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I was able to try two half day trips to the OC inlet within the last week. The first trip was sort of a last minute decision the night before to take the day off to head out into the ocean to look for Spanish mackerel since it looked like the winds, current, and swell would be favorable for getting out of the inlet - and I had the time to take off work.
The coefficient was a very high 101 for the morning and I rode the last hour or so of the outgoing current out of the inlet at a blistering 7.8 mph - without even paddling! There was no way I was getting back into the inlet until the current changed. The water inside and outside the inlet was incredibility clear with at least 6ft clarity. The ocean surface was slick calm, but the swell was more than the predicted 2 ft at 11 seconds, so it wasn't as flat as I had hoped it would be. I paddled around and casted my arm off, but didn't see much action from fish, bait, or birds. I caught a split second glimpse of either a Spanish or bonito that jumped about 5 ft. behind my kayak and that was about it. It wasn't large, maybe 16", but more football shaped which made me think bonito. I jigged around the oceanside of the south jetty for flounder before I came back inside the inlet but only got a couple shorts and a puffer.
Once inside I spent the rest of the day fishing various structure for sheepshead. I caught 2 at 20" shortly after I started trying for them, but that would be it. A bunch of short tog, some toads, croakers, tiny sea bass, short stripers, and a couple bluefish would round out the day.
The second trip was when Shady asked me to join him for a day a sheepshead fishing earlier this week. We started out the morning away from the inlet, where Shady was able to land 1 sheepshead. Things slowed to a halt after that and all we could muster were little bait pickers. By lunch we called it a day and headed our separate ways. I would head to the inlet after he left since I still had time to fish. Out of bait, I stopped over at Assateague to dig sand fleas first and then headed out to the south jetty. I picked up a 19" sheep fairly quickly along with some short tog. There was a ton of peanut bunker in the inlet. Different schools of them kept coming by me the entire time I was out there. There didn't seem to be much on them but every so often bluefish would start busting them up for a brief moment. I tried for flounder on my drift back to the launch but only caught some small croakers.
My day was near the end when a DNR Law Enforcement boat nearly ran me over. They cut tight around a blind corner in a 6mph zone at full speed and I just happened to be right in their path when they came around the corner. It was the first time in all my years kayaking I felt I was in danger of being run over. I had seconds to react and no time to paddle out of the way. I instantly began yelling and waving, they adjusted course, and blew by me close enough to catch a fishing line I had out start smoking the drag before the line finally broke. They were clearly responding to an emergency and kept going. My heart was beating out of my chest after it all settled down. I just reeled up the remainder of my broken line and went home. I later called the DNR Office to speak to a supervisor about the situation. I told the supervisor that I understand the need to be speeding to an emergency situation, but cutting a blind corner, tight to the corner, while on plane at full speed like its a james bond movie wasn't cool. At least swing out around the corner a little wider in case anybody - me in this situation - is around the corner. Anyway, it turns out there was a head on jet ski collision down the bay.
IMG_0471.jpgGH010487_Moment2.jpgIMG_0458.jpg
The coefficient was a very high 101 for the morning and I rode the last hour or so of the outgoing current out of the inlet at a blistering 7.8 mph - without even paddling! There was no way I was getting back into the inlet until the current changed. The water inside and outside the inlet was incredibility clear with at least 6ft clarity. The ocean surface was slick calm, but the swell was more than the predicted 2 ft at 11 seconds, so it wasn't as flat as I had hoped it would be. I paddled around and casted my arm off, but didn't see much action from fish, bait, or birds. I caught a split second glimpse of either a Spanish or bonito that jumped about 5 ft. behind my kayak and that was about it. It wasn't large, maybe 16", but more football shaped which made me think bonito. I jigged around the oceanside of the south jetty for flounder before I came back inside the inlet but only got a couple shorts and a puffer.
Once inside I spent the rest of the day fishing various structure for sheepshead. I caught 2 at 20" shortly after I started trying for them, but that would be it. A bunch of short tog, some toads, croakers, tiny sea bass, short stripers, and a couple bluefish would round out the day.
The second trip was when Shady asked me to join him for a day a sheepshead fishing earlier this week. We started out the morning away from the inlet, where Shady was able to land 1 sheepshead. Things slowed to a halt after that and all we could muster were little bait pickers. By lunch we called it a day and headed our separate ways. I would head to the inlet after he left since I still had time to fish. Out of bait, I stopped over at Assateague to dig sand fleas first and then headed out to the south jetty. I picked up a 19" sheep fairly quickly along with some short tog. There was a ton of peanut bunker in the inlet. Different schools of them kept coming by me the entire time I was out there. There didn't seem to be much on them but every so often bluefish would start busting them up for a brief moment. I tried for flounder on my drift back to the launch but only caught some small croakers.
My day was near the end when a DNR Law Enforcement boat nearly ran me over. They cut tight around a blind corner in a 6mph zone at full speed and I just happened to be right in their path when they came around the corner. It was the first time in all my years kayaking I felt I was in danger of being run over. I had seconds to react and no time to paddle out of the way. I instantly began yelling and waving, they adjusted course, and blew by me close enough to catch a fishing line I had out start smoking the drag before the line finally broke. They were clearly responding to an emergency and kept going. My heart was beating out of my chest after it all settled down. I just reeled up the remainder of my broken line and went home. I later called the DNR Office to speak to a supervisor about the situation. I told the supervisor that I understand the need to be speeding to an emergency situation, but cutting a blind corner, tight to the corner, while on plane at full speed like its a james bond movie wasn't cool. At least swing out around the corner a little wider in case anybody - me in this situation - is around the corner. Anyway, it turns out there was a head on jet ski collision down the bay.
IMG_0471.jpgGH010487_Moment2.jpgIMG_0458.jpg
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