Opening Day Kayak Fishing 2016

Finally hit the water on the kayak after weeks healing from an unfortunate back injury. Learning this lesson the hard way always remember when lifting your kayak to lift it correctly. Always lift with your legs not your back. Here is the story of my opening day kayak fishing 2016!

By this time the Striped Bass bite has been on for about 2 and a half weeks. Many resident fish have been caught and migratory fish have started to become prevalent.  The water temps still cold ranging from 44 degrees up to 54 degrees in Raritan Bay have seemed to push the fish into shallower water where the bait seems to be hanging.

Arriving early just before sunrise the air was warmer that typical for this time of year. The day was a test on the new steering setup for the Torqeedo and a good day to catch the first striped bass of my season. Everyone plans to do well fishing on opening day. For me 2016 started off with a few issues. The first was my GoPro with the extended battery tether add on. Would not turn on. After probably 10 minutes of tinkering with it finally noticing the plug on the inside was not completely locked in. The second issue was my newly steering cable setup upon leaving shore the foot brace pedals folded right over there was 6″ of slack on the one side. Dumbfounded back on shore luckily using adjustable cable stops I was able to field adjust the length. Back out on the water again same thing happened on the opposite side. Putting two and two together i figured after running the new tubing and cable the day prior failing to pull the slack tubing out from inside the hull resulted in an extra 6″ on both sides. Finally after adjusting the cables its the sun is way up. The tide was still pretty much slack so trolling around looking for good marks on the fish finder was the plan. Wouldn’t you know an hour into fishing the fully charged SLA battery is DEAD! wow

It was a tough morning fishing so I took some time out and with my camera shot a few photos of the awesome ship graveyard. Over 30 ships lie there for one time scrap metal that ended up where it lay corroding and rotting into the Arthur Kill between New Jersey and Staten Island NY. From what i understand the adjacent scrap metal yard purchased the obsolete ships in hope to disassemble them for the steel and scrap metal. It is said the workers couldn’t keep up with the amounts of ships that came in and eventually was no  longer worth it economically to strip these vessels. Plus the site became a dumping ground for smaller boat owners to rid themselves of their old boats.

The graveyard of ships was much different than I had remembered it previously visiting the location six years prior. Apparently Hurricane Sandy did a job speeding up the decomposition of these scuttled ships with its 80 mph sustained wind and 16 foot storm surge that barreled up the Arthur Kill from Raritan Bay. It is an eerie place but also is fascinating due to how time seems to have stopped here. A great day to have my camera on board! I took a few snap shots of a few of the more intact ships.

Although a pretty dangerous area I would recommend every experienced kayak paddler to check it out! It is an experience that has to be witnessed in person.

The launch is on the New Jersey Side of the Kill located in Seawarren at Captain Carlsen Park to the left of the boat ramp is a beach typically used for kayak drop in. Its a pretty simple drop in and can be done alone.

After snapping a few photos and taking a few videos with my GoPro it was back to fishing. The tide was now going out and the current was strong. There was a dozen or so boats also trolling. I saw a boat pick up a bass on a 12″ soft shad. By this time my battery for the Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp had died and i was fishing blind. I tried to hold in the areas that marked fish earlier.

Giving up on trolling made the decision to fish pilings. Using a 4″ Crystal Minnow casting and retrieving. Finally a strike but the fish missed the bait leaving a large swirl in its wake. The wind was now very strong blowing out of the North which was with the tide making it a really fast drift. After drifting about a mile fishing the pilings i decided to go back to trolling one last pass. Using the Torqeedo became key. The tide was so strong paddling would have not helped at all.

Finally a hit fish on! The line screaming off grabbing the rod from the RAM Mount 2008 Rod Holder. The kayak sleigh ride is on! Fighting the fish for a good 10 minutes and landing a 28.5″ Striper first of the season on the Opening Day first trip out! Very happy to not be skunked and great to have a tight line!

Gear Review: Boga Grip w/ YakAttack T-Reign

One of the most commonly used tools for landing fish of all types is the Boga Grip. Although typically not in a kayak anglers budget one should be. Granted the fish grips are budget friendly and they float. However I’m sure the fish grip user has lost and struggled with more fish that the boga grip user.

Made in the USA from high quality stainless steel the Boga Grip cannot be matched. The one handed operation is necessary while fishing from a single person platform such as a kayak. Wile securely holding the fish by its mouth the boga grip allows wiggling flopping and spinning causing less damage to the fish. Also featuring a scale that can weigh fish up to 60 lbs depending on the model.

The boga grip is engaged by the angler pulling back with their fingers to open the clamp. When released the spring action closes the clamp and the weight of the fish actually holds the clamp shut with its weight and the fish is secured. The spinning and angle of the clamp is designed to allow the fish to flap and spin freely. Allowing this motion actually causes less damage to the fish. To release the fish simply pull back with your fingers and the fish is loose!

The Boga grip is a great aid for handling a fish to remove hooks and align on a measuring board. Once the fish is clamped in the odds of loosing the fish are pretty slim. On the kayak its a great idea to leash everything that does not float. In that kayak fishing world there is a slogan. “If you love it leash it.”

Personally too many leashes get in the way on a small platform such as a kayak. The YakAttack T-Reign Surface Mount Retractor is the solution for this. The package also includes a mounting solution for the boga grip. You can also use the GearTrac mounted Retractor solution along with the mounting clip (call to combine these items). The T-Reign is a retractor meaning its 36″ Kevlar chord leash will self stow inside the housing automatically. No winding or cranking. Its spring loaded. When you put your Boga Grip back in its mounting clip the leash will automatically retract! If you do not want to leash the Boga Grip a float can be easily attatched.

Boga Grip maintenance is minimal. Like all other gear a rinse with fresh water after use is recommended. Just keeps it clean less gritty for functioning smoothly and properly. You can use a light machine oil or silicone to lube it up for. A small amount on the trigger pin, prong pin and connecting rivets.

The Boga Grip is a winner for the kayak angler.

• Made in the USA
• Ease One Hand Operation
• Built In Scale
• Durable and corrosion Resistant
• Ergonomically Comfortable
• Foam Grip
• Prevents Damage to Fish
• Leash Tether or Float Addition
• YakAttack T-Reign and mounting clip

Fishing Journal 2015_12-06 & 12-07:

Kayak Fishing December in South Jersey

With the unseasonable warm weather here in New Jersey many kayak anglers have been taking advantage of the extended fishing season. The striped bass are still around making their way south during the 2015 fall migration. Typically this time of year they have gone past the Jersey Shoreline and are into Delaware and Virginia. Also around still are the Tautog. So for the weekend the plan was to target both of these species from the kayak. On my way south again!

Although it is Unseasonably warm for this time of year dressing for warmth and safety are still a concern. The mornings temperature prior to sunrise are below freezing in the high 20’s but by 11 AM its border lining 50 degrees. For these trips dressing warm is important.

Dressing for the Occasion

On the base layer I am wearing hunting thermal bottoms and Under Armour cold gear compression top. Over the thermal bottoms i am wearing only Exofficio fishing pants and then Kokatat Tempest pants.  Top I’m wearing a wool shirt a fleece jacket and then Kokatat Tempest Dry Top. On the feet wool socks and then heavier wool socks to keep the feet warm! And a wool beanie under my wide brim hat. Dressing this way I felt actually warm enough to not use the Glacier gloves. If it were windy gloves would have been necessary and a wool face mask or neck gator.

Preparation for the next day

Arriving to meet Ricky at Chips Folly on Friday night after work. The drive was pretty smooth making it to camp in 1.5 hours. It was already cold in the high 20’s  good thing Ricky already had a fire going to keep us warm. After catching up we proceeded to load the kayak trailer with my Jackson Kayak Big Rig and Ricky’s Native Propel. Loading our gear into Ricks car was to be easier than driving 2 vehicles.

Fishing Hard or Hardly Fishing

The plan for the AM was to leave around 6:30 to North Wildwood for bait and then down to Cape May for Togging the inlet. We needed to be on the water no later than 8:30 AM to ride the tide out the inlet. Well in the morning the alarm didn’t sound and I awoke seeing it was beginning to get light out. It was already 6:30. Then it took 45 min to get out of camp due to the dog and various other things. We arrived at the bait shop at 8:00. We both made the decision to try fishing in N Wildwood due to the idea of not making the outgoing tide which is needed to make it out the inlet.

At the Kayak Fishing Store boat ramp we say Chris Parson, Charlie, and Rob were already fishing the bridge. When we launched they were done with that not finding a single Tog. They were off to go out on a rental motor boat to cover more water.

Launch at The Kayak Fishing Store North Wildwood NJ

Ricky and I hit the water minutes after and headed straight out to the rock wall jetty’s within the inlet. The tide was just about slack which are prime conditions for togging this area. There were people fishing from the jetty’s which was different for me as I typically fish is area when one fish is allowed to be taken due to regulations. This time of year the ability to take 6 over 15″ attracts more fishermen to the shore.

Ricky with a Tautog

It was a really slow day fishing with Ricky and I only landing one fish a piece. The day was beautiful and that enjoyment was welcomed. We tried just about everything. From plugging trolling jigging. There just weren’t any fish inside the inlet. The ocean was another story. Hundreds of boats were killing the striped bass. All day long hearing guys transmitting over the radio limiting out on Stripers. The inlet was too dangerous that day to pass on a kayak. The fish were in reach but these are the limitations of kayak fishing sometimes.

A Panorama of North Wildwood

Chris Charlie & Rob

We ended the day hanging out with Chris, Charlie, Rob, John and Kennith. Talking fishing and the sport while enjoying some pizza.Ricky and I left around 3:30 and went over to the Cape May Brewery where I purchased a growler fill of their Belgian Double called Devils Reach. We headed back to camp as the sun went down and the temperature dipped back into the high 20’s. Enjoying some brews and a nice warm campfire. The plan in the morning was to get up early and fish Oyster Creek.

Sunday:

Well my alarm went off and meaning to hit snooze I shut the alarm off. OOps. Ricky woke up at 5 and it wasn’t looking good to get to the spot prior to first light. THis was to be my first time fishing at Oyster Creek. It is a special place as it is an outlet from cooling the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Generating Station. The water temp says a constant 55- 60 degrees all winter long making it very unique.

We left camp around 6 AM. It was a chilly 27 degrees but was supposed to heat up to around 50 degrees at noon. Arriving at the launch the fog coming off the water looked neat! Taking the tide out we reached where the creek dumps into the bay. Just before casting various lured 4 boats went by one at full power. Spooking whatever fish may have been there. Unable to find any fish we called it a day around 11:30.

I would love to fish there again preferably under the lights in the dark. From what i understand is the place is a Striper heaven. We stopped at a bagel place for a bite to eat then headed back to camp to winterize the camper and then head home. Prior to leaving I was able to capture some beautiful hues of the days sunset over the Mullica River.