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My wife is spending a week with her cousins in Cape May, NJ. I drove up separately for a long weekend. The motel where they stay has parking for only one car per room. I had to park half a mile away behind the hardware store. I did not want to leave a kayak on roof racks in an unsecured location for several days. Fortunately my Mini-X can fit inside my Honda Odyssey with the rear door closed.
The Mini-X is a fun boat to paddle -- it can spin on a dime and takes little effort to get it started. But it does get pushed around by the wind. I use it in a bare bones mode - no Scotty rod holders or fishfinder. That meant I was fishing blind in unfamiliar waters -- I had low expectations.
On my way in on Fri morning, I stopped by the Kayak Fishing Store in North Wildwood. Several guys on this board had recommended that I contact the store owner, Chris Parsons, to get some local information. Chris is a very nice guy. He told me several places to launch and invited me to fish with him on Sunday. I fished on Fri afternoon and on Sat morning at two different spots in Cape May. Friday was quite windy, and I faced low water when I launched at Spicers Creek. This took away some of the potential out-of-the-wind spots in marsh channels. I ended up drifting a bottom rig with Gulp swimming mullet baits on the hooks. I caught only one fish (an undersized flounder) before threatening clouds caused me to cut the trip short.
The next morning I launched at another spot along Ocean Drive near Skunk Sound. The water looked fishy, but the fish were not biting well. I managed another short flounder and several black sea bass. At one point I had a powerful strike and the fish pulled line against the drag. The fish hit a Gulp on a 3/4-oz jighead that I was drifting along the bottom. I had a second rod in the water and tried to wind it in with one hand while keeping tension on the line with the big fish. Apparently I let the hooked fish have too much slack -- it surged and broke the line. Most likely it was a ray, but I can always dream it was a big striper, redfish, or shark.
This morning I drove to North Wildwood and launched at the ramp next to Chris' shop. He, his wife, and another guy were fishing bridge pilings nearby. Chris' wife caught a nice tog, but the two guys were not as fortunate. I drifted around for 4 hours fishing two Gulps on a bottom rig and another Gulp on a jighead. I picked up a flounder, more black sea bass, and a few small croaker.
The Mini-X is a fun boat to paddle -- it can spin on a dime and takes little effort to get it started. But it does get pushed around by the wind. I use it in a bare bones mode - no Scotty rod holders or fishfinder. That meant I was fishing blind in unfamiliar waters -- I had low expectations.
On my way in on Fri morning, I stopped by the Kayak Fishing Store in North Wildwood. Several guys on this board had recommended that I contact the store owner, Chris Parsons, to get some local information. Chris is a very nice guy. He told me several places to launch and invited me to fish with him on Sunday. I fished on Fri afternoon and on Sat morning at two different spots in Cape May. Friday was quite windy, and I faced low water when I launched at Spicers Creek. This took away some of the potential out-of-the-wind spots in marsh channels. I ended up drifting a bottom rig with Gulp swimming mullet baits on the hooks. I caught only one fish (an undersized flounder) before threatening clouds caused me to cut the trip short.
The next morning I launched at another spot along Ocean Drive near Skunk Sound. The water looked fishy, but the fish were not biting well. I managed another short flounder and several black sea bass. At one point I had a powerful strike and the fish pulled line against the drag. The fish hit a Gulp on a 3/4-oz jighead that I was drifting along the bottom. I had a second rod in the water and tried to wind it in with one hand while keeping tension on the line with the big fish. Apparently I let the hooked fish have too much slack -- it surged and broke the line. Most likely it was a ray, but I can always dream it was a big striper, redfish, or shark.
This morning I drove to North Wildwood and launched at the ramp next to Chris' shop. He, his wife, and another guy were fishing bridge pilings nearby. Chris' wife caught a nice tog, but the two guys were not as fortunate. I drifted around for 4 hours fishing two Gulps on a bottom rig and another Gulp on a jighead. I picked up a flounder, more black sea bass, and a few small croaker.
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