Fishing deep is going to be your key to July Fish of the Month honors.
With the Coastal Kayak Clash and the Dreamboat running concurrently, there is a lot to consider when trying to net the ‘fish of the month’ prizes. Of course, if you want to come out on top, some degree of time will be needed to be donated to the contest of your liking, if not both! Time isn’t everything though — with some proper planning of course.
As a subscriber to The Fisherman Magazine, you’re automatically eligible for both our Dream Boat Challenge and Coastal Kayak Clash, you will need to opt in on the Kayak Clash on our website though. Aside from the grand prizes that both these contests boast, we also offer ‘fish of the month’ prizes which can be taken with the largest of the selected species for that month. The Dream Boat highlights fluke for a potential prize of an Accurate Tern Star Drag Fishing Reel along with a Global Fish Mount and the Clash puts the spotlight on sea bass for a $100 Gift Certificate to YakAttack.com for the month of July. Of course, fishing off a boat and kayak requires different techniques and plans of attack to being successful.
Dream Boat Fluke
While catching the largest fluke in the Dream Boat Challenge in July won’t guarantee you the 25-foot Steiger Craft, it will award you with a sweet reel and a beautiful mount of a fluke.
Time does go a long way in fishing but using time wisely goes even further. Key windows of opportunity should be focused on and can give you better odds at landing a large qualifying fluke. Plan trips to Montauk or the Nantucket Shoals, Cape May Reef, or Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays for your doormat fluke. All these areas during July notoriously surrender large fish and personal bests for many. Also, keep in mind when fishing these spots to up your bait sizes. A large fluke can open its mouth quite wide and will have no trouble taking down the biggest of artificial grubs or strip baits. Any trophy hunter won’t leave the dock without GULP!, Z-Man DoormatadorZ or Fishbites. Most boats on these large fish trips will have an ample supply of bait. I still recommend calling them beforehand to find out what they will carry. When in doubt, bring along some bluefish or mackerel fillets and whole squid if you can get your hands on some.
Clash Sea Bass
Using a kayak offers so many advantages that many are unaware of. The use of such craft allows you to launch virtually anywhere you can carry or wheel it to, you don’t have to worry about the same maintenance issues you would with a boat and you can fish tight to visible structure with ease.
Right away when you think about using a kayak to catch a big sea bass to qualify for the ‘fish of the month’ in the Clash one body of water clearly comes to mind — the Long Island Sound. This large portion of water has potential from the western New York City reaches to eastern portions of Connecticut, Block Island Sound, and beyond Rhode Island. The great part is most of this water is fishable by kayak on the right days. Be mindful of the current that runs through these areas. It can be swift and deceiving at times. Have your wits about you because in a matter of minutes you can potentially drift several hundred yards which in kayak, is significant.
The waters in the Sound drop off deep rather quickly. This trait of the Sound has made it a great sea bass spot in recent years. A good fishfinder will show you structure in the water that sea bass will cling to. Fishing the 30- to 50-foot depths will put you in the prime ground for the knuckleheads. Employ tactics such as jigging and bait fishing. I have taken large sea bass using both methods. Personally, I prefer jigging, being that a large sea bass puts up quite a fight after ferociously striking a jig.
Always be mindful when kayak fishing, it can be easy to forget how far off the shore you wander in such a small craft. Painstakingly watch your weather forecast and keep track of your tides. Also, have an emergency preparation plan just in case.
