Sunday 7/28/13 report: First keeper rockfish off the kayak.

[Fishinfool]

Perch are my default fish, and I was tired of paying almost $8 for a bag of razor clams at Angler's, so I caught my own perch bait; grass shrimp along the grassy shoreline and bulkhead in the creek, just using a small bait net. It's actually better bait for perch because you'll get more hooked fish as opposed to the perch just Bogarting the clams right off the hook. I did not try the cast net for peanut bunker as discussed in another thread.

High tide was due at @ 10:30 am. I launched by 7:00 am from a Severn creek upriver from the Rt. 50, and trolled out of the creek to a couple of weak hits with a 1/8 oz jig head and a chartreuse gulp. I saw a few breaking peanut bunker balls, so I also cast and/or trolled a Kastmaster metal that I've had some luck with near topwater. I set up near a pier and caught a nice croaker on the gulp, and a few perch in the 9 inch range bottom fishing under the pier with the grass shrimp. When that action slowed down, I headed out of the creek as the tide was starting to come in.

Following some advice from Mark in another thread, I worked some rip rap and bulk head close into shore maybe within 50 - 60 feet and started getting good perch strikes. I was out in the river, moving away from the launch site, then back in for about the last 2.5 hours. I had a nice strike from a 12 inch perch, and stayed in that same area, near a pier and this time about 30 - 40 feet to shore in about 3 - 4 feet of water. I was keeping my kayak parallel to the shoreline while making casts as advised.

Soon after the big perch, I had a huge hit maybe 10 feet from the boat, and within @ 40 feet of the shoreline. He bent the rod pretty good; light spinning tackle, a wire leader attached to @ two feet of 50 lb leader, on 10 lb braid, and the 1/8 oz jig with the chartreuse gulp. I was retrieving it slow to medium speed and stopping it with slack now and then. I had a small landing net, but it was up by my feet at the point, and I didn't want to chance trying to one arm him while I reached for the net. I got lucky and got him in the boat and measured him at 18 and a quarter inches.

I wasn't sure how to keep him fresh since I didn't have any ice on board. I just put him on the stringer with the other fish and he was alive and kickin' when I got back to the launch site @ noon.

I ended up with 5 keeper perch @ 9 +" including the 12 incher, a nice fat 11 inch croaker, and the keeper rock. All in all it was one of my best fishing days ever. I had caught keeper rock off charters, but this was the first one on the kayak, and it was a great thrill.

And thanks to John V., Mark, Andrew, and all the others for all the great advice! IMG-20130728-00115.jpg

[Nitefly]

Nice! Was your launch a public one? Still looking for my first keeper Rock in the kayak.

[Fishinfool]

Private launch as a guest of a relative; but it really doesn't matter. I've also launched frequently out of Jonas Green. The river is loaded with fish, and I think getting out early in the a.m. and probably also near dusk during high summer, and catching an incoming tide close to shore makes all the difference right now. Especially working the rip rap, jettys and bulkheads in 2 - 5 feet of water.

[J.A. Veil]

Steve -

Great job catching your first keeper from the kayak. I have a good idea which section of the river you were fishing. I have had good success trolling shorelines just downstream from there and catching plenty of good perch and an occasional rockfish. I troll as close to the riprap or grass as I can without getting below 3 ft depth and worrying about snagging debris on the bottom.

You mentioned using a wire leader and 50-lb mono leader. Until some larger blues show up, or if you are fishing for pickerel in the winter, you do not need that much terminal tackle for the river. You may be losing some bites by having such heavy gear. During the summer, I fish 8-lb mono tied directly to the lure or 10-lb braid with a 20-lb mono leader on a heavier rod. The main reason for using the mono leader with the braid is to have something to grab onto when you lift the fish into the kayak.

[Fishinfool]

Thanks John. It was actually 20 lb leader/ 50 yds of it. Is 20 lb mono leader too heavy? It was a micro wire attached to the rod with the Kastmaster metal lure in case there were some blues under the peanut bunker. There were no blues, so I switched rods in mid-stream, and just snapped a pre-tied leader with the jig onto the light wire.

I forgot my reading glasses too. At one point, I hit a snag and had to cut the 10 lb braid, and re-tie. That stuff is like threading human hair, but I love how it casts.

I think the key is/was being close in to the shore line with the tide moving in, or high tide and/or just after high tide. That's when even the larger fish come in to feed. Those jigs and gulps have made a believer out of me too.

[kayak456]

fishin fool, nice job.

yesterday i was suprised by a 26.5 in rock while perchin. but not on last year i used flouro leader exclusively but this year im using all 20 or 30 pound mono leader and as you can tell, im catchin just as many fish.

i like suffix leader because its the softest and most uncoily leader ive every used. dont use 50 pound leader.

on my ultra light i did have 4 pound braid but i got a wind knot almost every cast so now i use 4 pound grand slam copolymer (bill dances brand) and i use 10 or 15 pound mono leader, 50 pound must give your lure no action at all

once again good job on your rockfish, i caught several keepers last year on my ultra light and it sure is a challenge

[Fishinfool]

And thanks for the tips Andrew! It was a typo though, I was using 20 lb leader.

[kayak456]

ok, even 20 is a bit excesive. many times i dont even use a leader and tie straight to my 4 pound test, ecept if im fishing around logs for perch or the perch are all big jumbos , then their SHARP fins will cut my line.

also skip the steal leader, i caught a few blues yestrerday around 5 inches and none of them even nicked my leader

[dsiekman]

Congrats on your first keeper! I gave up on leaders last year and just fish straight braid. 30-55lb depending on the setup.

[Shady]

Nice dinner mix you got there. I fish the Severn primarily with ultra light tackle. Its more fun that way. 6lb braid - 10 lb flouro leader. Aside from a ray, which you dont want anyway, you're probably not going to run into anything that will break that on that river.