Beating High Gas Prices by Staying Close to Home AND Catching Lots of Fish!

 

Here's a good size striper that I recently landed
from my kayak.  The Old Town Sportsman
10-6 PDL pedal kayak has been a game changer
for me this spring. By the way, that fish was 
released in good shape right after the photo was
taken.

So, it's a big problem for all of us.  Gas prices have gone through the roof with no relief in sight.  During normal years I am traveling a lot to fish....might be at the Canal one day, along the RI oceanfront another and even in Boston Harbor on some evenings.  But, like so many fishermen out there I am cutting back on my travels and fishing closer to home.

One big adjustment I have made is spending more time in the Bay.  Heck, there are loads of places with loads of fish within 20 miles of my house. While I have caught good numbers of stripers and big blues from shore in the Bay this spring, I have to say the kayak has been a gamechanger for me. It has put me into incredible numbers of fish at times. I have been out more in that kayak this year than in any other year and it is only mid June!

For anyone contemplating the purchase of a kayak for fishing, I will tell you the pedal kayaks are the way to go. They are expensive but worth every penny.  It's hands free operation to give you an advantage for fishing, and it offers quick and stealthy pedaling to your destinations.  Another word of advice here is to get a kayak that pedals in reverse.  Mine is an Old Town Sportsman 10-6 PDL.  My pedal drive runs like pedaling a bike. To go in reverse I just have to pedal the drive in the opposite direction.  The reverse helps me stay in one position.  It can also aid in fighting a big fish that might be taking you for a ride. When on the fish, I use the reverse almost as much as I use the forward to maintain my position.

The Whacky Story of a Big Fish

 I was out fishing today in the Bay in my kayak.  I had already landed a couple of slot fish when the unexpected happened. I was drifting along and spotted a few pogies flipping on the surface.  I also noticed several cormorants in the area where these pogies were flipping. I grabbed my rod and casted my snagger to the area I saw the fish flip. Right away, I snagged a pogie on the first pull, but what happened next was one for the books.  Almost immediately after snagging this baitfish, the rod was pulled to the water and the line started taking off.  I pulled back thinking I had a striper. The rod bent, the drag was going and I was on, so I thought.  Suddenly, a big cormorant literally flies out of the water with my snagged bait in its mouth! When the bird got to about ten feet in the air, I yanked back and the pogie came out of the bird's mouth and plunged to the water. As soon as it hit the water, there was a tremendous splash at my pogie that looked like a cinder block hitting the water.  I was on right away as the fish peeled off line at a frenzied pace. I knew I had a big fish.  After a tug-of war battle, I got the striper alongside the kayak.  It was a brute of a fish, the biggest I have ever landed from the kayak.  I don't know the exact size, but I'm thinking in the mid 40 inch range.  After grabbing it with the Boga and getting a few quick photos, the big girl was released and swam off in great shape.  By the way, this fish was barely hooked in the lip since it hit the bait so fast it had no time to really take it in. So, happy ending for all!

Simply Phenomenal

 

It was big stripers (slots and over slots) along with
gator blues today.

Jon and I went out again this morning in out kayaks.  The wind was dead calm so it made for a pleasant day on the Bay.  Whether it's rough or dead calm, if you can find the pogies and you will likely find the fish.  And, we found all the pogies we could ask for.  There were big schools of them and just about every school had big bass AND big blues under them.  It was mayhem at times as we hooked up one fish after another on this memorable day.  The stripers went 32 to 42 inches while the 'gator  blues were in the teens.

As you can gather from my posts, this has been a banner year for fishing in Narragansett Bay for larger stripers and blues.  Great for me since it is close to home, and I'm burning little gas.  It's all a boating/kayaking thing.  It's looking more and more like that Old Town Sportsman PDL kayak is one of the best purchases I ever made! I'm catching a lot of big fish and getting a lot of exercise to boot!

Slot bass and over slots were abundant once again
today.

Photo of the Week, "Still Going Strong"

 

Jon holds a slot fish that was landed this week from the 
kayak.  There continues to be good numbers of slots and
over slots in Gansett Bay.  All the action is around schools
of menhaden.  Find the pogies and you find the fish!

Big Numbers of Big Fish Around

 

Here's an over slot that I landed from
the kayak today. Find the menhaden 
and you are likely to find big stripers
and/or big blues.

Big Stripers, Big Blues.  They are around in abundance right now if you do some looking.  My son, Jon, and I have caught staggering numbers of them in the last couple of days.  We landed over 20 stripers from slots to overslots with the biggest ones going in the 30 lb. + range.  We also had 13 big blues that ranged from 7 to 12 lbs. They are taking both plugs and menhaden.

These big fish right now are roaming the Narragansett Bay in search of large menhaden.  You find the menhaden and  you are likely to find big fish around them no matter what time of the day you are fishing.

While we have gotten the majority of the fish from the kayaks, I also landed good numbers of big blues last evening from shore. The blues are roaming around so you might have to do some looking from shore to find them. It is much easier from a boat or kayak.

Best Bets for Holiday Weekend

 

I landed this monster blue on a Rebel Jumpin'
Minnow from my kayak this evening. Blues are
around in good numbers and they are big. I think
they are your best bet this holiday weekend.

I'm guessing that many of you will be doing some fishing this Memorial Day weekend. I've been out and about for the last seven days, fishing from shore and kayak so I think I have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Here's some of the best bets in order:

#1- Bluefish- I have landed them this week from both shore and the kayak.... all while fishing in Narragansett Bay.  It's a topwater show with Rebel Jumpin' Minnows, Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencils and pencil poppers catching most of my fish.  I've had the best luck in rough water with a stiff wind in my face.  The blues are running good size with most of them going 7 to 10 lbs., but I've also gotten many bigger ones in the teens.  They are also along the oceanfront but not as thick as you will find in the Bay. It can be a hit or miss deal so plan on hitting multiple spots if one place does not work out.  Boaters have a big advantage since they can move around to find the blues.

#2- Larger stripers under schools of menhaden- The menhaden are in sporadic small schools in many areas of the Bay.  It's a matter of finding them.  Most likely slot fish and over slots are under them or near them.  My son, Jon, was out in the kayak one morning this week and he landed good numbers of stripers up to 40 inches long. He went out the next day and did nothing....no pogies, no bass. I also saw guys chunking in the Bay and getting slots. There have also been some bigger bass along the oceanfront, especially for those putting in a good amount of time after dark. Once again, boaters have the advantage here.

#3- Schoolies- I have been getting some here and there, but no big numbers.  I fished several evenings this week in good water targeting stripers of any size.  I never got skunked but the best I could get was only 4 schoolies.  This has been a sub par year for stripers so far in RI and I'm not too sure things will improve that much this weekend.  Still, they are around, but not in great numbers.

Blue Dogs Running

The blue dogs were on the rampage
this evening.  Big numbers are 
cruising around if you can find 
them.

Tonight I left the kayak in the garage and pulled the waders out and headed for the surf. I went looking for stripers but found a bonanza of bluefish. For two hours I had a hit or a fish on just about every cast of my Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil. It was simply LOADED!

These blues were all decent size.  They were running 6 to 10 lbs. They were super active and sometimes would chase down that hydro pencil smashing it several times before getting hooked. Man, bluefish can really put on a real show!

Last year it was just about this time of the year that big numbers of blues hit both the oceanfront and the Bay.  I have known they've been around for the last 4 or 5 days, but I just have not hit it right until tonight.  While there are some blues at the oceanfront, the Bay is probably your best bet to catch a blue. The Bay is also your best bet to catch a striper right now. Overall, the Bay is far outfishing the oceanfront this spring.