Sleep? Eventually..., by Alexi

Steve at first light

     Twice now we've made a trip to the Sedges with the intention of fishing pre-dawn and first light.  This usually means missing a night of sleep.  You could say that the first trip like this a couple of weeks ago precipitated the second, not because it was a success, but because of the experience.  As fishermen we hear of things, but quite often we haven't experienced them yet, and when it happens there is truly a "AHA" moment.  Seeing the flats of the sedges at first light in the summer is an amazing experience.

   In the middle of the night (when we launched) there were sounds of fish feeding.  We heard them, "sploosh, splish, splash"  but we still went to deeper water.   What we didn't know is that the fish were (only) up on the flats, not in the deeper water where they would move to after sunrise.  To know....When I say "What we didn't know"what I mean is, of course we had heard and read that the larger fish move onto the flats at night and feed, but we haven't figured out a way to target them..., yet.  (Fly rods may be in short order for next summer.)  To know where the fish are isn't enough.  To have the right tools for fishing for them is equally as important.  So after trolling around a tube-n-worm along the sedges and casting around bass assassins, we agreed to move to a different spot.  During this move, going through about one to two feet of water I began to hear what would eventually become a cacophony of fish feeding.  The problem is that there are lots of weeds and almost any lure will get mucked.  I threw on a Zara Spook and started trolling it.  " SPLOOSH"  I wasn't expecting a fish trolling this lure, as it's not really a swimmer, but needs to have more of a walk the dog presentation.  But I did have a nice upper 20" class fish take it.  (it self-released at the side of my boat.)  I continued to fish it for a little while, then switched to smaller plastic baits because whatever they were feeding on was SMALL.  "SPALSH" As I stood there on a bank, I kept hearing larger splashes mixed in with the smaller ones.  Even the smallest popper I had was seemingly too big to match the hatch.  Eventually I caught a few on a small bas assassin, but they were really small bass.

one of many shorts
 

        After sunrise we found a new cut through to the buoys, and it was full of short bass.  We probably could have stayed there and caught a hundred.  But we moved on to another task, fluking.

     We drifted and battled wind and current out by the buoys in the channel but it was too challenging with the wind.  Eventually we ended up across the inlet.  Out by the Dyke we took a land break.  Afterwards, I started drifting with the end of the out going tide.  I caught several short fluke in and around a fleet of boats, but again, this type of fishing is frustrating for a kayak in the inlet.  I decided to

head for the quiet serenity of Snake Ditch where I met up with Steve again. Several drifts through Snake Ditch proved fruitful for short Fluke for me, and three keepers for Steve.  I was getting pretty frustrated with only getting short fluke.  I even had a double header of short bass when reeling in my fluke rig to check it for weeds.  Finally on what was to be our last drift I hooked up with a 19"fluke.  No doormat, but still what I was after.

This is mostly what we see

Sleepless disheveled kayak

     Many things come to mind when I think about the kayak as a tool.  I think about the boats in the inlet catching short fluke, the amount of resources it takes to maintain a boat.  I think about the recent news story of a boat that was 7 miles off shore fluking, and they saw a great white shark eating a dolphin.  I heard that story, and my first thought was, 7 miles of gas for some fluke?  I'm not suggesting people shouldn't enjoy their boats, I only mean to say if your goal is to catch fish, sometimes you don't have to go too far.

Duke of Fluke tournament, by Alexi

     Tournaments are weird.  every single time I've done them, and I've only done a few, the prizes are a mystery.  You'd think that would be the most important information to get out to the public.  Like in a poker tournament.  For the boats it is out there.  Thousands of dollars in prizes, but for the kayaks?  Maybe a blinky light and a lure????
     I don't know.  I'd like to find out what the winner of the kayak division got and update it on here when I do.   But seriously, I was there regardless.  I got my damn shirt.  I got my damn beer cozy.

    The weather was probably too much on mind than it should have been.  After seeing the lightning strikes at IBSP I want to be careful not to get caught in a thunderstorm.  Unfortunately, this time of year the forecast is ALWAYS 30% chance of a thunderstorm.  The forecast for Saturday was rain in the morning and a thunderstorm in the afternoon.  (The reality was fog in the morning and partly cloudy, turning to sunny in the afternoon.)

the launch site

    I made it to the check in and bought some bucktails and gulp swimming mullet with plenty of time to spare.  I launched across the bridge from the Kayak Fishing Store (Nummy Island).  My plan was to avoid the crowds and head into some back waters that were productive for Stripers earlier in the season.    It seemed reasonable except what happened was I got stuck in some stagnant water for two reasons;    1. it was coming up on high tide, and

2. because I kind of got lost.  

     It was really foggy to start out, and my plan made even more sense for safety from boats because of the fog.  But after two hours of dismal mucky paddling and snagging a turtle, the fog had lifted, and I headed for the bridge.

N. Wildwood Blvd Bridge from the north

     There were more people fishing for fluke than I've ever seen in my life.  (although this picture doesn't show it, as the fog lifted this area filled up)   Generally, I like to avoid fishing weekends to avoid the crowds.   As I found out later there were actually two fluke tournaments on that day.   So here we had a Saturday, mid-summer, and two fluke tournaments!!!!  The good news is that everyone was drifting and jigging, and so they seemed fine to drift together.  I didn't notice or hear of any problems.  

     When I got to the other side of the bridge in the picture I hooked into a 17" fluke.  It had a 6" white gulp twisty tail stuck in it's throat.  I removed my hook, then the other bait, and released the fish.  Not too long after that I had the biggest ray I've ever hooked (and saw).  I fought it for a while.  I got it to rise up beside my kayak a couple of times.  My estimate is that it was at least 4-6ft wide.   After some research, it was probably a Spiny Butterfy Ray.  It was then I decided it was really a waste of my time and pulled on the line and broke it off.   The fog lifted and revealed a line of clouds that surrounded N. Wildwood.

N Wildwood Blvd Bridge from the south

     The ominous clouds in the background and the slow action told me it was time to let the switch in the current take me back under the bridge.  (It was a pretty easy day as far as paddling goes.)  My drift under the bridge was fruitless, however where ever I was I saw fish caught, and that always gave me hope.  It was a slow day over all.  

     The wind kicked up right around 4.  As I didn't have a fish to weigh in or any keeper I decided to continue fishing until the wind became unbearable, which was just around 4:30.   I found a drift along the sedge by the West Ocean Drive bridge (where I launched from) that was holding a bunch of short fluke, so I ended the day with about four more shorts.

     I stopped by the Kayak Fishing Store and bought some Carls tubes in preparation for the fall.  (I had lost my only red one when I lost my rod.)   I was at Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle for a little bit, watching the fluke get weighed in.  When I saw the winner I was impressed.  Later I found out that it was caught in the back. (the bay as opposed to the ocean.)  Even more impressive. 

     Tired and exhausted, as it should be at the end of any fishing day, I decided to skip the meal and head home. 

     My plan for next year is to drink $65 (the entrance fee) worth of beer at the end of the tournament, hang out for the party,  stumble to a hotel, and not care at all about the fishing!