Striped Bass

[greybeard]

I've been out in the kayak chasing fish for the past month on Long Island. I got a few  nice stripers, blues and fluke..BUT.. Yesterday I caught a 51 inch( 41 and one half pound) striped bass and a 16 pounder.too.. I got a great ride !! I got them with 15lb. mono, and 30lb. shock leader.

 

I've been kayak fishing since 1996 and gotten 25 pounders into the kayak and even a 30 lb. bass inside it,.( Also lotsa teen sized bluefish,) but this was a chore to maneuver her in safetly. . I have a sit inside kayak, so I had to stick her in, and have her between my legs .I was in the bay, about 1/2 mile from shore, so tipping could have been a disaster.

 

I have pictures, but I'm computer illiterate, so I'd never figure out how to do it, even with instructions ( I'm only 63 inches so it looks bigger next to me).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shawnhu]

Oh my! You have to send me pictures!

[greybeard]

I don't know how ...

 

I only know how o attach them to email

[shawnhu]

Send 'EM over to me B.

PM going your way.

[greybeard]

ok. I go your pm

[hunterman7956]

WOW ! Great catch kayaks are on the rise byJ.F.K.airport a lot of guys are using them...

Edited May 30, 2013 by hunterman7956

[greybeard]

Thanx hunterman.. Yeah, they got real popular down here now.. When I started I only knew one other kayak fisherman.. I'm sure some were around, but I never saw them.

 

I used to use them for duck/goose hunting .. My wife sewed camo cloth to cover them so I could beach on the sand and sit in it..

 

I used to try to get out almost every weekday (weekends are too crowded for me). I could fish right into Jan. (for herring), ,unless there was ice/

[hunterman7956]

try using the site noreast,com and look in posted reports it is very informative....

[greybeard]

Thanx, I do read that site..  but ,I never post, just read

[greybeard]

Shawn, glad you got the pictures.. Now you've seen that I really am computer illiterate

[shawnhu]

B. that's one big girl! I'm very happy for you to land that monster, now tell us the details as to what she hit and how long the battle took!

[greybeard]

 I took off in the kayak about 7:30 am  near the end of outgoing tide There was a significant amount of adult  bunker (menhaden) around, but many appeared to be scattered So I  searched for and found big pods of bunker.that were in tight schools. (When the tide turned to incoming, more bunker came in.). Many times the bass and blues will cause the bunker to get into tight schools. Sometimes bunker just hang tight, but it's a good way to target predator fish

 

(I always carry 2 set ups.and when I fish bunker, I keep one rod with a weighted snagger and one with an unweighted hook, the later is usually a little heavier set up. I snag bait with one rod and then get it in and transfer the bunker to the other set up. However, I had just snapped my line on the heavier setup on an underwater snag, so I only had the lighter setup...A 7 ft. med. heavy rod and low profile baitcast reel)

 

I followed the adult bunker snagging a few and saw them explode on occasion as Blues, or Bass tore thru them.

 

 So I would snag bunker.. change  hooks and live line them.(pretty bloody and smelly business)

After a few bunker got ripped up by bluefish finally the bass took  a live one..I let her run and then set the hook and got a great ride. She took me quite a distance I guess..She was really strong, but after numerous great runs she finally tired out. I knew it was a striper  shortly after she took the bait by the way she ran (bluefish usually give a different run)

 

 I can only estimate time because I was not calculating it and it felt like forever... So maybe It took 10 minutes, or more to land her, especially because as she came up I saw how big she was, with that cement block head and I saw that she wasn't hooked that good . So now  I had to maneuver the rod and the yak so she wouldn't spit the hook..I don't use a net, or gaff.. Just a lip grip in my right hand and grab with my left..As I was trying to grab her in the water I remember thinking that if I lose this thing I'll beat myself up forever.

 

Getting her inside  a sit in  kayak can have a few tense moments because of her weight if I lost leverage I'd tip over. also,. they don't have teeth, but have sharp dorsal fins.which can puncture your skin.

 

She pretty much filled up the kayak with her body.

 

Then I repeated it again and got the 16 pound bass...

 

I was one lucky old man..

 

It doesn't really sound exciting as i write it, but for me it was, and also kind of intense at times. .

 

 

[BizCT]

Congrats! Let's see the pics!<br /><br />Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2<br /><br />

[First-light]

Heard there is a lot of bunker around this year. It is making for some great fishing as we have heard from you. Nothing like catching a big one on your Yak! Congrats!

[greybeard]

Biz...I have no idea how to put pictures here.

 

I sent them to Shawn, by email and even  fowled that up a few times..

 

First light..Thank you...

 

 Yeah there sure are a lot of adult bunker in and the Bass and blues are on a number of the bunker pods.

 

I chased them yesterday and today also, in the yak...The blues weren't that  big, but I'm sure there's some big ones around somewhere, I just haven't found them .

 

I'm really beat up now and not sure if the old body 'll be able to chase tomorrow..The heat got me a bit today also..

 

Do you get Muskys where you are ?

 

 

[Gthphtm]

Congrats, I fished from my kayak in the early 2000's mostly in Hempstead harbor,it was great in the back for flounder.I landed a 53" male by the old navy docks just before the mouth of the harbor with a live bunker, but it was with my little tin boat,it still took me for a little ride.

[greybeard]

Thanx Gthphtm..

 

53"... That's huge..As You know once the hit those sizes every inch is significant..Don't you love the ride

 

I'm curious, did you have your fish  weighed. My fishing friends thought that my fish which was certainly not skinny shoulda been a 50.. They guage it by one inch per pound at that size..I don't know how they figured that, but it's how they do it.,.. I always go by length and don't care about weight, because almost everyone estimates ,so inches , in my mind, is accurate.. also some scales aren't accurate(my scale showed her heavier)...So if you weighed it I'd be interested in knowing it's weight..

 

I assume that the scale used to weigh mine was accurate, so mine didn't support the rule.

 

I used to fish Hempstead harbor some years ago and did pretty good in the back with .bass, blues and shad.. But never got anything nearly as big as your bass..I would have loved to see it..Congrats again..

 

 

 

 

[Gthphtm]

The fish was not that heavy, it was the forth of July, 45 lbs. Weighed at a bait shop,according to them that time of the year they are there thinnest.I was out drifting squid strips for fluke and snagged the bunker on the way out.That must have been fun trying to get that fish in the kayak.

[greybeard]

That was a lucky snag to get a bunker while drifting squid...It's amazing how many bunker are around .

 

If 45 lbs. is skinny, imagine if you got it in the fall....But it still wouldsa been 53 inches and to me that's the most important number...Great Trophy

 

It was fun tryin' to fit her in there, but I gotta say for a few seconds as I lifted her in I had some concerns...It must have looked funny if someone saw me wrestling that thing in there.

[greybeard]

That was a lucky snag to get a bunker while drifting squid...It's amazing how many bunker are around .

 

If 45 lbs. is skinny, imagine if you got it in the fall....But it still wouldsa been 53 inches and to me that's the most important number...Great Trophy

 

It was fun tryin' to fit her in there, but I gotta say for a few seconds as I lifted her in I had some concerns...It must have looked funny if someone saw me wrestling that thing in there.

[jr.deerslayer]

Thanx Gthphtm..

 

53"... That's huge..As You know once the hit those sizes every inch is significant..Don't you love the ride

 

I'm curious, did you have your fish  weighed. My fishing friends thought that my fish which was certainly not skinny shoulda been a 50.. They guage it by one inch per pound at that size..I don't know how they figured that, but it's how they do it.,.. I always go by length and don't care about weight, because almost everyone estimates ,so inches , in my mind, is accurate.. also some scales aren't accurate(my scale showed her heavier)...So if you weighed it I'd be interested in knowing it's weight..

 

I assume that the scale used to weigh mine was accurate, so mine didn't support the rule.

 

I used to fish Hempstead harbor some years ago and did pretty good in the back with .bass, blues and shad.. But never got anything nearly as big as your bass..I would have loved to see it..Congrats again..

According to a common table your fish on average would weigh 55 lbs.  

 

Length 45" 46" 47" 48" 49" 50" 51" 52" 53" 54" 55"

Age 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20

Max lb 41.0 44.0 47.5 51.0 54.0 58.0 62.0 65.0 68.0 73.0 80.0

Avg lb 36.0 38.7 42.0 44.0 47.0 50.0 55.0 58.0 60.0 64.0 70.0

Min lb 30.5 32.5 35.0 37.0 39.0 42.0 45.0 47.0 49.0 52.0 56.0

 

Nice fish...I'm used to the 20 lbs on the Hudson. Can't imagine the fight of a 50 lbs. Congrats.

Edited May 31, 2013 by jr.deerslayer

[greybeard]

Thanx Deerslayer..that 's an interesting chart, and sure looks right to me

 

I've had a few calls yesterday and today from my surf fishing buddies who are VERY experienced and they thought it should have been 50..and those that saw the photos thought for sure.. BUT, I did have it weighed, so I guess that's it..The scale,could have been wrong, but I wouldn't think so...If you saw the photos you'd see how fat she was.. I just don't know how to put photos here.

 

Like I reported, I had 15 lb. test on with a 30lb. shock leader...The reel was a low profile baitcast, that looks like a freshwater Largemouth reel...I guess that the equipment added to my excitement.. I'm sure glad that the reel and line held up..."WHEW"

 

It's great that you get 20's on the Hudson... Me and everyone that I know will  take and be more then happy with a 20 any day...Do you use a boat ? What do you use for bait/lures..

 

Thanx again for the info

 

 

[shawnhu]

B. you should grab a 50lb weight from a weightlifter and test your scale. It may very well be off.

[jr.deerslayer]

It's great that you get 20's on the Hudson... Me and everyone that I know will  take and be more then happy with a 20 any day...Do you use a boat ? What do you use for bait/lures..

 

Thanx again for the info

  We fish the upper Hudson so anything better than the 20's is extremely rare for us, I have yet to break the 40 inch mark. The mid to high teens are probably most common for us. I use a simple set up, fish finder rig attached to a 8/0 circle hook. I use a heavy set up with 50 lb braid and a 50 lb flouro leader. Solely live herring as bait for us, typically live rather than chunks. I use a small aluminum boat to get away from the crowds of shore fisherman. 

[greybeard]

Shawn, thax .. I have 44 lb. steel plates and tried it.. My scale was RIGHT on. My scale showed her heavier by a few lbs., but I think that I'll just describe her in inches because I KNOW that the inches are true, and I like to be right on with accuracy