Kayak trips and fishing reports 2011

[DarkSkies]

Fished from land last night as I scouted a put-in for the first kayak trip of 2011. The report:

"Fished last night for 1/2 hr with artificials as I scouted a put-in for the first pending kayak trip of the year. Threw light bucktails, jigs, and small profile plugs on the incoming. Not a touch. No visible bait around where I was, although the area is rich in all types of marine life. The water was cold, the wind started building, but it felt good to be out there and try new water.

My analysis:
1. I think the water is a bit cold, unless you're fishing the *****, which I hope to do this week or next.
2. I think for the ** area, you could compare it to the **. It's a thin pinch point, so if shore fishing you have to fish it when the current is minimizing. Ideally, top of the tide into outgoing, or bottom into incoming.

[DarkSkies]

Cold water reminders:

Planning and re-assessment - this is from the last trip I was going to make in 2010. I bailed on the last minute because of the winds. Don't be ashamed to back out of a trip if you suddenly re-assess the weather and you're not comfortable with the conditions. Going out in hazardous conditions isn't macho, it's foolish and short-sighted. If you think there is a chance you will need to be rescued or towed in, then by all means you should be re-assessing your trip plans when conditions change.......



*********************
Since not many people are fishing the northeast salt waters in kayaks now, I thought I would share some of the planning and research with you people....


1. Develop the intel -
I had been hearing about a great bite of bass and other species at a backwater place outside of NJ. I know people who live in the area. Could I have called them right away, and said - "Where are the fish?" :huh: Absolutely.

To me, half the fun of a new place is learning it. I don't always catch fish when I hit a place for the first time, even in a yak. I do appreciate the learning, though. I was talking to a friend on the phone today. We were talking about scouting. I mentioned I love to be out there seeing how things are, through my own eyes. He does the same thing, and was out scouting earlier in the week for some sweetwater winter fishing locations. :HappyWave:


2. Do your homework-
I literally spent many hours on the internet researching these waters I wanted to fish. Knowing nothing about them but the name of a river system, I obsessively looked at Google maps, and some other resources. I saved copies of the areas I thought might be productive. I researched names of electricity producers and others in the area that might be adding warm water to the area and drawing fish to the region.

Then, once I had a sense I knew what I was talking about, I set out a plan to make the trip. I sent a friend maps of places I intended to fish and asked him what his thoughts were. Since I had already done some homework, I didn't feel like such a leech when I was talking to him. :cool:

His knowledge helped me immensely, and I'm sure I'll be into fish because of it. I owe him a debt of gratitude. :clapping: My point is I didn't go to him looking to be spoon fed. I did my research, and learned as much as I could to try to make myself a valid part of our conversation.

3. Look for the window-
I looked at short-range and long-range temp and wind predictions. The next few weeks should be getting progressively colder. I was waiting for some 40 degree days. When I realized that's not likely I decided to shoot for some 35 degree days. I knew I would be ok with the layers and protective clothing I wear, but the 20+ mph sustained winds concerned me. I didn't want to put myself in a position where I would be in danger or put someone else in danger by having to rescue me.


4. Plan the trip -
I did some careful planning. I knew where I was going to launch, where I wanted to fish, and where in general I would go to seek shelter in case I got in trouble out there.

I had an alternate launch site mapped out in case the water was running too strong that day, (Hint - islands and points usually have eddies and places to hide from the wind and rough water.)


5. Don't be too proud to re-assess -
With visions of catching double digits of striped bass and other fish on a cold winter day, I had to ask myself if my reason was being clouded over by my need to catch, the addiction. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.png

Last night I was set on going. I reasoned that today and tomorrow were going to be the warmest 2 days of a long cold spell we're in for. Tomorrow is actually better,as the winds will be half as strong as today. Today was the only day that fit the time requirements for that trip.

When I got up, I checked the hourly weather forecast once more. No change in the predictions, bummer. So I reluctantly called off the trip, and here I sit writing about the trip that never materialized.




But in my mind I was out there. :kooky: I visualized me driving there, launching, what gear I would use, and thought about catching and releasing double digit numbers of bass. I was stoked! :drool:

My point here, no fish is worth your life. We lose too many of our fishing brothers each year because they decide to push the envelope. There are those who judge the "stupidity" of the guys who lose their lives out there. I posted up this post to maybe give people a window into seeing why we do what we do. :fishing:

And also to tell you guys and gals that safety should always be your #1 priority. :thumbsup: If you value your friends and family at home, please think of that before making choices that can remove you from their lives permanently. :learn:

Have a blast, but Be safe! :HappyWave:



**************
Kayak cold water and survival and general tips:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?6461-discussion-kayak-cold-water-safety-and-hypothermia-warnings

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7197-Discussion-Cramping-and-what-to-do-about-it

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7025-beginners-kayaking-safety-tips

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7116-Beginner-kayaking-how-to-re-enter-a-SOT-kayak

[jigfreak]

I want to see some fish ds, don't even care if its pics of runts. Get out there, break a LEG. But don't kill yourself.:d

[Shorelady]

Great start of the season post with the links. We all need gentle safety reminders as we start the season. We don't need to be reminded when reading about tragedies. Thanks!

[DarkSkies]

Shorelady, thanks for the comments. Most guys with yaks know safety can be a matter of life and death. Occasionally I'll see a back and forth between guys on a forum where one guy is trying to outdo the other, same thing happens with fishermen.

But to me, if you have anyone who depends on you or who will be affected if you're gone, you should focus on the safety issues of each trip. I saw some guys out last week catchin fish. One had rain pants on, the other had heavy neoprene waders with attached boots. That worries me when the water is this cold. It's not my place to nag someone as to what they should be wearing out there if they are experienced. Some guys really don't take well to that, and out there I ain't looking for arguments, I'm looking to use my time fishing.

However, I have gently admonished guys on jetties wearing sneakers. I have cautioned newer guys about safety. I feel if something tragic happened and I didn't say anything, I would feel bad, like I could or should have done something more.

There's nothing macho about putting yourself at risk in cold water or bad weather. Again, if you are experienced, you know your boundaries, and may take more risks than other people. I'm perfectly ok with that, as I do that as well at times. I'm still feeling bad over that kid who disappeared last year while kayaking the Shrewsbury. They still haven't found his body. Every time I look at the water during bad conditions I think of him, and the great loss his family now has. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png

So again, people...even if you planned and planned the trip, and have your heart set on going out...it doesn't make you less of a man (or woman) if you change your plan because of safety concerns. :learn:

I hope this doesn't embarass you by my mentioning it. Shorelady, but I remember the day when you and your friend Dee had to abandon a surf launch. I won't provide the details unless you want to share, but suffice it to say IMO you made the right decision to cancel the trip. You are one tough woman, but seem to temper that toughness with wisdom. :thumbsup:

There are some guys I know of who might not have made the same choices you did, and would have continued with the trip. And those same guys could have been in trouble if they did. Sometimes ya gotta know when to call it a day, get your mindset over the disappointment, and re-group for another day. :fishing: I admire people who think this way more than I admire a kayakker who always pushes the limits, even though that's his right.

[jigfreak]

I don't want to hijack this but I'm not sure if that guy died in the river or just took off to South America. His body should have been found by now. Yeah I feel sorry for the family too, but even they probably would like to find his body for some closure. just saying.

[DarkSkies]

so if shore fishing you have to fish it when the current is minimizing. Ideally, top of the tide into outgoing, or bottom into incoming.


Yep, I definitely have to get a better handle on the tides for that area....:bucktooth:

I fished for an hour last night. I had the kayak ready for the maiden 2011 voyage but when I got there it seems I miscalculated the tide. I have to figure out the tide for that area better. Only certain times make sense for a kayak launch.

So I fished anyway from land. Nothing for me on the first hour of the ebb on small bucktails and rubber. The water was probably low to mid-40's. Another 5 degrees and it should be poppin. :drool:

I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not taking the yak out for a pedal, but the plan I set out on just wasn't workable once I saw the water. It was really mild out there, and not bad fishin at all. The water was relatively clear for the back bay, and calm. But the tide wasn't right to allow me to go where I wanted. Next time. :fishing:

[Shorelady]

[I hope this doesn't embarass you by my mentioning it. Shorelady, but I remember the day when you and your friend Dee had to abandon a surf launch. I won't provide the details unless you want to share, but suffice it to say IMO you made the right decision to cancel the trip. You are one tough woman, but seem to temper that toughness with wisdom. :thumbsup:

That day it was really deceiving with the shore breaks. There were several reasons for not going out. Concern with landing and taking a more serious look at my hand and deciding, yup, I need stitches. However, a nice afternoon at the diner made up for the day.
Dark, my limits are not as great as many of the guys I go out with. If I make a committment to fish for the day and get uncomfortable out there, I come in. I will wait on the land until my partners are done, radio in hand. Afterall, I agreed to fish for the day. I count my blessings to still have the ability to surf launch!:)

[hookset]

If I make a committment to fish for the day and get uncomfortable out there, I come in. :)

That's the mark of an intelligent outdoors person. It seems like you know what you are comfortable with. With guys it is often an ego thing, and some of us end up in the cemetary because of it.:don't know why:

[jigfreak]

Ego and kayak fishing in cold water are not the best combinations. I think an outlook like the one you have is a good one shorelady.

[Shorelady]

I have concluded that kayak fishing is the ultimate obsession. I Love it! I guess the bottom line is, it is something I want to do for many years to come. I work with seniors and have seen the aging process in action and I do realize that this is not something I can do forever. I certainly do not want to cut the time short because I was stupid.

[Shorelady]

Didn't make it out today after dealing with rack issues for a few hours. However the guys I fish with had a very good day in RB. Phil had one at 26 lbs and 8 others Other guys had keepers and multiply fish. Figured I could at least get a report up here. Going out before the rains tomorrow.

[wish4fish]

kewl newz the fish are filling the bay up they are gettin ready to make babies, lol

[DarkSkies]

Thanks for the report Shorelady. I heard about that action, nice fat fish! :thumbsup: Looks like a new body of bass are moving along the coast and into the bays. Hope you got into some action today. :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

Well I will be fishing hard up until the full moon, I hope we see some of the bigger ones. Congrats to the guy who got the 26lber, that must have been a beaut!:clapping::clapping: I really need to look at getting a kayak.:drool:

[Shorelady]

There must have been 20 yaks out there today, and the fish were there. Some nice fish caught today. Many of the guys in the double digits. I had eight, no keepers and John, my fishing buddy had 2 keepers. Weather was great. On the water from 8-noon.

John with his 33 inch

http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac181/Shorelady/April102011keyportjohn.jpg

[albiealert]

Very nice, thanks for the report! We have no active bass that size in the Sound where I fish yet. It's good to see someone is getting on on some nice action. btw, I am assuming that is a pic of your friend John's yak. Nice touch with a mermaid strapped to the front of it!:thumbsup: :fishing:

[Shorelady]

Yes that is Ariel the Mermaid. She has been on the front of his yak since JBAY tourney last year. The group I stayed with all had various items on the front of our yaks... Ariel is the only one that has survived. Through surf launches and all. Gotta of fun!

[Pebbles]

:clapping:That is a nice fish.

[DarkSkies]

There must have been 20 yaks out there today, and the fish were there. Some nice fish caught today.

Judy, this action continues, day 5 today. Congrats to you and John.

The cold dirty water from the storm might affect it a bit, but I'm thinking only slightly. The thing I came ro realize as I was there today is that the action is so great because the fish are drawn there. Where you were has one of the highest food concentrations in the whole bay. But that's right now because other places aren't holding bait. When that dynamic changes and the other early season places begin to hold more bait, this should naturally shift to a broader horizon.

And realistically, how many days can this great streak continue? :drool: :cool: :fishing:

[DarkSkies]

2 day report


Mon PM - yak fished 3 hours in windy conditions, 1 short bass on T&W.
At first I planned to fish a few places, but the first stop proved difficult with the steady wind. I missed the flood tide as well, and had to fight against current for the duration. However, after hearing all the great yak reports for 4 days, I theorized some other places would be holding good bodies of fish for the artificial bite. I was dead wrong on this theory, and spent the 3 hours proving it to myself. In the end, I was able to scratch one small bass on a T&W. The lamemess of that was apparent, as I trolled past lots of structure. If there were a reasonable amount of bass there, I should have had more action.

Slightly discouraged and with a building wind, I bagged if for the night with the yak still on the car.









Tue AM- had a small window before it got snotty this AM. Had 1 hour to fish before work. Got to the party a little late. It seems some of the nicer fish are nailed right around sunrise. Managed 2 short yak bass on artificials. 13432

They're hitting the plugs hard on the troll. :viking: I initially started out much further than I needed to be until I realized the fish are in relatively tight.

I started trolling bombers but got no love with them. Switched to small flashy yo-zuris, and got action within a few minutes. I got 2 short bass after that, and had to stop to get to work. The tide was dropping out anyway, and you could see the action dropped with the dropping tide.... (I believe this is called EBB Tide....:bucktooth: :laugh:)

Met MSGDan (DannyV) out there and some of the guys he was with. He was giving pointers to a newbie, a younger kid who seemed very appreciative as Danny got him into a few fish. Despite his unselfishness, Danny remained high hook for the morning, getting into 15 fish to 36". 10 of these were 30" and better.

There were also a lot of small fish hooked as well, but the level of activity was the addicting part for me. Although I missed most of it, the little that I did experience will keep me coming me back until those fish spread out.

On the way in, I got a chance to talk with Dan a little more. I'm thinking about nominating this guy for a Kayak outdoorsman of the Year award. In a world where many fishermen, shore, yak, boat, are into it for the numbers and the ego, MSGDan is one of the old-school sportsmen, never too busy to help a new guy out or talk fishing. :thumbsup: And he's about as hard-core as they come. Nice to finally meet ya, Dan. :HappyWave:

I took some pics of his fish. Maybe if I get his permission, I'll post later. Quality fish, they seem to be eating well. :cool:

[jigfreak]

Now thats what I'm talking about, you finally got out there ds.
Shorelady - nice fish your friend got there! Looks like you all got into a mess o bass. Same thing in SJ, fellas, it busted open over the weekend.

[storminsteve]

Wow, great effort ladies and gentlemen! I need a kayak!

[DarkSkies]

Steve, these fish are in tight. They're roaming the edges in the low light hours and when the tides are high.

DannyV got a 36" bass within 50' of the sand right around sunrise. Although the kayakers have an advantage here, for those motivated enough to try for them from the beach, they're definitely close at the right time and tide, on the dark side. Check your PMs. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Fishing "window".. cold dirty water killed a 6 day winning streak

Yak fished the bay before sunrise and 2 hours into the ebb.
Some of the best of the best yakkers were out there. :HappyWave:

MSGDan and Joey C launched before me. They got nothing in the pre-dawn darkness. I fished from 5:30-7:30am.

Ran into Joh Schein, kayak author and owner of KFM,, and his buddy on the way out. Very nice gujys, it was cool to finally meet them. :thumbsup:

Cold dirty murky water. Official temp guage today said 58. There was no way the temps were anything near that where we were.
I think they managed 1 fish among 6 of them, according to an e-mail I just got.
I veered off from them and worked several miles of sod and structure, drifting with the current.
Used every cold water presentation I had, not a tap. :skunk:

I figured they had the deeper water covered, so I went all the way down, working every inch of the structure and sods with small rubber, swimmers, and bucktail.

A long way to go for no action, but as a fisherman I had to give it a shot.

I saw the guiys still out there when I left.

IMO the water is too cold and muddy for atificials. I did get a report that some bass were nailed by guys using the T&W in another location. That's one presentation I didn't use. Next time.

On an end note, we all focus on the fishing, and the catchin. That's what guys want to see. :fishing:

I may get some grief for this, but the sunrise colors on the water this morning were spectacular. The full sun stayed behind the clouds until 8AM. Athough no signs of fish life, there was a richness of bird and animal life at each place I passed by.

Several kinds of ducks and shorebirds, many that I couldn't even identify.
The usual geese and gulls, and the laughing gulls as well (No Swans, though :2flip: ) It was a truly awesome morning out there, and I was glad to be a part of it.

[DarkSkies]

There had been some good action in the bay with some teen bass and stray bluefish under the bunker schools. Hoping to get a piece of that action, I launched in the bay at 5:30am this morning. High wiinds were forecast for later on, but I saw an early window and took a shot.

I heard the bunker flipping when I launched. As I got out to where they were, I realized they were scattered as opposed to bunched up together. Sometimes that works. Other times it's not enough concentration to stimulate mass carnage by bass and bluefish. That was the case today, as there seemed to be very few fish around, including bunker.

I snagged and dropped for awhile, no action. When I realized that wasn't going to work, I snagged 2 more and put out pieces. No action on those either.

So eventually I decided to troll and jig past structure, with dannys, small mid-water swimmers, rubber, and bucktails. No action at all. No action either for the boat out there fishing with clams and bunker, or for the shore guys fishing the same.

With the wind building I decided to head back to the put-in. Met some good people, and swapped stories. Sometimes the best part of fishing is the intel you develop when the bite sucks. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.png

Ran into 2 yakkers, John, and Mark (aka PassionForFishing). :HappyWave:Seems many in the kayak world know Judy (Shorelady) :HappyWave:and her friend Dee, and Dee's work with Casting for Recovery. :thumbsup:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7590-Casting-for-Recovery...a-little-background-and-support-info

The JBay tournament seems to be on everyone's mind for now.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7532-2011-Jamaica-Bay-Kayak-Fishing-Tournament-Information


Also spent a long time talking to an old-time sharpie :), a guy who doesn't even know the meaning of the term, but fits the bill nonetheless. :cool:

Matt, a 78 year old retired steamfitter who would rather throw artifcials than anything else, showed me his old-school plug bag. This bag contaiined plugs and bucktails he either made or modified to most effectively work the areas he fishes. He caught a 52" late Spring bass 7 years ago using one such modified small plastic plug. :clapping: Great stories, I could have listened to them all day. When I get a chance I'll try to post some of his plug mods.

The main problem with today is the bunker were very scattered, and the strong winds. The fish are on the move in the ocean in their Northern migration, though. Any time you can dial in to intercept these fish you'll be rewarded.

[DarkSkies]

Jbay fishing has been pretty dismal this year, nothing like comparable catches for April and May in years past. The Jbay tournament results were pretty poor. Weather was a factor in this, but historically it's been a lot better even with bad weather.

2 of the most hardcore yakkers I know, Eli and Mark, had been out there many times getting blanked, or only connecting with schoolies. Yet they wouldn't give up, they persevered.

They went out again in the fog, Thu night and half of Fri. They found the bunker and some bigger bass, at last. :viking:

Eli got 7 bass to 39", Mark has the hot hand with a 46" 32# fish. :clapping::clapping:

Here's a video Mark took. Awesome effort guys, you really worked for those fish, well-deserved! :cool: :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tICqhsJA7rc&feature=player_embedded#at=94

[CharlieTuna]

Great report, send some of those big ones up this way.

[Shorelady]

Fantastic!!!

[hookset]

Wow those are some monster bass!

[baitstealer]

Love those video reports keep them coming

[DarkSkies]

We call Eli the Human Fishfinder, the dude lives to fish, and has racked up some pretty impressive catches this year. He puts in a lot of time and fishes rain or shine. I remember one day last year I drove over to meet him, and we fished Jbay in 3-4' swells.

WTG, Eli. :clapping: :thumbsup:

Some of the videos he's put up recently:


Bluefish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYtsnYVFNM&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Ra1c4bSnQ&NR=1



35" Jbay bass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWo3-xCQxSI&feature=related

[fishinmission78]

Awesome, I need to get me a kayak.

[dogfish]

Thanks for these Dark and Co. We're still getting schoolies here, nothing big yet. I've been out on the yak 4 times with only rats to show for it.

[DarkSkies]

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DannyV got some nice bass 4-12 in the back of RB, just now getting around to posting it.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon11.png

WTG, Danny, it was great to finally meet ya in person! :HappyWave:

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[DarkSkies]

Eli and Mark were going to make a trip to Moco NJ from LI to try to hammer some of the big NJ bass that had been around.. I tried to help them wiht launch intel, but at the last minute they didn't like the wind, and decided to abort for the Western Sound.


Although they didn't get any big bass, they had an awesome day catching multiple species. there seems to be more bait in the W Sound now than there is in NJ, so naturally the predators were following. Sandeels and rainfish were there by the millions, and it was an all out bonanza for these 2 as they each caught over 75 fish for the day. :drool:

That's impressive by any standard. Mark (Iplayfair) has kind of a goofy way about him :HappyWave: but I mean that with all respect. Watch the video as he plays fish after fish. This guy is a great fisherman, loves to fish, and has a ball no matter what fish he catches. :cool: :clapping:

If anyone has any production contacts, I'm thinking these 2 guys would make a great segment for kayak fishing for ESPN outdoors. I think they would be immensely popular. Their enthusuasm for fishing jumps right off the screen. :fishing:

1363213633
Here's the report, with video......

13631


Mark-
Man what a blast !! Me and Elias slammed the fish today. We caught everything !! Mostly porgies and fluke though. We caught Porgies, Fluke, Bass, Bluefish, Searobins, and even a dogfish. The porgies were HUGE !! great scrapy fighters. The biggest was around 3 pounds. I had a few double headers with bass and a porgy. Crazy action that lasted all morning. We both kept a limit of pork chops and probably caught over 75 fish each. Lots of laughs, a nasty sunburn and a filthy kayak....Great stuff !!


Eli -
13634
Had birds working ALL morning, all sorts of species busting, fluke were rolling like carpets, sea robins were tail slapping and the best were when the Porgys were on top and assaulting the jigs!!!! I caught at least 20 porgys on jigs! Some of the bigger ones too!

I dropped a very nice Fluke early in the morning as it took me off guard.

I am glad plan b worked out but we need to get to that ocean and cream those monsters.

At least 75 fish caught today by each of us, I had about 5 Bass, 2 Bluefish (one gator), 40 Porgies, about 15-20 Fluke, and some trash in the mix.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTaOguiL0r0&feature=player_embedded

[fishinmission78]

I wish I had a kayak today, the bass were just out of reach. Cool report- that guy Mark is nutz!

[DarkSkies]

Observed Swell report. Moco to Occo:

Thought I would start putting these up. I wanted to bring the yak down yesterday as some of the bunker were too far out of reach. Also got some intel that blues 13-17# are reachable in a reasonable distance from a surf launch, maybe 1 mile out in places.


Looking at www.njsurfer.com (http://www.njsurfer.com) web cam, it seemed do-able for a surf launch. The winds forecast weren't that bad either. However, when you get to the water, it's usually a different story.
When I really am worried about the conditions, I'll supplement my search with www.wunderground.com (http://www.wunderground.com) or some other hourly forecast site.

For some of the folks who live far from the surf, I'll try to post OBSERVED swell info every time I'm out fishin. That's an important factor to me, and should be for folks who are concerned about safety.

Yesterday, even though the bunker were relatively close, the heavy fog, storms, coupled with the swell, were serious marks against a safe trip. I heard of some guys raring to get out there, but I urge ya's to let safety be your guide.

Yesterday I watched a fellow fisherman dive in and swim 70' out to retrieve a lost plug after we failed to snag it, more on that in another thread. No fish or piece of gear is worth your life. :learn:




Swell info Fri PM:
Waves 3-5, NE swell, duration 2-3 secs :scared:

Swell info Sat AM:
Waves 1-3, NE swell, duration 5-6 secs

[DarkSkies]

The Human Fishfinder was out again.
He hit up Jbay in the early pre-dawn hours, found some smaller adult bunker and livelined them....
Though others have caught big monster fluke on live bunker, it's not very common. The biggest fluke are aggressive predators and hit like a freight train. :eek:
I'm not a big fan of fluke fishin, but when I taked to him and heard the story, my blood was pumping! :bigeyes:

Great report, even though you dropped the biggest one, bro. You'll gettum next time...:HappyWave:


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"Holy smokes was today the best day of Fluking I had ever down here in JBAY.


Sailed at 4:30am and found some bunker getting worked. I dropped a decent bass as he wouldn't commit. Did a few drifts on the rig in deep water and wiffed a doormat. And I mean a DOORMAT. Double digit 100%, some guys that fish with me know I can overestimate sometimes, but this was no joke. The Bass hook didn't penetrate correctly and I lost him in some rips.

Very sad.


Did a rinse and repeat and brought another candy size bunekr into the same drift and put a big fish just a hair under 6lbs.


Whipped out the bucktails and beat on them. Limited out with more fish around 22" and released about 5 keeper sized fish. Just incredible.


I almost called in sick, but the tide turned around and I didn't want to gamble."

13718

[stripermania]

:clapping::clapping::clapping:Fluke on a live bunker? Holy crap, I never would have believed it. Awesome!

[VSdreams]

13528

DannyV got some nice bass 4-12 in the back of RB, just now getting around to posting it.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon11.png

WTG, Danny, it was great to finally meet ya in person! :HappyWave:

13527

So that's DannyV, also known as MSG Dan? My cousin got a hobie this spring. He was fishing in the back of rb and really didn't know a lot. He met some guy one day, and the guy helped him with all sorts of tips and advice. Spent about 45 mins talking to him. I showed him this thread, and he said this is the guy. Nicest guy you ever want to meet, my cousin says thanks again!:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Nicest guy you ever want to meet, my cousin says thanks again!:thumbsup:


VSDreams, DannyV/MSGDan is one of the nicest guys in the fishing world. In the years I've known him I have never heard an unkind word uttered about him. He's a hardcore fisherman through and through, and never seems too busy to offer advice to a newcomer. :thumbsup:

I was in touch with him yesterday. He just came back from a combo vacation/sharking trip to Myrtle Beach. Awesome report and pics! :drool:


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Posted with the permission of DannyV. :HappyWave:



***********
Myrtle Beach kayak sharks (pix) (Video)
Myrtle Beach kayak sharks! (pix)(video)
After an 8 day trip to Myrtle Beach, I was able to get out 4 mornings trying for sharks. The other days it was either too rough, golf or family stuff.

This was the second year in a row that I didn't find the huge schools of bunker that made shark fishing easy. I had to start each morning fishing close to shore with small shrimp trying for croakers and other "bait" fish that I could bring out to deeper water for the sharks. Two of the mornings it was easy getting bait and the other two mornings, not so easy. The croakers were pretty hardy and a few stayed alive for 30 minutes or so just leaving them near the drive.

It's amazing that with the live bait the sharks would be in the 5-6 foot range and when the bait was dead, it would be all 3-5 foot sharks.

The first two days I landed close to 15 sharks and I guess I lost just as many with bite-offs and lost fish. The last two days the water clouded up and getting bait and sharks was very spotty.

I must have lost at least 8 good sized spinner sharks that broke the line after several huge leaps out of the water a hundred feet or so from the kayak. I had 36" of wire but with the spinner sharks I needed heavier line and wire.

Most of the sharks were sand bar sharks with about 6 being close to the 7 foot and the others all in the 3-5 foot range.

The weater was great all week for the beach with a strong east wind that kept the clouds inshore, but it was not too good for shark fishing from the kayak. It was a steady 15-25 mph wind and a big swell and chop that made fishing a little rough. I was 6 for 8 with launching and landing, but nothing lost and nothing broken.

Here are a bunch of pictures and a 2 minute underwater video that I took near the kayak. I have more video, but I have to edit about 6 clips to make one good one.

ENJOY!!!
Danny V



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zTR5sRj9Yo

[hookset]

It looked like he was less than 1/2 mile from the beach. I wonder if the people down there know how close the sharks come in. He definitely has balls of steel, a lot more than me.:scared:

[bababooey]

:kooky:Sharks from a kayak you guys are nuts! What's next, a kayak thresher report? Remember those things have long tails, be careful out there you nut-jobs.

[dogfish]

:kooky:Sharks from a kayak you guys are nuts!

Ah don't be such a whining Nancy!
Did you go to wuss school?:moon: :laugh:

[DarkSkies]

Kayak report 7-11-11 AM NJ

I set out with the yak in RB to be right in the middle of the bunker. The only problem is they weren't as concentrated as they have been, and the larger fish that were on them for the last 2 weeks, seem to have moved on from that particular area. All that was left by last night were some smaller bass and bluefish.

I chased the bunker in the channel. but never found a high enough concentration. Eventually I was able to snag and drop a few, no action. They were being harassed, though only sporadically as they were scattered and not in the tight pattern they had been maintaining. Realistically, the harassers were most likely small bluefish and bass.

When that didn't pan out, I jigged rubber, big and small, and worked bucktails around structure. Not a touch.

Also trolled a lot of shoreline intermediate areas when I couldn't get anything going in the scattered bunker. To my embarassment, I purposely decided not to troll the T&W, working a few other presentations. Looking back, the T&W is the one presentation that might have produced, lesson learned for next time. :beatin:

Went back to shore, loaded up the kayak on the car, and joined G hoping for a sunrise bite. There was a limited period, about an hour, where we had action with small bluefish

[cowherder]

At least you got out there, like you said a lot of guys aren't fishing. The beach was empty where I fished yesterday. Thanks for the report.

[DarkSkies]

As the NJ bays become too hot for any bass and bluefish action, except when they're following schools of bunker, the LI Sound is at least 10 degrees cooler. The Western Sound continues to enjoy great action with bass, blues, porgies, and fluke on anything other than bright sunny days.

And, when the bunker are around, even the sun doesn't matter, as Danny V found out when he went up there on Sun to fish with Cheech, another great kayak guy I know and have fished with. This report, courtesy of Danny V, is a great testament to that fishing. :fishing:





************
7-10-11
Well the striper season has not come to an end yet!

I hit the western sound this morning just before sunrise (I was all rigged and waited for the bait shop to open). Launched at about 5:15 and decided I was going to troll some tube and worms around the rocks and shore for some small bass.

After an hour of wasted time with leg cramps (duh) stomach problems (2 landings on shore) I was able to start fishing.

With nothing going on with the T&W, I came across a small school of bunker getting blasted by something. I changed over to the snag and drop mode and it was game on!

The first run-off felt like a bass that came off after a short run and then with the second snag, I was fighting a huge fish for what seemed like 10 minutes.

After getting it close to the kayak, I was looking down at a nice bass well over 40 inches that some how got off just as I was getting ready for the lip gripper. After 5 minutes of loud cursing across the sound, I started all over again.

For the next 2 hours, I wound up landing two nice bass in the high 30's (inches) and at least 6 MONSTER blues in about the 12-15 lb. range with about double that being lost or bit off.

Here are a couple videos from this morning.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9We01ldQWp4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9We01ldQWp4[/video])



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVIPRq62-_g (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVIPRq62-_g)

Danny V

[DarkSkies]

Eli called me the other day after he got home.
Sucessful kayak trip to the Hudson.
He didn't post a report, guess he felt "only" 5 short bass and one tommycod wasn't exciting enough. :rolleyes:

He launched on the SI side and fished near the VZ. He timed it so it would be the last of the flood, first of the ebb. Bear in mind he only has a paddle yak, Cobra FishnDive. He fishes in heavy and rough current without a pedal drive, the guy is an absolute frikkin maniac! :kooky: :cool:

Right off the launch he nailed a small tommy cod on rocky bottom on a bucktail.
He then proceeded to paldle up and down under the VZ (you can't anchor here anymore due to 9/11 protocol). It remains one of the best inshore blackfishing spots in the NY Bight. I've met Coast Guard old timers who used to fish from the stanchions there when it was allowed, and caught bass up to 50lbs in those depths.

So he paddles back and forth, jigging a gold hammered 8oz jig down at 80'. :scared:
He managed 5 short bass, and lost a bigger one, only hooked for a few seconds.
Nice trip bro, something to be proud of.

A lot of the kayak folks I know, they do the same trip over and over...
fish the bay for fluke,,,,
Fish MB at the rocks for fluke, bass or blues....


People, there are so many more nooks and crannies that hold fish, although you won't find groups of yaks there fishin.

And fishing the Hudson by yak with it's strong current is not for beginners. You really have to have time and tide dialed in, and get the hell out of there when it starts rolling.

But that's Eli, at times I think he can SEE the fish down there.
Great trip bro. :thumbsup: I'll be there with him sometime this fall, can't wait.

[blitzhunter]

Kayakking under the verazzano, that takes balls of steel!

[DarkSkies]

^^ Eli is a maniac blitzhunter. We call him the "Human Fishfinder". And he rolls with a paddle yak, but it ain't a handicap to him, he's a mad demon with that thing. :viking:

[DarkSkies]

A few reports:

Sat into Sun,
Fished LIS, lots of hours and pedalling.
Total 19 fish...
15 bass to 28", released.
3 giant porgies to 14".
1 bluefish.


Sun Pm...
Fished LIS, another area, first time fishing it.
Total 10 fish.
6 bass to 27".
4 porgies to 13".

Full report here...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7866-LI-Sound-Nomad-fishing-2011




All on the Finchaser Tube and Worm. :clapping: :thumbsup: :fishing: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Fished Tues night.
Last 3 hours of the flood, LI Sound. Fishing was tough. The wind was a steady 15mph, which kicked up a swell, steady 1', some bigger.
I think this created a problem with the T&W presentation, or it could have been the fish were not there that night. I was fishing an area of boulder fields, had been there 2 nights before and done ok, nothing big, but decent numbers of fish.

On Mon night there was scant evidence the fish were there. Within 5 minutes I did get a massive strike, pulled drag for a few secs and got me pumped. However, the fish broke me off as she rounded a rock near a few that were close together. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png

Based on that missed fish, I trolled that area for the next hour with not a tap, and only one pesky hit from a porgy. This was puzzling because the porgies are usually all over that spot.

Decided to move along some rocky shoreline. Managed one short bass there, embarassingly small. This bass hit as the swells died a bit, so again I'm wondering if it was the presentation or the fish weren't there in numbers for some reason that night. There were phosphorescent jellyfish in the water, but when the water was rough the effect didn't seem that bad. As the tide approached slack and the water got calmer, it seems they became more of a problem.


Managed one bluefish on the T&W at dead slack, and that was all the action I had.
Since I had some worms left over, I decided to put them on a porgy rig and drift that area bouncing bottom. If the porgies are thick that usually produces some nice fish, even a stray bass or 2. I drifted for 1/2 hour at the beginning of the ebb, not even one touch or miss. I had to conclude that it was just an off night. Hey, that's fishin. :don't know why: :fishing:










A good friend Cheech was fishing the same day Tues, across the "pond". Same water and a lot more rocks, porgy,, bass and tog heaven. :drool:

He trolled the T&W inshore for hours, and all he managed was one bluefish. This is a guy who usually lands 20 bass or more every time he's out. He's a role model for other fishermen and one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. And he fishes hard, doesn't want to give up.

We can usually catch bass in the Sound in the daytime even when other guys have trouble. The T&W is money, but on Tues it wasn't. :huh:

[hookset]

You can't win em all at least you got out there. Nice report.

[DarkSkies]

48 hour trip to the Sound -
Got back last night, marathon trip, low budget. :cool: Slept in the car and lived like a nomad. Fished hard but it took time to learn the area. Fishing was honestly slow, but I still managed to eke out about a dozen fish. Nothing notable except for the 14" scupzillas I got in the morning yesterday. :headbang:Otherwise, a total of 4 short bass and 9 porgies up to 14". All on the T&W.

Full report in the nomad fishing 2011 thread.

[seamonkey]

Catching bass in August? Good job! It doesn't matter how big or small they are at least you got some bass action.

[buckethead]

Way to go Dark. You are one of the few! :clapping:

[dogfish]

^ Pffft, not impressed until he catches a 50 from a yak and posts the pics. Or maybe an 83?:scared: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

No 50's yet, dogfish, still trying. :2flip: :HappyWave:



Kayak marathon 8-12 LI Sound

The brief outline...:laugh:
Went back to the place of current with a better plan to fish different areas at different parts of the tide.

The wind and weather made me re-evaluate my plan.
Some funny stories about that.
Fished hard all night in swells that were mostly 1', but at times up to 3' and causing me concern. Therefore, I stuck to shore even though I was in open water, and believe me, in the dark of night with those swells, it was big water. Even beached the yak for a 15 minute period as I re-evaluated how to deal with the raging current.

Went back out and fished hard, not much to show for it.

Total 2 big porgies on the T&W & one small bluefish on a NB Bottle darter I was trolling.
Not one indication of any bass, big or small.

Pretty disappointed in myself and at those results, I drove a long distance to another location to fish the flood tide, almost all of it. Met up with another yakker from KFS-NY, and we talked about the Nissy incident and safety issues. Good talks.

We were both out there fishin hard, but the weeds were all over and a problem for presentation. I managed 2 monster porgies right before sunset and one small bass on Finchaser's T&W with the circle hook. The circle hook was key here because the other guy, definitely an experienced angler and good yak fisherman, was having trouble with the porgies stealing his bait. Together with the weeds and warm water, he took his leave and said good-bye before the top of the tide.

I continued to fish that warm and weedy water, just looking for that one quality fish. Tried all sorts of different presentations to deal with the weeds, some worked.

Didn't want to leave without getting a nice fish, so kept at it.
Managed some more giant porgies, no small ones (but many small ones acting as a nuisance stealing the worm).

Finally got into some feeding bass 1 hour after the tide turned, into the ebb. They were turned on at that time, and I believed I could have got more if I didn't have to make it home in time for a trip with Pebbles. :kiss:



Total for the entire trip:
9 porgies to 14", T&W
1 small bluefish, NB Darter
2 bass--- 28", and the one that made me smile, 37" and about 15#. :)
Both released.

The first time in a long time that I "left the fish biting". :fishing:









Full report and pics in the nomad fishing thread.

[gjb1969]

way to go dude:clapping:u deserve it u go hard when u fish

[DarkSkies]

8-22 quick trip

Took a quick trip of only 6 1/2 hours last night. :laugh:

Total 3 medium bluefish.
5 legal porgies to 13"


full report in the LI Nomad thread.

[DarkSkies]

Fished the RB Fri morning, last 2 hours of flood, first 2 of ebb.

Perfect conditions, water was like a lake.

2 short bass, 3 blues.
Bass on T&W.
Blues trolling small diving swimmer.

I know the area I was fishing, so I was confident I would catch a fish or 2.
The most disturbing thing to me was all the shoreline I trolled that was "dead water", with only small pockets of bait and snappers here and there.

Previously productive areas of structure were a vast wasteland of warm water and an all-encompassing algae bloom.

No action in shore area except for small hits on the T&W, nothing on different swimmers.

All the fish I got were concentrated in one area of structure, minimum of 15-20' of water. They were only there for the top of the tide. By 7:30am the action was completely done.

Pedalled back through green scum algae. It was prevalent through at least the top foot of the water column.

I felt like I was fishing in a toilet.





The waters of LI Sound have really spoiled me.
Also, I knew weakfish, kingfish, bass and other creatures were packed into JBay, and was wistfully looking over there across as I dealt with the scum-saturated water where I was. :drool:

(the bite in Jbay did slow down that day, but lucky Eli, the human fishfinder, fishing a live eel in deep water, hooked into a 6' dusky shark he fought for a 1/2 hour. Fantastic fight, bro, wish I was there with you guys. :clapping: :headbang:


Calm pre-dawn launch
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The water was so calm you could see the mirror reflection of the T&W in the water.
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Sunrise on the water

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Bass aggressive on the Finchaser T&W. The bass action only lasted for 15 minutes. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png

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This was the scum that was in the water along the shoreline. Hopefully the storms will break up some of this organic growth. It's nasty.

14064

[porgy75]

That algae and weeds pic was gross dark, how long do you think it will take the bay to get back to normal? How could the baifish thrive in that?

[DarkSkies]

Porgy, sorry I didn't answer your question sooner. :HappyWave:
In the time that has passed, the bay got back to normal, some bigger fish came in, got caught for a week or so.

The mullet emptied out with the last storm and these moon tides. There are some left, but many bay spots are dead water at this time, still tinged with brown and possibly some sewage runoff. Not a great early fall for the Raritan Bay, considering the JBay action was consistent and pretty reliable with bass, bluefish, kingfish, weakfish, big porgies and some other fish, until recently with this SE low pressure system.

Your best bet is the ocean, inlets, or rivers now, the key factor being large schools of bait.


*****
Kayak report Thu - fished a back bay area this morning where some mullet had been gathering. At the time they were most active I couldn't get out there. By the time I did, the action disappeared. I tried to make it happen by trolling rubber and medium diving swimmers. Nothing.

Finally in desperation I went with the old reliable, T&W. I hadn't intended on using it and didn't have any sandworms, so I didn't have the highest confidence. Went with gulp bloodworms, which should have pulled at least a few small bass. The only action I managed was from tiny bluefish, too small to even hook themselves on the circle hook. Fished into the heavy rains and called it a day when it was obvious it was a losing battle.

Can't wait to get some work finished in NJ and get back to fishing the Sound. :drool: Fishing today made me realize how some yakkers in the sound take their action for granted. That place is a virtual fishbowl of activity, while many NJ areas are hit and miss. Hey, that's fishin. :fishing:

[bababooey]

I don't want to hear about some snapper reports. Gio out and catch some big ones, and then let's hear about it. As you said the clock is ticking.:HappyWave:

[cowherder]

:don't know why:Give the guy a break bababooey. I don't recall seeing any posts from you lately, are you fishing from your living room?:laugh: I will be out tonight and hopefully have some bass to report.

[DarkSkies]

Danny was out yesterday and got into fish about 1 mile from shore. The 2 of them did exceptionally well, congrats Dan! :clapping:
Posted with his permission...:HappyWave:

Some yakkers in OC did well yesterday also, again, out of reach of surfcasters...





***************
A December to remember !!!
Everytime I think it's close to over....it's another great day!

Fishin Ish and I launched at first light this morning with a surf that was "OK" every 8-10 seconds or so, and at times was big enough to make for major crash. We both made it out and back OK, but timing was everything.

We headed straight for the green can but never made it. There was just a crazy amount of birds and fishing crashing all over the place. The north-west wind was about 10-20 with white caps and a nasty chop and a light rain....perfect striper weather. Further out the bird life was even more intense, but with the wind, we never made it out that far and we had all the fish that we could handle within a mile or so from the beach.

We easily had about 50-60 fish between us and with both of us having to get back for work, we landed at about 11 AM with still acres and acres of birds around.

I had a great day jigging and had one stretch of about 15 fish in 20 drops. We didn't get anything over 32", but we had at least 15 keepers between us and most of the fish were just at or near 28".

Another great day of December bassin!!!

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s183/msgdan/IMGP0506.jpg

Here are the keepers from the both of us for the morning.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s183/msgdan/IMGP0508.jpg

Here is a short video of a short fish that I jigged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVdfm1KLH3w&feature=youtu.be



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVdfm1KLH3w&feature=youtu.be

Danny V

[dogfish]

Nice bassing for December, lads. I saw my last fall fish about 2 months ago. Jealous as can be, way to go.:clapping::clapping:

[hookset]

Wow that looks like some intense fishing, way to get on em!

[7deadlyplugs]

Fantastico! Thanks for sharing.

[vpass]

:wow:That's awsome Danny.That has to be a hoot :drool:

[stormchaser]

Great stuff guys! Way to go.