Fishing Journal April 12, 2015

After getting to bed around 10 PM the night before my previous meal that consisted of Asian buffet food made it a rough nights sleep.  (As mentioned in Part 1) Unfortunately one of those nights where it was impossible to find comfort. From this experience I now recommend do not eat dinner at a buffet the night before fishing early in the morning.

Four o’clock AM the alarm woke me up. A quick shower and on the road tot he fishing spot. It was a cold morning 33F on the truck thermometer. Picked up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way. Typically I enjoy a hot breakfast on the road prior to a days fishing.

For myself and my fishing buddies the NJ Kayak Fishing Season was officially underway! Was the first one to arrive at the beach at 5:30. Then came my fishing buddy’s for the day Sean and Justin within 10 minutes. We loaded our gear and hit the beach just before sunrise.

The bay was calm like a mirror. Not a cloud in the sky it was the perfect morning with a breathtaking sunrise. Not long after launching a breeze settled in.

I started trolling a tube and worm. A tube and worm is exactly what it is. A Tube and a Worm! The tube is 12″ in length. I particularly use Kayak Carl’s as his are proven to catch Stripers in the NY and NJ area. The worm part is an actual live sand worm on the hook that gives the tube more action and the scent of the worm. Use sand worms not the gulp alternative. The gulp does not work nearly as well as a live sand worm. Please check out Kayak Carl’s Tube and Worm at his website http://www.kayakcarl1.com.

Rigging the tube and worm you will need to use ball bearing swivels. This is very important as the tube is to be shaped to spin like a cork screw. That action is typically what makes the tube as deadly as it is. I will go over the tube and worm in more detail in a future article.

Trolling on the Jackson Big Rig equipped with a Torqeedo Ultralight 403 Electric motor system is a breeze! Trolling 2 rods one rigged with the Tube and Worm and the other rigged with a floating SP minnow that dives around 4 feet. Along with the stock RAM Mount rod holders angled outward spreads the lines out to prevent tangling.

As the morning went on it became windy out of the NW. Wearing dry gear it is tough to plan what clothing for the day. The daytime it was to be in the mid to upper 60’s at this point it was in the low 40’s but with a 5-10 MPH wind. Made it chilly. Gloves were a must and it would have been nice to have something more for my ears other than the Buff i was wearing.  The wind eventually died out and it became warmer. Still trolling from the morning with out one strike the decision to clam was ideal.

Justin and I drifted about 500 yards off the beach hoping for fish on the flat to be looking for the warmer water. Couldn’t seem to even find any readings of fish on my Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp.

Around 9:30 Justin had to bail so we took a break. Sean and I went back out again. Trolling for hours. By now the wind had diminished. The bay was once again like glass! Sean decided to drift clams again and came over the radio stating he had a fish on. I didn’t believe him at first. About 30 min later he came over the radio stating he had another. So I went back by where he was fishing and drifted some clam also. 20 minutes went by and I had a hit. Lifted the rod too fast and pulled it from the fish. Striped bass in colder water tend to mouth the bait rather than in hail it.  Another 15 minutes passed and tap tap line moving another fish! Waited 1 2 3 & set the hook. Boom!

A nice 23 inch striper and not skunked for the day! Points baby!! First on the board for kayak wars!

The fish was really healthy great color and very wet! In from the clean ocean waters. A very good sign. Bigger fish should be in very soon. The bay will be on fire within the next week or two!

Looking back to the planning of the day, next time it will include targeting winter flounder. Having yet to catch one from the yak and always wanting to give it a try. There probably were flounder on the flats. With a light rod and some cut clam it may have proved to be a successful day of catching winter flounders.

A great resource is the Asbury Park Press Zone fishing reports by John Oswald and Dan Radal. Check it out at the Asbury Park Press Fishing page!

If you have any questions about Striper Fishing in New Jersey please comment and ask!! I will be happy to answer your questions!!

Fishing Journal April 11, 2015

After what seemed to be a never ending winter spring is finally here in mid April. Typically New Jersey has experienced a few warmer weeks by now. This was the first weekend to actually get out and shake it off by doing what we love the most.

It begun Saturday afternoon on the bay-shore of Cliffwood Beach. Myself I have never stepped foot on dry land there. An invite from Sean ‘Rednedk’ a friend of mine and also joining were my friend Dan and a good acquaintance Pat. Fer me this was to be an experience due to the last time fishing from a beach i was in my young teens fishing with my father. We weren’t really ever fond of the style of surf fishing. My father had a boat so we were always fishing from it. It was great to learn that nothing has changed. It still consists of a minimum 11′ rod and a 6000 series spinning reel. Sean and Pat are experienced surf fisherman Dan however was new to it. It was great to teach him the basics of how to tie on a rig shuck a clam and hurl and loft the bait as far from the beach as possible.

It turned out to be a sunny but cold windy afternoon with a sustained 25 mph wind gusting  to 35 mph. My first cast crossed both Sean and pats lines as the wind grabbed my pop fly cast and took it to the right. After reeling back in and walking back past their lines I was able to throw a much more decent cast.  A few hours went by more shooting the breeze with fishing stories of the past and it was time to pack up and go get some Chinese style all you can eat Buffet. For the future I’m never doing buffet before fishing in the AM again.

Although we were completely skunked it was great hanging out fishing again!

Upgrading a 2014 Big Rig to 2015 status is pretty simple! A few modifications have been introduced on the new 2015 Big Rig. These upgrades can be purchased from your local Jackson Kayak dealer or from the Jackson Kayak online store.

The new additions include:

1. All new Seadek style adhesive Deck Pad.
2. Upgraded leaning post Grip Shrink pads.
3. The brand new Elite 2.0 seat with Thermarest back support.
4. The brand new CAM style seat latching system which can be applied to the 2014 model.
5. Upgraded all deck rigging bungee to yellow.

Installing the deck pad:

Prior to installing the deck pad clean the deck thoroughly. Let dry completely then wipe down with rubbing alcohol and again let dry completely. The install should be done when it is warm out above 50 degrees but under 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a sharpie marker align the deck pad and mark the corners where it aligns with all scupper holes. Peel back the paper that covered the adhesive align with your markings and press down firmly. The adhesive is very sticky so you really only have 1 shot.

Upgrading the leaning post pads:

You’ll need a heat gun for this operation and a razor blade for cutting the Grip Shrink. The standard grip size on the 2015 Big Rig are (2x) 4″ for the sides and (1) 9″ for the top center. Cut accordingly.  Remove the leaning post from the kayak. Remove one support brace. Slide on one 4″ piece first. position it where you would like it to be on the side with the support brace that you did not remove. Heat and shrink it in place. Repeat the same step with the 8″ piece centering it on the top portion of the bar. Once complete replace the support brace and using Loktite on the bolt that it swivels on. Reattach it to the kayak and your 2015 leaning post is complete!

Updating to the new Elite 2.0 Seat:

I am hoping replacing the seat eliminates the creaking I used to experience with the original seat. The new Elite 2.0 seat fits the 2014 Big Rig but requires the Cam seat latch system.

Cam Conversion Kit:

The cam conversion it is a easy install. It includes the star hex bit for removing the screws that secure the security bar. Simply remove one screw and loosen the other enough to slide on the loop of the cam strap. Make sure the cam lever is facing the bow. Tighten and the install is complete!