Kayak Fishing for FAT Rockfish in the Capitola Kelp Beds

This was my first time catching fish off of a kayak! We caught a total of three nice sized rockfish and had a great time out on the calm water. This was also my first time ever fishing in Capitola! The waters there tend to have very low visibility and be a bit more sharky (possibly due to the low visibility sharks come closer to their target of interest and people are more likely to see them) so I had never gone there to spearfish. Bait fish are endless with schools and schools of croaker, smelt, and anchovies all over the place. Capitola is a popular fishing spot for Halibut because of its sandy bottom structure but people also target Lingcod, rockfish, and even Dungeness crab!
On the weekends this place is PACKED with the skiffs that are rented out of the pier for only $150! Kayaks cost $60 for a day rental there as well (but at that point I would justify buying a kayak off of craigslist for $200). Most of the boat traffic seemed to be around the mile buoy or further out and not many people were fishing around the kelp beds closer to shore where we had the most luck.
Esdras is a much more experienced fisherman than I am and he taught me some basic rigs that he uses in lakes and rivers. He got a seasick for a bit when we got in but got used to the moving water after the first few hours. Both of us skipped breakfast (which was a terrible idea) so we were glad to have fresh fish to cook up at home!
Listed below is the gear that I use. I only listed the gear that I would recommend and stand by. Gear that I highly recommend that you guys check out I listed with an *
My Video Gear:
*GoPro Hero 9: amzn.to/3uBbsFU
3x Battery Pack and Tri-Charger: amzn.to/3uAw1SM
SanDisk 256GB Extreme Memory Card: amzn.to/3bMKfrd
Joby GorillaPod 3K Tripod: amzn.to/2MArfDO
*YakAttack Boomstick Pro Camera Mount: amzn.to/3qZgJF9
My Suit:
*Hat: Limited Edition Ebay X Nike sorry
*Kokatat Meridian Gore-Tex Drysuit: amzn.to/2ZRIVhc
*Immersion Research Thick Skin Union Suit: amzn.to/3dSbMKC
Bose Frame Tempo Polarized Sunglasses: amzn.to/3qYngja
Cressi Neoprene 5mm High Stretch Gloves: amzn.to/3dPjq8r
Safety Gear:
*Onyx Kayak Fishing Life Jacket Universal: amzn.to/2ZRKpIi
*Uniden VHF Marine Radio: amzn.to/2NIBCpy
Emergency Whistles: amzn.to/3r3ExHY
My Kayak Settup:
*YakGear Generation 2 Outriggers: amzn.to/3q5C12E
*Humminbird HELIX 5 Down Imaging GPS G2 Fish Finder: amzn.to/37O8ZOw
YakAttack Humminbird Helix Fish Finder Mount: amzn.to/37SgDYf
*YakAttack Boomstick Pro Camera Mount: amzn.to/3qZgJF9
YakAttack MightyMount XL 12” Track: amzn.to/2ZX4uNs
YakAttack HD Mount LockNLoad Track Base: amzn.to/3bJwFET
YakAttack MultiMount Cup Holder: amzn.to/37Qwir9
*Old Town Contour Carry Handles: amzn.to/3bN7Tni
Danielson Anchor: amzn.to/2ZTm7xF
Heavy Duty Cargo Net: amzn.to/2PbKSCR
Gear Transportation Settup:
Yakima Jetstream Bar: amzn.to/3dUjvaO
Yakima Baseline System: amzn.to/37PCaks
*TMS J-Bar Kayak Racks: amzn.to/3r1iEc3
My Dive Gear:
**THE BEST DIVE MASK IN THE WORLD: amzn.to/3uEMvcv
Mares Ergo Flex Snorkel: amzn.to/37TP9Bt
*Cressi Gara Modular Impulse Freediving Fins: amzn.to/37UERkK
Fish Stringer: amzn.to/3dQeEaB
GoPro Speargun Clamp: amzn.to/2Mt3LAf
GoPro Waterproof Case: amzn.to/2NzWpvz
Jaws Quick Spit Antifog Spray: amzn.to/37U0Kk1
Kayak Motor Settup:
Minn Kota Endura C2 30lb Trolling Motor: amzn.to/2NCOcXw
Brocraft Kayak Trolling Motor Mount: amzn.to/3dRswkQ
Minn Kota Trolling Motor Battery Power Center: amzn.to/37Oa3Sw
12V 55aH Mighty Max Deep Cycle Battery: amzn.to/2NHeaZG
NOCO Genius Fully Automatic Smart Charger: amzn.to/3pZQQmY