The fall run - the hardest fishing on the east coast of USA!
- Ersteller NilsC
- Erstellt am
Noob-Flyer
Angelvirtuose
Hi Nils,
nice story, i hope it will be continued. Perhaps it will be a chapter longer after this weekend???
A few times ago i've seen a nice videos of some crazy guys catching tresher sharks from the kayak.
After that i hope i will be able to test that type of fishing one day, too :baby:
Perhaps on Stripers:}
TL
Marco
nice story, i hope it will be continued. Perhaps it will be a chapter longer after this weekend???
A few times ago i've seen a nice videos of some crazy guys catching tresher sharks from the kayak.
After that i hope i will be able to test that type of fishing one day, too :baby:
Perhaps on Stripers:}
TL
Marco
NilsC
Member
Kayak fishing, I started kayak fishing because surf fishing frustrated me, it still does but I love surf fishing. Kayak fishing grew when people asked when are you fishing can we join you, can you show us how to do it? I started guiding because of demand not because I wanted to. Now I have to say the guiding has it's own rewards, I meet a lot of people I wouldn't have met and I gain a lot of fishing partners. Some become friends and hardcore kayak fishermen.
That's it for how I got to do what I love and since the guiding is seasonal, the fall and winter is mine...
This weekend we fished Friday and Saturday night. Sunday it was to windy and not safe to go out. Friday night after work I met with 2 friends from Vermont that came down to fish. We left just after sunset and had loaded up with eels for bait. After dressing up, and it's an ordeal when the temperature falls in the fall, you need wetsuit, neoprene waders, fleece top, dry top, neoprene bots, gloves, hat or similar gear to stay safe, warm and dry.
Air temperature was 10 degrees below water temp (Fahrenheit) and it was a calm beautiful evening with 3/4 moon and not a soul around. We got to the honey hole and dropped the eel down. I use circle hook, 40lb fluoro leader, 50lb Sproo swivel and 3/4 oz rubber core sinker because the bottom is sand and not to much to get hung up in. Within 5 minutes all 3 of us had hooked into fish and just as fast, they spit the eel... water is a little cold and it turns off the fish, need to let them run with the eel for +30 seconds before tightening the drag.
An hour into the fishing my friend Rick hooks into a big fish, this would be the biggest fish of the night. I'm paddling next to him and my GPS is saying 3 knots against the tidal current. I see the line go slack, and hear... lost her.. Then the line starts moving again and the fish is pulling the kayak sideways. I see Rick lean into the fish, next thing I hear is Matt saying... he's over.. He’s in the water. I look over and I say, can't be I still see his cigar.. then I see the stern light come back up when he uprights the kayak. I ask if he's OK, and he say the paddle leash is wrapped around my leg.. I'm swimming in. The tide is ripping around the point and he's mowing 5 meters to the side for each meter gained toward land. I throw him the safety rope and pull him in and we look at the kayak and check him over.
Everything is fine, leader broke and he flipped backwards off the kayak. Because everything was leashed down and strapped down we continued fishing for another 4 hours. He had just a little water down the front because he swam the kayak in.
I ended up skunked (no fish) it was the same with Matt, but Rick picked up a nice striper.
Sunday we decided to go out and get the sunset fishing in the harbor and then try some eels under the bridges after dark. Another friend joined us, Don and we chased rats/schoolies (small juvenile stripers 1 to 2 years old) until the sunset. Tide is still going in and we sneak up on the bridge and drop an eel down while drifting under the bridge, first 2 drifts, nothing. I can see big fish on the screen but no bite. third drift Don is ahead of me but the tide is swirling his kayak under the bridge so I pull up and start the drift over, as I let the eel down I feel the little "tap tap" and I wait for the striper to inhale the eel.. Clicker is on and here we go, she's pulling line like it's no tomorrow. I apply drag slow, and here is where circle hooks is the advantage. I'm sitting in the kayak and my head is brushing the steel beams of the bridge and no way you can lift the rod and set the hook. Fish On, I'm on a sleigh ride, once around in a circle, then back under the bridge again. I see her in the water ahead of me, nice size fish. Now, Don say fish on and I see the 2 lines and I think... tangle. I shorten up the drag and move my fish closer to the kayak. We missed each other and I can lift the rod and land the fish that was 39 inches on the nose. I released her and rest of the night we had some short fish.
Another beautiful fall night fishing was good and I didn’t have to work :). I hope there will time for a couple of more trips before the migration is over.
Nils
That's it for how I got to do what I love and since the guiding is seasonal, the fall and winter is mine...
This weekend we fished Friday and Saturday night. Sunday it was to windy and not safe to go out. Friday night after work I met with 2 friends from Vermont that came down to fish. We left just after sunset and had loaded up with eels for bait. After dressing up, and it's an ordeal when the temperature falls in the fall, you need wetsuit, neoprene waders, fleece top, dry top, neoprene bots, gloves, hat or similar gear to stay safe, warm and dry.
Air temperature was 10 degrees below water temp (Fahrenheit) and it was a calm beautiful evening with 3/4 moon and not a soul around. We got to the honey hole and dropped the eel down. I use circle hook, 40lb fluoro leader, 50lb Sproo swivel and 3/4 oz rubber core sinker because the bottom is sand and not to much to get hung up in. Within 5 minutes all 3 of us had hooked into fish and just as fast, they spit the eel... water is a little cold and it turns off the fish, need to let them run with the eel for +30 seconds before tightening the drag.
An hour into the fishing my friend Rick hooks into a big fish, this would be the biggest fish of the night. I'm paddling next to him and my GPS is saying 3 knots against the tidal current. I see the line go slack, and hear... lost her.. Then the line starts moving again and the fish is pulling the kayak sideways. I see Rick lean into the fish, next thing I hear is Matt saying... he's over.. He’s in the water. I look over and I say, can't be I still see his cigar.. then I see the stern light come back up when he uprights the kayak. I ask if he's OK, and he say the paddle leash is wrapped around my leg.. I'm swimming in. The tide is ripping around the point and he's mowing 5 meters to the side for each meter gained toward land. I throw him the safety rope and pull him in and we look at the kayak and check him over.
Everything is fine, leader broke and he flipped backwards off the kayak. Because everything was leashed down and strapped down we continued fishing for another 4 hours. He had just a little water down the front because he swam the kayak in.
I ended up skunked (no fish) it was the same with Matt, but Rick picked up a nice striper.
Sunday we decided to go out and get the sunset fishing in the harbor and then try some eels under the bridges after dark. Another friend joined us, Don and we chased rats/schoolies (small juvenile stripers 1 to 2 years old) until the sunset. Tide is still going in and we sneak up on the bridge and drop an eel down while drifting under the bridge, first 2 drifts, nothing. I can see big fish on the screen but no bite. third drift Don is ahead of me but the tide is swirling his kayak under the bridge so I pull up and start the drift over, as I let the eel down I feel the little "tap tap" and I wait for the striper to inhale the eel.. Clicker is on and here we go, she's pulling line like it's no tomorrow. I apply drag slow, and here is where circle hooks is the advantage. I'm sitting in the kayak and my head is brushing the steel beams of the bridge and no way you can lift the rod and set the hook. Fish On, I'm on a sleigh ride, once around in a circle, then back under the bridge again. I see her in the water ahead of me, nice size fish. Now, Don say fish on and I see the 2 lines and I think... tangle. I shorten up the drag and move my fish closer to the kayak. We missed each other and I can lift the rod and land the fish that was 39 inches on the nose. I released her and rest of the night we had some short fish.
Another beautiful fall night fishing was good and I didn’t have to work :). I hope there will time for a couple of more trips before the migration is over.
Nils
what size of eals do you use ?
is that the same kind of eals we`ve in europe ?
do you use eals as livebait or deadbait ?
i see a tube-bait on one of your fishingrods at your picture. it remember at my `shock-coloured-cuda-bait`.
Snook
is that the same kind of eals we`ve in europe ?
do you use eals as livebait or deadbait ?
i see a tube-bait on one of your fishingrods at your picture. it remember at my `shock-coloured-cuda-bait`.
Snook
NilsC
Member
Snook,
we use eels from 10 inches (25cm) to 3 feet (90cm) depending on area. Most common are eels from 15" (38cm) to 2' (61cm). I use mine alive and after a trip where I get back with dead eels I either skin them and use the skin for an eel plug or eel jig and the other way is to rig them with a lead weight (squib). I think they are the same eel, when they grow big enough they are sold as food. (not to many eat eels here :) )
The tube is called a T&W rig, it's made out of surgical rubber tubing for the small ones all the way up to garden hose for the largest. The "W" in the name is for the sandworm (I think its tha same as børstemark). That rig is deadly in the kayak, we paddle along trolling the T&W until we get to where we had planned to fish, sometimes that's the only rig I use all day. I have tubes in red, yellow, black, purple, hot pink (very good on a sunny day), and hot dayglo pink (Sounds like the ladies bikini fitting room :D )
Nils
we use eels from 10 inches (25cm) to 3 feet (90cm) depending on area. Most common are eels from 15" (38cm) to 2' (61cm). I use mine alive and after a trip where I get back with dead eels I either skin them and use the skin for an eel plug or eel jig and the other way is to rig them with a lead weight (squib). I think they are the same eel, when they grow big enough they are sold as food. (not to many eat eels here :) )
The tube is called a T&W rig, it's made out of surgical rubber tubing for the small ones all the way up to garden hose for the largest. The "W" in the name is for the sandworm (I think its tha same as børstemark). That rig is deadly in the kayak, we paddle along trolling the T&W until we get to where we had planned to fish, sometimes that's the only rig I use all day. I have tubes in red, yellow, black, purple, hot pink (very good on a sunny day), and hot dayglo pink (Sounds like the ladies bikini fitting room :D )
Nils
NilsC
Member
Winter is here, most of the fish are south of Montauk in New York. On their way to spawning grounds. We are planning the christmas party and relaxing... (going crazy is more like it)
I'm working on my website, I need to get all the tournament and show scheduling done for spring time. Wintertime is downtime and I'm just putting together some of the material for the seminars we do over the winter.
I'll do some river fishing come January but everything slows down as soon as the last run of blueback herring pass on their way south. Watertemp is is the greatest factor when it comes to late fall early winter fishing. This was the worst fall since I started fishing here with more than 16 days of continous rain and wind from the north cooling everything down.
I'll stop in and post but it will be slow over the winter :)
Nils
I'm working on my website, I need to get all the tournament and show scheduling done for spring time. Wintertime is downtime and I'm just putting together some of the material for the seminars we do over the winter.
I'll do some river fishing come January but everything slows down as soon as the last run of blueback herring pass on their way south. Watertemp is is the greatest factor when it comes to late fall early winter fishing. This was the worst fall since I started fishing here with more than 16 days of continous rain and wind from the north cooling everything down.
I'll stop in and post but it will be slow over the winter :)
Nils
