Eastern Bay Questions

[kanvery]

Me and my girlfriend are practicing for another distance paddle to one of the bay islands to camp out for the night and fish. So next week we are going to try to do a loop around Kent Island. I was wondering if anyone has any experience fish Eastern Bay. Specifically, the areas south of Kent Narrows. Also, about when do the spanish macs show up? I'd like to try to troll for them in the future but have no idea what to use or what speed I should try to maintain. Honestly, last year was the first I'd heard of anyone even trying for them on a kayak.

[ictalurus]

Guys in boats troll for Spanish macks at 6-7 knots, which would be hard to do, even in a Hobie. I've hooked (but didn't land) two Spanish macks while casting spoons and reeling as fast as possible with a high ratio Shimano spinning reel (pulls in around 3ft of line per turn). I was casting a trolling spoon, which I wouldn't recommend. I was using a Tony spoon, 6ft leader, and a 1oz inline weight. I had just reeled in the line to check on it, and I saw some mackerel jump. I cast toward the area and started reeling, and one hit right off. After a quick run, it jumped. The fish and spoon left the water, but the trolling weight didn't, which gave the fish slack, and it threw the lure. The same thing happened a few years later when I hooked another one. You'd think I'd learn. I haven't seen any jumping since then, and that was about 3 years ago.

Gotchas are supposed to work, as are stingsilvers, deadly dicks, etc. Most of the trollers seem to use gold, but guys casting use anything flashy. some guys make lures from pens/straws. Here are some good links from tidalfish:

http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...-Casting-Lures

http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...h-Report-10-19

http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...eapon-Revealed

[mmanolis2001]

I think the loop around Kent island is close 40 miles total if you hug the coast. Are you planning on doing this over a weekend? I would make sure to check tides and use them to your advantage on the bay side of the island which is a 17 mile stretch.

Like ictalurus said it would be next to impossible to paddle fast enough to troll for macs. Your best bet would be to happen upon a school of them chasing bait and ripping a metal through them. You cant work the lure fast enough. Trolling a live bait might work though.

[kanvery]

That's disappointing to hear about the Spanish I've caught the off of piers with gotchas and the straw rigs I was hoping there weren't too fast so I could troll for them. Oh well, I'll have to follow your advice and just keep scanning the horizon when I make my trip. Any idea if any are there this time of year or is it still early? Especially since the rock bite just picked up.

As far as the paddle goes its definitely going to be a ball buster. I will absolutely use the tides though. No way I'd waste energy paddling through the narrows on a strong tide in the opposite direction. We're going to try to do it in one day. Yesterday we did 10miles in just over two hours at a fairly moderate pace. My plan is to find a day when I can catch the end of the incoming and go around Love Point then hug the shore and fish/wait for the tide to change to run through the narrows and then continue around. I'd hope to leave around 6am and give us 8-10hrs to finish the task. Maybe more depending on how much I decide to fish along the way. Anyone have any tips for this part of the journey?

[mmanolis2001]

That's allot of water to cover in 1 day. Do you have a bail out point planned in case things turn for the worse? Maybe take two cars park one at The narrows and one around hemingway's. That way you have a option to pullout halfway thru if things get bad. You will have to keep a 4 mph pace for 10 hrs to complete the whole trip. Couple that with tides and winds it could add several hours to the trip. I'm having chest pains thinking about that pace for 10 hrs.

You should talk to Kayak Kevin about planning the trip. He has enormous experience in these types of extended paddles.

Good luck and stay safe. Keep us updated on this adventure.

[jet]

wow, thats a tremendous journey

it look me over 3 hours just to do this...

i think it's too early for spaniards, but i cant wait for them to show up

[kanvery]

It's definitely going to be an interesting trip. Stupidjet do you know how far you went that day and/or remember what the wind and tides were like?

Also, we do have a a pullout plan about the same as mmanolis laid out. Except we'll park a car at Romancoke instead. If things get too snotty to make it there then I'll just take out at The Jetty and have a beer and grab some lunch. If it looks like it'll pass I'll forgo the beer and just wait it out with a crabcake sandwhich.

[jet]

i dont think there was any wind, but there was a tide...i want to say it was outgoing, but it defintely wasnt ripping by any means. i launched from romancoke and i think i could have reach bloody point light in another hour before i decided to turn around. granted, this included stopping and cast at bait balls, but i was on the move the majority of the time.

i really like eastern bay. i have no idea why, as it's just open water, but it has a different feel than the main stem of the bay.

[muldoon]

I am sure you could catch spanish trolling from your kayak. i know several people who catch them when trolling for rock/blues with small spoons at lower speeds like 3-4 mph. I have caught macks near the mouth of eastern bay in late august (from a boat). Small tony 15s, drones, and clark spoons will work. Try a spoon with a long leader behind an ounce or two to keep it just below the surface and a second line deeper with a metal planer or diver disk or maybe even behind a deep diving plug on a three-way rig.

[surfdog]

its doable just need to find them! gotchas, stingsilvers, kastmasters and cripple alewives/herring are very effective i like gold but silver works too.

i like eastern bay too, there is a lot of bottom structure ive just started to check out while keeping an eye for birds! still too early for Jose, soon

[CB kayak 02]

MAcs usually move in mid to late august, but the water is a little more fresh this year than normal so they may not move as far up or it may be later.

[kanvery]

Thanks guys all useful info. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure I won't be able to lift the paddle after it's all said and done.

[ronaultmtd]

I am sure you could catch spanish trolling from your kayak. i know several people who catch them when trolling for rock/blues with small spoons at lower speeds like 3-4 mph. I have caught macks near the mouth of eastern bay in late august (from a boat). Small tony 15s, drones, and clark spoons will work. Try a spoon with a long leader behind an ounce or two to keep it just below the surface and a second line deeper with a metal planer or diver disk or maybe even behind a deep diving plug on a three-way rig.

We used to use small Clark spoons behind one oz. torpedo trolling leads on about six feet of heavy mono leader- caught False Albacore, Spanish Macs, Snake Kings and Bluefish trolling a few hundred yards off Va Beach- you can't pull lures too fast for Spanish-

[DOGFISH]

Clark Spoon makes a weighted version of the spoon with the addition of a spinner at the head. That is a good casting spoon for macks. I don't know what the deal is in the bay with speed for macks. I have caught them in Florida using a DOA on the bottom. In the bay faster seems to be better. In the bay most trollers catch spanish by accident. They are so scattered. I don't see why kastmasters wouldn't work or even a nickel plated daredevil. However, you will need to work them fast. Just keep a rod with a spoon rigged in case you see the macks breaking.

Good luck.

[kanvery]

I have quite a few clark spoons up to 1oz but I havent seen the weighted ones I'll have to try those. That was always my hang up about using them. The ones that seem the right size would require a trolling sinker especially at 4mph+ for those that have seen them out, were they following bait or was it truly a very scattered experience. After looking at charts of salinity, weather, etc it looks like a wonder that they'd show up at all before the water was too cold. On that note, whats the perfect trolling speed for striped ones?!