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The weather was turning out great for the weekend with Saturday sunny with temperatures reaching 60 degrees with light winds 5 to 8 mph. I have been wanting to try the Hooper Island Bridge on the Honga River for a long time by kayak. I have heard good reports about it two weeks ago. Every time that I thought of trying to head out there in the past, the weather did not cooperate, especially the winds.
Mustafa and I had planned to go on Saturday. As the weekend approached, more yakers joined us. The high tide was predicted to be around 10:30am. By Saturday morning we all met at the Wawa on Route 50 west of Anglers, we had 5 yakers. Myself, Mustafa, Tom (Medicyaker), Nathan (Echo), and Harry V. The drive to the Honga was fairly easy from the Bay Bridge, about 90 min's. We made it to the Hooper Island Bridge by 7:15am. We pulled off on a small gravel parking lot on the left of the road and launched form its sandy beach on the Honga River side. It was only a three minute paddle to the Bridge. I started fishing a 1/4 ounce red jig head with a silver BKD with sparkles in it. I immediately caught two 19 inch rockfish, by the time that everyone launched and caught up to me. I gave Mustafa one of my 19 inch fish, expecting to get more in short order. The morning looked promising, the water was extremely clear, but then the bite stopped. We fished the whole morning with no one hooking up with a fish. Three of us even went over to fish the southern grassy shorelines near a duck blind hoping for some shallow water action, or even perch, but we did not get even a bite. Tom left early since his back was hurting him and Harry V left by noon because he had some things to take care of. Me, Mustafa and Nathan went back to the bridge to try once more to catch some rockfish with the start of the outgoing tide. Just before giving up I has able to land my third fish, an 18 and a 1/4 inch rockfish. Shortly after, Nathan hooked up with what looked like a 16 inch rockfish. His first of the day. He tried to measure it, but it jumped off of his ruler and back in to the water. What a bummer, but I had gotten the photographic evidence before he lost the fish. Well, it was later than we thought, so we all headed back to the launch since the bite was slow to non-existent. We did not feel too bad since some power boaters came over to fish the bridge, but we did not even see them pull up a single fish. Also, from other reports around the area, we heard that the bite seemed slow. I am not sure if Hurricane Sandy the previous week might have affected the fishing.
For me the fishfinder was very key to locating fish. When I saw a big pod of fish, then I dropped my line down to bottom and began to jig.
Mustafa and I had planned to go on Saturday. As the weekend approached, more yakers joined us. The high tide was predicted to be around 10:30am. By Saturday morning we all met at the Wawa on Route 50 west of Anglers, we had 5 yakers. Myself, Mustafa, Tom (Medicyaker), Nathan (Echo), and Harry V. The drive to the Honga was fairly easy from the Bay Bridge, about 90 min's. We made it to the Hooper Island Bridge by 7:15am. We pulled off on a small gravel parking lot on the left of the road and launched form its sandy beach on the Honga River side. It was only a three minute paddle to the Bridge. I started fishing a 1/4 ounce red jig head with a silver BKD with sparkles in it. I immediately caught two 19 inch rockfish, by the time that everyone launched and caught up to me. I gave Mustafa one of my 19 inch fish, expecting to get more in short order. The morning looked promising, the water was extremely clear, but then the bite stopped. We fished the whole morning with no one hooking up with a fish. Three of us even went over to fish the southern grassy shorelines near a duck blind hoping for some shallow water action, or even perch, but we did not get even a bite. Tom left early since his back was hurting him and Harry V left by noon because he had some things to take care of. Me, Mustafa and Nathan went back to the bridge to try once more to catch some rockfish with the start of the outgoing tide. Just before giving up I has able to land my third fish, an 18 and a 1/4 inch rockfish. Shortly after, Nathan hooked up with what looked like a 16 inch rockfish. His first of the day. He tried to measure it, but it jumped off of his ruler and back in to the water. What a bummer, but I had gotten the photographic evidence before he lost the fish. Well, it was later than we thought, so we all headed back to the launch since the bite was slow to non-existent. We did not feel too bad since some power boaters came over to fish the bridge, but we did not even see them pull up a single fish. Also, from other reports around the area, we heard that the bite seemed slow. I am not sure if Hurricane Sandy the previous week might have affected the fishing.
For me the fishfinder was very key to locating fish. When I saw a big pod of fish, then I dropped my line down to bottom and began to jig.
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