Cabezon Fishing with a Pismo Local Legend: Kayak Guide Tom Reilly

Vincent Alexander
5 days ago
4 min read

Today, we're fishing with a local legend.

You might know him as the owner of Central Coast Kayaks in Pismo Beach

Or as a kayak fishing guide with Momentum Paddle Sports.

This is Tom Reilly.

Tom and I hit the beach with some rigged squid to see if we could get any rockfish to bite.

Together, we navigated the rocky reef in Pismo Beach, California. Just as gorgeous and mysterious as it is slippery and unforgiving.

I shared my special "Weave Method" for baiting squid, which ensures the bait stays on the hook no matter what. This method has a great conversion rate, and it almost always results in a hooked fish when I get a bite.

A Cabezon Saves the Day

Despite the slow fishing, Tom's rod bent over, saving the day with a perfect catch.

"A Cabezon! Couldn't resist the chunk of squid," he exclaimed.

The fish was a beautiful 12-inch specimen, and Tom took the opportunity to give us a closer look at its unique anatomy.

He pointed out the large grinders in the back of its throat, perfect for crushing crabs and shellfish.

He also shared some interesting facts about the Cabezon:

They live in shallow to deep water around rocky reefs.
They don't have scales, but rather a skin like a catfish, though not slimy.
Their wide pectoral fins allow them to "walk" along the bottom in search of food.

After a quick lesson, Tom safely released the fish.

From LA to the Central Coast: Tom's Fishing Journey

I had the chance to interview Tom and learn how he became the legendary guide he is today.

Vince: Tell me about yourself. How did you get started fishing?

Tom: I was lucky that my buddy's dad took me out fishing a lot when I was young. He took us on boats and all kinds of trips, and I just developed a passion for it.

Vince: You grew up in the LA area, right? What lakes did you fish?

Tom: Yes, I lived in LA until I was 19. We fished Lake Arrowhead, Castaic, Pyramid, and Quail. We also fished the beach in Santa Monica for perch and halibut.

Vince: How did you end up in the San Luis Obispo area?

Tom: I moved to Santa Barbara for college and lived there for 10 years. I worked at the Channel Islands, where we'd fish off boats, dive, and spearfish. I also got into kayaking during college, and that's when my two passions, kayaking and fishing, came together. I started kayak fishing in Santa Barbara, on places like Lake Cachuma.

Vince: Then you moved to Boston for a bit?

Tom: Yeah, my wife was in grad school there. I took the opportunity to learn how to fish for striped bass in Boston Harbor and the rivers in the Scituate area.

After a few more years, I ended up finding a home at Central Coast Kayaks. I started as a guide and instructor for them in 2001.

I'd go fishing on my lunch breaks, paddling off the beach to fish for rockfish in the kelp beds.

Pismo has always been a great fishery because of its diverse environments—sandy beaches, rocks, big kelp beds, and reefs.

Tom later acquired the store in 2016, a few years after starting his own instructional and guiding company, Momentum Paddle Sports. He eventually left his career as an environmental education teacher to run the shop full-time.

Vince: So, anyone who wants to come to Pismo and go kayak fishing, you're the guy to see?

Tom: Absolutely. Whether it's freshwater in our local lakes or out here in the ocean.

Back on the Reef: A Solo Mission for Cabezon

While Tom caught a beautiful Cabezon, I came up empty on our trip. So a couple of days later, I went back on my own with more squid, and just stood around for three of four hours, enjoying a tranquil bait-and-wait session.

After catching some small rockfish on a heavyweight rig, I was in the mood to get out there on a minus tide with a lightweight combo and fish some weedless swimbaits to see if I could find a larger specimen using a more active technique.

The waves were big, with energy readings over 1,000 and heights of 5.5 to 6 feet. However, I knew how to work with the conditions. By fishing a long reef where the waves break far offshore, you can find calm pockets of water near the beach.

I waded out onto the rocks, casting into deeper, rocky areas with a lightweight combo and some weedless swimbaits.

For this trip, I was excited to use the new Battlestar 3-inch Rib Bait with a 2/0 XLS weighted swimbait hook. I developed these baits specifically for this style of fishing.

After a lot of casting and working my bait through cracks and crevices, I felt the distinct thump of a fish inhaling my swimbait.

I fought it through the kelp and managed to bounce it up onto the reef.

It was a beautiful Cabezon, and I had caught it on the Shiny White Rib Bait.

What I love about Cabezon is that they hit your bait hard, which usually results in a solid hookset.

The fish I caught was lacking a lot of color on its skin pattern, a perfect camouflage for the dark reef rock we were standing on.

That was the only bite of the day.

As the sun set, I was on my way out when I met two awesome kids, Elijah and Sterling.

They had been "poke poling" and were excited to show me a big Monkeyface Eel they had caught.

Vince: What's your favorite thing about coastal foraging?

Elijah: "Instead of out in the sea fishing, you don't get seasick."

Sterling: "The smell of the salt and the awesomeness of a catch."

If you're interested in a guided kayak tour in Pismo, whether it's for fishing or just paddling, you can get in touch with Tom at momentumpaddlesports.com or through Central Coast Kayaks - Pismo Beach, CA (805) 773-3500 1879 Shell Beach Rd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449