Kayak Trips and Fishing Reports 2012

[DarkSkies]

The strong 20-25mph wind conditions caused me to re-think my strategies for launching and fishing in the next few days.

I went to a place I hadn't been in awhile...and had never kayaked.
Did the Dark Skies Grandstand Circus and Promotional tour....

Re-connected with a lot of the old-timers,,,
And met quite a few new people.
Some of them were hardcore fishermen. Others were about as mentally stable as Charlie Manson....


Found a slight lee from the wind.....launched before dusk on the 2nd trip with the stretch plug experimentation...

This time I covered more ground and trolled a lot of open water....it was tough, to say the least.
I covered about 4 miles total, and lots of varying depths.

The spot I chose to fish is a big fish highway,,,,but it's primarily a bait area,,no kayaks fish there and no one fishes artificials.

My first and only fish came after about an hour of trolling....a small legal-sized bass, released.
Continued to pedal another 2 hours after that until my toes were partially frozen in the 48 degree water.

When I got back to the launch area, I saw that guys had been doing pretty well on bait.

Overall Analysis...
1. I didn't reach my goal of hooking a migratory bigger breeder...
2. but I did catch a fish in a place where they generally don't fish artificials....
3. I think the water being 48 degrees made it difficult to attract the fish to artificials, where I was.
4. They are feeding, but are still sluggish nonetheless.
5. I think in the next month or so this area will be red hot.

Back at it soon, the clock is ticking for the fish migration...

[ledhead36]

Don't feel bad dark. You were out 3 times so far in the kayak and got fish all 3 times?
Who cares if they weren't all monsters. Man I need to get a yak! I read how much time you put into it, so congrats. That 25lb bass is a beaut.

[storminsteve]

Yeah you're batting 1000 so far. I'm jealous Catch em up!

[bababooey]

Finally got a decent fish, eh ds?
Just kidding, nice going.

[wish4fish]

duuuuuuuude! i want a yak!

[DarkSkies]

Easter Sunday report 4-8-12
Skunk report....

I had some time to fish late afternoon. Wanted to go back to where I got the bass yesterday. Got there and the 25mph winds made it unfishable.

I talk about finding a lee from the wind all the time, and will go into more detail on that in another thread.
It took me almost 2 hours to find a place where it seemed like I had a shot at good trolling, the land structure giving me a lee from the wind.








Part 1:
The plan was to paddle out to some areas of structure and deeper water, and troll. I launched on the flats near a fish highway. Had never fished these locations before from land, and never ventured out there in a yak. The challlenge would be the new territory, and what the wind and current would be like once I got out there a mile or more.

I launched and fished the bottom stages of the tide for good reason. The full moon current was extremely strong and I didn't want to get caught up in it.

Got out there, and soon lost the protection of the land-- the lee (I kind of knew that from the beginning.). What I didn't anticipate was how quickly tbings get snotty in 25mph sustained winds. It was a lot of work and I have had much better fishing days. I managed to get into a trolling routine once I reached the structure. Couldn't get to exactly where I wanted to go because of the wind. I did manage to troll some deeper water, as well as some flats near some shoals.

Also, the swells were 2-3' with a duration of every 4 secs. That made moving any distance difficult. I really feel it hampered my trolling as well. When fishing the T&W, I never do great when the conditions are like that. I'm now seeing that can affect the trolling of deeper plugs as well.

Normally, at this time of year, I should have been covered up with bass. It was puzzling.
Even though I don't use electronics, they would have been helpful in seeing just how many fish were below me.

I do a lot of fishing without electronics because I would rather be like the hunters of prior times....scouting out the area, applying what you know, fishing standard ambush points, and taking your knowledge from past seasons and visits, and putting that knowledge to use in new places....


Anyway, got nothing for my efforts except to learn optimum time and tide to return to that area. Should really be heating up in the next month.









Part 2:
I wasn't ready to give up. Got the yak back to shore, packed up, and made a drastic move to another place. Caught the last 2 hours of the flood there. Full moon cycle current was strong but diminishing.

A normal indication of potential is if I get there and the bait guys are catching from shore. They weren't. I wanted to give it a shot anyway. Got out there. The current was winding down a bit, However out in the open the wind was still pretty strong. Trolled for 1 1/2 hours with plugs, rubber, and also jigged.

Another indication of whether it will be a good night is the presence of bait. For some reason there wasn't much bait there last night. I gave it my best anyway, believing the opportunity for a bigger fish was there. Yeah I caught the skunk both times, but that's fishin.

Got back to shore just in time as the winds after the tide change were building to 20+mph.

I touched base with a few friends, die-hard fishermen, who were out in other locations. Some of them were crushing the bass last night. I was going to make the 3rd move with the yak, but was too worn out and called it a night.








I still say now is the time to be out there, people.

Whether you catch or not, the fish are moving through.
Position yourself in a place where they are likely to pass by, and you may end up with a happy smile on your face.

[DarkSkies]

Overall (General) Analysis:

1. Cold water - definitely puts a damper on fishing for bass with artificials from the yak.
2. You could get discouraged this way.
3. If you cover lots of ground you will see guys from the shore have been doing very well with bait. I know guys right now who are absolutely crushing bass from the yaks. However, they are using bait, and generally anchoring up in deeper water that is adjacent to the flats.
4. I feel it's worth it, as in the next month some areas that are only spotty for the artificial bite, will be red hot after the spawn. Now is the time to work the water and do the scouting by fishing with the yak. The fish are an added bonus.
5.. I think I've mentioned this previously...in General, if the fish are chasing bait or the forage is thick, AND the water temps are 50 and above, you will be more likely to get greater numbers from the yak on artificials.

Colder water, 50 and below, impedes that action. Although the fish may be there, they tend to be more sluggish.

6. Once the water temps trend upward to around 55 degrees, the catching from yaks on artificials is much more consistent.
7. Again, this analysis doesn't take the spawning areas into effect. If you are fishing in one of those areas, the fish will be much more aggressive and hit plugs with ferocity, even with water temps 47-49.

[finchaser]

Bummer guess the fish went out of town for Easter factor that in next time you fish on a holiday

[hookset]

They weren't on holiday where we were last night finchaser. you guys need to come to the dark side and fish bait. Like dark said the water is cold and they don't want to work too much for their supper. Nice pic of the 25 dark. I think that yak is like 33" across, that was defiinitely a good fish. You should bring some bunker with you next time. If you anchor in deeper water you could catch them all night now on bunker.

[finchaser]

Fish bait and smell like Dark I don't think so.Many times when there on bunker they hit shads with a vengeance over cut bait. Plus the other day I had 18 fish to 23# on jigs and rubber all released. But congrats to you guy's

[Monty]

Fish bait and smell like Dark I don't think so.

My #3 reason not to fish bait.

[storminsteve]

[DarkSkies]

4-10-12 AM Quick trip 2 hours

Still moving around a lot in these yak trips trying to fish places I haven't fished from a yak before.
As mentioned, the fish are moving around like a game of musical chairs in the back areas. If you have good logs and have documented seasonal migration patterns, now is the time to be out there.

I launched around sunrise today. Still haven't made it to the area holding bigger fish as I need more time to plan and do that trip.

Wanted to get out earlier. I put my head down for a snooze and slept most of the night, while everyone else was fishing hard. Congrats to all those putting in their time right now.


The day's wind was forecast to be steady 20mph, so I wanted to be off the water within 2 hours of the launch to get back and make it to work on time.

Got out there, trolled the plugs over quite a distance.
No action at all.


The mark of a good fisherman is the ability to adapt and think it through when the catching ain't so great.
Rubber and bucktails are the premium cold water profiles, so I put the plugs away, and trolled and jigged them.

Just when I was about to give up, I get hit by a bass on the rubber.
34" and 15#.
I kept her because she was bleeding bad.














Overall analysis:
1. The water where I was fishing this morning was closer to 50, but still cold enough to make the bass sluggish.
2. The water was also pretty dirty.
3. Chartreuse plugs usually work pretty well in those conditions, yet they didn't today.
4. I look forward to trolling some big blues on plugs.....the fight in them is like being on stage at a Slayer concert, back 20 years ago when they really tore things up.....




I don't like fishing rubber from a yak if you're trolling it.

If you're jigging, IMO you have better control over the hookset and can hook them in the mouth. When trolling, sometimes they inhale the rubber. That presents a problem for C&R if it's down their throat.

Anyway, with the nightly presence of bluefish now, my nights trolling rubber are limited.
That's why I had the foresight to troll the other plugs. Today they produced nothing despite varying the speed and depth I was trolling them at.

[DarkSkies]

Fish bait and smell like Dark I don't think so.Many times when there on bunker they hit shads with a vengeance over cut bait. Plus the other day I had 18 fish to 23# on jigs and rubber all released. But congrats to you guy's

My #3 reason not to fish bait.

I want ya's to know....
The next time I'm out pedaling the yak.....
and I come across some massive schools of bunker......

I'm gonna get one for Monty, and one for Finchaser,,,,maybe one for Steve too...
I'm gonna call some of my friends who fish clams...and ask them to save some rotten ones for me....

Once I get them, I'll take one rotten clam, and put them in each of the bunker mouths, shutting them and freezing them in my freezer....


And the next time we end up somewhere fishing together,,,,,don't be surprised if I "accidentally" leave said present behind, hidden in your vehicle....for your savory enjoyment.....

[skinner]

Good job dark. No bunker in my car please.

[finchaser]

now you want us to believe you can snag not 1 but 2 bunker

[Monty]

now you want us to believe you can snag not 1 but 2 bunker

Not to worry, I heard the "Save the Bunker group" is still laughing after Dark's post.

[storminsteve]

^ Yeah DS you were like a madman in some of those threads. no compromise at all. To hear you tell it, PETA and PEW are secretly programming us as robots. Kind of like the premise of the body snatchers. Hope you aren't upset at me saying that, you know I'm only kidding. I think it's crazy how half the guys out there cannot catch even one fish without being right on the bunker pods.
Oh, and please don't put any bunker in my car. As grateful as I am for presents, that's one I can do without.

[DarkSkies]

^^ Gee some of you mooks are really stuck on saving that bunker, aren't ya's?

If you don't want to take my urging to check out the financial contribution trail for some of these "pro-angler" groups, contact Finchaser in private....he'll be glad to share his candid views of the scenarios should all bunker be protected....

And to go into detail why PEW and PEW trust groups or groups funded by those monies are bad for fishermen.

Personally it won't affect me...as I haven't used bunker this year ...

I will tell you that right now, in the bays and rivers, as a general rule bait is outcatching artificials better than 2:1...a friend managed 19 bass last night (Thu) on bait. The best I could do Thur in the pre-dawn trip was 5 bass...the work getting those bass in the cold 50 degree water was far beyond what most kayakers would have done......

[DarkSkies]

4-12-12 How to turn a 3 hour trip into a 6 hour one....


I had a quick 3 hour trip planned before work Thu. If all went well, I would have been able to fish, get 3 hours of sleep at home, and get up well-rested for work. It didn't happen that way because the winds and rough water blew me way off course.

I knew what that potential winds would be in the morning from Wunderground. I would suggest to all kayakers to consult Wunderground for the "Hourly Forecast" for times like this. You need to have not only a few backup choices, but also an escape plan if that water kicks up and you have difficulty making it back to where you launched. With water in the 50 degree temp range, this is especially important, and could mean the difference between a successful trip and one where you come home in a body bag..

When I launched, the winds and water weren't bad....
Shortly thereafter they built up a bit...rather than stop fishing I decided to work toward a place where there was a lee.

Trolled for a solid 3 hours, structure and deeper water.
No activity at all for me in the dark.

Right around 6am I began getting fish.
Had a decent period of activity from 6-7:30 till slack tide.
As the tide slacked, the wind changed, becoming steady 20mph and blowing me way off course.

(Actually, this had started while I was catching fish, as each fish brought me into trolling deeper water and further offshore)

When I finally decided to get back into the groove and start on my way home, it was a formidable challenge. Gave my legs a good workout as it took me twice as long to pedal the same distance. I was grateful that my original plan took the tide into account, and coming back I was helped by the tide as well.

Total:
Managed 5 bass to 35" and about 17#
All similar in size (same 2 year classes).
Nothing on rubber today, all on the plugs.


All fish released.