Kayak Trips and Fishing Reports 2013

[J Barbosa]

On Saturday my brother and I took a buddy out for his first kayak voyage ever. We headed into the bay to look for all the big bluefish that have been around and sure enough since I invited a friend along not even one bluefish showed up for our party. A lot of happy bunker around thanks to those prominent winds we have been having. We also tried for fluke but came up empty handed.

On Sunday the three of us headed to a different location where we picked at short fluke until a school of nice sized weakfish decided to show up and save our day. Most were cookie cuter fish in the 16-18" range with one bigger fish in the mix.

[J Barbosa]

On Saturday my brother and I took a buddy out for his first kayak voyage ever. We headed into the bay to look for all the big bluefish that have been around and sure enough since I invited a friend along not even one bluefish showed up for our party. A lot of happy bunker around thanks to those prominent winds we have been having. We also tried for fluke but came up empty handed.

On Sunday the three of us headed to a different location where we picked at short fluke until a school of nice sized weakfish decided to show up and save our day. Most were cookie cuter fish in the 16-18" range with one bigger fish in the mix.

[J Barbosa]

Took the kayaks out yesterday and both my brother and a friend had brand new shiny 2013 Hobies.

Got to the water early in the morning and the fog was so thick you could barely see the 30' yacht moving 20 yards away. We took our time to unload the kayaks and rig everything and waited for the fog to start thinning.

Once the wind shifted the fog thinned and we launched staying a few feet from the shore line. About 15 minutes later the fog was completely gone and we moved into the channels and drifted for fluke. Right away the croakers show up along with some fluke. Barley into our first drift I saw a few birds working far out so we decided to go check it out.

Get there and its bluefish practically everywhere feeding on the surface in only 6-8 feet of water. We had double and triple hookups for over 3-4 hours all mixed sizes but most were smaller in the 5-10lb size and some pushed 10lbs.

I still have no clue as to what they were feeding on. I didn't see any bait and none of them spit anything up. My best guess is that they are feeding on all the croakers that are around.

I have some great footage of my brother trying to keep a pencil popper away from the bluefish but unfortunately the video clearly gives away where we were fishing so I won't be posting it.

With our arms tired we decided to leave the blues and try for some fluke...buddy managed a 22" fluke and then we called it quits.

So much for all the bluefish being offshore

First cast out there I did manage to open up another 5H Rasco split ring...this is starting to get old really quick.

[J Barbosa]

Took the kayaks out yesterday and both my brother and a friend had brand new shiny 2013 Hobies.

Got to the water early in the morning and the fog was so thick you could barely see the 30' yacht moving 20 yards away. We took our time to unload the kayaks and rig everything and waited for the fog to start thinning.

Once the wind shifted the fog thinned and we launched staying a few feet from the shore line. About 15 minutes later the fog was completely gone and we moved into the channels and drifted for fluke. Right away the croakers show up along with some fluke. Barley into our first drift I saw a few birds working far out so we decided to go check it out.

Get there and its bluefish practically everywhere feeding on the surface in only 6-8 feet of water. We had double and triple hookups for over 3-4 hours all mixed sizes but most were smaller in the 5-10lb size and some pushed 10lbs.

I still have no clue as to what they were feeding on. I didn't see any bait and none of them spit anything up. My best guess is that they are feeding on all the croakers that are around.

I have some great footage of my brother trying to keep a pencil popper away from the bluefish but unfortunately the video clearly gives away where we were fishing so I won't be posting it.

With our arms tired we decided to leave the blues and try for some fluke...buddy managed a 22" fluke and then we called it quits.

So much for all the bluefish being offshore

First cast out there I did manage to open up another 5H Rasco split ring...this is starting to get old really quick.

[J Barbosa]

Took the kayaks out yesterday and both my brother and a friend had brand new shiny 2013 Hobies.

Got to the water early in the morning and the fog was so thick you could barely see the 30' yacht moving 20 yards away. We took our time to unload the kayaks and rig everything and waited for the fog to start thinning.

Once the wind shifted the fog thinned and we launched staying a few feet from the shore line. About 15 minutes later the fog was completely gone and we moved into the channels and drifted for fluke. Right away the croakers show up along with some fluke. Barley into our first drift I saw a few birds working far out so we decided to go check it out.

Get there and its bluefish practically everywhere feeding on the surface in only 6-8 feet of water. We had double and triple hookups for over 3-4 hours all mixed sizes but most were smaller in the 5-10lb size and some pushed 10lbs.

I still have no clue as to what they were feeding on. I didn't see any bait and none of them spit anything up. My best guess is that they are feeding on all the croakers that are around.

I have some great footage of my brother trying to keep a pencil popper away from the bluefish but unfortunately the video clearly gives away where we were fishing so I won't be posting it.

With our arms tired we decided to leave the blues and try for some fluke...buddy managed a 22" fluke and then we called it quits.

So much for all the bluefish being offshore

First cast out there I did manage to open up another 5H Rasco split ring...this is starting to get old really quick.

[J Barbosa]

Took the kayaks out yesterday and both my brother and a friend had brand new shiny 2013 Hobies.

Got to the water early in the morning and the fog was so thick you could barely see the 30' yacht moving 20 yards away. We took our time to unload the kayaks and rig everything and waited for the fog to start thinning.

Once the wind shifted the fog thinned and we launched staying a few feet from the shore line. About 15 minutes later the fog was completely gone and we moved into the channels and drifted for fluke. Right away the croakers show up along with some fluke. Barley into our first drift I saw a few birds working far out so we decided to go check it out.

Get there and its bluefish practically everywhere feeding on the surface in only 6-8 feet of water. We had double and triple hookups for over 3-4 hours all mixed sizes but most were smaller in the 5-10lb size and some pushed 10lbs.

I still have no clue as to what they were feeding on. I didn't see any bait and none of them spit anything up. My best guess is that they are feeding on all the croakers that are around.

I have some great footage of my brother trying to keep a pencil popper away from the bluefish but unfortunately the video clearly gives away where we were fishing so I won't be posting it.

With our arms tired we decided to leave the blues and try for some fluke...buddy managed a 22" fluke and then we called it quits.

So much for all the bluefish being offshore

First cast out there I did manage to open up another 5H Rasco split ring...this is starting to get old really quick.

[DarkSkies]

Eli is still out there catching bass in a month when most others have given it up in search of easier fish....he is dialed into time and tide....he has been doing it so long I believe he could do it with his eyes closed...jigging on the bottom for bass....again, time and tide are key components of his success...WTG, Eli!


Report and pic courtesy of Eli.....

"Conditions were ideal for summer bassing this morning. South wind and light drizzle would get some fish chewing.



Jigged 9 Bass up to 36" with majority in the 30" mark and a few shorts.



Nice to be able to do that in August.



Tried a few drifts for Fluke, but no luck there."

[williehookem]

Awesome thanks for the info!

[DarkSkies]

Some of you mooks have been hassling me for fishing Ambrose at night in the yak....
While I admit it is a bit insane...it's doable if you pick a night where there may not be that much shipping traffic....and find a stable weather pattern...

Eli does whatever it takes to get fish...
He was fishing inside JBay and the back of Breezy Point, but as the bay got hotter the fluke and bigger fish are starting to move out into the channels, as they do every year...

He knows that intuitively, so today he paddled over to Ambrose, launchng from Brooklyn. ...
Talk about hard-core, here is his report......
(Pics and report courtesy of Eli...WTG!



***********
Kayaking the Ambrose:
Took the yak in big water today and bucktailed a few keeper Fluke in the afternoon, rounded it out with catching a bunch of weakfish to 28" and a southern croaker also joined the catch.



Everything on bucktails and Gulp! today, wish I had some live spot for the channel.

[DarkSkies]

IN most parts of Jersey nearshore now we have a bluefish drought.
Not many in the surf, and they are small cocktails when you find some...party boats are fishing 5-15 miles offshore of us where bluefish are abundant...only to catch limits of peewees measuring in inches and not pounds.
'
While there are many who turn their noses up at bluefish, I absolutely love the devastation and destruction caused by the bigger ones....when they are around either you lose all your gear, tackle, and plugs in the frenzy, or you learn to deal with it and manage to score a few gorillas.

really enjoyed your report, Cheech...it's been way too long since I've talked to ya....
Thanks for the report.
You sound like you had a blast,,,as always a pleasure to read a Cheech report..WTG!

(pics and report courtesy of Cheech )









*****************
Gorilla Blues in the Western Sound....8-12-13










The bunker got slammed today by the ospreys, the bluefish, and my treble snag.

Had trouble getting a intact bunker back to the kayak to liveline on a steel wired tandem hook rig.

Huge acrobatic bluefish were everywhere, my 15#mono, and 65#braid mainlines got sliced many times. Within seconds my drags were screaming on every drop.

After losing several rigs, all my steel leaders and a snag, I took the rubber tube off a 18" ss wire tube n worm and fished that. Fished till my hands and wrists were shot. The nearby porgy/fluke boats were also killing them by all the noise those guys were making. Next time I'll have plenty of steel and a real boat rod and reel. Got two non keeper bass on the way back to the dock.

[storminsteve]

Awesome reports thanks for sharing!

[J Barbosa]

I love big bluefish

[seamonkey]

He knows that intuitively, so today he paddled over to Ambrose, launchng from Brooklyn. ...
Talk about hard-core, here is his report......
(Pics and report courtesy of Eli...WTG!



***********
Kayaking the Ambrose:
Took the yak in big water today and bucktailed a few keeper Fluke in the afternoon, rounded it out with catching a bunch of weakfish to 28" and a southern croaker also joined the catch.



Everything on bucktails and Gulp! today, wish I had some live spot for the channel.

Sorry but I have to question this hope you are not offended.
You can't fish the Ambrose Channel in a kayak that's a major shipping lane!

[DarkSkies]

You can't fish the Ambrose Channel in a kayak that's a major shipping lane!

I know you and others may find it hard to believe, but some of us really have screws loose, and get tired of the usual places most yakkers fish...after awhile launching at the small handful of popular spot just doesn't do it for us anymore, and we look for new challenges....
I'm not saying that everyone should go out now in their yaks and fish Ambrose, but it has been done....
These are the reasons I would rather do it at night and pick the nights when the shipping traffic is much less.....so at most you will have one or 2 ships a night you have to worry about....
Again, I don't want to encourage anyone out there to do this...it's really not for the beginner, and you have to have a sober understanding of the consequences....not being aware could mean your death.....That's too much of a risk to try to explain to others....and the reason I would not encourage it....

However, you can see from the attached pic, that Eli was out there....
Attachment 17391


**(This shot is not as severe as it seems because of the angle the pic was taken at)....he is actually further from the ship's path than he appears to be...anyone who knows the deep channels that Zig Zag back through the border of Staten Island would understand what I'm saying here.....
I feel more comfortable doing it at night...but have had some close calls......


**You really have to gauge how far away the container ship is and make sure you are completely out of the zone when they pass by.....There is no 2nd guessing or waiting till the last minute...
For this reason I would never encourage any others to try this as a mistake could lead to your death....

Eli and I have been yakking for years.
I want to stress that if your skill set for any activity is such that it causes you to question if you will be able to to it successfully, you should not do it.

[bababooey]

Sorry I agree with seamonkey. You guys are mental. Does the term death wish have any meaning here?

[dogfish]

bababooey its not a death wish if you know the risk and execute a careful plan. Sometimes the fish aren't on the flats they are deep in the channels. Here in Ma we have some rip areas where if they are not careful folks can be washed off and killed. In fact some have drowned there over the years. Does that mean they should not be fished? Heck no.
You just have to have an understanding of the tides and the stage of the moon. Some are too dangerous to fish during a full or new, but fine to fish other times. Know the waters you fish. Know the risk. Balance your fishing against your level of acceptable risk. There is nothing mental about that.

[cowherder]

Dogfish you have more balls than I do because that looks pretty dangerous to me. To each his own. Good luck and be safe out there fellas.

[Shorelady]

Just got back from a trip to Salem Ma. Attended the Striper Shoot Out for the fifth year. What an absolutely beautiful area to fish. And a great Fun tourney! All about fishing and having fun.... Laid back group, and some wonderful folks up there. Fished Friday thru Sunday. It was so nice to take a break from bottom fishing. Friday was excellent with all shorts, but the fish are on steroids up there. Great fighting fish. Sat, a little slower and Sunday we found some bigger fish. If you ever get the chance and enjoy camping and launching a couple hundred yards from your campsite, give Winter Island in Salem a try. GREAT TRIP!

[dogfish]

It's good to hear some Jersey folks came up to enjoy our beautiful beaches, shorelady. Salem Sound offers great fishing this time of year, from the Danvers River and Beverly Harbor all the way south to Ft Sewell. The water temps are great and the harbors and coves are full of bait. As you noticed the fish are aggressive. Glad you had a good time in our beautiful state.

[dogfish]

Dogfish you have more balls than I do because that looks pretty dangerous to me. To each his own. Good luck and be safe out there fellas.

as dark mentioned its not about having balls or being the craziest one out there. Those who have that mentality end up dead or in trouble. These are calculated risks. You have to understand the tides and current very thoroughly at your launch and the areas you will be fishing. This is not for the kiddies, it is for advanced yakkers only. Every year some one gets in trouble by pushing their limits beyond their skill set. I like fishing at night because it is a lot more peaceful and I don't really like to fish in a plastic navy with others. But you have to have all your safety issues covered, cell phone, VHF radio, float plan, safety gear and lighting, etc. Be careful out there and you will be likely to come back safe and sound.