NJ Kayak Fishing - Tips and Trips

[kayak1]

The one thing we must keep in mind here... is that we are not just dressing for the air temperature... but the water as well

If the kayak was to tip and we are now in the water, this shirt will work just like a wet suite... I have tested all my kayak apparel before using them for fishing on my kayak...

I have no problems with swimming or getting myself back on my kayak... everything I talk about or show has been used by myself...

Last year I pulled a guy out from under the 35 bridge who had chest waders and a carhartt sweat shirt on... I needed to jump in and swim him to shore... If I didn't dress for swimming I could have never pulled this off ...

Kayaking or kayak fishing is a water sport...

With a boat you can dress anyway you want... on a kayak you need to dress for swimming...

The shirt looks very tight but its not as bad as it looks..

[Pfishingruven]

No that is very true Kayak1...safety is #1!!  All joking aside, you have to be prepared and outfitted properly or you could kill yourself out there.  I see guys go out all the time with waders on in their kayaks.  I always think, how dumb that is, since if they ever get into deeper water that is over their chest and accidentally dump, they will drown!!

Your clothing and setup is thought through very well!  Not only are you kayaking in colder weather, but you are doing it at night also.  You certainly have to dot your "I's" and cross your "T's!"

Thanks for the very good info.  Sorry we took it a bit off topic by joking around!!

  

[kayak1]

Why is the anchor such an important tool?


The anchor should be one of those items that you always take with you on every trip out…. Even if you're just going out and not fishing

First off we all know that the kayak is very light and wind along with current can become a problem to us…  I'm sure each and everyone of us at one time or another have become exhausted from paddling in the wind or current. This is when the anchor could be used holding you in place so you can rest up and move on.

I have also found the anchor to be a major help in the case where the kayak is to tip over fast, the anchor will fall to the bottom and hold the kayak in place…. So you’re not swimming to your kayak while it's blowing east.

I’m sure you all have some good equipment you love fishing with…. I myself love fishing the ocean…. Going out is easy, but the return trip for me always ends up the same…. Under the water…..  And the kayak being pushed in to the beach, with all my gear, the anchor will help slow down the kayak …
        
We all have had those days when the wind and current are pushing us way to fast while we are drifting and fishing at the same time…. The anchor can help slow us down, use the anchor in the closed position as just weight…. If you’re to just drag it on the sand or mud bottom, this will slow down your drift,

Last point to the anchor, if you’re in the bay and find working fish…. Don’t anchor your kayak close to the feeding fish….. Stay away buy setting the anchor and letting out enough line…. So that your kayak drifts into position

Always use a float on the anchor line, if your to get a big fish… you can just let the anchor line go… so you can fight the fish and go right back to the same spot you where last fishing

I have used both the 1.5 lb and 3 lb anchor… I recommend that you use the 3 lb it just holds so much better in the sand and mud….

Hope this will help you, the next time on the water

[kayak1]

Will be going out again this weekend... I was told that there was some good fishing in many areas... with the drop in air temps....

I will again give a follow up on Monday,

Stay with top water plugs this weekend and try fishing up tight to the sod banks....

Have a great weekend and be safe....

[kayak1]

What A Great Weekend....

Bay Or Ocean

Friday - The ocean was just right for kayaking and the fishing was just as good with blues and bass.... The bay again was good at night... with nice size bass feeding heavy on all the bait fish still in the back areas....

We still need some colder weather to set in before the bay will turn on... with more bass and bigger fish as well.

The warm weather still has  boaters out late at night... not fishing.

Saturday and Sunday-We still had some good fishing in the back country... But we did have more boats...again because of the nice weather...

The best time is still ahead of us with November and December being the best time to fish the back bay... the bait fish don't all push out at the same time... most hang back until late December or even January.

[SeaFlea]

Excellent report! It's good to hear the bass are still in the back! 'course, it's not so good to hear the boaters are still hangin' around... (no offense guys!) Perhaps the cooler weather this weekend will make some of them think twice.
Thanks for the update!!!!!

[ped579]

 

[kayak1]

SOFT BAITS

I was talking to a friend of mine about when we where kids and the fishing we did each year and all the fish we would catch…. All my tackle would fit in my shirt pocket; I had a Yellow Hell Cat, Black and White Red Finn….Along with some block tin and my Mirror Lure M-5224 that was it…..

In 2008 I now have my own tackle store in my House. I still use just a couple lures each time out and I’m back where I started 20 plus years ago….. My go to lure is the Yellow Mambo Minnow or Black and White Mambo Minnow….

As we talked about the years that have past… we got to talking about soft plastic lures that are on the market today….. Back in the day…. All I had was a small jar of pork rind….. This worked very well on the back of a jig …. Then years latter we had the Mr. Twister tail…. (WOW) that was so cool… Now in 2008 we have thousands of soft plastic lures in every color, shape and size you could ever think of.

I happen to be a nut of soft plastic lures…. Because you can do so much with them and you can even leave them on the hook for weeks ( not like pork rind ) and they still look great….. The only problem I do find is the jig head…. Its ether to heavy or the hook is too small for salt water use…..

I have started just using a hook…. No weight at all, just the hook…. I have found that from the kayak I’m only casting a short distance….. With a weighted head and fishing in shallow water it just does not work….

By just using a single hook, a long with the plastic bait… I can now fish this lure, off the bottom….. A weighted head will only allow me to work the bait up or down.

With just a hook… I can now use it side to side or up and down…. What’s even better is that I can work it on the surface for some great top water action.

Bass will just suck these soft plastic baits right up… Pick what works for you and your favorite color, mine is pearl, white, black or pink.

This works with all soft plastic baits, Give it a shot your next trip out… Good luck
 

[kayak1]

Sorry I have no report this weekend...WORKING

[kayak1]

I dint have a chance to get out with my kayak because of work and the heavy wind.... But I did stop at the Pt.Pleasant Canal being we had a flood tide... Lets just say I will be spending more time Kayaking the south end around Bay Head

The boat ramp at the end of Bay Ave... Is a very easy place to put your kayak in... Stay to your left along the dock... The water will go from 4 feet to 13 feet fast.... Stay out of the fast moving water.... Good Luck

[kayak1]

If anyone would like to Kayak the north end of the canal.... you can get in the water on
Maxon Ave in Point Pleasant...

This is very deep water you will be in... so dont walk out to far from water line....Keep out of the fast moving water of the canal

The area from Maxon Ave to the mouth of the canal is a great place to catch some nice fish
from a kayak.... just be safe

[DAK]

I have started just using a hook…. No weight at all, just the hook…. I have found that from the kayak I’m only casting a short distance….. With a weighted head and fishing in shallow water it just does not work….

Dave,

That is exactly what I have been doing lately. Not like I have a ton of experience, but to this day I still have not caught a striper on a top water plug. I have been catching them however on un-weighted plastics at night twitched along the surface. They are killer! The idea came to me when I was thinking about how I used to throw un-weighted texas rigged plastic worms for largemouths. I can't wait for the cows to come by!

[kayak1]

Wow...were have you been Dak....

I just started using those HOGY soft plastic baits in hot pink or yellow.... bass dont even hit them... just suck them right up...

Again it was great to hear from you Dak,

[DAK]

Been travelling alot and working like a mule...

Will finally finish up a major work thing next week, so I'm thinking of an early morning outing to wreck inlet sometime. Or, I have heard some interesting chatter about stripers off the W shore of Cape May during the fall run...there's some kind of trough there or something.

Who's up for an outing???

[kayak1]

Dak,
Well Im happy to hear your ready to go fishing now... The last couple of nights its been way to windy to go kayaking....So I have been fishing the Point Pleasant Canal...We have been doing some nice fish and some nice big fish to.... I love to kayak... But I enjoy just getting out fishing...

I sure would like to set somthing up some time and get out with all you guys. I was going to go out last week with Charlie... but the wind was a problem.... So yes...lets try to set this up.
Dave

[kayak1]

This was one crazy weekend.... I fished hard on Friday and Saturday nights.... I did manage to take some nice size bass up to 35"...

The crazy part of all this...Which has never happen to me in all the years of fishing... I caught bass for hours on both nights... One right after another...Whats so crazy is that they where all 8"-10" in size...I didn't even know they were bass at first.

The question I have.... Is did all these little fish swim into the bay or is the bay starting to clean up enough to reproduce....

[SeaFlea]

Son!?!! You are one sick pup! I would have thought that the wind would have slowed you down some... 'Course, you probly have all sorts or nooks & crannies located to hide from that mess...
8" & 10" sound like jeuvies to me. Can't imagine they'd have swum (that a word) into the bay - almost had to have been hatched back in there...
Nice report!
Chal

[Pfishingruven]

Nice catches!  I would say they probably hatched in the bay.  I think the Bay has been mostly clean for a number of years now.  It is actually taking a bit of a decline, as algae is starting to over take the eel grass, which could cause a lot of bad problems!!

 

[DAK]

Actual spawning is done in fresh water. Recent research has shown that here at the SJ coast, the Mullica and Great Egg Harbor rivers have spawning activity. The fry move down the rivers as they grow. Dave, since you fish the backside of Barnegat Bay, I would guess your juvies came from the Mullica...

[Pfishingruven]

Interesting DAK!  I knew they were an  anadromous species, I just figured that any of the brackish/freshwater areas of rivers that open up into the bays would be spawning areas.  I never knew they only spawned in a few areas...however, thinking about it, no one catches big cows in the Toms River and you never hear about "the spawn!"

Thanks for the info...