eel fishing

[papabear]

Went out on my buddy's boat. We left around 6 PM we were dropping eels for about 4 hours and not getting any thing till about 10 PM when I had a nice run off of about 50 yards I locked the reel in and fought the fish for a good 15 minuets when the leader broke I am figuring about a 40 + lb bass that was it for the night we got in a round midnight

papabear

[DTG3k]

Shame to lose the fish. But the battle mustve been awesome.

[jr.deerslayer]

This past spring we did very well on the Hudson for the striper migration. We routinely caught 15 to 20 pounders, I can't imagine the fight from a 40 pound fish. Do you saltwater guys use lighter line and leaders? In the muddy Hudson we routinely get away with 50 lb braid with a 4-5 ft, 40 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Edited October 23, 2012 by jr.deerslayer

[papabear]

I was using 30lb brade with a 25lb leader

papabear

[erussell]

Why such the heavy line? I routinely caught them on 15lbs line out of Toledo Bend Res in Louisiana. Though wire hooks do not work well for the 40lbers. I got one that was probally close to 40 lbs that straightened the hook out and when I went to pick him up out of the water the hook pulled out and I lost him. Really sucked.

[shawnhu]

40lb leader is common for striper fishing here in Brooklyn and LI. Some go as much as 80 flouro.

The Canarsie guys routinely use 80+ braid with 100 lb mono shock.

[greybeard]

In the kayak or the surf, I use 15lb., or 17lb. mono on my spinning reels and 30 lb. braid on my conventional/ baitcast gear... I use 50 lb. , or 60 lb. mono leader

In a boat, esp. when I went to Montauk I used conventional reels with 40 lb. mono and again I use up to 60lb. mono for a leader... I feel confident with the heavy leader that the line won't break when I grab it to land the fish. Also, we get a lot of big blues and if I want a little insurance against their teeth 60 lb. is pretty good...

For the last few days in the kayak I've been targeting big bluefish. I've had the Gorilla blues bite through wire leaders 3 times so they would have cut the 60 lb. mono too. (I am a Bluefish fanatic). When the bigger bass move in to where I spend my days I will use the heavy mono instead of the wire leaders.

For the record I have NEVER landed a 40lb Striped Bass . I caught(catch) a number of teen to 20 pounders, and some over that, but I can't seem to break the 30 lb. mark......

[shawnhu]

In the kayak or the surf, I use 15lb., or 17lb. mono on my spinning reels and 30 lb. braid on my conventional/ baitcast gear... I use 50 lb. , or 60 lb. mono leader

In a boat, esp. when I went to Montauk I used conventional reels with 40 lb. mono and again I use up to 60lb. mono for a leader... I feel confident with the heavy leader that the line won't break when I grab it to land the fish. Also, we get a lot of big blues and if I want a little insurance against their teeth 60 lb. is pretty good...

For the last few days in the kayak I've been targeting big bluefish. I've had the Gorilla blues bite through wire leaders 3 times so they would have cut the 60 lb. mono too. (I am a Bluefish fanatic). When the bigger bass move in to where I spend my days I will use the heavy mono instead of the wire leaders.

For the record I have NEVER landed a 40lb Striped Bass . I caught(catch) a number of teen to 20 pounders, and some over that, but I can't seem to break the 30 lb. mark......

Grey, are you part of the striped forums? Do you know who Crazy Alberto is? He speaks of targeting the cows, and how he goes about doing it. Totally opposite of traditional striped fishing. I've never caught anything worthy of mention, but I read a lot.

It's too bad the kayak only fits one. . I'd love to wet a salty line and actually catch something.

[greybeard]

Shawn.. I don't know Crazy Alberto, but I've read some things that he's written. He writes some good stuff..very informative.I'll look for his Cow article.

I'm not part of any forums except for this one and don't chase too many fishing reports unless I know who's reporting the spots, or catches... I've fished in spots where the next day I heard about huge fish with their weights . I was there, caught the same size fish ,and saw the others caught, and the reported fish somehow got bigger in the reports...Also, I know of guys that wanted to brag about their fish , but when giving the report told others that they caught them in another spot...I read the reports, but use my judgement.

I sometimes surf fish with some really dedicated guys...there's a few of them that take some monster bass..They deserve them too.. they fish days, nights and all hours in between..Nights are the best..

I've actually only seen one weighed in (not estimate) 40 come off the beach(surf) and one over 50 and I fish a lot.. the ones my friends caught I hear about, or see a photo...

Boats are a different story especially Montauk. I've been in boats in the Montauk rips and got some great bass (not 40)and seen really big bass that coulda been 40...

( Except for my kayak I don't go in boats anymore)

If I wanted to hunt the cows I'd spend more time in the surf in Montauk...that's a different world.. It's too crowded for me(I'm not a people person), but they get some monster bass more consistantly . I got a friend that goes to Montauk that skishes (wears a wet suit and swims out to rocks and fishes).. He gets really big fish, but I wouldn't do that for a world record..

I try to saltwater fish as much as 5 days a week.. from late april when the blues come thru the inlets on the south shore, then both shores from May into Dec.. and sometimes Jan. for herring and some mackerel( I don't go 5 days a week in late Dec. and Jan. esp. in the kayak I'm a whimp).. I do fresh in Dec., Jan., and feb...and that was my time for the woods, or marshes

I don't spend enough time hunting the cows... it's a flaw in my character.. I just love to catch fish of any size. I do love trophy fish, but in the salt I don't spend the time targeting only big fish..The exception is Bluefish, when the gorillas are around they are my targets...They can be as finicky as a trout, or so savage that they'll take almost whatever you throw, and are unbelievably powerful..

Remember that if you do saltwater fish you need a license now. It's FREE, but you gotta have one .

( exceptions are party boats and charter boats I THINK)

[shawnhu]

Yup, thanks for the pointers. Got my lifetime, and I do register every year. This year is supposed to be the last year, free. Not sure if they will be extending.

[erussell]

40lb leader is common for striper fishing here in Brooklyn and LI. Some go as much as 80 flouro.

The Canarsie guys routinely use 80+ braid with 100 lb mono shock.

Lite line and Lite drag will boat you guys more fish I gaurantee it. It might take a little longer to get them in but the action on your lure will be more enticeing with lighter line.

[shawnhu]

Don't know about light line bringing more fish in, but where I fish, line is not the issue. It's the lack of a bite. Haven't striped fished this year much.

I personally use 50 braid with 40 leader for my chinking setup and 30 braid on the plugging rod.

[greybeard]

I did the light line thing for many years for school stripers in brackish water and did well , but although numerous, the fish were only up to 24 inches where I hung out. The bait was small and 4lb. test with a long slow action rod did the job. I had to match the hatch so to speak.

I tried 4 lb. test in Jones inlet one year and again did well on bass and shad, but the bass that I caught did not exceed 24 inches. I moved on to 8lb. test that year when the bait was bigger and I took a 34 inch bass. I took a little heat from a buddy because I had to let the fish run a bit and was becoming a nuisance to others. I ended that because he was right. and finally settled on 15 lb. test with a different rod ( I NEVER used under 15 lb. test in the surf.)

In the kayak I used 4lb. sometimes , but mostly 8 and 10 lb. test for years and got some nice fish, but of course the fish drags the kayak and tires them out so it helps . The problem was when you hit savage big blues, or really big stripers. . Also as you know big stripers sometimes hold you down deep, and I couldn't lift them for fear of breaking the line.

I moved up to 15 lb. mono and 30lb. braid after I got dragged all over the bay by a BIG fish and my drag stuck and it broke off . I was using 10 lb. mono...Also in times of snagging and using adult bunker the light line and soft rods were an extremely poor choice.

( Fishing in a boat is a different matter, I used totally different gear , but I don't fish in boats anymore.)

Everyone has a different approach and different experiences and after trial and error settle on what works best for them. Like I always tell my friends regarding tackle and techniques.. " There are NO rules". Just be safe, obey the law and have fun...Don't criticize, and help all that ask.

Shawn, do you fish around City Island ? I don't go up that way, but just wondering...

I'm praying that the storm doesn't push the bait and the Big blues out from my spot.

[shawnhu]

I used to fish CI, but shore access from there isn't that great. I usually head down to Brooklyn and Queens to hit the shorelines, but as my success rate shows, they're not that productive, or my technique isn't quite there yet.

I've always wanted to fish the beaches, but lack of a pair of waders has prevented me from venturing that route. I've got my eyes peeled for a sale at LL Bean though, so hopefully soon.

[jr.deerslayer]

I used to fish CI, but shore access from there isn't that great. I usually head down to Brooklyn and Queens to hit the shorelines, but as my success rate shows, they're not that productive, or my technique isn't quite there yet.

I've always wanted to fish the beaches, but lack of a pair of waders has prevented me from venturing that route. I've got my eyes peeled for a sale at LL Bean though, so hopefully soon.

Good idea shopping with LL Bean, you'll pay more at first but you'll be thankful later on when you rip a hole.

On the Hudson with water visibility often 8 or 9 inches or less, you can get away with heavy lines. Less fun but helpful when a striper decides to head to cover.

[greybeard]

Shawn.. I was answering your last post last Monday, when POOF I lost my power....I lost the whole thought now .. but basically I wrote.. It IS NOT your technique.. it's the way it's been for the last few seasons.. the bite from SHORE has been spot speciffic and bait specific... Ya just had to be in exactly the right spot at exactly the same time that the fish were there and throw EXACTLY what they want.... I can give you specifics, but won't bore you( I fish 5 days a week so I got lotsa specifics),.......

The bite from shore will come back at some time and when it does you WILL connect..I just hope that the south shore beaches recover after the storm so that you'll see that I am right..

I'm still without power (7 days).. In the evening's I go to someone's apartment for a few hours to boil water to bring home, perk coffee and put it in thermoses for morning coffee . I can then shower and eat in the warmth and with light.... Then I go home to my "CAVE". So right now I am at someone's computer so I could send this so IF you answer this, I'm not sure when I can get back to you.. I did not get flooded and had minimum damage so this is a pain in the butt, but not a tragedy for me.. So I can live with it...

I pray that you and everyone else here has power and are safe....

[shawnhu]

Damn, appreciate you coming on here even without power. Hope things return to normal soon, but the south shore will forever be changed from Sandy.

I'm pretty sure I'm just not there enough and not putting in my time. It's hard when I find myself doing tons of research online, foundling there on the right tides and staying out there overnight at times when I could swing it and still catch nothing. I can't remember the last time I brought home a legal sized saltwater fish for the family.

With the economy the way it is, I've started fishing closer to home in my freshwater haunt. Been slamming the bass, perch, and a couple lake trout. Trying to target table fare species now, so crappies and trout is on the top of the list along with stripers and blackfish.

[greybeard]

Shawn.. Got power back this morning..

I'm afraid that you are correct about the South Shore..I'm heart broken over the damage at Jones Beach...

My wife hung out at field 6 for many years.. easily over 300 days a year...Even days when I kayaked all day I would often go with her to walk on the boardwalk, and would walk there all year...I surf casted there for many years and even in Dec. and Jan. would Herring and Mackerel fish from the shore in the back of Jones.. It was our second home.. We have many friends who are there 5 days a week (seniors don't pay except for weekends) . I get the empire pass because I go on weekends.

I guess I won't see my surf casting buddies until we can drive there..

Well that's enough snivelin', whining and moaning from me.. SORRY, but I just felt like complaining.. self pity I guess...

I'll be checking the North Shore Kayak spots...the Gorilla Blues were just coming in when we got hit with SANDY.. I got some real Gorillas, and it was JUST starting to get really good..I'll bet that they're gone, and if we get some snow tonite I'm sure that they'd leave..The Stripers would follow normally and come in good for a while, but who knows now...But it's always worth the HUNT even when I get skunked.. Also I got a secret good kayak fox callin' spot where I go and I love callin' in those red guys.

Trout 'll be restocked on the Island soon, usually 2nd stocking is just before Veterans Day...Hope the State can afford it after the storm.. I also got my Largemouth/Pickerel spots. So as all of us hunters do we make it happen..

Good luck.. get some big un's...If you get some Big Largemouth (HAWGS) Please pm me I'd love to hear your stories, with details of course.....