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Went out from Hemmingways at 6:30 on Sunday and fished to aroung 4:00 pm. Landed only two stripers on aboout twenty spot; one 8 lb 29" and one around 23-24". It took a couple of hours to locate the spot, finally found them in 15' of water under the north bridge. I continued to fish for spot while livelining for bass until I filled my livewell. In 15' of water with a spot I hooked something big that took out about 100' of line, wrapped it around the bridge pier and broke off. I also caught the 24" in the morning. Then the tide stopped and I fished for hours without a hit. The outgoing tide started in the afternoon and the fish started biting again, but only at the double piers in about 15' of water. Many fish bit and took or just killed my spot. I was only able to catch the 29"er. Very nice day out on the water. The outgoing tide was fairly strong, it was difficult positioning the kayak to fish around the piers. I will post pics of the 29"er.
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Here are the pics. -
Patrick- great report! Good to know the spot and the rock are still around. I'm planning on heading out there Friday afternoon if I can beat the beach traffic. We'll see!
Do you leave your reel in gear or do you leave it in free spool? Also what sensitivity is your rod? I like ugly sticks because they flex so much it gives the fish some extra time to take the spot. Not sure what your set up is, but you might try a lighter rod/freespool+clicker. It could have also just been one of those days.... Either way good to hear you got out and got on some fish!Used to fish more.Comment
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Thanks for the report! Hopefully I can make it on the water Sunday or Monday! Been to stinkin busy lately
Good fishin
ChimoComment
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I use a fairly stiff rod and have not been leaving the spool open in my kayak. I attach a sinker to the line about 2 feet above the hook and hold the sinker and spot just off the bottom. This is easy and prevents getting snagged on the bottom. This method worked very well last time out but less well this time.
My first time ever live lining spot was last year. I was in an anchored boat. Leaving the spool open with a fishfinder rig on the line so the spot was free to swim was explained to me. I was able to catch several bluefish this way. It worked well in a boat.
I tried this for a short time in a kayak but difficulty in keeping the kayak still, the current carrying the spot away, and multiple snags on the bottom made it difficult and I gave up.
Is there an easier way to do this in a kayak?Comment
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I'm certainly not the expert... but this is what I do (posted in the dry dock section - http://www.snaggedline.com/boatyard/showthread.php?t=5)
I use an egg weight instead of a fish finder rig (I've always thought these worked better from a stationary presentation), probably less than you'd think would work (3/4 oz) and leave my reel in free spool with the clicker on. I get in right next to where the piling is and disengage the clicker and drop the spot to the bottom. Crank up a little bit to keep the spot from getting you hung, usually I go about 2 or three cranks, and then put the clicker on and put the reel in free spool. I can see my spot start to act erratically and I know to be ready for the clicker to start to pull off more line, as soon as this happens I throw the reel in gear, and let the rod bend and set the hook. Usually during this moment I'm taking stock of what's around me to see where I can maneuver my boat out of the pilings. My biggest problem is having my drag set too lightly for this initial hook up. If the rock takes too much line while I'm pushing out of the pilings then I may get fouled on the debris on the bottom.
I like my way of presenting the spot because it allows me to paddle the spot around the pilings knowing that I'm off the bottom and that my spot should get pulled farther up the water column as I move and should settle back down as I move into a new eddy. A lot of my strikes come as I move from eddy to eddy, I think it causes the spot to struggle more.
I'm going to experiment this weekend with a heavier egg weight (2 oz) and a depth counter reel so that I can put the spot right above the marks I see. I'm curious to see if this will increase my catch numbers.
I hope I was able to help... the ugly sticks I use are like $30 bucks for the white striper versions, or $40 for the ugly stick lites with the cork handles. I got them initially because I expected I would be beating my rods up a lot on the kayaks and I wanted something tough/inexpensive. I am not affiliated with them... just a fan!Used to fish more.Comment
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I livelined with some guys who do this all the time ........ they usuallu don't use any weight. They stay off of the pilings just a littls and cast the spot as close to the piling as possible without hitting it ........ I mean right against it ....... 1 ft off is too far. The spot always swam straight down and the stripers hit as soon as the spot got in range. Usually had a hit within 20 seconds. Wait for a couple of seconds and set the hook. If you don't get a fish within 4-10 trys then move.
The sick fish usually came from the eddy ....... the healthy ones seemed to be in the current .........
Just my meager experience from fishing a few times in motor boats.
Good luck .....Comment
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