The short report: tons of schoolies and some rumors of bigger bass along the south shore beaches. There were no birds marking them, but the bass were (and still are) right in the wash. I'm using white A-17s, but bucktsils are probably working too.
The "kayak fishing" part:
It would be an understatement to say that the events of 2020 affected people's lives. To say that this year affected people's lives differently would be much more accurate. I say that because for those of us who enjoy the peace and solitude of fishing in some of Long Island's more remote locations, the spring quarrantine and drop-off in commercial traffic that transformed the East End of Long Island presented an opportunity. For millions of others, it brought pain, so out of respect I feel compelled to begin with that acknowledgment. It's been hard for everyone.
For Misfit Kayak Fishing Team, it presented an opportunity to easily enter more "online" tournaments, since nobody was going to be meeting anywhere in person for tournaments anyway. We entered four: The New England Kayak Classic, The Fisherman Coastal Kayak Clash (technically still running as I write this), The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation's All American Fishing Tournament (also open to boats), and the Kayak Division of The Striper Cup. I'm a striped bass guy all day long. Fishing with teammates enabled me to broaden my skill set when it came to landing stripers, but this was the first time I got outside of my comfort zone and began targeting other species. The NPCF tournament and the Fisherman's Coastal Kayak Clash rewarded the pursuit of other species that I would typically disregard, like sea bass, fluke, bluefish, and even sea robins. I was fishing HARD at Montauk for sea Robin in August during the day while I was trying to avoid the sharks there at night. It was a LOT of fun!
Each of us on the team was affected differently: Ian is a young guy with an infant son and he just changed jobs. He didn't get to fish much this summer. Alan fishes back bay mostly, but never got into any of the tournaments (even though they played to his strengths, in my opinion)
. People react differently. Pete ("Pistol" Pete Kelly) jumped in with me and together we had a great season. Though we only got out together about a half dozen times between March and November, Pete finished #4 in New York State in the kayak division of The Striper Cup. Because we could be in the same tournaments and still live almost 3 hours apart, we still got to compete together. Misfit Kayak Fishing took two of the top 3 spots in the striped bass division and 3rd in the fluke division of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation Tournament (All proceeds were donated back to the Foundation.) We took second place in the New England Kayak Classic, and I finished in third place in the kayak division of the Striper Cup. Hats off to Pat Sachetta, who crushed it this year in the Cup. I couldn't touch him. Presently, I'm still competing in the Coastal Kayak Clash for a few days longer and hoping for a big bluefish. In seasons past, I'd be packing my stuff or switching over to winter kayak fishing on the Housatonic. Instead, Misfit Kayak Fishing is still getting out there and competing.
This weekend we left the kayaks at home, filled a cooler and hit the beaches for an end-of-season celebration. Pete brought his dogs. We ate like kings, drank like sailors, and surfcasted like we knew what we were doing. We're always competitive, so it was fitting that by the end of the day we both finished with exactly 21 bass. Anything else, and I think we'd both still be out there fishing.?
From the Misfit Kayak Fishing Team to everyone: Happy Thanksgiving and our best wishes for health and happiness as this crazy year comes to an end.
The "kayak fishing" part:
It would be an understatement to say that the events of 2020 affected people's lives. To say that this year affected people's lives differently would be much more accurate. I say that because for those of us who enjoy the peace and solitude of fishing in some of Long Island's more remote locations, the spring quarrantine and drop-off in commercial traffic that transformed the East End of Long Island presented an opportunity. For millions of others, it brought pain, so out of respect I feel compelled to begin with that acknowledgment. It's been hard for everyone.
For Misfit Kayak Fishing Team, it presented an opportunity to easily enter more "online" tournaments, since nobody was going to be meeting anywhere in person for tournaments anyway. We entered four: The New England Kayak Classic, The Fisherman Coastal Kayak Clash (technically still running as I write this), The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation's All American Fishing Tournament (also open to boats), and the Kayak Division of The Striper Cup. I'm a striped bass guy all day long. Fishing with teammates enabled me to broaden my skill set when it came to landing stripers, but this was the first time I got outside of my comfort zone and began targeting other species. The NPCF tournament and the Fisherman's Coastal Kayak Clash rewarded the pursuit of other species that I would typically disregard, like sea bass, fluke, bluefish, and even sea robins. I was fishing HARD at Montauk for sea Robin in August during the day while I was trying to avoid the sharks there at night. It was a LOT of fun!
Each of us on the team was affected differently: Ian is a young guy with an infant son and he just changed jobs. He didn't get to fish much this summer. Alan fishes back bay mostly, but never got into any of the tournaments (even though they played to his strengths, in my opinion)
This weekend we left the kayaks at home, filled a cooler and hit the beaches for an end-of-season celebration. Pete brought his dogs. We ate like kings, drank like sailors, and surfcasted like we knew what we were doing. We're always competitive, so it was fitting that by the end of the day we both finished with exactly 21 bass. Anything else, and I think we'd both still be out there fishing.?
From the Misfit Kayak Fishing Team to everyone: Happy Thanksgiving and our best wishes for health and happiness as this crazy year comes to an end.
