Kayak fishing Joppa Flatts last Night and

[tattoobob]

As I am paddling along minding my own business trolling a tube and worm motor boats everywhere this clown decides to motor right behind me picks up my line and starts to spool me I grabbed the rod and now I am being pulled sideways, holding the rod in one hand as the line screams off I grabbed my pliers and try to cut the line as its going 20 miles an hour off the spool success after the third try. I paddled up to my son and told him what happened and lit up a Lucky Strike until the shacking stopped. lucky that I only lost a third of the spool so I could still fish. Fish were every where big fish to but they didn't want anything to do with the tube and worm.

[BassDawg]

ironworkin' buddy of m,ine throws nuthin' but eeeeels there!

and he's yakked two 50's and his podnah has a 60 and the two of them have several 40's from Joppa. trick is to slap the water a bit to get them to move, cast beyond them, to their backside, and then bring right on top of their snouts,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oh yeah, and HOLD AWWWN once you do!!

sorry about the mommalukes snagging your line. sounds unintentional if they did dnot, in fact, see you??
still skeery when it goes down, though. glad it wasn't a worse result for you or them. slay 'em on the PorkChop!!

[StriperZ]

There will always be people who have no clue about other's lines. I had a tuna on last year and a big yellow hulled boat came past about 60 feet from my boat. It caught the line and it was all I could to to keep my pole. I was spooled and their prop got about 300 yards of 80 lb braid. I hope they made it home.

I have observed many kayaks where I fish. People cut entirely too close to them. I am on the constant look out for small disturbances, bait, birds or other indications of fish, so I see the kayaks from far off. Some people seem oblivious to them. I think the flag pennant is a great idea for visibility. If you are out at night make sure reflective material everywhere.

[Tagger]

Just like driving a small compact car on the road .. You get no respect .. Drive a big rusty beater and everyone makes way . Bob ,, You said last night .. as in dark .. Do you have running lights ? I'm just getting into yakking ,, Think I'll need them . got a link ?

[The Dad Fisherman]

Friday Night on Joppa...you're a Brave Man....to many nitwits on the Merrimac on the weekends for me.....Whether it be Shore or Boat. These guys get to close to you when you're wading out there too.....

There are so many good fishing locales on the north shore to choose from and there usually isn't anybody else there.....

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Tagger

Just like driving a small compact car on the road .. You get no respect .. Drive a big rusty beater and everyone makes way . Bob ,, You said last night .. as in dark .. Do you have running lights ? I'm just getting into yakking ,, Think I'll need them . got a link ?

Ed I have been using my head lamp on red at night, my kayaking skills suck-out-loud

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

Friday Night on Joppa...you're a Brave Man....to many nitwits on the Merrimac on the weekends for me.....Whether it be Shore or Boat. These guys get to close to you when you're wading out there too.....

There are so many good fishing locales on the north shore to choose from and there usually isn't anybody else there.....

Kev. I am limited on the number of fishing spots I know on the North Shore for both surf and kayak. I need someone to hold my hand

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Tagger

Just like driving a small compact car on the road .. You get no respect .. Drive a big rusty beater and everyone makes way . Bob ,, You said last night .. as in dark .. Do you have running lights ? I'm just getting into yakking ,, Think I'll need them . got a link ?

Get a BRIGHT stern light. TTB's head light is JUNK and not safe. (No offense). I've Kayak'd w/guys that use only a head light. You CANNOT SEE them unless they are looking at you. Chances are the boat never saw you. Spend the freakin $10 on a light.

[Rockfish9]

Bob, sorry you had an issue.. it happens... but this NEEDS to be said...a good amount of .Kayakers have NO respect for boats, they go where they please, when they please with out bothering to calculate where the boats around them are headed, eventualy as watermen, we get sick and tired of the ignorance....I was fishing there long before there were any kayaks launched, they tend to forget they are the new kids on the block, not that it matters, they are here to stay, and that is fine by me, some , not all 'yakers simply dont get it.. you guys are VERY hard to see on the water at night, and damn near impossible if there is a chop, even in a medium sized center console, lights or no lights, fisherman( and I'm not one of them) that dont know the shore/light configurations can eaisily mis judge a kayak for a land light, and thus mis judge the distance and a confrontation is ineveitable... there is plenty of water for every one, boaters need to be more aware ( hard to do after a 12 pack) of their surrounding and need to be sensitve to smaller crafts... they have every right to be there as well.
Kayakers need to be more aware of their surropundings as well... trolling in front of or directly behind a boat is no way to make friends.... a boat that is trolling ( under electric power) with the wind or tide is not as manuverable as a kayak.. rules of the road state that the more manuverable craft MUST give way...in boating size DOES matter.... when a boat is hooked up, being tag teamed by several kaykers while you fight your fish is not exactly good sportmanship either.. and it's happend more times than I care to reveal... it's time for every one to take a step back and think about the other side.... if everyone cannot learn to be respectfull to one another, eventualy the Coast Gaurd will become involved.. and that may not end well for many.

any way.. drop the tube.. troll the eel and all will be right with the world...BTW... I dont go near the place until after midnight on week ends... just too many loonies of all kinds.

Sorry for the rant, but this has been festering for awhile, those crying fowel( not nessesarily you Bob) are not exactly exempt from blame...

[Fly Rod]

I am very surprised that there are not more collisons and serious injury between Kayaks and motor boats.

At night a kayak is suppose to have a white light in their possession and turn it on when another craft is approching

During the day there should be mandatory that they should have a 3-4 foot pole with a 2'x2' bright orange flag.

Other then that, Have a great day on the water.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Rockfish9

Bob, sorry you had an issue.. it happens... but this NEEDS to be said...a good amount of .Kayakers have NO respect for boats, they go where they please, when they please with out bothering to calculate where the boats around them are headed, eventualy as watermen, we get sick and tired of the ignorance....I was fishing there long before there were any kayaks launched, they tend to forget they are the new kids on the block, not that it matters, they are here to stay, and that is fine by me, some , not all 'yakers simply dont get it.. you guys are VERY hard to see on the water at night, and damn near impossible if there is a chop, even in a medium sized center console, lights or no lights, fisherman( and I'm not one of them) that dont know the shore/light configurations can eaisily mis judge a kayak for a land light, and thus mis judge the distance and a confrontation is ineveitable... there is plenty of water for every one, boaters need to be more aware ( hard to do after a 12 pack) of their surrounding and need to be sensitve to smaller crafts... they have every right to be there as well.
Kayakers need to be more aware of their surropundings as well... trolling in front of or directly behind a boat is no way to make friends.... a boat that is trolling ( under electric power) with the wind or tide is not as manuverable as a kayak.. rules of the road state that the more manuverable craft MUST give way...in boating size DOES matter.... when a boat is hooked up, being tag teamed by several kaykers while you fight your fish is not exactly good sportmanship either.. and it's happend more times than I care to reveal... it's time for every one to take a step back and think about the other side.... if everyone cannot learn to be respectfull to one another, eventualy the Coast Gaurd will become involved.. and that may not end well for many.

any way.. drop the tube.. troll the eel and all will be right with the world...BTW... I dont go near the place until after midnight on week ends... just too many loonies of all kinds.

Sorry for the rant, but this has been festering for awhile, those crying fowel( not nessesarily you Bob) are not exactly exempt from blame...

Well put Joe. Coming from a Kayaker.

Going out with just a headlight at night is ridiculous ESPECIALLY in a high traffic area.

Yakkers that don't have a BRIGHT stern light would BITCH to high heaven if they were driving home at night and a bicyclist was riding in the road with little to no lighting... It's the same thing.

[tattoobob]

I knew when I posted this I may get some slack that said, 95% of power boaters haven't got a clue on that river. I stopped fishing there years ago and sold my boat because I was sick of all the crap that went on out there. I need to have my head examined to think I could fish out there in a Kayak
I'm glad that high tide is at 4 am this Friday night

I think some type of flashing light would work better

[piemma]

I almost killed a kayaker this Spring off Nyatt Point. Nitwit is out there at 2:30 AM in the SHIPPING CHANNEL with NO lights at all. I missed him by 10 feet and I still don't know how as Iwas doing about 25 knots and just saw a shadow at the last second..

[MrHunters]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

I knew when I posted this I may get some slack that said, 95% of power boaters haven't got a clue on that river. I stopped fishing there years ago and sold my boat because I was sick of all the crap that went on out there. I need to have my head examined to think I could fish out there in a Kayak
I'm glad that high tide is at 4 am this Friday night

I think some type of flashing light would work better

i said it before, the 50 minute trip south is worth it every minute. I hate that river. A-holes everywhere.

I can only fish weekends for the most part and will not go near that place even if I was guaranteed a keeper every night.

Don't think anyone has said this yet... GLAD YOUR OK!!

I have a harder time spotting dive flags than I do yakkers.

[FishermanTim]

As a kayaker, I haven't had the chance to head out in the salt at night.
I do fish fresh at night, and whether it's day or night I will always be alert to ANY other watercraft in my vacinity. I will also make sure that I don't paddle wrecklessly, putting others as well as myself at risk.

I don't have a mounted light in the kayak, but I do bring a headlamp AND 2 flashlights.

I wouldn't dare venture out onto heavily trafficed waters at night without some kind of running light. I think of what the oncoming boater will see of me, and without a running light, it won't be much.
That would just be a recipe for disaster.

I also wear a life vest EVERY time I go out, be it salt or fresh.

[fish4striper]

Glad you're ok, tehter a knife somewhere knife, be ready for anything

[Mike M.]

Howdy Bob. Long time no see! Sorry you had a bad experience on the flats. Might it be possible for you to put some lights up higher on your yak for visibility? I run a portable clamp on transom light on my boat (not kayak but maybe something like this might work on a yak?) and use conduit pipe that's almost 5' high so that I don't get blinded. Also helps for visibility. I don't know just throwing ideas out there. As a boat fisherman I'll say that even keeping an eye out for the yakers sometimes it's hard to see you all out there. Anyway, good to see you here and hope all is well.