November 2018, ups and downs and ups

I've been working pretty hard to get a quality size fish this fall. The ocean has not been benevolent in this regard.  Between two ocean trips were two Sedges trips.  A varied array of kayak fishing techniques. One Sedge trip with KGB the other  with Perchman.  Both ocean trips were solo.  My ultimate goal was to catch a keeper striper in order to keep my end of a bargain - striper filet for venison, pound for pound, due date - thanksgiving.  Things were really getting tight. 

I chose to launch at the el jetty at Avon By The Sea, AKA Shark River Inlet.  This is by far the easiest ocean kayak launch I've found on the Jersey coast, and rumor had it that the fish were still in this part of the Ocean.  (They hadn't migrated further South)  When I arrived, a fleet of boats was just off shore, near my launch.  I went straight to them trolling a Mojo.  I didn't see a single boat pull a fish over the side, and the only gossip I heard on the radio was about trolling at the three mile line.  (and about the coast guard checking on boats past the three mile line)

the fleet

I trolled a mojo for about four hours.  I trolled it in waters between 20 and 50 feet.  As the day was coming to a close, I did manage to snag a bunker closer to the inlet. only to have a shark eat it in half.

the shark was holding on up to my boat

I was in the ocean two separate trips, and there was a whale, and there was a bunker, and there was a shark....but not a bass in my sight....

Always a nice sunset at the sedges

I also went to the Sedges twice.  I knew I'd likely catch shorts during the day there, and possibly a bigger fish at night.  Anyone who has read this blog over the years knows this is a thing.  It happens.  The bigger fish are there during the daytime, I'm sure of it, but it seems to me that they only become active hunters in the middle of the night.

sedges short

The first of the two trips there we launched during the day and fished until 9 pm.

I had two 25" fish on live eels after sunset.

The second trip with Perchman we didn't launch until sunset. A dedicated fishing in the dark hail Mary to get a Thanksgiving bass.

25" night bass

Another repeat from the week before.   Another 25" bass.  It was getting late.  The currents made no sense.  There was NO wind.  The weather and conditions were perfect.  It was a beautiful night.  We made a move to deeper water.

Am I snagged?  I swear I was snagged on what used to be Seal Island (it's gone now.)  Perchman paddled up to me.  A heavy weight bent my rod.  It's been since the Spring that I've caught anything of any size.  Perchman turned his headlight on so we could see what I'm dealing with.  In the light I could see; it's definitely a thanksgiving bass.  That was it's last run.  I legged it onto my boat.

33" sedges Bass

Another back bay beauty from under the stars.

the end

p.s.

in the end, my hunter friend didn't get his deer