Many people have gone wilderness camping & fishing for a weekend with whatever supplies they could pack on their kayak. This was my first adventure Wilderness Camping a weekend from the Kayak and man was it a great time!

Preparing to have a good time and eat well at the same time. The venue is Round Valley Reservoir State Park in New Jersey. This place is a unique clear lake where you can see the bottom at about 30 feet of depth. The reservoir also reaches depths of 160 feet in the center. IT is known as the Bermuda Triangle of New Jersey as people have disappeared on the reservoir and many have drowned.

The wilderness camping at the State Park is either a 6.5 mile hike to the camp sites or a 1.5 – 3 mile paddle. As a kayak angler the choice of sticking to the paddle is the only option. The campgrounds are completely primitive with only hand pump well water and latrines. A majority of the sites are right on the water which makes it a must camp at this location!! Its a good idea to reserve online early as once the weather outlook looks good the water sites fill up fast. You are allowed 6 people per camp site reservation. The cost is only $17 per night or $119 per week plus administration fees and taxes of course.

Joining two good friends from the kayak fishing scene and including the company of 3 other friends that are not avid kayakers this trip was going to be exiting. We all love camping and being in the outdoors. The only thing we were missing on this trip was ample beer to enjoy but it is wilderness. It is hard to bring the normal gear you would use in car camping although I wasn’t too worried as the Jackson Kayaks have a ton of storage space. My friends were to paddle the Jackson Kraken and Cuda 14 and the other gal has her own kayak that she was taking on her maiden voyage but meeting up with us on Saturday. I was to take over the Jackson Big Rig!

We met up Friday August 28th at the camping parking lot within the State Park. There were many other people whom were setting out for the same voyage to enjoy a few nights in the wilderness. Dennis and I unloaded the kayaks and gear. We loaded up the 3 boats consisting of a Jackson Big Rig, Cuda 14, and Karaken. Al arrived soon after we did and unloaded his sailing kayak, canoe, gear, and kids. The canoe was the key here enabling us to bring more gear across the reservoir including the 65 quart Orion cooler which unfortunately will not fit well in the tank well of a kayak but was needed to keep our food cold and ice over the weekend.  I rigged up a tow line on the Big Rig and utilizing the power of the Torqeedo Ultralight 403 planned to tow the canoe across the almost 3 miles to our reserved campsites.

My list of gear that all fit into kayaks besides a crate of cooking and cleaning utensils and the Orion Cooler which were stowed on the canoe:

1. Jackson Big Rig, Jackson Kraken, Jackson Cuda 14
2. (2) Tents
3. (3) Sleeping Bags
4. (2) Queen Air Mattress
5. Ax & Hatchet
6. Propane Lantern, Head Light
7. Orion Cooler w/ food, ice, and water
8. Jet Boil
9. Coffee w/ French Press
10. Dutch Oven and Skillet
11. Plates & Utensils
12. Fishing tackle rods and gear
13. Clothing backpacks for 3 people
14. Bug Spray, Sun Screen
15. DSLR Camera & GoPro’s

The 3 kayaks really stow a ton of gear with still being incredibly paddle able and not too heavy where they list or are unstable. We were able to take advantage of the vast amount of inner hull access and storage space inside they kayaks along with the bungee to tie down packs of gear in the tank wells. Out of all of that gear forgetting the Jet Boil and Trash bags. No worries Al brought his entire house with him packed on the Canoe! He had a stove with pots to boil clean water for coffee! He even had a bag toilet!

I had rigged up the Big Rig with a Rope and pulley for towing the canoe the 3.5 miles to the camp site. Al added a float to keep the rope floating and not interfere with the propeller of the Torqeedo. Ready and setup Dennis’s Wife Danielle was soon to arrive to join us. Once she arrived we made the paddle across the reservoir to the campsite. It is easily a 40 – 45 min paddle across.  Al went ahead full sail to locate our campsites then radioed to me on the VHF once he located the correct campsites.

We were site 69 and Al and Matt were site 66. Both were water sites located next to each other by about 50 yards. We unloaded all of our gear by this time Matt’s call that he was en-route to the park. I was to motor back across the reservoir to the launch area with the canoe to load it up with firewood he was bringing for the weekend. Good thing he had fire wood as it was scarce looking around the area. By the rules of the park we are not to cut down anything that had not fallen or was alive. Late in the summer anything that was downed int he winter had been burned by other campers.  The trek across and back motoring about 3 miles an hour not to use too much battery life on the Torqeedo took well over 2 hours including loading up the firewood.

The sun went down when we were half way across back to camp as the full moon was rising. A magnificent sight! Before long made it to shore at camp and unloaded the fire wood. Snapped a few photos of the Big Rig at dusk’s light. Dennis and Danielle had set up my brand new tent which was awesome! Unpacking and pitching a brand new tent in the dark was not my idea of fun! Thanks to Dennis and Danielle  camp was completely set up and now time for dinner! Bratwurst was on the menu for the first night. Found a stick to cook a bratwurst on that turned out to be a complete fail with the fire consuming it. A grilling grate was there which we cooked the remaining 5 sausages and enjoyed dinner along with a beverage. Relishing the fire under the bright full moon light spending time with friends was what it was all about. The night was cool but not cold. Perfect sleeping weather!

Saturday morning came pretty quick the air mattress was key in avoiding the rock laden forest floor. Made a comfortable sleep in the cool 60’s. Arising around 7:30 am it was time to cook up some bacon and eggs and get ready for a day of lounging paddling and swimming. Built a fire for the sole purpose of cooking. A camp hatchet is a necessity for making kindling from the split logs we brought over the evening before. The fire was hot and the bacon was soon sizzling in the cast iron skillet with eggs to follow. Once we finished breakfast and the coffee making hassle due to me forgetting the jet boil for hot water we took a walk to get water for cleaning and filled a shower bag. We then hung out and eventually took a swim in the lake. It was around 80 degrees. Very warm. Dennis and Danielle tried out Matt’s Stand Up Paddle Boards for a while. Paddling around taking a few photos of them having fun balancing and paddling.

Everyone was getting hungry for lunch so we walked back up to the campsite and ate brats. As we finished up lunch and walked back down to the waterfront, Aliz our 4th companion for a night arrived via kayak late afternoon. She ended up paddling around the entire shore line which is about 6 miles of paddling. Luckily she is a marathon runner who is always training because that’s a long paddle for a novice in a 9 foot sit in kayak. I gave her props for going that far. She joined us paddling and paddle boarding. Then went on a hike with Danielle to find a trail they hiked in the past. While they were gone Dennis and I prepared dinner. It was dutch oven cooking time! We had about 5 pounds of chicken thighs which i had planned to cook in the oven over the fire for a few hours until the meat was just about falling off the bone. I did forge key seasonings but the organic chicken broth I managed to pack made up for most of the missing seasonings along with the natural flavors of the onions mushrooms celery and carrots we added. About 2 hours after simmering over the fires flames we took the chicken out and added 2 cups of rice which actually turned out perfect as it soaked up and cooked in all of the juices. The rice came out perfect and did not burn.

Wish a photo was captured of the food but right at dinner time the sun was about to set. So we all went to the rocky waterfront and enjoyed the food while watching the sunset. I brought my camera down and took a few shots of an amazing sundown. Should have brought my tripod to get into a photo or two. It was a big red sunset over the water! After dinner we enjoyed some great company around the fire at site 66 with Matt Al and their kids. They popped popcorn roasted marshmallows. Good times just sitting around a campfire!

Sunday morning unfortunately was time to pack up and go. Aliz had left at 7:30 am to paddle back and go straight to work at REI. Dennis and I arose soon after and we cooked up the rest of the bacon and eggs along with potatoes we cooked in the fire the night before. Al and Matt were leaving early also so we loaded the Orion Cooler in the canoe and Al sailed it back to the launch with his kayak. I missed Matt and his kids leave. We packed our gear back into and on the kayaks and we all paddled back. I didn’t use the Torqeedo on the way back because i wanted to capture the whole experience by paddling home!

Didn’t really get to fish much due to the enjoyment of hanging out and taking it easy plus the other guys didn’t even bring a fishing rod. In all it was a Great Weekend! I would recommend wilderness camping to anyone who can disconnect from their phone or ipad for a weekend. Enjoy what nature provides and the quietness of the wilderness for some relaxation and peace.  I look forward to doing this again soon possibly in a different venue. Possibly a river setting.

Fishing Journal 2015_08-21

Utilizing a 1:30 PM Friday departure from my day job I set out to arrive down the shore at Chips Folly Campground. Joining Ricky and his lovely wife Becky for a fun filled weekend of camping and Kayak Fishing Great Bay and the Mullica River! Having a few extra things to pack I was able to be on the highway at 2:30 after grabbing a sandwich and coffee at the local convenience store. Hoping to escape the dreaded Friday shore traffic following Waze. A major set back of living in the northern part of New Jersey is the hundreds of thousands of people that head south on the Garden State Parkway to the shore points. The 100 mile ride down wasn’t bad at all with pockets of traffic but not too bad. I ended up being early so decided to stop and pick up some snacks and drinks on the way.

Arriving at Chips Folly Campground stopped at the camp office to check in and as soon as that was completed Ricky and Becky pulled in. Perfect timing! Soon after we went out for dinner. Ricky and I had pizza which was really good. I haven’t had pizza on over a year. Becky had sausage and peppers which looked amazing! After we finished eating we went back to camp hung out for a little while and went to bed early in preparation for an early day of fishing. Although the wind forecast was not looking to be in our favor we were to go fishing anyway even if we were to cut the day short.

Saturday Morning:

The arrival at the beach around 6:00 am the sun was rising. I brought my new Canon Dslr with me and took a few snaps in the morning at the beach. A breezy but beautiful day had begun! Ricky and i started fishing top water lures first. We found some action with bait schools scattering and jumping. The Stripers were present!

Rod & Reel Setups:

The rod and reel setups i was using for the day consisted of a Spinning Setup and a casting setup. The spinning gear was a 7′ St. Croix Mojo Inshore Medium Power with Fast action Spinning Rod paired with a Shimano Spheros 3000 reel spooled with 20# power pro spectra in green. The casting setup was a custom 7′ Bull Bay Tactical 20# Medium Heavy Power with Moderate Action Casting Rod with Fuji K guides and an Abu Garcia Revo Inshore low Profile Casting reel spooled with 20# Cortland C16 Spectra Braid in lt blue color.

Tackle:

The Spinning rod was set up for top water with spooks poppers and plugs. The casting rod was set up with a Chartreuse DOA C.A.L. – Jig Head – SHORT – 1/8 oz. & 3″ C.A.L. Shad Tail with a pearl body and Chartreuse tail.

Fishing in 3-5 feet of water casting towards the bait fish had a few hits on the spook and popper. Changed over to the soft plastic couple casts and bam fish on!

A nice 24″ Striper! Got my pose in and released him back into his natural habitat. Not exhausted at all swimming away with a flick of the tail. As the day went on the wind stayed 5-10 sith some gusts of around 15. Overall not a bad day. We called it quits around 1:oo PM with only the one bass caught and  a few missed.

Back at camp Becky had made a banging German Potato Salad and some salmon burgers for us! We devoured that then it was time for a power nap. I got about an hour and a half which was real nice. Ricky slept till 5PM. While he was sleeping I took it upon myself to assemble a fire before it got dark.

Ricky and I took a walk with our cameras in hand to photo the sunset! There is a point that juts out into the river which is the perfect spot for shooting photos of a sunset. Becky cooked dinner while we were out walking the dog and snapping photos.

Dinner was excellent Becky made up chicken and veggie kabobs and rice. We enjoyed the fire and when it died down it was time for bed and an early rising at 4:30 AM to find the Bass again. These times now enjoying entire weekends away from home I feel the true feeling of freedom. There’s nothing else really like it.

Sunday Morning:

4:30 AM comes quick.  Up and out stopping at Wawa for a quick bite to eat. We were able to drop in before sunrise. This we believed would yield a better Bass bite. The winds for the day were 5-10 N-NW which was to be lighter than Saturday.

Meeting Al ‘Yakman’ Stillman and his son Jake at the drop in. All setup with his tandem Hobie AI on the beach and ready. We dropped in and immediately started searching for bass pressuring bait fish. Fishing began pretty slow. The fish we found were finicky. By this point in time Al gave up and went sailing. I was feeling exhausted but eventually Ricky hooked up! He had a nice striper. About an hour later Ricky Hooked up again with a smaller Bass but still was a good day.

After a little break and a PB sandwich Croakers were on my mind! I went to deeper water to find some. I had a few hits but it was slow. Ricky came over and guided us towards even deeper water. Using a Fish Finder rig with a high low hook 1/0 Gamakatsu bait holder hooks and red beads a rig I had whipped up in Delaware baited with small cut pieces of beach clam i managed to find a Croaker! A rather nice one!  They were hard to find but managing a small Porgie around 9″ a bit later.

By this time the wind had shifted to a NE 10-15 out of our direction to the drop in. Managing to tow Ricky in most of the way while being soaked by the water thrown off his kayaks bow. The Torqeedo was a paddling for hours saver on this one!

It was a great weekend of fishing even though fishing wasn’t the best. Being out on the water with friends and good company is the real reward. I’m hoping for a few more weekends like this until the weather turns cold.

Fishing Journal 2015_08-15

Some fishing trips stand out more than others. These are the epic fishing days with good company and non stop action. August 15th 2015 was one of those days.

It was a later morning than normal awaking at 7:30 AM. The tide was to be high around 9:00 am so sleeping in was an option i took. Brian called me around 7 and told me he would be at the drop in within an hour. This was perfect timing. Loaded the cooler picked up some breakfast and was on my way to the drop in.

With some strong reports of keeper Fluke being caught in the back bay this was to be the Back Bay Fluke Fishing Day!
Arriving around 8:30 it was already warm and sunny. Brian was on his way and arrived about 20 mins later which gave me time to slowly unload and rig up. We launched as the tide had started moving out. The water was a warm 82 degrees at the surface with an air temp around 84 degrees to start. We had a slight S-SW  breeze around 4-5 kts. This was perfect conditions. Not hot all day with no breeze it was a picture perfect day.

About 5 mins after dropping Bucktails with teasers tipped with Berkley  Gulp to the bottom in 10 – 20 feet of water hugging the edge of a channel boom Brian landed the first fish and first keeper. Not too long after that my rod is bent in half but missing that fish due to the new dead stick rod holder setup. The RaAM Adapt-A-Post Track Mount with the  Ram Tube Jr has a bait caster and a spinning reel side to lock in the rod. The Abu Garcia Vengeance casting rod I was using has a larger trigger grip which seems to get stuck in the hole that locks the rod in. After a few fish and working the rod from the holder it took a little getting used to but was manageable. The second fish hooked was a really nice fluke.  It was a good fight pulling drag  landing a really nice fluke measuring in at 21.5″.

Picking through short fish which were nice fat ones that put up a great fight. The dead stick rod seemed to be producing more.

By now the drift was moving fast. We were drifting almost 2mph. Still picking up fish riding out the drift until fishing slowed up then making the decision to go back to where we started find the fish and drift again.

Back at the beginning of the drift we were running out of tide. Finding a pocket of fish every time we would go over the spot fish would bite on both rods! Brian had one jump out of his cooler and somehow netted it before it got away. I lost a keeper measuring it for Kayak Wars and decided not to take anymore KW pohots for the day after that. A few more keepers and shorts we made the decision to call it a day at 3:00 PM.

Wish all fishing trips could be as good as landing 25 fish in a 6 hour day!