Kayak Wars 2011

The season is a bit long for the northern teams. Our season north of the cape goes from mid-may to mid-oct.

I only know of 1 guy around boston who has gotten 50 bass in Nov, and I don't know anyone who has done it in Dec.

Caught up a tiny bit last night--posted a couple, but realistically, I'm not catching 50 stripers from the harbor this month.

I think I can do it......or at least come pretty close. already a quarter of the way there with two short trips. I'm hoping to get out Saturday and Sunday nights, just hoping they don't head out with the new moon and cooling temps.....I think we'll be ok but we'll see. I found a new spot around ocean city that I think I really like.

actually just got word of someone having a good night a good bit north of us.

Clamboni, I'm trying to help on the bass, just not catching. dropped one the other day, and two this morning, the bite is real tentative. I cant figure out why, it doesn't feel that cold. I'm gonna try the oyster creek outflow tomorrow (nuclear plant). Tons of bait and rats last week. Hopefully some bigger fish will show. Wont be bringing any home for the table regardless of size.

you did plenty all year while I wasn't fishing lol. I didn't realize that was you in the SINK last weekend, would have said hi as you sped past me on your way home lol.

Gonna be out Saturday night it looks like if you're interested. Ocean city area. I have spots that will produce scoring fish, just haven't found any bonus sized ones yet. Came kinda close with a 35 a few weeks ago though. Be warned though, I seem to be able to catch fish in my spots only when I'm alone for some reason............frustrating I kill schoolie sized fish then can't buy a bite when I bring someone along lol.

I'm done keeping fish for the year as well. Kept too many actually, been giving away a lot of meat.

I was throwing a wake cause the wife wanted me home by noon and I fished right to the last possible minute. What an awesome tog bite that is-wish I lived closer. I'm sorry I didn't stop to meet you. I remember from last year you got on em at the end. I should still be catching some, but its been my worst fall in years. Not bitchin though, it was a strong spring. Think I have 2 more striper sorties in me and I want to try the fresh one last time. A couple more trips like you've had and we'll be on the cap! Good luck.

looks like we may be in for a photo finish...

last year there were bonus points for record fish, but I don't see anything in the rules for this year--anyone know if there are bonus points for records this year?

This is going to be much closer than it needed to be, we could have walked away at any point during the season.

Pretty cold day here today, but I'm going to give it a shot tonight!!

Eric - I know that you may be thinking of putting a missing persons report on some of your teammates . . . . . but I found one last night!

I was in a festive mood, and was watching kayak kevin's first video - the kiptopeke section, cause some KFA guys were there last weekend - good mood for it.

So I'm watching . . . . . and all of a sudden some dude is in the picture, hooting and hollaring holding one of the biggest stripers I have ever seen, and I see the caption . . . . . it said "Chad Hoover, 51" striper". . . . and I'm thinking he is slappy's teammate, and I start laughing - there he is! Larger than life holding a big fish . . . . . too bad it doesn't count for this year - that is so knotright! I think he got so excited from it that he "tiedoneon" and is still recovering. . . . . looks like a couple of KBF guys "tiedoneon" in the beginning of the season and never recovered . . . . I laughed so hard I drank a six pack and tiedoneon myself.

Well, I fished the Housy yesterday and totaled 12 stripers . . . . . only one qualified for KW. Unlike my last trip, I marked some really big schools of stripers, but they would blow through and not stay anywhere too long - I rarely see a 12:1 ratio, usually it is about 3/4 of the stripers are over 21" in the fall - but it is still not peaking there - maybe by the 15th, which is when I intend to go back - take a day off from work, and instead of tyingoneon, I am going to hit the Housy for one of my last trips of the season.

Eric - I got the impression that you get extra KM points for records, not extra points at the end of the year, but I don't remember - last year I held the record for tautog and fluke, and got extra KM points, I'm not sure if I got extra KW points too.

I didn't even mark fish in the Thames. I'm not sure where to look, but I found some great structure, dropoffs etc and there were no fish anyhwere!

Last night was really cold on the water, my yak was covered in ice and my guides were freezing up, but I still posted a couple.. I expect that the VA guys piled up some trout n' stuff this weekend, it will be interesting to see how much.

My only remaining night to fish is Wednesday, should be an interesting week watching the final totals come in!

I keep hearing bad things about the Thames - the people I speak with in CT tell me that it isn't worth the trip for me (3 hour drive) . . . . and last year, the bass never showed - whereas the biodensity was greater at one time on the Thames, the Housy is now much better - boaters that live close to Norwich fish the Housy now, since the Thames isn't as good.

I think it is one of those Chesapeake / Hudson population things - I'm told most of the stripers east of Hartford are Chesapeake fish - since there has been a downturn in population in Cheaseapeake, the Thames isn't fishing as well. That being said, the populations move about, as I have caught fish tagged in the Thames that ended up in the Housy.

I marked a ton of fish, some really thick schools where my fishfinder was blacked out, but I also saw lots of sporatic marks, and small pods - usually by now they are stacked up in massive schools - and I found some big schools where the fish just wouldn't eat, but nothing like the peak, which I believe is two weeks away.

Essentially, what I did was I marked a really big pod on the downstream side of an outlet (you had seen it when I fished with you there) - and they were holding along the edge of a channel in 24' just slightly downstream of the outlet, waiting for morsels. For about 90 minutes, I pounded them on bass assassins (sorry Eric, no hogys for me yesterday) . . . . and then a stinkpot trolled through a couple of times, marking the same school, and ruined it.

Yeah, it will be an interesting week. Kinda sad if you get beaten by schoolie stripers and speckled trout . . . . . the rules turned out to be really favorable to southern teams, but they rallied for that last winter and got what they wanted.

I feel satisfied with my season at this point and won't be going out too many more days. This weekend may be it for me till January.

Was supposed to fish Saturday and sunday night, ended up being sunday into sunday night. Bunch more tautog during the day, nothing big. Tried my new spot for bass at night (late start after a nap). Fished for about 3.5 hrs........not quite the pace I was hoping to keep for the rest of the year to make 50 fish this month lol, My plan was to have 8-10 hrs a night........too cold lol. 5 of 9 scored, biggest was 32. They were sluggish, there was zero bait around. Marked a lot of fish but couldn't get them to bite. I caught all my fish in about a 2 hr window of slower water, almost all of them were down in rubble from an old bridge that was knocked down. Most fish were caught by dropping my lure down to the bottom and hanging it just off the tops of the rocks. They just didn't seem to want to chase anything down.

My hot tactic lately has been to hang a hogy a foot off the bottom on a 3/8 oz head (no current) and basically do nothing. I have even been putting a rod in the rod holder and catching a few that way, usually the rod holder misses on the hook set!

Last night I marked more fish than I ever have here. They were mostly very small bass, but if they were willing to bite, I would have nailed quite a few, they just wouldn't eat but I was able to pick off some big enough and some not quite big enough. I don't know where those fish came from and I'm betting I won't see them until April.

that's pretty much what I was doing. I'd drop it down into the rocks, getting hung up, shaking it loose and lifting another 6"........or just watching the bait on the fishfinder. They were hammering it though. I kept thinking how perfect it would have been for a weightless eel. Last night was the first trip in the last two months that I didn't have any with me. I think I could have caught a lot more but it's a fast current there when it gets going, only so much time with slower water. It's also still under construction so there's barges everywhere, a lot of the water is unaccessable. I'm excited about it for the spring.

I had fun on the bridges there when I was down in July. The fish were tiny, all under 28", but it was fun because it was all about getting the jig in the zone. I was using some heavy heads when the current was rolling hard and still pounding the fish.

I fish much faster currents around Boston, but the water is much shallower, so it is a cast and retrieve, not a jigging scene.

No matter what you do, with plastics it is all about optimizing the head weight--lighter means better swim, heavier means better feel. And I would take plastics over eels any day of the week!!

Eric - I noticed that you don't use spinning rods - are you casting mostly or vertically jigging? I got my nicest bass the other day when it was almost verticle, but don't have too much success vertically jigging plastics for stripers (weakfish love it though).

I go with spinning for everything, but it is a matter of comfort.

I gotta figure out the soft plastics thing - last week, had major problems fishing the FI Inlet bridge, water was rushing out really fast, and I couldn't get a feel for my jig or shad - by the time it was near the bottom, it was almost back at the boat . . . . and if I went too heavy, I would get stuck on the rubble. . . . tough to get a feel.

I'm most comfortable with baitcasters, you really have to use what feels best. I think I get better sensitivity on the drop with casting reels and I can engage faster when I'm bit on the sink.

Most of my vertical fishing is done in very cold water, the rest is cast and retrieve and I typically fish what you described--fast current in 5 to 20'. It is a hard adjustment to make fishing that in a kayak. From shore you would find a spot and fish the swing of the jig in the current as it works down stream. From a boat, you tend to cast cross current or downcurrent.

because we are drifting so fast in the yaks, I usually fish upcurrent which is definitely something that you have to practice and is counter-intuitive to what the magazines and books tell you to do. I cast up current and engage the reel so it sinks on a slack line then usually hop the bottom back to the yak. The current coming at you shortens the retrieve, but you get more casts in and a high percentage of fish will hit on the drop. Getting your weight right is really the key, like you said--too light no feel, too heavy in the rocks.

This summer I was out and ran into some NEKF guys who weren't catching while I was. I gave one of the guys a 1 oz hogy jig instead of using the 3/4 oz he had on. He picked up a couple fish right away after he switched. I would guess that he was getting hit before, but didn't reallize it.

Sometimes in a fast current there is a rock or current edge that creates a slow pocket. With the kayak I will slip into the pockets and then fish cross current. Fishing cross current gives you much better feel. In sept I was out on a really windy night and the wind was holding me against a peak tide creating a perfect pocket for me to fish in. It was windy and rough with a strong current and I wasn't moving. I nailed a few fish over 40 including a beast that was in the neighborhood of 44# that ate a hogy that I was swinging in the current on a tight line and barely even reeling.

Man, that is great information . . . . thanks, Eric. . . . . now I am really looking forward to fishing the bridges around here next year - the way you described it was exactly what I experienced last week - current comes in so much that you don't have that much of a retrieve in the strike zone, so sensitivity and connection count - I get lots of hits on the drop too and it is tough with a spinning rod to get those fish . . . . I see the advantages.

I especially hear ya on the cross current - I am going to hide behind a bridge piling next year and cast to the adjacent ones . . . . gonna need lots of jig heads of different sizes . . . . .

I gotta feeling that some of the bridges around here would be dreams come true to you . . . .

Good luck tonight too . . . . :)

The bridges are way more fun when it's not july lol. And definitely get way more fish on plastics than eels.......but I like the way they slam them when they hit lol.

Tomorrow night gonna head back to the same spot. By the time I really got on that pattern it was about a half hour of that two hour window when I got most of them, then the tide started again. Gonna go with that game plan from the start, maybe bring some heavier jigheads and see if I can get them to come up out of the rocks when it's moving. Also gonna be a smaller tide, we'll see how much slower it is. and warmer...yay.

If anyone's interested you're welcome to tag along as long as you can promise to keep your mouth shut about the spot, I don't think it's being fished a lot at the moment.

no fishing for me tonight, had to attend a school redistricting meeting.

Tomorrow night I will get out for a couple hours. If I can find them and pick up a handful, I'll be happy.

It has been a long season.

clamboni wrote:

The bridges are way more fun when it's not july lol. And definitely get way more fish on plastics than eels.......but I like the way they slam them when they hit lol.

Tomorrow night gonna head back to the same spot. By the time I really got on that pattern it was about a half hour of that two hour window when I got most of them, then the tide started again. Gonna go with that game plan from the start, maybe bring some heavier jigheads and see if I can get them to come up out of the rocks when it's moving. Also gonna be a smaller tide, we'll see how much slower it is. and warmer...yay.

If anyone's interested you're welcome to tag along as long as you can promise to keep your mouth shut about the spot, I don't think it's being fished a lot at the moment.

Good luck, Clamboni. Sounds like fun . . . . . I agree, the boat traffic during the summer is killer at those bridges, but I bet they can still produce some nice stripers at night.

As a kayaker, the bridges are the biggest challenge, but also reap the biggest reward . . . . . next year, I will be working soft plastics much more during the summer, and, hopefully, we get a run of big weaks again.

The calvary has ridden in with a pile of specs! Some nice ones too. Hope they dont have an answer, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have something saved for tomorrow. A couple more bass would be a good insurance run. Good luck Slappy

Went slappy on them........but they were all little. Scored 21 fish, almost all of them were 21-24", two at 28" (one of which shook free and overboard while I was trying to take pic). I felt like I took at least 40 pictures of fish.........don't know if they didn't save or if I just imagined it. Found a big school of fish in this size range, a lot of them were sitting right in the same little area in 16-20 ft. Much more aggressive than the other night, I was able to make long casts and quickly work a 1oz jighead with plastic on it along the bottom. Some were letting my bait drift on the bottom in the current. Also caught a lot of them by dropping my bait down to suspended fish I marked on the FF.

Nice screen shot, the mark that goes off the screen to the left is my jig, the one under it that moves up then straight up is the fish coming up to eat my lure and the hookset. Lots of other fish on the screen though.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Still have warm water, air temp was in low 40's, FF reading 48-50 all night so it's at least that warm. Might head out again Sunday if the weather is ok.

love to see screen shots like that.

I spent a few weeks this summer fishing marks like that with 20 to 30+# bass that would not eat. T&W and eel guys were rolling through the fish with nothing. Sitting on them for a couple hours tossing plastics usually was the ticket to getting a few fish, but they would just not eat!!

Looks like the junkies are starting to post, it isn't going to be over until robchoi posts whatever he is holding.

of course, even then it might not be over!!

one of my favorites. Was a school of 20 lb class fish on adult bunker, near a bridge in the back bay. I was fishing somewhere else that night and made a move to where this was late, only got to fish the school for about 20 minutes and catch 2 fish before the sun came out and broke it up. Talked to a guy that was fishing there he said it was going on all night, apparently I missed out.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I call this video game crappie fishing lol. moving around til I found the school and dropping a jig onto them. After a few dozen fish it feels like cheating.
And FYI for you guys, that's a 1/32 oz jig that you can see on the screen, don't believe guys that say that you can't see small baits on a properly set up unit. And that's a very cheap FF

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

love that crappie pic, they are one of my favorite fish. ever notice who has the KW record in the Northeast?


Done posting. 50 bass in boston in 14 days was not easy, I wasn't sure it could be done, it took about 60 to get the KW 50 because the smalls moved in at the end.