I have met many people in my life that have had admired both in real life and fictionally . John Roe , aka “The Quiet Man” is quite real and this is an interview about a guy that has many talents and accomplishments in his life, setting John just slightly apart from the rest of us. John agreed to help in me in doing an article on Ocean Kayaking. His experience and knowledge in this area is well known in Southern California and without question his angling skills onboard an ocean kayak have led to some amazing days of fishing.
There has been an explosion of anglers in the last few years who have entered into the world of ocean kayak fishing . For most , it has been a rewarding way to fish and has opened up new areas for inshore fishing that many boaters have overlooked. Ocean kayaking takes some specialized equipment and fishing techniques and this is where “The Quiet Man” story begins.
John Roe is the father of four children and a stay at home dad. Adding to his title of “Super Dad” is the fact that he owns a Martial Arts Academy where he is the headmaster and accredited with a 7thDan black belt. If you think that isn’t enough to keep him busy then add to this when he isn’t kicking some ass he likes to fly glider planes, RC model planes and a licensed fishing guide. Fishing is to John, a way to relax but some people just can’t relax without using a little adrenaline and that maybe how best to describe John’s character. John started fishing with his dad here in Southern California at an early age . Using a 12 foot Sears plastic hull boat , he and his dad found many inshore fishing days together and now his boat of choice is a 12 foot Cobra Fish and Dive kayak.
John’s kayak is equipped quite well and he has added many items that are needed for the small confines of kayak fishing. His kayak has multiple rod holders placed in the back to accommodate his targeted fishing species. Somedays he will fish inside the safety of a harbor and use outfits of lighter test line fishing for bay bass, calicos and halibut . Other days you’ll find John targeting thresher sharks, white sea bass and yellowtail and using some heavier gear in open ocean waters.
Being a freshwater kayaker myself with no experience in ocean kayaking led me to investigate just what it would take to explore the inshore fisheries around Southern California. I have been to John’s website numerous times (www.kayakfishingpro.com)and had found a tremendous amount of material on his fishing exploits throughout Southern California and Baja. His reputation as a great angler was verified by the pictures of his catches. I decided to contact John and ask him if he would help me with the information needed for a newcomer to the sport to which he readily agreed to.
John and I arranged to meet down at Dana Point Harbor on a Sunday morning for a taped interview and photo session of his rigged kayak. The information that he gave was indeed straight forward and very insightful to someone that plans to try their hand at this sport. The information you are about to read comes from John Roe, “The Quiet Man”.
Ocean Kayaking begins with the proper choice of a kayak. In order to decide what kayak to buy you must decide on what you will be doing with your kayak. There are many choices of kayaks to buy. If you plan on fishing inshore fisheries then find a kayak that has a stable platform and can be paddled without a great deal of effort. John’s kayak is stable enough to stand on without tipping over, he told me. The ocean can be a cruel testing ground with unpredictable waves and strong currents and John stated eventually you will fall from your kayak as he has on one occasion. You should be reliant on self-rescue techniques and have strong swimming skills to the likes of surfers. John stressed one key point to remember over and over. Rig your kayak to flip and dress to swim!! Having a good kayaker friendly Personnel Floatation Device is required by law if you plan on kayaking inside and outside harbors. Even if you do not wear your PFD it should be readily available at a moments notice! John remarked that several times he has worn his PFD in late afternoon swells far offshore for personnel safety concerns even when he was wearing neoprene chest high waders as his primary floatation suit. More often he chooses dry breathable chest high waders.
Kayakers are advised to keep in touch with weather predictions before heading out into the ocean. Late afternoon swells can usually be predicted with some certainty on most days . The dampness of foggy mornings and wind driven ocean spray calls for a good windbreaker to retain body heat as a barrier against hypothermia .
Beginners to ocean kayaks need to learn the characteristics of their kayak and getting acquainted to falling off and getting back on. This should be done in the confines of shallow harbor areas precluding going out into the surf zone. John has had over 45 surf launches this year alone and hundreds of beach launches in the last several years. Launching your kayak into the surf from a exposed beachfront is risky business and should not be tried by beginners. Having been a surfer in the past, John has the skills to do beach launches and told me that he has seen people lose over $700.00 worth of gear in the surf zone due to how difficult conditions can be and inexperienced kayakers take for granted the surf’s unpredictable nature. Having a whistle or other noise making device should be on board as well as a water resistant VHF handheld radio . John’s choice of VHF radio is a Vertex Standard model 429 which can also be used to communicate on marine, aircraft and ham frequencies if needed. John also noted that having a cell phone handy has resulted in several kayaker’s rescues. One device that maybe not noted as a safety item but should be mentioned, is an electric battery operated side mounted trolling motor. If you are in strong currents or possibly a long distance from your starting point then fatigue will be a possible problem to contend with. By using your trolling motor you can aid your momentum through the water and possibly out of harm’s way. John uses a Minnkota Dura 30 and said that it can be used for periods up to 12 hours on a group 24 or 27 deep cycle battery. Other reasons for having a trolling motor would be for trolling lures and having your hands free for fighting fish.
There are several other devices that John had on board his kayak that are worth mentioning. The most noticeable electronic device in the center of his kayak was a Hummingbird fish finder and a GPS (global positioning system). Both items were mounted just forward of his seat area and easily reached by hand. John uses his fish finder to locate schooling fish as well as noting the water’s depth and surface temperature. The GPS is used as both a safety device to get back home and locating favorite fishing spots as well. Adding to his arsenal of fishing gear is a 3 gallon bucket live well with a 100 G.P.H. pump with a through the hull water pickup. Although John fishes mostly with lures, he has used live bait on numerous occasions and the live well has kept bass alive for fishing tournaments. He noted that it will hold up to maybe 3 average sized bass and he usually releases approximately 99 % of his catch annually.
Remember that phrase, rig to flip? Everything on John’s kayak is leashed or lashed on. The milk crates that hold his tackle have turnbuckle mounts attached to his kayak. In fact, everything I looked at was secured to his kayak so if it flipped over , nothing would be lost.” Most beginners make the mistake to not secure their gear correctly , “ John noted. His fishing rods are leashed to the rod holders which in turn, are secured to his milk crate storage system . The only thing John has lost in 3 years kayaking is a cheap K-mart fishing rod setup and that’s not too bad a loss!
Some more good advise from John is to leash your paddle to yourself or your kayak . “I don’t leash my paddle to myself when surf launching, its too dangerous,” John added. This gives more meaning to the phrase “Up the creek without a paddle?” I responded back to him. Speaking paddles, John noted that the lighter the paddles , the easier the wear and tear would be on yourself. He told me that the lightest paddles are made of carbon fiber these days and are pushing upwards to $450.00 for the best made. Paddles range in prices for a good beginner set around the $60.00 mark and the lighter the paddle the higher the price range goes as a general rule of thumb. John often at times will throw his leashed paddle into the water as he fights fish . “ If you have a clip set for your paddles on your kayak, they can get your line caught up when you have a fish close to the kayak,” he noted. I noticed that John had a gaff and a small mesh, large opening landing net also in his arsenal mainly for subduing the White Sea Bass , Yellowtail and large Halibut he often catches. If John is in strong currents he will often times use a drift anchor to hold fishing time in key areas of fishing. This device can also be used as a safety item in strong seas when fishing close to reefs and other rocky areas as well. One of the reasons that kayak fishermen have been so successful is the fact that they can fish in close to shore areas where the party boats dare not to go due to the shallow depths. Areas that haven’t been fished in the past are now Meccas for kayak fishermen. John has had some impressive catches in the last several years. His most noted catch to him was a nine pound Calico bass that he caught off Laguna Beach. Adding to this, he has caught many large Thresher sharks nearing the 100 lb. mark and several large Halibut in the 30 lb. Class. John has chronicled his catches on his website and the many large fish he has caught can be seen there. The most noted picture I have seen is the large Thresher shark perched on top of his kayak that seemingly takes up most of his kayak ! Impeccable stuff indeed.
John likes to use lures mostly for fishing and trolls deep running crank baits and swim baits in areas that his fish finder shows fish. Inside the harbor you will find him using Big Hammer curly tail grubs along with Berkley Power Pulse worms and Frenzies in Perch Chrome. Other times, John may use Fish Traps Watermelon red flake swim baits and noted that a lot of smaller fish tend to hit these 3” to 4” lures. Several areas he noted that will hold fish within the harbor are shadowed spots along moored vessels, bridges and pilings as well as eddies showing on the surface. “ Key fishing is just before the high tide comes in .” John added. On the outside of harbors , he looks for kelp beds and inshore reefs and structure to hold fish.
The rods John uses are as John put it “ Not the fanciest around , but get the job done.” He uses Penn Sabres in 6’6’’ to 8’ lengths coupled with Penn reels and a few Daiwas as well. John told me that its important to have a long enough fishing rod to be able to maneuver a fish around the front and rear of the kayak. “ Its difficult to put a lot of pressure on a fish with a kayak,” John remarked. John prefers to use P-Line or Cuda fishing lines and says that he uses Seagar Flurocarbon leaders. He isn’t convinced that the flurocarbon leaders are responsible for most of his catches but continues to use them.
When fishing key areas that may hold larger fish , John sometimes uses ordinary pull top cat food as chum, either with holes poked into the top and leashed to the kayak or completely removing the top and pouring out the contents up current of where the fish may be. It’s the little tricks that John has learned that make him more successful than other fishermen but John feels that its being in touch with his natural surroundings over the years that has made him the fisherman he has become. Maybe it helps that John was a certified scuba diver at the age of 15 and has seen ocean fish in their natural habitat or he started fishing at such an early age but he believes in passing his knowledge of the sport . Recently, John and several veteran ocean kayakers have founded the “Dana Point Kayak Fishing Mafia” fishing club. The membership at present is between 20-40 kayak fishermen and women and meets on Saturday of the new moon at Bill Hogan’s Tackle in Dana Point. Their club is dedicated to helping anglers new to the sport of Ocean Kayaking and more information is available on John’s website message board for those that are willing to try a new angle on fishing.
