Will be representing Jackson Kayak at the French Creek Outfitters booth on Saturday Feb 27th at the Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow in Oaks, PA!!
Stop by check out the new JK colors! Thinking of buying come and get a show deal! Looking forward to seeing you all there!! Remember i will only be there on Saturday.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Mid-Atlantic Kayak Bass Fishing free entry I had acquired in a charity raffle at the 2015 CBKA Tournament opened the door to the another side of kayak fishing. A side myself am not too familiar with. The freshwater kayak fishing Bass tournament series. As a primary saltwater angler my focus is always on the tournaments that focus on targeting saltwater species. Fishing freshwater lakes about 3-4 days a year this was to be a challenge. I wasn’t in any way a threat to anyone in the series but sometimes luck is just on your side!
After a 3.5 hour drive from my home in New Jersey arriving at Delaware Paddlesports in Lewes Delaware to check in and receive the tournament unique Identifier. It had just become dark and the cool air was settling in. A few guys were hanging out near a nice warm fire in the back lot. Enjoying some brews talking kayak fishing and even kayak rigging this was my crowd! It was great to meet Matt Baden the tournament commissioner and see the guys Chris Alan and John! At this point the attempt was to maybe find a fishing buddy or get some intel of where to fish. It didn’t seem anyone was willing to give up locations being that it was the Championship round and was expected although as stated I was no threat. It was around 9PM when I left DPS and was to stay with my parents for the night. They live a short distance away. Beats camping in the cold plus get the chance to spend some time with them.
Arriving at my parents home after enjoying a sandwich I resumed my prior research on where to fish. The pacific warriors kayak fishing TV show was on which I have mixed feelings on. Although it was good background noise. Previously at home I had scoured google maps on satellite mode looking for a pond that wasn’t incredibly weedy but had the potential for bass. Also was looking for a fishing location that was close to the tournament HQ. The conclusion was to fish Wagamonds pond in Milford DE.
The tournament venue was the entire state of Delaware. Any public fresh body of water was within the boundaries. A total of three bass was needed to qualify. The tournament is linked to the online TourneyX system as all KBF affiliated tournaments do. This allows catch photos to be uploaded to the internet and submitted in real time via Cell Phone.
Arriving at Wagamonds Pond at 6:45 am after a WaWa breakfast wrap and a Signature Blend Coffee. The sun had risen but it was really cool morning in the high 30’s. There were bass boats in line to launch at the ramp. I figured this was a good sign! Talking to one of the anglers they apparently had never fished the pond but were hoping for the best. Rigging up my kayak as all of the other boats launched dropping in shortly after.
Paddling away form the boat anglers I went directly to a point that had pads and some vegetation. Ton of casts and changing up baits finally on a weightless texas rigged motor oil colored soft plastic worm strung on a Penetration hook a hit and ending up with a pickerel @ 21″.
Kept casting that plastic and more of the same. It was great catching fish but I was looking to catch bass. Moving around on the Big Rig using my Aqua Bound Challenge SUP paddle. Several other kayak anglers showed up fishing the pond but none came close to me to say hello or anything. The wind had picked up around 9am and didn’t stop. Along with overcast that rolled in 15-20 steady with 25-30 gusts. Pond white caps is something different for most but the little wave action almost brought me back to home.
The 8′ Yak Attack Park n Pole saved the day for me. Able to paddle to a location then lance the Park N Pole stick into the lake bottom using my anchor trolley to stay put stand and cast. A much quicker system than anchoring with a traditional anchor. Luckily this pond wasn’t very deep in most areas!
Throughout the morning with overcast, cool temps, plus the wind that began around 8:30 am; it was actually pretty cold. At some point I had posted online to the event Facebook page hoping they had the fire going for when we got back.
Around 11:30 the clouds finally broke and let some sun warm up the body. The bite had died off. Another 2 hours of fishing and nothing. With the wind still howling decision to pack it in had been made. Only a half hour from DPS parking there around 3PM. The smell of burgers grilling and the sound of music playing was very inviting. It was soon to be awards time! Receiving a nice tournament bag packed with nice socks from Farm to Feet and other nice swag!
The awards began. Being the championship there were many! The awards were given out for the day and the entire series. Most of the guys and gals whom fished the series were present to accept their prizes. There were over $8,000 worth in prizes and a total of $7,875 money distributed to winners in the entire series which consisted of a number of events that were hosted in multiple states such as Delaware Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia and West Virginia. The tournament also donated a total of $620 to the local chapters of Heroes on The Water! For Official Results Check out MAKBF.
If you are located within the area of this MAKBF Tournament series please do check it out! The official website is http://www.makbfseries.com/ and on facebook.
2015 MAKBF Final Results
Final Event Standings
1st Place: Louis Martinez 53.25″ – $330, Power-Pole Micro Anchor System, YakAttack Prize Pack
2nd Place: Aaron White 52″ – $198, Farm to Feet “Sock Drawer Makeover”
3rd Place: Danny Schanne 49.25″ – $132, Smallie Stix Rod
4th Place: Chris Rios 48.5″ – Astral Kayak Shoes,
5th Place: Noah Tomasik 48″ – $50 Butter It Baits Gift Card
6th Place :Julie Tomasik 48″ – PowerTeam Lures Kit
7th Place: Jedediah Plunkert 46.5″ – Bass Assassin Lures Prize Pack, Cablz Eyewear Retainers
Top 20 Angler of the Year1. Jedediah Plunkert – 61*
2. CJ Espey – 51+
3. Matt Eikenberg – 36*
4. Peter Manthos – 33*
5. Michael Chaney – 32+
6. Matt Campbell – 28*
7. Josh Evans – 23*
8. Matt Yuschak – 23*
9. Dave Adlington – 21*
10. Joe Deisvaldi – 21*
11. Chris Watts – 21+
12. Jeff Little – 21@
13. Dave Thompson – 14*
14. Shane Clift – 11*
15. Louis Martinez – 10
16. Danny Schanne – 10
17. Aaron White – 9
18. Jeremy Savage – 9
19. Alberto Tabian – 9
20. AJ Morton – 9*Qualified for KBF National Championship
+Previously Qualified for KBF National Championship
@Passed on qualification to next angler
