'YAK ATTACK\Coming close to the action isn't a problem when you fish from\a sea kayak.

Byline: Brett Pauly

The guide cautiously walked me through landing procedure: Waves at Malibu's Broad Beach break to the right and push the kayak to the left, so dip the paddle into the wave as a brace.

He could just as well have been talking to a crash-test dummy, because when the curl I was surfing atop broke and spun the boat abruptly to the left, I didn't even make a move. Splat - a face full of saltwater.

The same thing transpired on the launch seven hours earlier. I was told to "punch through the wave" to the salvation of flat water beyond the surf zone. Instead, it punched me out. Whap - a mug full of brine.

But in between the wipeouts was the single most enjoyable fishing experience I have had in some time, even though the only thing I caught was kelp.

Welcome to the world of kayak fishing - an ancient art with modern applications that beckons anglers into the breakers because of its closeness to nature, solitude, quick access to the fishing grounds and the ability to control where to fish.

"It's kind of a Zen-like feeling. You're floating out on the water by yourself, not dealing with anyone else," said Eric Fishman, 25, of Chatsworth, a twice-a-week kayak angler who on this off day had the only luck, landing a nice sand bass and a cagey calico. "You get to pick and choose where you want to fish.

"You're not at the whim of a skipper, standing shoulder to shoulder on some expensive party boat and getting your lines tangled every time the bite is on."

Van Nuys musician and arranger Jeff Daniel views kayak fishing as a wilderness escape.

"It is another universe," said the father of two daughters in his early 40s who has hit the kelp patties up to three times a week since discovering the sport nearly four years ago. "My wife is a kayak widow now. I bring back something for dinner and something to write a song about in the form or inspiration."

Kayak angling dates back to the whale-hunting days of the Eskimo, who floated in wooden boats covered in mammal hides and used harpoons attached by line to seal-hide buoys.

Today's anglers propel themselves in sleek, open-decked kayaks made from formed plastic. They employ sonar and top-of-the-line rods and reels to capture their targets - everything from white seabass and rockfish to halibut and salmon. And they are enthralled by the whales and other denizens that swim by their vessels.

On my first outing, a pod of dolphins brazenly passed within 10 feet of my 'yak, as it is dubbed, unaffected by my floundering attempts at seaworthiness.

Daniel, who has been pulled around by blue sharks and once landed a 30-inch halibut, said his most memorable moment was during a recent outing off Westward Beach at Point Dume, when a 35-foot gray whale passed 4 feet under his kayak in only 15 feet of water.

"He could have sent me like a peanut onto the shore," he said. "It took my breath away."

Harbor seals and sea lions, affectionately called sea dogs because of their loud barking, are also prevalent. But with them comes the threat of larger predators, namely the great white shark.

Though rare, shark attacks on kayakers have been documented - and anglers take care. They avoid known great-white feeding areas, paddle as silently as possible and avoid leaving trails of oily bait or fish blood.

"I don't consider it a factor," said Dennis Spike of Tarzana, a fishing fanatic who parlayed his passion into enterprise and now operates angling schools locally and in Santa Cruz through his Coastal Kayak Fishing outfit. "There are way too many people in the water and way too few incidents of contact to be worried about it."

However comforting that might be, in the back of my mind the notion of my kayak doubling as a shark's toothpick would pop up between casts of plastic lures.

Spike patiently showed me the finer points of tying off to the kelp to keep from drifting, using freshwater spinning gear to make bait - mackerel, primarily - and untwisting the crow's nests I looped into his conventional reels while aiming for game fish. Hey, trying to toss a line while maintaining your balance on a tiny, unwieldy craft is a challenge.

I count myself lucky that I didn't catch anything of note, or I might have marlin-hooked myself right into the water. Kerplunk - a mouth full of seaweed.

A 36-year-old former cigar salesman and acupuncturist, Spike gave up his work to pursue a profession in 'yak fishing.

"It gives me a life I never dreamed about," he said. "Who would think that I could have a life and still fish 100 times a year. I can fish at sunup and be off the water by 10 to conduct business."

Spike, a portly chap whose burly beard and fondness for stogies gives him a likeness to Fidel Castro, couldn't get enough angling when he was a charter-boat customer 10 to 20 times a year. Too much expense and down time motoring to the prime fishing locales, he said.

"I bought a kayak on a hunch. On our first trip out we caught a huge halibut," he said. "I was hooked."

Soon he was modifying his 'yak. He added paddle clips and custom rod holders to free up his hands for fiddling with bait and tackle. Anchoring systems were developed to prevent drift - or minimize it when angling for halibut.

A flag tied to the end of his rod makes him more visible to skippers when the swells get big. A climbing carabiner nailed to the end of a broomstick serves to release blue sharks, rays and other nasty critters at a safe distance. A gaff has been standard equipment ever since a 30-pound halibut leaped from the hold of his cousin's 'yak before Spike had a chance to close the hatch.

He has landed 35-pound halibuts and white seabass - his primary targets, tackled a 60-pound ray, hooked and released barracuda until he was bored, and used squid to lure blue sharks that were feeding frenziedly on a massive school of sardines.

And the isolation has accentuated his senses and fishing knowledge.

"You can hear bait hitting the water, or a dolphin breathe or a whale breach. That would never have happened with all the noise on a boat," he said. "With that awareness comes a better understanding."

Spike consoled me after my landing debacle at day's end.

"Practice in launching and landing does not make perfect because you're dealing with the forces of Mother Nature in the surf zone and, occasionally, even the most talented paddler is going to get swamped," he explained. Translation: Wham - a kisser full of sand and surf.

I can't think of a more worthwhile gamble.

Tackle Box

Space and accessibility are premiums on kayaks, so anglers organize their gear accordingly. They are required to have on board a net that is 18 inches in diameter, a personal flotation device and a visible fishing license. Here are some other tackle suggestions:

Rods: One heavy-duty, two-piece freshwater spinning rod (a two-piece setup fits in the hold) for making bait. It also doubles as light tackle for smaller game fish.

One seven-foot bass rod for target fish. It is secured in the side clips of a paddle holder for launching and landing.

Reels: A freshwater spinning reel with 6-pound-test line for the bait unit. Two conventional reels with level winds - one with 12- to 15-pound-test monofilament line for target fish and one with 20-pound-test line or stronger as backup or if the lighter line is being broken off by bigger fish. (A third conventional reel with 30-pound-test multifilament, braided line is good for deep-water rock fishing because of the line's reduced stretch and high level of sensitivity.)

Baits and lures: For making bait: A skirted bait rig, which imitates everything from plankton to tiny shrimp, for catching mackerel and other bait fish. A submersible bait bucket holds the catch.

For bait fishing: A light egg sinker with an appropriate hook for surface applications, and a trolling drop line with a high-quality single or treble hook. Apart from bait caught on the water, mostly frozen squid and sardines are used. Kayakers are known to request - and receive - bait from bait boats or sportfishing charters while on the water, and occasionally they will bring live squid with them for the launch.

Plastics and iron: Three proven lures (dubbed "old faithfuls" by the 'yak-fishing crowd) - soft plastic with a root beer body and a green twin-tail, the Luhr Jensen Crocodile and blue-and-white iron jigs in any combination or size. The latter is particularly successful on barracuda. Attaching the clip portion of a snap swivel to the end of the line makes switching lures quick and easy - a big plus on a kayak.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART

Photo (1-2-3---color) Eric Fishman of Chatsworth, top, demonstrates the proper bracing technique while landing his kayak at Broad Beach in Malibu. Dennis Spike, left above, and Fishman cast off Malibu's El Matador State Beach. The aptly named Fishman, left, shows off a sand bass that gobbled a plastic lure off El Matador State Beach. (4) Kayak anglers off Malibu's El Matador State Beach take a break and prepare for lunch atop the kelp patties. Quiet is one of the pluses. (5) SPIKE Gus Ruelas/Daily News Box TACKLE BOX (see text)