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This was my first fishing trip to the CBBT. Not a whole lot of fish catching to report, but here are my first impressions for anyone who's interested in going for the first time and doesn't know what to expect.
1. You can launch from Chick's Beach near the bridge on the VB side. There is some street parking near Alexander's By The Bay restaurant. Short walk down a ramp to get to the beach, about 100 yards from the bridge. There were 1-2 ft waves when I launched on Sunday morning, winds were low around 6mph. I expect that with different conditions, the waves can get much bigger and make the launch more difficult.
2. If you think the bridge is long when driving on it, it is ENDLESS on a kayak. I only went as far as 1st island and that was far enough for me.
3. The current is intense. At the peak of incoming, the current is like a whitewater river under the bridge. I had to pedal hard just to keep from getting sucked into it. At one point, I was pedaling AND paddling, in order to make progress. Fishing during high current times is almost impossible without some sort of anchor or constant pedaling. I'm not sure if it was just the timing of the current, but it seemed like the closer you get to 1st island, the stronger the current gets.
4. Lot's of dolphins, fish jumping around.
My not-so-great fishing report:
I launched around 9am during incoming tide and trolled an xrap all the way to 1st island. It got more rough and the current got faster as I got closer to the island. I got there and then decided I should go back, because I was pedaling hard and getting tired. I had to orient the yak 45 degrees just to keep my position and still make some progress getting back. During my way back the current went slack and I was able to fish. I jigged some pilings with bkds with no luck, and started catching croaker on shrimp, so I decided to just go for croaker. I caught a bunch and took 4 home. The outgoing current started and I was off the water around 2pm, exhausted.
I will go back.
1. You can launch from Chick's Beach near the bridge on the VB side. There is some street parking near Alexander's By The Bay restaurant. Short walk down a ramp to get to the beach, about 100 yards from the bridge. There were 1-2 ft waves when I launched on Sunday morning, winds were low around 6mph. I expect that with different conditions, the waves can get much bigger and make the launch more difficult.
2. If you think the bridge is long when driving on it, it is ENDLESS on a kayak. I only went as far as 1st island and that was far enough for me.
3. The current is intense. At the peak of incoming, the current is like a whitewater river under the bridge. I had to pedal hard just to keep from getting sucked into it. At one point, I was pedaling AND paddling, in order to make progress. Fishing during high current times is almost impossible without some sort of anchor or constant pedaling. I'm not sure if it was just the timing of the current, but it seemed like the closer you get to 1st island, the stronger the current gets.
4. Lot's of dolphins, fish jumping around.
My not-so-great fishing report:
I launched around 9am during incoming tide and trolled an xrap all the way to 1st island. It got more rough and the current got faster as I got closer to the island. I got there and then decided I should go back, because I was pedaling hard and getting tired. I had to orient the yak 45 degrees just to keep my position and still make some progress getting back. During my way back the current went slack and I was able to fish. I jigged some pilings with bkds with no luck, and started catching croaker on shrimp, so I decided to just go for croaker. I caught a bunch and took 4 home. The outgoing current started and I was off the water around 2pm, exhausted.
I will go back.
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