The Jersey Paddler Classic Demo Paddle is a demo day where $8 gets you a paddle and a PFD and the ability to just about demo paddle everything one of the largest largest kayak shops in New Jersey has in inventory.  Along with company reps and on my side fishing guys representing the products to answer any type of questions you may have prior to purchasing a kayak. The demo was for a full Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM – 3 PM.

Saturday Morning was a cloudy day. Not much of traffic early but as the day went on the sun eventually filled the sky and it was busy for a good 2 hours. There was a lot of interest in the Jackson Kayaks I had brought my brand new 2015 Kraken for demo. Not even paddling the boat yet and that’s what its for! I also brought my personal Big Rig with the Torqeedo Motor for people to demo which may or may not have been the best idea. There was a ton of interest in the Torqeedo as well as the kayaks.

Jersey Paddler provided me with a Coosa and a Cuda 12 demo. It seemed like a slow day but I was told they had over 180 participants registered. In all it was a good day. I packed up everything and went home to take care of the dog.

Sunday was picture perfect weather and it showed. The crowds rolled in in droves! I saw a few people from the day before whom were still undecided. A family strolled up looking for a Big Tuna and thinking they had stocked me with all demos from the shop i told them i didn’t have one but would check on it. They tested out the Big Rig for a little while and while doing that my request for a Big Tuna and a Coosa HD appeared upon request! The family was totally happy after running them through the seating positions the were headed back to the shop the purchase one!

The day went on and the Big Rig was in the water just about the entire time. I feel the kids riding it paid their entry fee just to cruise. It was hard to retrieve the boat. I was sidetracked by questions and all kinds of them.  As i sit back here and type this article i find the amount of experience over the years has equipped me with the tools to help those who look to get into the sport. I’m glad to help and share the info I learned by trial and error.

Love doing these days even though it takes up fishing time. To everyone whom I met at the event tight lines!

Fishing Journal April 26, 2015

The routine is now becoming a normal one for the Saturday or Sunday fishing trip. Although it is routine sometimes something happens that throws everything off. At 4:45 AM I am driving to the drop in point and my windshield keeps fogging up bad. I turned the AC on full blast and its not helping. Visibility was tough and a good thing I keep a full sized towel in my truck. I kept wiping the windshield to be able to see. Finally off the highway 30 min later i decide to pull over and behold its steamy like a sauna in the cab. I had noticed the sweet antifreeze smell a few weeks ago but figured it was residual that spilled on the top of the engine from a thermostat replacement. Well at this point i knew the heater core in the truck was leaking. Determined I drove to the drop in spot with the windows rolled down to let the steam out the window so a good attempt at not breathing it in anymore. Seemed to work.

Arriving at the beach driving past the flags stiff pointing in the south west direction. A 15-20 MPH constant wind coming off the water from the NE which really churns up the bay. It was rough and the bay was filled with white caps. The current wind speed on the weather apps said 4 mph NE.  I decided to wait it out and figure a way to fix my truck so not to break down on the way home. The sunrise was amazing and unfortunately I did not take photos this time. Wish I had the GoPro running! Waiting around for the auto parts store to open at 8 seemed forever.

Once the problem was temporarily fixed back at the beach the wind was less than it was an hour ago. The decision to launch was made. Slid the Big Rig off my trucks rack and loaded up. Finally by 10:30 on the water! Started trolling immediately. I was not marking any fish in the shallow water or even in 8-10 feet. I decided to head south east first of all because now calm and also against the tide to have an easy time getting back.

As I approached the Keansburg fishing pier I noticed they did not rebuild the entire pier after Superstorm Sandy. The damage still remains to 100 yards of the pier over 2 years later. It is amazing since the structure stands 20 feet above the water surface at high tide. That storm surge had to be well over 20 feet to do the damage it did. Keansburg famous for its amusement park on the bay shore. It was the first of its kind built to entertain people from Manhattan back in the early 1900’s . Keansburg and the towns on the bayshore were completely destroyed along the coast due to Superstorm Sandy. Years ago they reclaimed sand from about 1/4 mile off the beach to replenish from the a hurricane in the 1960’s.

Once I located the hole. Upon about 14 feet of water my Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp begun to Display huge boomerang arcs. Big ones. The rod with the gold SP minnow starts to tear drag. I pick up the rod and begin to fight the fish. About 20 seconds into the fight the line goes slack and the fish is gone. Fearing a bluefish bit through my line and took my lure. After reeling back in to my surprise the lure was still in tact but the front treble hook was gone. The teeth marks on the lure lead me to believe this was a huge bluefish.

Resetting my line and heading through the same area. Marking big fish again my other rod starts to peel off drag. Pick up that rod and fish on!! Excited forgetting to turn my GoPro on. It’s a good fight. Couple minutes later seeing its a bluefish reaching for my boga grip which is tethered to the T-Reign Geartrac mounted. The first bluefish of 2015 landed at 28″.  After this fish i decided to venture a little deeper coming across marks that appeared to be more like Stripers.

About 10 minutes later peeling drag again. This time a 24″ striped bass. Managed 2 more bass from 24 – 25 inches prior to calling it a day at 2:30. All on the Daiwa SP minnows. The silver produced the most bass although the gold one with one treble hook produced the largest bass for the day. It was a great day of fishing although it was a short day. Next time the fish may be spawned out and feeding on bunker in the back bay. The problem will be trying to get through all of the bluefish to catch Stripers.

Hoping the weather cooperates as these days have been some of the most perfect days fishing in a long time!

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!!