Ultimate Kayak Fishing

Well, we did it. The 1st Annual Block Island Fishing Tournament, that is. And, I can honestly say I have never seen/paddled in rougher or higher seas. The swells on Friday were in the 8 - 11 foot range, generated from the offshore hurricane by Bermuda. The island had five times as many surfers as kayakers! Small craft advisories were in effect.

However, my friend Kevin and I paddled the west side out of the Great Salt Pond on Friday evening into the darkness. I had four hookups that evening, and three were substantial fish. The problem for me was that because the surf was so big, by the time I would reposition my kayak to handle it, then grab the rod to fight the fish, I hadn't set the hook properly and it was off in a minute or two. However, I mentioned to Kevin that if you could simply put out of your mind the distinct possibility of death, it was really quite beautiful out there watching the sun go down over the mighty surf.

The plan was to fish RI waters today but after hearing the forecast last night we decide to meet at Stonington Point to check out the conditions.
We met at 4:30 AM and made the decision to stay in Stonington with the wind blowing and predicted to pick up. Launching from the commercial docks we went right to the Point where Rol quickly hooked up with a few fish to 32". After spending some time at the Pt. we made the decision to paddle over to the lighthouse near Latimer's Reef, something we've been wanting to do and with the weathermen screwing up yet again, the conditions were right. Along the way we marked a few spots that seemed very fishy, especially at night with some eels. Once at the lighthouse we began trolling around the lighthouse and through the beautiful rip along side which held many, many, BIG fish,... Register here to read more stories like this

Riding the Waves to Safety

The skies were clear with a gentle southwesterly breeze that was ticking the anemometer at 5 knots. The tide was on the turn and I was paddling to one of my favorite fishing holes, especially during these types of conditions. As always the case, prior to setting course, I checked the marine weather to ensure there were no changes in the forecast. This was going to be a good night. I could just feel it.

Ultimate Kayak Fishing (UKF) staff arrived at King Cove Marina around noon on Friday to put the Rodeo Packages together. Afterwards we headed to Captain Tim´s for dinner, a big thanks to Kevin & Don (King Cove) for feeding us and putting up with our fishing stories. That night, the Massachusetts Minutemen were slaying mid 30 to low 40 inch fish in Stonington Harbor with four monster fish coming in that night. Too bad the tournament didn´t begin for another 6 hours.

Left the ramp Saturday morning prepared for a full day of fishing. Almost immediately I got something in my left eye, sunscreen, bug, salt water, I’m not sure what. I wiped at it with my fingers and finally with a clean handkerchief but no good, It was hurtin for certain. I had some Visine in my PFD pocket and dumped some in, all that did was ease the pain momentarily then it was back. Tears running down the front of me, I pulled into the first island, Ruffle Bar. Wiped everything with a clean towel and added more Visine.

Read more ...

UKF made a strong showing at Jamaica Bay May 5-7, with Robert H taking 3rd place in the open division with a beautiful 33" inch Weakfish. Weakfish was what we came for and big Weakfish is what we caught. Although this tournament took place only last weekend, the planning began many months ago with the outfitting of the Kayaks with rod holders, trolley systems, and electronics. Jamaica Bay, a little slice of heaven amongst a concrete jungle, is located on the south eastern side of Brooklyn, New York, and is noted for the early arrival of Striped Bass, Bluefish, and big Weakfish.