C.P.R.

Posted on by

Capture fishing tournaments put a lot of pressure on fisheries. Capture and release tournament that use live wells reduce pressure, but they do not work for all species. A new type of fishing tournament is becoming main stream: Capture Picture Release Tournaments. CPR tournaments are a win/win for fish and anglers.

Fish360 C.P.R.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan O’Connor

There are C.P.R. tournaments across the nation for various species. They are primarily length based. This verification method helps the fish. Improperly weighing a fish can damage or stress the fish, which can lead to death and defeats the purpose of C.P.R.

To participate in a C.P.R. tournament you only need a ruler and a camera. Waterproof point-and-shoot digital camera’s are readily available on the market at nominal prices. An alternative is to use a smartphone with a water proof case. Just be sure to secure your camera or phone via lanyard!

A digital camera (or smart phone) will $ave you buckets of money that would have otherwise gone to the taxidermist. No taxidermist can capture the color and sounds of landing a trophy fish. No taxidermist.

I participate in several fishing tournaments throughout the year. I enjoy the competition and social interaction with other anglers who are equally passionate about fishing. But! I only participate in Catch and Release tournaments or tournaments with a Catch and Release division. This is my personal choice. If you want to remember and share your catch, save fish, and save money, then C.P.R..

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Montauk 2014 III: The Other Bass

Posted on by

There are two fresh bodies of water in Montuak: Fort Pond and Hidden Pond. Both ponds hold a variety of species. Fort Pond has nice shoreline access. Hidden Pond is best fished via kayak. With limited access and time, I focused my energy on Fort Pond.

Fish360 MTK 2014

You can access Fort Pond by way of the boat ramp on South Erie Street.  There are flats on either side of the boat ramp. As you face the boat ramp, the flat to the left has more vegetation and the flat to the right has more rocks embed into the bottom. The deeper water is a good cast’s distance away.

During my recongonsize, I found lots of bait on the flats. I fan casted the flats with every presentation in my AquaSkinz Cobra Bag. Not even a bump! 🙁

Fish360 MTK 2014

While wading through the flats to get into position to cast into the deeper water, I saw swans and deer. As the swans swam by, they did not twitch a feather. The deer paused, stared me down, and then galloped away.

I propelled every presentation in my bag as far as my St. Croix Mojo Bass rod would hurl them. I retrieved each presentation accordingly through the depth transition (15 feet to 5 feet) until they reached my boots. The first fish hit a spinner bait (white/chartreuse) with a white Gary Yamamoto curly tail grub. The fish jumped completely out of the water. An absolutely amazing fish! The second fish hit the same spinner bait, just a few yards down.  The bite “died”.

I quickly swithed leaders via loop-to-loop knot and sliped on a Gary Yamamotosenko (Watermelon with Black and Red Flake / 6 inch) onto my Tactical Anglers clip.  Thanks to my polarized sunglasses, I watched the third fish swim from deep water and strike my wacky rigged Gary Yamamoto senko as gravity pulled it to the pond’s muddy bottom. OMG! What an incredible display of animal aggression! The bite “died” again. 🙁

I slipped a Slug Go (Arkansas Shiner, 6 inch) onto my Tactical Anglers clip and twitched it thought the depth transition. BANG! Fish on!!

Fish360 MTK 2014

This fish had bite marks on it’s back and tail. Clearly the Walleyes in the pond were hungry!

Montauk is legendary for hunting striped bass in the Atlantic. But, it also has a great freshwater fishery. On your next trip to Montauk, be sure to pick up a copy of Long Island’s Best Freshwater Fishing by Tom Schlichter, get your New York Freshwater Fishing license and bring your freshwater gear.  When you arrive, stop by Paulie’s of Montauk!

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Canal Jigs

Posted on by

This year I decided to start fishing the dark side of the Cape Cod Canal. So I ordered some jigs from James Jewkes. The four things to consider when buying jig heads are: weight, geometry, hook, and color. For the Cape Cod Canal, I would recommend 4 oz, 5 oz, and 6 oz jigs. These three weights will work the lower portion of the water column as the tide floods or ebbs and the current changes correspondingly. The geometry of the jig head determines how the jig is going to function. For example, round heads will drop and bounce across the bottom. Flat sided jig heads swim through the water column. Pointed jig heads sink fast. Hence, the head geometry depends on what and how you want to jig. The most important component of a jig is the hook! James Jewkes’ jigs come with a strong and sharp 8/0 Mustad hook. Jig head color is important because it forms part of your presentation’s color profile. I like white, red, chartreuse, and black jig heads.

CCC_Jigs_0_575_425

I am a fan of two-tone bucktails, which are effectively Lefty Deceivers with a lead head. I tie my own bucktails because the color profiles I fish are not commercially available: chartreuse/white, blue/white, yellow/white, red/white, red/yellow, blue/green, chartreuse/yellow (a.k.a. “parot”), black/yellow, black/chartreuse, black/purple (a.k.a. “blurple”), and black/blue (a.k.a.”bluk”). Frankly, I am surprised more surfcasters do not fishy bluk jigs, which mimic black sea bass.

Fish360 Canal Jigs

Soft plastics catch fish! But, they do not cast or sink well unless they are weighted. I like to fuse soft plastics with a lot of tail action onto jig heads. This presentation casts better and can work the entire water column. When fish shun plugs and bucktails, I serve them “rubbah”!

Fish360 Canal Jigs

Mounting a soft plastic onto a large jig can be challenging. I use a power drill with a 3/8″ drill bit to bore out the tip of the soft plastic. This results in a better fit without splitting the soft plastic. I use a strong adhesive to fuse the soft plastic to the lead head.

Fish360 Canal Jigs

When you cast up-current and let your jig work the dark side of the Cape Cod Canal, you will hook fish! But, you will also lose jigs!! Buying naked jigs and tying your own bucktails or mounting soft plastics will reduce your cost by as much as 80% and give you a custom presentation!!!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Hunting Fish

Posted on by

For my last fishing trip, I researched a certain river via litterateur and Internet. I identified some fishy spots. I geared up the night before: organized my presentations, made new leaders, mounted my kayak, and stuffed all my gear into my Suburban. I got up at 4:30 AM. When I arrived at the access ramp, the number of trucks and boat trailers exceeded the parking capacity three times over! I squeezed my Suburban between two trucks with trailers and launched my kayak.

Fish360 Hunting Fish

Given all the traffic in the main river, I used Google Maps on my iPhone, which was secured via lanyard and a water proof case, to find the Oxbow. The entrance had a submerged rock with 8 inches of water above it; my kayak floated over it without a scratch. Once in the Oxbow, the hunt began.

I do not yet own a fish finder / chart plotter. So, I read the water to identify structure and measure relative water depths using old school techniques. My polarized sunglasses helped a lot; particularly when locating bait fish.

I fished frogs through a field of lily pads. Nothing! I fished frogs behind a shadow line created by 30 foot trees. Bite!! The aggressive fish swam off with one my frog’s legs!!! Fish: 1. Angler: 0.

Fish360 Hunting Fish Frog

I continued to fish in the shadows with another frog. Explosion! A fish engulfed my frog in less than two feet of water!! With my rod fully bent, the fish swam right into a stump protruding through the water’s surface!!! Fish: 2. Angler: 0.

I switched to a chartreuse-over-white, 1/2 oz Mags Lures swim jig (lead free) with a Gary Yamamotto grub. With my kayak anchored, I made a long cast into deep water (10+ feet). Nothing! I made a second cast just to the right of my first cast. Nothing!! I made a third cast just to the left of my first cast. A fish hit the jig like a freight train!!!

Fish360 Hunting Fish

The chain pickerel was full of color and without a shortage of food. It pulled the scale down to 1 lb 2 oz. I still have all my digits, thanks to my lip gripper. Fish: 2. Angler: 1.

When I hunt for fish in new waters, I carry four rods pre-rigged to fish various structures, depths, and cover/vegetation. I never know exactly what I am going to cast into or towards. I find the hunt as much fun as the catch.

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Carp Gripper Leads

Posted on by

Sliding sinkers (a.k.a. “leads”) are common in carp fishing. Their primary function is to allow the carp to swim way with the bait in it’s mouth without feeling the weight of the lead. A carp gripper lead does this and more!

Carp Gripper Lead

Carp gripper leads are multi-functional. They hold bottom without rolling. They feed carp. And they allow the line to pass without resistance.

Carp Gripper Lead

Commercial bait mixes are available.  I make my own with one can of cream corn, one cup of corn meal, and a 1/4 cup of Oats. I add just enough water to get these ingredients to adhere.  Carp chum! 😉

Obtaining carp gripper leads in the U.S.A. is unfortunately challenging. They are not readily available is most bait and tackle shops or online stores. However, they are available from Wacker Baits in 2 oz, 3 oz, and 4 oz.

Why use mono-functional lead? Increase your hook up rates by using a multi-function lead. Fish carp gripper leads!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

YakAttack Ram Tube 2008 Rod Holder

Posted on by

I use the YakAttack Zooka Tube rod holders for holding my rods in the front of my kayak. LOVE them! I have been using PVC pipe rod holders on my milk create to store my rods in the back. HATE them! I almost disconnected my right shoulder on a trip trying to insert a rod into one of the PVC pipes. That night I ordered RAM® 2008 Composite tubes with 1.5″ screwballs from YakAttack.

YakAttack RAM® 2008 Composite Tube

The tube has a diameter of 1 7/8 inches and a depth of 9 3/4 inches. Hence, it can accommodate a wide range of rods. The tube also has two modeled holes for clipping a lanyard.  It is only currently available in black.

I really like the screw ball mount because it allows me to quickly secure the rod holder to the Yakattack Mighty Mount behind my seat. The screw ball allows you to adjust the angle of the tube. But, frankly I would not recommend using this rod holder for trolling. The bottom of the tube is closed. Hence, when a fish strikes, the rod butt will not provide full leverage. When trolling, leverage is what sets the hook. For trolling, I recommend the YakAttack Zooka Tube rod holders.

When I started kayak fishing, I had one rod and no rod holders. I now kayak fish with four rods and four rod holders. Having my rods pre-rigged, untangled, easily accessible, and ready to cast has helped me to catch more fish!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Fish360 Journal 5.5

Posted on by

Fish360 Journal 5.5 is now live! This release is overflowing with fishy features!

Fish360 Journal 5.5

SUN, MOON, TIDE, WEATHER
The sun, moon, tide, and weather all influence your fishing. To learn how they can impact your fishing, you need to record data for 15 parameters when you catch a fish. I personally would rather spend more time fishing than record keeping. In this release, when you add a fish, the sun, moon, tide, and weather information is now automatically collected and saved with your fish!

SPOTS
One of my favorite features of the Fish360 Journal is spots. Having the ability to collect photos and notes on my spots and centralize them in my journal is a huge time saver. I have limited memory in my brain! Too many spots and too many subtle details to recall. In this release, when you add a new spot, the LAT and LONG fields are now automatically populated with your current location. For example, when you find a new hole in the Cape Cod Canal or a new drop off in your favorite river or lake, you can now create a spot and the LAT and LONG will automatically saved with your newly found spot.

Fish360 Journal 5.5

REPORTS
The only reason to keep a fishing journal is to find patterns. In addition to using Search to find patterns, you can now use Reports. In this release we have added four reports that will help you visualize patterns: Time of Year, Spots, Presentations, and Moon Phase. You can generate these reports for all time and all species or limit them to a specific date range and species.

We are working on additional reports to help you identify additional patterns. One of them is wicked fishy!

PRIVACY
By default, your Fish360 Journal account is private. No other subscriber can see your data. In this release, you can now choose to share your fish catch data with organisations that manage and contribute to the recreational fishing. By providing organisations like NOAA and your local state fisheries department with your fish catch data, they can better manage our fisheries by making data-driven decisions. A well managed fishery helps the fish and anglers. It’s a win/win! 😉

Fish360 Journal 5.5

USABILITY
We are always looking for ways to improve the usability of Fish360 Journal. In this release, we have made some small, but significant improvements. First, we added content specific icons for Trips, Fish, Spots, Gear, Searches, and Reports. Second, the species field on Fish, Spots, Search, and Reports now auto-suggests species as you type. Thirdly, the fish caught date now defaults to trip start date. And fourthly, the web app no saves your login credentials. This allows you to switch between apps on your device without having to re-login. Very convenient!

The Fish360 Journal Angler Edition gives you access to all the functionality for FREE. The Angler Edition only limits the number of trips, fish, spots, gear, photos, searches, and photos you can create. You can now upgrade to the Fish360 Pro Angler Edition for unlimited content for only $10.00 per month. Subscribe today for FREE and start identifying patterns!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Dragon Tail Lanyards

Posted on by

Lanyards are gear items that are often forgotten.  If remembered, low cost ones are often used.  After almost losing my expensive waterproof digital camera of into the Poseidon’s abode, I ordered my first Dragon Tail Lanyard from Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk.

Fish360 Dragon Tail Lanyards

The Dragon Tail Lanyards are the real deal.  They are rated at 200 lbs each.  I now have four.  Would I ever carry 800 lbs with me?  No.  But, when it comes to guaranteeing that I will not lose my camera, pliers, knife, and Rapala lock-n-load lip gripper / scale, I’ll take the strongest Lanyards on the market!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Fishing Gear Testing

Posted on by

As an all species and all methods angler, I have no shortage of fishing gear. There is a reason why my Chevrolet Suburban sleeps outside! I am very selective about my fishing gear. I research all my gear before I buy it. I then exploit my science and technology background to field test my newly purchased gear. I target trophy fish. Gear failure is not an option.

  • Gear

I have worked with several entrepreneurs and companies. My constructive feedback has allowed them to refine their products. If you have a new or existing product that you would like field tested, drop me a line.

Facebooktwitterlinkedin

GoTight.Net ~ 2016

Posted on by

GoTight.Net runs annual catch and release tournaments for striped bass. We are proud to have Jonathan O’Connor and Josh Foster from our Surf Team competing in this years’s GoTight.Net Surfcasters’ Classic and Cow Hunt.

GoTight.Net

Jonathan O’Connor learned how to surfcast from his father 30 years ago. Since his first trip to Race Point, he has been refining his craft. His systematic and high energy approach helped him realize his personal best: a 47 lb striped bass that engulfed a live eel during a dark night from a jetty on the South Shore of Massachusetts. He likes to fish the entire water column with his Century rods and Van Staal reels spooled with Suffix 832 braid. But, his favorite genre of plugs is pencil poppers. His Flatlander bag is never without a Guppy a pencil popper, or two, or three! 😉 On rare occasions, he has been spotted surfcasting without a wet suit.

Jonathan O'Connor

Jonathan O’Connor practices selective harvest. He releases all BIG breading fish and keeps a couple of legal size fish each season to enjoy with his family. When competing, he only fishes tournaments with a catch and release division or category. His passion for surfcasting can be seen in his smile as he watches a large fish swim away.

Josh Foster has been fishing for 20+ years. His method of choice is Surfcasting with Century rods and Van Staal and ZeeBaaS reels spooled with Spider Wire Invisibraid. He stuffs his Flatlander bag with wood, plastic, and metal presentations fish the entire water column. His go-to plugs to fish the water column are: Linesider69 needlefish, Super Strike darter, and Bomber swimmers, and Diawa SP Minnows.

Josh Foster

Josh Foster is a classic trophy hunter practicing CPR (Capture, Picture, Release). When he fishes tournaments, he only submits fish to the catch and release division or category. With the aid of his log, he landed his personal best: a striped bass with a 49.5″ length and a 31″ girth.  This fish (with a calculated weight of 53.17 lbs) was landed on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The fish swam away to spawn another day.

In addition to their combined 50+ years of fishing experience and top gear, Jonathan O’Connor and Josh Foster will be utilizing a novel tool while fishing the GoTight.Net tournaments: Fish360 Journal!

Facebooktwitterlinkedin