Early Springtime kayak Fishing

[ronaultmtd]

Once the water temperature gets above 50 degrees (last trip was 54 degrees) the Chesapeake Bay spawn is on...rockfish, shad, yellow and white perch...and giant Blue Catfish...I usually tune up with an outing or two of the DNR stocked Rainbow put and take trips to local lakes, then shift to catfish before finally concentrating on my favorite fishing for big White Perch, specks and reds...
This early April, I am still in the catfish mode...catching several 30 plus pound catfish on Bass Fishing Class tackle gets you going...the drag runs are nothing like a king mackerel, or even a big bull redfish...but the brute strength of these big ugly slimeballs is still a challenge, especially when you get one kayak side at the end of a fight...getting the hook out without getting impaled by one of its fin barbs, trying to muscle it over the gunnel, into the cockpit when it is flopping and the sheer weight resists...and my favorite? The second rod is now hooked up with drag running...yeah, they are slimey and mess up your clean kayak, but the alternative of ultra light fishing for five ounce fish pales in comparison...you should give it a try...and DNR would like us to remove as many as we can from our Bay biomass...the Bald Eagles and turkey vultures around my place love these carcasses I put out in the field...they are picked clean in just a couple of hours...not a trace left...

[summersoff]

I might have to give them a try. I just got back from a couple ‘meh’ days fishing Tybee and Fripp. Both produced a decent trout bite but neither coughed up any reds. Always worth it, but man that was a long ride for trout. It was also just as cold down there as up here. I was contemplating a run up to Jersey for their spring time back bay blue bite, but these cats sound tempting. I had couple decent shad days last week, but they do sound fun change.
Sorry to ask, but what do you use for bait?

[ronaultmtd]

For the bigger fish I use a good size chunk of cut bait. Any fresh fish works, but my favorite is alewife or Menhaden- most of the bait and tackle shops sell the frozen kind...fresh is the best, but difficult to find. Spot, white perch, bluegills all work...I have some frozen alewife I will use Tuesday at Benedict. I usually get three baits outs of each fish.

[dsaavedra]

I am trying my damndest to catch some big blue cats but I keep striking out! I think I need you to show me the ropes - as simple as soaking bait seems I must not be doing something right.

I spent another 6 hrs at Benedict today and all I got to show for it was a pair of microscopic blue cats, a microscopic channel cat, an actually decent white cat, and a very fat 27" rockfish. Full of eggs no doubt. I unhooked it in the water and sent it on its way as the season is closed even for C&R.

Better than last time but still not the day I was hoping for.

[ronaultmtd]

Meet me Tuesday at noon...we will go over the carolina rig, anchoring, and locations I use...then we will go up river and anchor up in the area I have been hooking up with the catfish...we should fish fairly close along the same Channel edge but far enough apart so a hooked fish doesn't tangle us. I carry a hand held VHF radio and monitoring channel 68. There should be three of us Tuesday.

[dsaavedra]

Ron, I wish I could join you but I have some meetings at work on Tuesday that I can't miss. One of the many perks of being non-retired Hopefully we can meet up sometime soon though, before you move on to other summertime targets.

[ronaultmtd]

Actually, Dave this is my last planned cat fish trip...I am planning white perch outings as my next trip...

[moc]

I wish I could go too. But work is getting in the way....but Tuesday at noon meetup? hmmmmm.......

[ronaultmtd]

I got five 14-16 inch fresh gizzard shad, Moc...never frozen...The launch at Benedict Bridge is really nice...a short 2 mile jaunt up riveR to the Power Plant at Chalk Point...there have been catfish up to 68 pounds caught there...

[mjkeith13]

Hope you can make it Moc. I have plenty of previously frozen alewife and chicken tenderloins (learned that from you!) to share as well.


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[moc]

I would like to, but if looks like I am incharge of an office move in the morning. Not enough time for me to get prepared and get down there....I was thinking about it until work got in the way.

[ronaultmtd]

Moc- i am so glad work prevented you from joining us on a beautiful day, perfect conditions, perfect tides, with a variety of premium fresh caught baits...it was the worst outcome I have experienced in many, many years...thank goodness Mike managed one good fish On my waypoint where a week ago produced numerous 20 pound plus fish...I had a total of three chews...hardly able to call them strikes...the baits were chomped on but not taken...six hours on the water to be skunked...by catfish, no less...

[moc]

Thanks Ron,

I was hoping to hear a good report, but I am glad that I got my work done, so I will be freed up later in the season.

[dsaavedra]

6 hours on the water and no catfish to show for it? Sounds familiar Now I don't feel so bad for my fruitless efforts...

Bummer of a trip Ron, it's frustrating getting skunked by what are supposed to be prolific, "easy" fish. Would have been nice to join your just to learn some specifics but sounds like there wasn't much else to miss out on. Maybe I'll PM you detailing specifically exactly what I've been trying and you can help steer me in the right direction.

[ronaultmtd]

It wasn't like there were no fish...big schools of baitfish on the sonar...big individual marks...silver shad jumping out of the water around us...it was like they had fed up so full that they were only occasionally "sampling" our fresh juicy offerings...we had plenty of bait so we were refreshing with fresh bait every 30 or so minutes...