Oops! That's not supposed to happen!

Saturday, May 24, 2014, 6 pm

     I posted on our kayak fishing club's private email board the other night about possibly launching at Ninigret Pond's "East Beach Parking Area". There are 4 spaces each on the left and right at the first parking entrance before the fenced area. After a certain time (11 pm), that main area gets chained off.

     Anyways, shortly after I got geared up, I was joined by fellow RISAA - Kayak members Mo Rodriguez & Don Goodroe, which after a short walk across the parking lot, we headed down to the water's edge with our kayaks in tow and launched at what appeared to be almost high tide. We then paddled out to Hall Point, which was about 2.25 miles away. Once we got there, there was another boat with 2 men using fly fishing gear on a small skiff anchored in a shallow cove with a depth of about 2.5 ft. The cinder worms were barely present but the fish were making their presence known by splashing around at the very top of the water. They were everywhere!

     We stayed until about 8:30 pm and started to head back. The wind was picking up while the clouds thickened. Our paddle back seemed longer because the wind was in our faces. Mo asked for an assist in turning on her mast light so we could be seen on the way back to the launch area. Don turned on his own custom made light. Then, I went to turn on my light, and all I got was nothing. WTF!  That's not supposed to happen! Fresh batteries were installed last week, so I didn't know what the problem was. We decided to hug the East Beach shoreline on the way back because the depth was barely 2 ft deep. I turned on my red/green bow light just for some type of illumination. Oncoming boaters, if there were to be any at all, would have to pass on MY right, while the left was off limits because Mo had the right-of-way.

     After we got back and all loaded up, I took apart my mast light to check the batteries, and found that the last battery was corroded and starting to leak. Also, I checked the lights, there are 2 small LEDs, one of which was completely burned out. I thought that to be somewhat odd because the mast is always stored under the rear seat of my truck. And, the top portion of the mast is sealed with an O-ring gasket, but I've never even had it in, or near the water. Even odder than that, LED bulbs take forever to burn out. That mast was only 4 years old!

     I  never thought that one day I would have to use my own idea and make my own lighted mast with safety flag! These ideas I come up with are for the frugal kayak fisherman who has a limited budget.

     I did make the new mast but used the old flag off the old mast. I like the old flag because it's big, which makes you more visible out on the water. The mast was made by YakAttack and cost around $75 at the time. The mast I made cost about $35 - less than half of what the original mast cost! I do think that the light I chose is a lot brighter than the old mast light. The new light is powered by 3 "AAA" batteries, and is also a single LED lamp.

    As for the action, you may ask? Mo was the only one who caught two schoolie Stripers that night in the 12" - 15" range at 7:30 pm. These are the two she caught out of her own kayak for the first time in saltwater since joining RISAA - Kayak last year (2013).

[Photo credit above: Jeff Hall]

Harbor Landing - Lynn,MA

     Located in Lynn,MA sits a nice launch spot for kayak fishermen looking to fish in a cove with quick access to the Saugus River.

     Enter: Harbor Landing. Located off of the Blossom Street Extension off Route 1A (Lynnway) in Lynn,MA. This launch ramp has plenty of parking for 25 trailer spots, is town owned, and open to all.

     After visiting the Massachusetts Energy & Environmental Affairs page, they have some additional info to provide: * All of the ramps are either state, private, or municipally managed.  Many ramps charge fees.  Some have residency requirements.

     Here's a view of the parking area. To the left of the dark colored car at the bottom left, that area is fenced off, as well as the perimeter of the lot.

     This is another view of the boat ramp and the street extension which appears to be located in an industrial area.

     This is an aerial view of the area located on the Broad Sound just inside Boston's harbor area. There's a lot of shallow areas in the cove. Perfect place for a little night fishing adventure. At the top center of the pic (near the 1A route number), that building with the white roof is where the launch ramp is located. The darker areas are the deep spots, the shallow areas are highlighted in beige.

     For a better weather forecast for that area of Boston, go here: http://www.boatma.com/bostoner.html

Third Beach - Middletown,RI

     On an outing last year with our kayak fishing group, the "Kayak Committee", a sub-club within the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, I had the chance to visit a new launch site that I've never been to.

     Located in Newport County, RI on the Sakonnet River inside the southern portion of the Narragansett Bay lies a hidden gem for kayak anglers, and it's called Third Beach.

     Third Beach is located on the island of Newport,RI which is accessible via a pay toll - both to & from the island. Cost is based on $2.00 per axle. Example: a 4x4 truck is $4.00 one way, and $8.00 round trip, as of 2013.

    Third Beach is also hot spot for beach goers and paddle enthusiasts. Kayaks and stand up paddle boards are available for an additional fee. Those wishing to fish out of their kayaks, must get there before 8 am, otherwise they will face an additional fee just to park there.

     In the photo below that was taken in the fall, it does not show the guard shack at the entrance to the parking area, but it also shows that though there is a lot of land, only half is paved while the other is grassy.
     Do your best to get here early, as the parking lot tends to get overcrowded by 11 am in a hurry.
    

     Here's another aerial view (below) of the launch site on the center/left, along with the area we fished at on the tip of the cove area (center). The white markings in the middle are actually rocky reefs, as is the rocky coastline heading south from the tip of the land mass, a favorite spot for all kinds of fish - Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, Blackfish, and Tautog.

     * When the wind picks up, head in quickly, because the swells near the reefs can get dangerous!

     My Eagle fish finder was literally covered in black because of the massive amounts of fish in the area near the tip of the cove. I had several strikes on tube rigs and eel rigs. There aren't too many outings that I've been on that get me excited, but this was one of them! I will try to get out there before the season's end in the Fall 2014..

     The pathway on the land's mass is part of a nature preserve with walking trails for bird watchers, and an observation tower at the tip.

   

Pleasure Beach Boat Launch - Waterford,CT

     I've mentioned in the past about local boat ramps that I use to go fishing nearby, all within a tri-state area (Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts), and this is my first post on that.

     I first heard about this launch site when I had hire a new guy to remove snow off my 600+ ft driveway. We got on the subject of fishing from a kayak and how the launch ramp I was using was not the greatest to access the Long Island Sound. The outgoing tide coming out of the Niantic Cove, Niantic,CT was dangerous, to say the least. So, he mentioned that he launches from a small boat launch area in nearby Waterford,CT off of Dock Rd. Because we fish at dusk, parking is free.

     Here's a brief description of the area:
     

Pleasure Beach

Pleasure Beach is one of the many beaches in Waterford, Connecticut. It is located at the end of Dock Road. Not only does Pleasure Beach have a beach, it is also the location of a public boat launch. Pleasure beach is part private and part public. The membership cost for a family of four is $825.00, which includes the new member fee of $500.00; this is for the first 3 installments – total cost is $1,500.00; the assessment fee of $250.00; this includes 2 free badges per household, the extra badges fee of $50.00, and a $25.00 cost for each additional badge; children of eight and over are required to wear a badge, and the voting member fee, which is $25.00 for one person to vote. To become a member you have to live in certain boundaries. The private side membership includes attendance to all beach activities. Some activities in the past are cocktail parties, beach cleanup at the start of the season, sand castle contests, and an annual beach picnic. The public side is marked and is open to the public with a path down to the beach and a parking lot a short walk down.


     Let's take a look at the area (West). This is the Pleasure Beach Boat Launch located off of Dock Road, which is a short paddle across Jordan Cove to the warm water run off behind Millstone Power Plant. Ample parking is located to the left when you pull in. Restrooms are across the parking area. A smaller parking area is reserved for the beach residents only. Located to the left of the boat ramp, this is a hot spot for surf fishermen that fish off the rocks. Pleasure Beach is situated to the far left of the photo below.

     Here's an aerial view (North) of the boat ramp and of Jordan Cove. The small bridge connects to the boat launch area is extremely narrow and has a weight limit.

     And, here's another aerial view (North) of the boat launch (far right), including Jordan Cove (mid top center/top right), and Millstone Power Plant (far left). The beige colorings show the shallow spots in the cove area, while the darker hues show the deep spots within Jordan Cove.

     A hot spot for fishing activities is at the mouth of the warm water run off behind Millstone Power Plant which is a known hangout for Striped Bass & Bluefish.

So...., has "Mother Nature" finally decided to play nice this Summer?

     After a rather soggy start this year for fishing season, 11+" for June last month, we finally see the sun return for a few days in anticipation of our next outing at Fort Wetherell in Jamestown,RI on July 9th.

     Lately, I haven't been on here writing as much, because of the lousy wet start to fishing season. Though I have been out by myself a few times this year, the fishing has been dismal to say the least. Even though there wasn't any rain to deal with, the wind has been relentless lately, causing sea swells to reach 4-6 ft in height. So, I paddled around 2 salt ponds in RI - Ninigret Pond & Quonochonotaug Pond.

     However, when it rains, I came up with a bunch of new designs featuring a kayak fishing theme. They are up for sale in my Cafe Press store, "CORE 860", and have been steadily increasing in sales. Some are sold by region. So, if you don't see your region, feel free to message me and I will set out and create a region or country for you.

     When I participated in the "Rhode Island Saltwater Show" this March, I waited until the last day to scoop up some deals from Salty's Saltwater Plug Kits. I picked up 5 "Bomber" kits, which are now discontinued from their kit line up. I opened up one of the kits to begin waterproofing it. Though, there is literally no way to 100% waterproof the plug because water will manage to get in there somehow. So far, I have 2 good smooth coats of clear on it. I have a perfectionist attitude, so I want it to look sharp and mistake-free (no drips or runs).
     I have a design in mind, but I need to practice getting it down just right. It will require the use of a few stencils that I rarely use but should add some depth and dimension to the surface.

    So far, this is the only pic I have from June 8th's "Meet & Greet at Goddard Memorial Park" in East Greenwich,RI.. The day started out with sun & clouds, which was nice at first, but the wind picked up and pretty much blew me out of the cove. But it was probably the nicest day the Kayak Committee ever had, with a good turn out, and plenty of good conversation about how we all rigged our kayaks for fishing.

    My gear basket got many good compliments about how clean and well built it was. I told everyone who asked, that I can't take full credit for the setup. I merely told them that I borrowed the idea from another person ("Gramps") on Ultimate Kayak Fishing and adapted my own little tricks such as: the Lip Gripper holster, the addition of Reflective Tape to the sides of the top box, and Acrylic Sheeting inside the top box portion to keep the fish hooks from getting caught in the rungs of the top box.
    Others commented on the fact that my sonar's transducer is located inside my kayak's hull, along with a small 12v marine battery inside a dry bag. I mentioned, that whenever I beach it, whether it's sandy or full of stones, I know my transducer will be protected because it's located inside the hull, and has no problem reading as deep as 600 ft..

 
     Pic taken by me. My kayak is the beige-colored one on the end at the far right with the big orange flag.

The "New England Saltwater Show 2013" was a huge success!

     A year ago, I joined a fishing club in RI called the "Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association" (RISAA) after attending a saltwater show at the Providence Convention Center. It was a huge show that encompassed everything saltwater - baits, jigs, flies, saltwater plug kits, fishing rods, reels, charter boats, boats, trucks, jet skis, kayaks, navigation equipment, maps, trophy catches, and more!

     I picked up a magazine that turned out to be the club's newsletter. Inside, I found out that they had their own kayak fishing-based club called, the "Kayak Committee".  I met up with the group at Goddard Memorial Park in East Greenwich,RI . I was approached by the chairman of the committee, David Pollack *, and was asked if I'd want to join. Of course, I said, "yes", since none of my friends would join me on a fishing outing.  * David Pollack is also the chairman for the Fly Fishing Committee and the Surfcasters Committee, too. 

     Here in this pic, this is David, in the blue shirt with red suspenders, working the Fly Fishing Committee booth at the show teaching a young boy how to tie his own fly. Our Kayak Committee booth is on the right.

     After being in the club for a year, I have attended some of the free seminars on the last Monday of every month. I've also gotten more involved with the club's activities. One of which was the "New England Saltwater Show at the Providence Convention Center, Mar.8-10, 2013.

     What made this show extra special this year is that for the first time in the show's 10 year run, this was the first time the "Kayak Committee" was offered a booth within this massive show. Two of our members provided their own kayaks, so the public could come and get a close up look what each kayak could do once it's outfitted with the right components to get the job done.
     One kayak was a yellow Ocean Kayak "Torque" (owned by Dave Guilliano) with the motor in the stern, gear basket, lighted safety flag, GPS/Sonar, trailer/dolly, and multiple Scotty mounts. The other was a orange Wilderness Systems "Tarpon 120" (owned by David Pollack) that was set up for saltwater fly fishing, which also had a GPS/Sonar, several Scotty mounts, anchor trolley, trailer/dolly, and a lighted mast.

     Dave Guilliano, owner of the Ocean Kayak "Torque" was also doing free seminars with another Committee member, Bob Oberg, on "Targeting big Striped Bass off Block Island,RI." at the main stage at the opposite end of the show. So periodically, we had to move the tables, so he could lug his kayak to the main stage area.

     There was myself and two other members of the club manning the booth during our selected weekend shifts. Mo brought her laptop with a Power Point Presentation of all the selected Kayak Committee Outings that we ventured on. David Pollack & Wade Diehl brought their LCD Photo Frames to showcase past outing successes too. Although, I opted to stay 4 - 5, I ended up staying 8 -10 hours - long after my shift was over - including the break down portion of the show on late Sunday afternoon.

     During the show on Saturday, I was starting to lose my voice trying to explain to people what a "Gear Basket" looked like. So, on Sunday, committee member, Mo brought her gear basket and lighted safety mast with flag that I made for her, as a demo piece. Several people commented on it stating that I should "sell" the idea online. I noted that the initial idea was borrowed online from a forum site, and could also be found on this blog page on Google's Blogger.

     Here in this pic, I'm demonstrating the storage space within the gear basket, and the reasons why I made the modifications - including what key items I carry inside the lower gear basket portion.

     I just incorporated my own ideas into making it better, such as: reflective tape on the upper "Go-To Lure Box", the holster for the floating fish pliers (with recoil cord so the pliers don't get lost), bungee attachment cover system, and the Homemade Lighted Safety Mast with Flag (which costs less than $30 to make).    Others were blown away at how many items could be nestled into such a small space. Although I referred to it as a "Gear Basket with the Go-To Lure Box", by the end of the show, I was calling it the "All-in-One Tackle Station".

     Here in this pic, I'm showing a potential new member the added benefit of having a lighted safety mast with flag and a removable mast light when it's not needed. 

     In the end, we managed to garner 15 new people who were interested in joining our committee, which would bring the committee membership from 35 members, to a total of 50+ members! It was a great show and I'm hoping we can bring more kayaks and more members to next year's show to help participate. This will go to show the people that you don't need a big boat to catch big fish. We, too, can get the same results by doing it from a kayak!!!

New shirts for people that fish out of kayaks!

     I have an insane passion for kayak fishing. And, it's a little more insane than the usual kayak angler. For one, I have 2 Facebook accounts. One is for myself, and the other is for my fan page, "CORE 860", which is a site that highlights my adventures outdoors. I used to do a lot of 4 wheeling when I was younger, but between vehicle breakdowns, land closures and developmental building, those fundamentals alone have pretty much ruined that hobby.
   
     So, I turned back to my original passion for fishing. I wanted to fish, but not from shore. All the good fish don't hang out near the shore. They're in hiding amongst the lily pads, or under docks or mooring points, places you can only get to if you have a boat or a kayak.
   
     I sold 2 vehicles and purchased my first kayak (that's me pictured on the right inset picture), a Hobie Outback with the Mirage-Drive pedal system. It is 12 feet long, can hold up to 400 lbs of gear, and can be used on ponds, lakes, and inshore fishing. Though, I prefer to use mine in saltwater, I also use it on freshwater ponds and lakes close to home. I often carry a digital camera with me and take photographs of what I see and then post the photos in a special album on my fan page on Facebook.

     At one time I had an online store where I sold outdoor equipment. I had it up and running for a little over 5 years. After no sales were made, I wisely closed the shop. The wholesale vendor I was using ended up being a total waste of time.  I eventually closed the shop portion, but kept the site open as a personal outdoor blog, until about October 2010, then I discontinued the website altogether.

     But, I had always envisioned myself selling decals and shirts. I had loads of ideas of what I wanted to sell, and most of the ideas were sport-related niche ideas - fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, 4 wheeling, and kayaking.

     So, I turned to Cafe Press, an online designer of all things tangible that can be printed on. Shirts, mugs, clocks, cell phone cases, etc.. I opened up my first premium shop in 2007, "CORE 860", and have had over 2000 sales - all with no returns ever. People from all over the world can buy my merchandise because Cafe Press does the inventory stocking, printing, shipping, and credit card transactions. All I have to do is provide the ideas. I have a very goofy mind, almost child-like in a way, at coming up with the most bizarre concepts, and oddly enough, the people who buy my products are mostly women! I guess I'm not the only one who thinks like this either!!!  I try to keep most of my focus on products that are family friendly.

     Just out of curiosity, I entered into the search box at the top of the screen, "kayak fishing", just to see if anybody made shirts or decals relating to this subject. A moment later, the search results turned up products that had to do with either kayaking, or fishing, but rarely a product turned up for "Kayak Fishing" . I mean, there were a few (well, very few) that were somewhat about kayak fishing.

     So, I had an idea. There are many people around the world that kayak fish in the country that they live in. So, I figured, why not place a custom design on the front of the shirt, and then place an all new country-based design on the back of the shirt. I had 8 countries, and 2 sub-regions, already written down, so I set out to my favorite online font generator, and proceeded to design some new font styles to use on my shirts.
     Now, Cafe Press already has a myriad of different fonts at their disposal, but the fonts I use are, in my opinion, better than what Cafe Press has to offer. Although, there are a few designs that do incorporate their font styles like: Garamond, Futura, and Ticonderoga, that are already in use on some of my designs.

     I have 5 designs that I use on my shirts: "Gut Fish?", "Master Baiter", "Saltwater Soldier", "Walkin' the Dog!", and "Fish or Die!". All of these come in Long Sleeve Shirts & Short Sleeve Shirts for both Men & Women - in your choice of Black or White shirts.

     The countries that have available for "Kayak Fishing" are:

     American Kayak Angler
     Australian Kayak Angler
     British Kayak Angler
     Canadian Kayak Angler
     Irish Kayak Angler
     New Zealand Kayak Angler
     Scottish Kayak Angler
     Puerto Rican Kayak Angler

     And, 2 sub-regions - one for the southern folks, and one for the New Englanders:

     North East Kayak Anglers (New England-based)
     Rebel Kayak Anglers
     
     I also have an extensive array decals for kayak fishing, 4 wheeling, kayaking, fishing, and other outdoor-related activities.

     To visit my store on Cafe Press, please click the link here:
http://www.cafepress.com/core860_store