6 Attachment(s)
2nd yak trip of the year 8-4-10
G and I went fishin, he from shore, me from the yak. The area where he was had some good structure and current. I fished some different areas from the first trip I made, because wind and tide were different. It wasn't bad, but with wind against tide I had to figure out the best way to present to the fish. I tried trolling for a 1/2hour before dark, didn't work out.
Attachment 11824
I resigned myself to pedaling and learning the new structure I hadn't fished before. I pedaled out to a huge rockpile. Here's where the electronics setup would have been useful. I anchored on the rocks not knowing how deep it was around them. A channel was nearby, so I assumed it would be relatively deep there.
Bad assumption. :beatin:
As I was fishin in the dark, I gradually discovered the area around it was like a lump in the deep. That would have been ok, but there was a very shallow/ flatter area of mussel beds that extended out for about 30'. I didn't want to anchor in deep water near a channel as my anchor isn't designed for that, and I kind of view that as risky behavior for a night kayakker. So I stayed close to the structure, caught 3 short porgies using sandworms. I think I would have gotten bigger porgies near this spot if I could have fished deeper water.
Attachment 11825
Before sunset, I had also tried another place where the water flowed through, tying up to a rope on the structure, but the water was dead at the time I fished it.
Attachment 11826
Attachment 11827
Eventually I realized I could probably do better than that and pedaled to a place where there was kind of a point sticking out.
I set up there, originally intending to fish and jig for bass. I started catching porgies consistently. As long as I had a fresh piece of worm, I was getting hit.
It died to no action at all soon after as the tide was dropping. I continued to catch porgies by casting out with a very light sinker and a slow retrieve, instead of the previous top to bottom jigging.
I got a text from G saying he got a short bass. I thought to myself, "I'm only 1 1/2 miles away from where he is, I should be able to get a small bass or 2 with the sandworms." :don't know why:
But I struck out with the bass, my intended target. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ons/icon11.gif
G had the hot hand with the bass, managing one short, and a dropped bigger fish later on. :thumbsup:
I managed 14 porgies, most shorts, and 1 large oystercracker. Haven't seen one of those in a while. :fishing:
Attachment 11828
For the PETA people/ fish handling police, the oystercracker is dead here, as I kept and ate it. :lookhappy:
Attachment 11829
It ended up being a calm night as the wind dropped out, but it was just enough to keep the bugs away.
I was a little late getting back to where G was. :HappyWave:I have trouble leaving as the fish are biting, and I couldn't stop till the bite finally died down. :(
What we learned about that spot:
1. The best bite really seems centered around the top of the tide, both before and after. Higher water and current makes it happen.
2. There are a lot of baitfish gathering, spearing and possibly small peanuts or butterfish, as they were jumping out of the shallows getting chased by snapper blues.
3. The daytime bite might be better. In any event, it seems the traffic there at night is low, good for kayak safety, so I might try to learn more about the night tides and the drains. The bass are around, mostly schoolies, with an occasional bigger one mixed in. A plus is the cooler water, maybe strategically beneficial later on in the season.