it as a treasure.

        . Breakwaters: The outer face of the port and beach breakwaters, are golden pass areas. There are days that run all over its outside face in search of mussels and crabs and are easier to locate and cheat here than on the adjoining beaches where they also stroll. The deep zone where the rocks end and the sand begins is especially good and if the drift is good, from the kayak we can fish it placidly, touching those hot spots, approaching the holes and more steep stones when necessary without any risk if the The sea is calm. They are very fruitful areas in the summer and autumn months.

         . Bateas: The rafts, oyster and mussel farms are an authentic reservoir for this species, where they live all year round and where the smallest can grow at a dizzying pace with less danger than in other areas, where there are more predators, although They know well and often visit the rafts when they want to take a bream to the belly. But here the golden ones have leftover mussels and if we find the "stick" good, the catches will come one after the other, although the sizes are often smaller than in the rest of the areas, but with the rockfishing equipment they are very fun to fish That yes, with those smaller copies, the capture and release is required. Except when the water temperature reaches extremes, both in winter and in summer, we always have gold to enjoy.

      . Lagoons and shallow bays: These are usual areas for wading, but with a kayak changes the thing, since not only can we fish much more extension of water and less pressure if not lessens the risk of staying sunk in the dreaded mud. They are one of my favorite areas because in their shallow sandy bottoms, algars and various structures, we can fish for the golden ones, even top water! Quite an experience The best lagoons and bays are those rich in worms and bivalves such as cockles and knives. Unfortunately, pollution affects these places a lot, so there are fewer and fewer places on our coasts with an abundance of fish. In the early spring we can already capture the first specimens that will remain in these areas until the first winter cold. Kayaking these areas, where all kinds of ornithological fauna accompanies us, is a pleasure for the senses.

The perfect team

I recommend using two equipment, which we will carry comfortably mounted on the poles of our kayak. One specific of rockfishing and another of light spinning. With the first we will launch the smaller lures with less weight and we will take the battles to the extreme. The light spinning equipment is more suitable if we fish with texas, drop shot or lighter weight techniques. The actions of the rock rods are varied (1-5g., 2-10g and 7-12g for example) and measures are being imposed on the 2.20m. In the market there are good canes perfect for the gilthead bream and the rest of species such as the LRF of Savagear, the Teklon Rock Fishing of Grauvell and the Rock Fishing of YKR that will give much to talk about this season. With a reel of size 1000, a braid of between 0.06mm and 0.10mm. and a bass between 0'16mm. and 0'22mm. Whether it is monofilament or fluorocarbon, we will have our rock team ready to fish. Our light spinning equipment will be somewhat heavier for when the occasion requires it. The suitable actions will be around 5-20gr., Preferably of somewhat parabolic actions like the Shimano Exage or the Tocuma of kali kunnan. The reel will be a 2500 loaded with 0.12mm braid with a 0.25mm bass.

Apart from these equipment in the kayak, it will always be useful to use a medium-sized sailor with rubber or nylon mesh and a small rockfishing bogagrip to hold the pieces better, especially when photographing them.

Lures, assemblies and techniques.

Los-mejor-vinilos-para-gilded.Vinyls: within the vinilero universe, there are many lures to fish gilded to rockfishing, all effective. Essential are the imitations of crabs and prawns, usual food of the gilthead bream and we should always carry some small imitations of fish, since almost all sparids sometimes attack the mini fry that are in their feeders. Quoting some that always work we highlight the Manic Shrimp of Savagear, the Mini Craw of Jurela's Jigs, the Z Realistic Shad of Kisuto, the Ripple Shad of Berkley and the small grubs of less than 5cm. All these vinyls are ideal for mounting with small plumb heads (for slow pickups with small tugs close to the bottoms), classic Texas systems or as the Z Shad Kisuto (perfect to put in the most complicated places), drop shot (to put the vinyl in a hot area for longer, prompting to bite the sea breams with little jumps and vibrations) or splitshot (Bass technique in freshwater, perfect for subtle presentations with complicated fish, especially effective with the imitations of gamibas) .

.Lures-hard-effective-with-the-golden. Hard lures: here we include both surface and sunken decoys. It seems impossible, but with a lot of patience and skill, in shallow bays and lagoons it is a challenge to trick top-water gilts with the smallest walkers and poppers in the market (Sparky by YKR, Sammy 65 by Lucky Craft, Glopper by Roshi, Silver Dog 70 of Duel ...) and experiment with the collections to deceive the distrustful gilt. But the sea bream moves more by the funds and it is here where it will sting with more confidence, and a small minnow, lipless and sunken walker, are weapons of mass destruction if the fish are aggressive and want to sting. Some of the most effective are the Molix Pipper, the Buginu 55 from Seaspin and the Toto family of DUO. Our way of fishing with these lures must be subtle and focused to react to the bites. You have to let the lure down to the bottom and vary jerking collections with pauses with small jumps through the bottom, let the lure rest a long time in the background to draw attention to the most remiss gildings, which are usually the largest

With all these lures and assemblies in the aforementioned fishing areas, we will also deceive species such as seabass, bream, whitefish, white palometas, jackals, serranos etc., which gives this technique a greater interest if possible.

The paradise of the Ebro delta

The delta is my area of ​​residence, where I fish the most and where I know the fish best. The golden ones are aggressive as in few places and the scenarios are varied to fish them in kayak, so we are in an ideal area to fish them. They abound in the last stretch of the Ebro and the entire mouth area, beaches, canals, bays, lagoons and rafts. There are gilts of all sizes to enjoy with our light weight rock and spinning equipment, bearing in mind that a great majority of gilthead bream will be less than half a kilo of weight, which means responsible fishing. To deceive the larger fish you have to be stealthy, have patience and offer them imitations of their usual food and so we will have many options to feel the battle of a good delta sea bream at the other end of the line fished at rokfishing. To make matters worse, around the delta we have rocky areas such as El Perelló to the north and Vinaroz to the south where surfing between coves, rocky points, islets and sea beds is a highly recommended experience for fishing enthusiasts and the kayak.

Author and photographs: Toni Martínez Cardenete