I recently went fresh water bass kayak fishing for the first time. OMG. What fun! 😉

I fished several baits. But, the go-to-bait for the day was the Gary Yamamoto D-Shad. This bait out-fished my other baits, 2:1!

One lesson that I quickly learned is that when fishing a narrow river with low hanging tree branches from a kayak: do not to keep your rod in the rear rod holder perpendicular to the boat! In one area of the river, the current was unexpectedly fast. My rod got caught in the over reaching branches in a long time resident tree. I had to pull out my knife and cut the 50 lb Spiderwire Invisi-braid. I then paddled back up river and retrieved my blue pearl Gary Yamato D-Shad.

My Montauk Tackle shirt performed beyond my expectations. The shirt wicked away my perspiration and kept me dry and cool. And the shirt’s built-in 50 SPF, protected my Azorean skin from the sun’s penetrating rays.

This was my first fresh water bass kayak fishing trip. But, it shall be be my last! I am already planning my next trip!! Bass beware!!! 😉

Ice fishing for smelt is a New England tradition.  Maine has a great smelt fishery.  I recently fished one of Maine’s smelt camps.

Sonnys has 4 and 6 person shanties available. Each shanty is heated.  You will not be cold!  But, I strongly suggest dressing in layers and add or remove layers as necessary.  A good pair of boots and creepers will keep your feet dry, warm, and standing vertical on the hard water.

A popular method for winching up smelt is drop lines.  You bait all the lines with asmall piece of sea worm and drop them to various depths.  This gives you a “wall” of suspended bait throughout the water column.  A local Maine smelter told me that as soon as the line shakes, set the hook! And that if the line is moving left or right, the smelt is about the drop the bait.

The drop line method works.  But, during my trip, I had more success with mySt. Croix ice fishing rod (model: Premier Ice PIR28M). I landed 20 smelt on my rod to 1 smelt via drop line.  The rod is so sensitive that I can feel the smelt sniffing my presentation as I vertical jig it.

Ice fishing for smelt is a great way to get out with friends and harvest some great eating fish.  For a smelt recipe, check out Cooking The Catch by Dave “Pops” Masch.  From the water to the plate.  There is nothing fresher than that.  Go smelting! 😉

I fished a local ice fishing tournament this weekend.  The temperature was below freezing.  The wind was howling.  And the bite was slow.  I had a fabulous time!

When I arrived, I scanned the ice and quickly developed a strategy.  I set up my tip-ups in a “straight” line, with each successive tip-up penetrating deeper into the water column.

From base camp, tip-ups 1 and 2 were in the shallower portions of the water column.  Tip-ups 3, 4, and 5 were in the deeper portions of the water column.  This layout helped to identify where the hungry fish were lurking.  Tip-ups 4 and 5 hooked ravenous yellow perch of respectable size.

I have a new found respect for yellow perch.  After I set the hook, the fish shook its head and swam from side to side, the whole way up.  What an aggressive species!

I had a fabulous time for several reasons.  First, I was warm the entire time, complements of my new gear.  Second, I found and caught fish.  And third, I made some new friends. 😉

I have been teaching my daughters how to fish.  On our last fishing trip, I took them trout fishing on a stream in Maine.  The trout were there, but beyond casting distance.

The steam however was overflowing with a variety of other species, who were not shy!

These fish LOVED the Berkly Power Bait.

The Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp barbless hooks worked really well. They   had excellent hooking performance.  But, I really like the fact that they safer then hooks with crushed barbs.

My daughters had a great time.  They now know what a “bite” on the line feels like.  They are hooked.  Time to upgrade their rods! 🙂

Friday

Saturday

I got up “early” Saturday morning and headed back out to R.I.P rock.  OMG.  The ocean was like lake placid.  Go figure.  I missed the morning tide.  But, I got to field test some of my new spooks and poppers from Lemire’s Plugworks.  Love them!  Hunger eventually overtook me and I headed back for breakfast.  Fresh fruit, omelets, bacon, sausage, toast, orange juice, and coffee.  Yum!

I did some more scouting until lunch time.  Lunch was my meal.  I heated up the Portuguese Lincuica with peppers and onions that my better half prepared for me.  (I have a degree in Chemistry, but I am culinary challenged.  Isn’t that ironic?)  The lunch tray was eaten clean.  Literally!  😉

After lunch I caught up on some much needed sleep.  Luckily, I woke up in time for dinner.  We invited the ZeeBass crew and the Connecticut Surfcasters who were on the island.

Sunday

I woke up Sunday morning and missed the tide, again!  :-(.  After comparing notes with my friends, I realized that I fished all the right spots with the right plugs; just at the wrong stages of the tide.

This was my first Cuttyhunk trip where I did not hook up with fish.  But, it was also the trip where I grew the most as a angler.  This was my first wetsuiting trip on Cuttyhunk.  I fished new hot spots and developed a better mind map of the sub-surface topology around the island.  I would not trade the lessons that I learned on this trip for a fish.

On the last Friday of September I arrived at the Cape Cod Canal at 5:00 AM.  To my complete surprise, the parking area was nearly full!  My friend Dave Anderson (S-B Handle: “Canal Man”) arrived at 5:05 AM.  While I was suiting up, Dave gave me one of his Surfasylum Pencil Poppers in “yum-yum” yellow.

By 5:30 AM we were perched on our rocks.  As I fumbled to adapt my cast to the sloping bank, Dave was nearly crossing lines with an angler on the other side of the canal.  I eventually managed to correct my cast. :-).

From 5:30 AM to 7:30 AM I fished all the plugs I brought, twice.  Nothing. Not a bump.  Not a tap.  I then clipped on Dave’s Pencil Popper blasted out a cast.  I had the plug jumping in every direction on the compass.  Nothing. I yelled over: “Dave, am I doing this right?”  (This was my first time fishing a pencil popper.) Dave looked over and kindly explained how to make the pencil popper “dance” from side to side.  Three casts latter, BANG!  A fish hit the plug like a freight train!  There was no mistaking that there was a fish on.

The current was more than half it’s full force.  With 400 yards of 50 pound Power Pro spooled on my ZX2-27, I had no fear of getting spooled. But, this fish was pulling line off my reel like the drag was not set.  Dave then yelled over “Pump your rod to gain some line!”.  By now my forearm was now on fire.  After three sets of “pump, drop and reel” with my medium-heavy power 10’6″ St. Croix rod, a beautiful 24 lb stripped bass was at the edge of my Korkers.

After a quick picture via Blackberry, I held the fish by it’s tail and pulled it back and forth in the water, until it was ready to swim back into the wild.

Fishing Block Island has been on my bucket list for some time now. Last fall, I decided that 2011 was the year!  I started off by doing my research.  I quickly became overwhelmed by the size of the island and the number of fishy spots. Hence, I enlisted a highly recommended surf guide: DJ Muller.

On the ferry from Galilee to Old Harbor, we developed a plan for our two night commando fishing trip.  When we arrived, we dropped off our gear at the Twin Maples and went to a local pub for some seriously good food and beer.  A man cannot fish on an empty stomach. ;-).

With our bellies full and smiles on our faces, we went to do some recognizance. Several of the roads we took were not paved.  A truck with 4 x 4 drive train is an absolute must!  DJ maneuvered the “roads” with ease.  If I was driving, my truck would have gone back on the ferry with some missing parts or worse.

At each hot spot, DJ pointed out the fishy’est rocks. He also explained how to mount the rocks; how to select secondary and tertiary rocks as the tide and wind changed; and how to safely land a fish while standing on a slippery rock with oncoming waves. Scouting during the day light hours with polarized sunglasses and a digital camera made our trips at night safe and successful. Everything looks different under night’s darkness!

Before we headed out, I made my final plug selections.  I packed my plug bags with swimmers and needlefish in several colors, sizes, and profiles. Both type of plugs produced. The most productive swimmer was the Lemire’s Plugworks prowler (black, 2.5 oz, 6.75 inches long); it even out-fished my mojo plug (a yellow/white Danny). The Striper-Maine-iac Needlefish (Black, 2.0 oz, 7.5 inches long) also seduced several striped bass.

The next day, I meet up with Al Lemire from Lemire’s Plugworks.  He recommend his Junior Needlefish (black cherry, 2.0 oz, 8.0 inches long).  He was soooo right!  That night, this plug landed 60% of my fish, including two keepers over 10 lbs.  The other plug that performed equally well was the Surf Asylum Flat-Glide needlefish (blue / silver, 2.6 oz, 8.5 inches long).  Unfortunately, I lost it during a cast when my 50 lb PowerPro braided line got caught under my ZeeBaas’ drag knob.  I nearly cried. From that manly moment forward, I decided that I will not got out again with just one Flat-Glide.  I have four new ones on order. 😉

Fishing with DJ Muller allowed me to focus on my fishing and apply my newly learned knowledge without fretting about logistics like parking, directions, and roaming deer.  If you want to fish Moauntauk, Block Island, Cuttyhunk, or Matha’s Vineyard, reduce your learning curve, and take your fishing to the next level, then contact DJ Muller.  He will help you develop your skill set by giving you clear and actionable instruction.  But, then it’s all up to you to mount that rock with seaweed dread-locks and take your game up a level.  No hand-holding. Experience preceded with instruction is the best teacher.

In January 2010 I went ice fishing for the first time.   I walked onto the ice with two tip-ups and worms.  I did not catch any fish.  But, I learned a lot about presenting bait through the ice.  Experience is the best teacher.

Now in January 2011, I went back to the same pond.  I walked onto the ice with five tip-ups and shiners swimming in an aerated and insulated container.  Using a power auger and my work gloves, I drilled five holes in a “T” formation.  I rigged up my five tip-ups and left the shiners swimming at various heights off the weedy bottom.  I then trekked back through the 12 inches of snow and slush to base camp.  I waited patiently and scanned the entire pond from left to right.  The action under the ice turned to in-action.

The wind started to blowing.  To keep warm, I decided to sprint to my tip-ups to generate body heat.  I cleaned out the newly formed ice around my tip-ups with my ice skimmer.  As I was sprinting back to base camp, my friends shouted “FLAG!”  I immediately turned around and sprinted to my raised tip-up.  I reached the tip-up exhausted and fell to my knees.  I lifted the tip-up and slowly pulled line hand-over-hand….then with a sudden jerk, I set the hook.  Fish on!  As I winched up the fish, I literally felt each head shake.  The fish was a 0.7 lb chain pickerel.  I never worked so hard for a 0.7 lb fish.  But, it felt good to finally pull a fish through the ice.

An hour later, my friends said “FLAG!”.  And once again I sprinted to my raised flag.   I slowly pulled line hand-over-hand.  This fish felt larger.  A bass?  To my surprise, a 1.3 lb chain pickerel surfaced.  Chain pickerel totaling 2.0 lbs is nothing impressive.  But, it’s better than the 0.0. lbs from my first ice fishing trip. ;-).

Each fishing trip teaches me something.  The fishing trips without fish teach me the most.

On a Sunday afternoon, a friend visited my home and asked me to go fishing. It was August and gator-like bluefish were terrorizing our local striped bass.  I said: “Let go!”.  When we arrived at Surfland, we were greeted like old friends returning from a distant place.  While my friend told stories, I purchased three pounds of his favorite bait.  With bait in hand, we were off to our bass hunting grounds.  Based on the entries in my fishing journal, I know where to go to avoid the tourists.

We finally reached “the zone”.  I read the water and found a fishy spot.  My fish sense was on code red.  I quickly rigged up my friends rod and dressed his bleeding sharp hooks with tasty clams.  I asked me friend: “Can I make the first cast?”  He hesitated.  “For good luck.”  I said.  He agreed.  I walked to the water’s edge and loaded his rod to its maximum and propelled the bait rig past the breaking waves.  As I returned the rod to my friend, he said  “Good cast.  Thank you”.

As the sun started to set…BANG!  My friend’s rod was ben over and the spool was screaming.  The fish was irate!  My friend fought the fish from his chair.  After a few minutes, the waves pushed a beautiful striped bass to his feet.  The fish was full color and well proportioned.  I removed the hook with care and showed the fish to my friend.  At that moment, my friend was the happiest I had seen him in months.  To my surprise, he said “Put her back to grow.”

The drive home was quite, until my friend broke the silence.  “Today was a good day.  Tomorrow I have an appointment with the doctor to discuss the chemotherapy results.”  Take a friend fishing.  You will catch more than fish.

also watched some On The Water TV episodes. More specifically:

1. Ice fishing for trout and salmon.  On The Water TV. Season 1, show 8.
2. Ice fishing for perch, bass, pickerel, walleye and pike.  On The Water TV.  Season 3, show 7.
3. Ice fishing East Grand Lake in Maine: lake trout and salmon.  On The Water TV.  Season 4, show 2.

After reading these articles and watching these DVDs, I learned that ice fishing is pursued by anglers of various persuasions and is not unlike other types of fishing.  Like each type of fishing, the gear is specialized; but the techniques are similar. For example, fishing around structure and knowing where your presentation is in the water column are critical parameters of success.

After learning how to ice fish safely, my next step was to build my ice fishing tackle box.  Like other methods of fishing, there are an overwhelming number of products and electronics devices.  But, the basic ice fishing gear is just a sled, tip ups, rigs, bait, and something to make a hole through the ice.

There are several sled options from open ice fishing sleds that can transport all your gear to specialized sleds with integrated shelters and seats that expand and collapse.  Some anglers build “Hummer” and “Cadillac” style sleds using old skies.  For my first time out, I used a simple down-hill snow sled.

I personally do not use low cost/low quality rods when targeting trophy fish. So, when I was in the Scarborough, Maine Cabela’s, I inspected all the tip-ups and consulted with one of Cabela’s finest, who is a local ice angler, to find a “built to last” tip-up that would performe well under pressure and was easy to use.  I purchased a set of Jack Traps tip-ups because of their simple design and quality of construction.  And I am so glad I did!!!

There are several ice fishing rigs. The rig that I pre-tied for my trip consists of a 24 inches of 10 lb flurocarbon leader with a double surgeon’s loop knot on one end, a size 4 Gamakatsu octopus hook (stock# 02308-25) on the other end, and a slit shot sinker at midpoint. I also tied a double surgeon’s loop knot on the main line to connect my rigs via loop-to-loop knot.  After building my ice fishing tackle box, I was ready for my first ice fishing trip. I called and emailed my friends to coordinate the final “details”.

The day of the trip, I got up at 4:00 AM; dressed in layers (Under ArmorColdGear top and bottom!); packed my sled; and pickup my friend on the way to the lake.  We arrive at the lake before sunrise, along with our other friends. Using a pair of work gloves, I used my friend’s power auger and made all our holes at once. We lowered our baits and set them at different heights to determine where in the water column the fish were feeding. Fish move and are not always where we think their suppose to be!  Some of our tip-ups had live night crawlers and some had live shiners.

I am not sure if the fish in the lake were snobs, but they did not touch my fresh wiggling night crawlers.  I started to second guess my method, and then, my friend screamed: “FLAG!”, with his distinct Canadian accent.  I think I set a world record for sprinting on ice without falling.  I retreived my line until an aggressive and slippery pickerel came up through ice.  This specimen was not the Loc ness monster, but it was a respectable fish.

This was my first ice fishing trip, but now I am hooked and in the market for my very own power auger.  If you are new to ice fishing and would like to try it, then join a club like the Plum Island Surfcasters or an online community like striped-bass.com, who have annual ice fishing trips.