Kayak trips & fishing reports 2010

[DarkSkies]

I feel so lame not getting out till now. I wanted to take some other people yak fishin this year. Spent some time figuring out how I was gonna set up 2 yaks for transport without breaking the bank or spending $300 for the Thule setups. Although beautiful, that isn't in the budget right now.

So, my procrastination in that kept me from just grabbing everything, tying it down, and getting out there. Last year I was in JBay in April, so this year I felt I was 4 months late. It kinda made me mad at myself, and yesterday I decided to finally change that outlook.

Took the yak to a relatively new (to me) piece of water last night with a lot of structure. I had been getting reports of double digit bass catches and wanted to make it out for a while.

Short version:
I didn't make the double digits, but I did manage 4 bass to 27" and 2 sea robins using sandworms. Had a great time, first yak trip of the year, good to finally see some stripes in the hot summer.





Long version:
I missed the high tide, got there at the end of the ebb. A friend had given me a lot of intel on the area, and I'm grateful for that.

Even so, the spot he suggested for put-in was crowded, so I searched around. Found one other place on my own, and 2 more after talking to locals for current fishing intel. They're getting bass up to 34" every day on bunker.

I had sandworms, wanted to set up a T&W for trolling. I put in at one of the places the locals suggested, pretty secluded, close to the water. The only downfall was I had to climb down to the water a bit with the yak, got to practice balancing for a few secs. Other than that, it was very close to where I wanted to be, and will be available until construction is done at the place. Good deal.



Since I missed the top of the tide, the most productive part for that area, I decided to paddle to a lighthouse 1 1/2 miles out. My plan was to find a way to secure the yak in the calm water, and fish for the dinner plate porgies.

By the time I got out there, the tide started coming in again, and the current was an issue. The mild W winds turned into steady 15, gusts to 20. The waves were pounding the rocks. Even though I found a little mini-harbor for the yak, it was still getting pounded. I grabbed some crabs from the rocks, and made a safety decision to not risk putting any deep gouges in the yak and go back to shore.

Needless to say, I was real disappointed. That place was holding fish, and I had to bail.
The wind was still steady as I neared the shoreline it didn't let up till much later. I targeted a place where there was a lee from the wind.

I decided to try for porgies at some structure close to shore. After 15 minutes of no action I was feeling down, and like I had forgotten how to fish.

Moved a bit more, and a few minutes later I had a short bass on the porgy rig in about 15' of water.





I was pumped. Even though only a short, I hadn't seen stripes for so long I was beginning to forget what they looked like.

I continued fishing the porgy rig, 2 hooks, with sandworms. There was a long 2 1/2 hour lull in activity, dead water, where I could do nothing. I tried artificials, shads, bucktails, etc, not a tap. Finally as the tide filled in, I started catching again. Landed 3 more bass to 27", 2 sea robins, and some dropped fish.

During the lull in activity I moved around a lot and paddled several miles. Found some incredible rocks, pilings, and ships moored. Positioned myself to drift past them because that's where the fish live.

The problem was the wind, which in that area was blowing steady. The drift was too fast, and I could have used a drift sock.

I did have one bass on on a tsunami shad, but only shortly, dropped it. I think he mouthed it as I was drifting rapidly by. When there is less wind, I know that structure will be killer.




As I said, I went back to the area that provided the lee, and caught the rest of the fish. The bite was sporadic and the fish were not stacked up. They were also a little skinny. My opinion is the rocks hold them there, but they need more forage fish. Anyway, just to be in a place that has produced double digits of bass for some was a treat. Only 37 miles, not a bad trip to make.

On a side note, there were lot of people partying close to shore. A few asked me if I weren't afraid of the sharks. The conversations were amusing just people having a good time on a Thur night.

It also seemed many don't yak fish that area at night. I saw very few boats out fishin at the rocky area, and not one other yakker.

I'll be back again on the right tide, and do more trolling.

[rip316]

Nice job Dark. Happy for you man.

[Monty]

Dark, great report, sounds like a real good time

[speedy]

dark going to get the thule bar to day for ya you will be able to
take two yaks your next trip that way if some one wants to go
i will call ya sat. some time when i get up and around bro

p.s. glad you had a good night with dinner .. talk to ya sat . some time bro

[DarkSkies]

I don't know what path brought you into our lives Speedy, but you're like family. Thanks for always lookin out. Count on me for life, bro. Thanks.

Take care of that back.

[hookset]

Enjoyed the report and play by play, dark, felt like I was there. Nice to hear about someone getting kayak bass with the water so hot.

[DarkSkies]

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.





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.

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.






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.






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."

But I struck out with the bass, my intended target.

G had the hot hand with the bass, managing one short, and a dropped bigger fish later on.

I managed 14 porgies, most shorts, and 1 large oystercracker. Haven't seen one of those in a while.



For the PETA people/ fish handling police, the oystercracker is dead here, as I kept and ate it.


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. 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.

[rip316]

Glad to see that you are getting out Dark, congrats on the catchin.

[hookedonbass]

How is the new yak going for you dark? It seems as if you learned quickly. You had a successful night what more could one ask for. Great pics, love that oyster.

[DarkSkies]

Hookedonbass, the pedal yak is one of the best investments I ever made. I did my time with a paddle, and will still use it when I take the cheap tandem out for Pebbles and I to fish together.

However, there is nothing in the industry today like the efficiency one gains in a pedal yak. I have been moving against current and wind with ease, and the strong tide no longer intimidates my choice of fishing location. It's an amazing feeling.

I got a sweet deal on my kayak. A lot of the issues buying a Hobie are financial. You can get deals if you're patient and diligent in searching. The Hobies retain a lot of their value, so it's harder to find them during the peak season.

Moving past all that, the freedom to go where you want, not be constrained by current, and the ability to move quickly if a big boat comes your way and you need that speed, IMO nothing comes close to a Hobie.

As I said, I'll still use the budget yak for doubles, and when anyone wants to come along. I'm completely sold on the pedal system and it's efficiency.

Freedom and peace of mind, that's the best way I can sum it up.

[DarkSkies]

Pebbles and I fished the 1st half of the incoming in the tandem kayak yesterday. We were targeting porgies, bass and bluefish. Great day, but despite a smorgasbord of bait I brought along we got skunked. Even the area that produced for me so well a few nights before was totally dead. Go figure.

I really wanted to put her into fish. We started at the bottom of the flood, fished about halfway into incoming. I knew the lower water might be an issue, to we took our time getting OTW. We hung out on land and ate a great picnic lunch made by Pebbles. Awesome, I'm a lucky guy to have such a great girl.

We watched a few others out there where we ate, not doing much, even with the fluke. There was also a building S wind, 10mph steady, gusts to 15 or so. We needed to find a lee from the wind to fish at.







We launched, and soon after I realized the steady wind and incoming tide was pushing up some swells to 2 ft. For that reason I didn't want to take her out to deeper water and risk dumping. We stayed relatively close to shore and some structure. At one point I found a nice channel but the swells were too intense, so we anchored on the lee side of some rocks. Not much there except a missed fish for each of us.




We did have a cool surpise as I maneuvered the yak into a safe area near the rocks, and some small bluefish became momentarily trapped by the yak chasing tiny (1/2" baitfish).


The place I like to get my sandworms was all out. I planned ahead and brought some fresh dug garden worms, salted peanut bunker, clams, and we also got some fresh clams.

I filled a chum bag with 5lbs of crushed mussels we found, dead crabs I crushed up, and clam pieces. I tried to think of everything to get her into fish. I know guys do well on porgies with clams, but to me the key ingredient that seemed missing was those sandworms, they can be magic at times. I've see guys pull bass out of the surf on sandworms when nothing else gets touched, they're a great bait.

We couldn't therefore troll the T&W, so I substituted a rigged eel and large rattletrap, no dice. We also fished clams, peanut bunker, and the garden worms, even though they wash out quick, you need to change up every cast.

On the way back, we made a few stops at spots I know held porgies at all stages of the tide a few nights ago. Not even a tap.

This kind of dismayed me. I don't care if I catch, but if I bring someone out I kill myself to put them into fish. It didn't work this time.




What may have happened:
1. S wind made the water colder, maybe low to mid 70's. That really shouldn't affect a porgy bite, IMO.

2. Porgies moved into deeper water. I stayed away from the channels and deeper water because of the swell. I read some Sunday reports trying to figure it out. It seems not many people slammed the porgies in our area yesterday, most of them were caught in other areas or deeper water. There was another tackle shop report that said porgies turn on and off according to whim. Well, yesterday was definitely an "off" day.

3. I hardly ever fish clams, not really a clam lover.
King Neptune may have been offended by my lack of reverence for the clam and decided to punish me.

Dear King Neptune, I don't care if ya punish me, but for Pete's sake please don't punish Pebbles next time. She had her Finchaser rod all ready to do battle, and handled co-paddling of the choppy waters well. Please reward her with a fish or 2 next time, and I'll try real hard to show clams the respect they deserve.

In all, it was a good day on the water, another safe kayak expedition, with no fish.

[Pebbles]

We had a great time even though no fish were caught. He brought me out into the middle, and then we paddled back to take cover from the wind. The swells were 2' but not was not my issue. I had trouble with some of the boaters who saw we were right there and they did not even bother to slow down.

We came across two men and two boys asking us if we knew where a certain island was. Somehow they got off-course. I hope they made it back ok.

This got me thinking, don't boaters know how to use a compass?

[jigfreak]

^Pebbles were you in a no-wake zone? If so they should be slowing down. If not, they can go as fast as they want. I know it sux but that's the way it is.
Liked the report, especially the King Neptune prayer. Keep em coming.

[DarkSkies]

I took Pebbles out on the tandem kayak for a pre-storm fishing and scouting trip. We stayed close to the harbor trying to beat the weather, but it was getting ugly. We found porgies pretty quickly. Only had 5 minutes before a fierce squall came ashore, and we had to high-tail it back to the launch. At least she caught a porgy with sandworms on her Finchaser rod.





It seems every time I take the poor girl out we run into rough water. She's a trooper, don't know any other women that would trust me with their lives like that.




So far we've erred on the side of caution. Today we found some rocks that were a lee from the wind only a 1/2 mile paddle from the launch, so we drifted past them and she nailed the porgy. I really would have liked to stick around, because the fish were there. Last time we paddled all over for only a few missed hits.







This time we had fresh sandworms, the water was a little colder, and I was pumped for some good fishin. Better safe than sorry, we'll gettum next time.




Speaking of porgies, Rip-plugger has been spinning tales of guys catching 24" porgies in the Mid-Sound. Great fishin, but kinda hard to paddle out 2 1/2 miles out to the grounds in a kayak unless it's like a lake with light wind. No shame in catchin summer porgies, though, especially when they're getting them up to 24".

[Pebbles]

Yes I went out in the bad weather again. By the time we got there the dark clouds were rolling in. I ended up with one fish, and a lot of learning about who I am and the courage I can achieve.

[DarkSkies]

After the morning NE swell, I packed it up and went to some water where I thought there would be a lee from the wind. It was a little sheltered, but not much. Wind was steady 20-25mph all day, with few breaks in between. At least the swells were slighlly smaller than the ones I ran into in the morning.



I fished most of the ebb. The area I picked was different than one I usually fish, and I spent some time learning the structure. I started with the T&W. Nothing doing, so I switched to a porgy rig with sandworms. Managed a few porgies.

Later on, I found out a kayak guy I know was there a few hours before me and got into double digit T&W bass catches. The best I could do was one fish that became unbuttoned on the T&W, after trolling for a while.

I hate the learning curve when you're first learning something and you're not good at it yet. Yesterday felt like an epic fail for me. What that does for me is to inspire resolve to discover my mistakes, learn from them, and do better next time.

Or....maybe I'll never be able to escape my googanism.

[DarkSkies]

Yes I went out in the bad weather again. By the time we got there the dark clouds were rolling in. I ended up with one fish, and a lot of learning about who I am and the courage I can achieve.

No one has more courage than you do, sweetheart. Who else would have the courage to put up with me all these years?
Ya done good out there, I'm proud of ya!

[plugcrazy]

I can't believe you were out in that weather yesterday, the rain was coming down in buckets in our town.

[wish4fish]

dark u r twistded i saw the water in the bay it was nasty.

[DarkSkies]

^^ It was much better late yesterday, guys.
I fished T&W for a few hours in the morning, managed 11 bass to 26". I'll post the rest of the report when I get a chance.