How to fish a kelp paddy
Floating kelp is the one bit of structure in open water. Here's how to approach one, what lives under it and when to move on.
A kelp paddy is a mat of kelp torn loose from the coast and floating offshore. Out in open blue water, it’s the only shade and cover for miles. Small fish hide under it, bigger fish come to eat them, and anglers come to catch the bigger fish.
What you’ll find under one
- Yellowtail. The most common resident on SoCal paddies, from small “firecrackers” to fish worth keeping.
- Dorado. In warm years, dorado (mahi mahi) school under paddies and can be caught one after another.
- Yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Less common, but a paddy in warm offshore water can hold tuna, especially yellowfin.
- Bait. Small fish and crabs, which is the whole reason the others are there.
Size doesn’t tell you much. A big mat can be empty and a small clump can hold fish. You have to look.
Approach
- Slow down well before you get there. Coming in on plane scatters fish.
- Come up from upwind or upcurrent, then stop a cast’s length away and let the boat drift down toward the paddy.
- Never drive over it. You’ll scare everything off and foul your props in kelp.
- Look in the water. On a calm day you can sometimes see fish under or beside the kelp.
Fishing it
- Cast a live bait to the edge, not into the middle. Fish usually sit along the edges and just underneath.
- Toss a few chummers. A handful of live bait thrown near the paddy can bring fish up and get them excited.
- Surface iron works on aggressive yellowtail.
- Go deeper for bigger fish. If small yellowtail are biting, the bigger ones often sit below them. A sinker rig or a yo-yo jig can find them.
When to leave
Give it a few minutes. If you’ve drifted past with good baits and nothing has bitten, move on. There are usually more paddies along the same current line, and the next one might be loaded.
If a paddy is producing, stay with it and drift alongside. Paddies move with the wind and current, so keep an eye on your position.
Paddy manners
- The first boat has it. If another boat is already working a paddy, find your own.
- Don’t run between a boat and its paddy.
- Keep only what you’ll use. Dorado especially can bite fast enough to fill a boat. Check the limits.
Finding paddies
Look for floating kelp along current lines and temperature edges, and for birds sitting on or circling over something in the water. On a good day you can hop from paddy to paddy for hours.
What else to look for on the water: yellowfin, porpoise and paddies →
Yellowtail and dorado limits change. Check the current CDFW regulations before you go.