Fishing Journal April 12, 2015
After getting to bed around 10 PM the night before my previous meal that consisted of Asian buffet food made it a rough nights sleep. (As mentioned in Part 1) Unfortunately one of those nights where it was impossible to find comfort. From this experience I now recommend do not eat dinner at a buffet the night before fishing early in the morning.
Four o’clock AM the alarm woke me up. A quick shower and on the road tot he fishing spot. It was a cold morning 33F on the truck thermometer. Picked up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way. Typically I enjoy a hot breakfast on the road prior to a days fishing.
For myself and my fishing buddies the NJ Kayak Fishing Season was officially underway! Was the first one to arrive at the beach at 5:30. Then came my fishing buddy’s for the day Sean and Justin within 10 minutes. We loaded our gear and hit the beach just before sunrise.
The bay was calm like a mirror. Not a cloud in the sky it was the perfect morning with a breathtaking sunrise. Not long after launching a breeze settled in.
I started trolling a tube and worm. A tube and worm is exactly what it is. A Tube and a Worm! The tube is 12″ in length. I particularly use Kayak Carl’s as his are proven to catch Stripers in the NY and NJ area. The worm part is an actual live sand worm on the hook that gives the tube more action and the scent of the worm. Use sand worms not the gulp alternative. The gulp does not work nearly as well as a live sand worm. Please check out Kayak Carl’s Tube and Worm at his website http://www.kayakcarl1.com.
Rigging the tube and worm you will need to use ball bearing swivels. This is very important as the tube is to be shaped to spin like a cork screw. That action is typically what makes the tube as deadly as it is. I will go over the tube and worm in more detail in a future article.
Trolling on the Jackson Big Rig equipped with a Torqeedo Ultralight 403 Electric motor system is a breeze! Trolling 2 rods one rigged with the Tube and Worm and the other rigged with a floating SP minnow that dives around 4 feet. Along with the stock RAM Mount rod holders angled outward spreads the lines out to prevent tangling.
As the morning went on it became windy out of the NW. Wearing dry gear it is tough to plan what clothing for the day. The daytime it was to be in the mid to upper 60’s at this point it was in the low 40’s but with a 5-10 MPH wind. Made it chilly. Gloves were a must and it would have been nice to have something more for my ears other than the Buff i was wearing. The wind eventually died out and it became warmer. Still trolling from the morning with out one strike the decision to clam was ideal.
Justin and I drifted about 500 yards off the beach hoping for fish on the flat to be looking for the warmer water. Couldn’t seem to even find any readings of fish on my Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp.
Around 9:30 Justin had to bail so we took a break. Sean and I went back out again. Trolling for hours. By now the wind had diminished. The bay was once again like glass! Sean decided to drift clams again and came over the radio stating he had a fish on. I didn’t believe him at first. About 30 min later he came over the radio stating he had another. So I went back by where he was fishing and drifted some clam also. 20 minutes went by and I had a hit. Lifted the rod too fast and pulled it from the fish. Striped bass in colder water tend to mouth the bait rather than in hail it. Another 15 minutes passed and tap tap line moving another fish! Waited 1 2 3 & set the hook. Boom!
A nice 23 inch striper and not skunked for the day! Points baby!! First on the board for kayak wars!
The fish was really healthy great color and very wet! In from the clean ocean waters. A very good sign. Bigger fish should be in very soon. The bay will be on fire within the next week or two!
Looking back to the planning of the day, next time it will include targeting winter flounder. Having yet to catch one from the yak and always wanting to give it a try. There probably were flounder on the flats. With a light rod and some cut clam it may have proved to be a successful day of catching winter flounders.
A great resource is the Asbury Park Press Zone fishing reports by John Oswald and Dan Radal. Check it out at the Asbury Park Press Fishing page!
If you have any questions about Striper Fishing in New Jersey please comment and ask!! I will be happy to answer your questions!!