From the June 2012 issue of Susquehanna Fishing Magazine:
Memorial Day Weekend with the Kayak Fishing Show
By John “Toast” Oast
Over Memorial Day Weekend I had the great pleasure of filming with the Kayak Fishing Show at the Jersey Shore, where we were fishing for for stripers and bluefish. The show airs on the World Fishing Network (WFN). On Friday I met up with my friend Jim Sammons, the show’s host, and Will Richardson, the show’s producer. We were joined by Chris Shoplock from Harry’s Army-Navy. Jim and Will had just run up the shore after filming with some of my buddies in the Virginia Beach area. Our goal was to highlight the great kayak angling opportunities just down the road in New Jersey.
After getting “all our ducks in a row” Friday morning, and meeting up with our chase boat (Drake’s Waterfowl Guide), we headed towards the backwaters for some bluefish action. We were throwing a combination of tackle. I was lucky enough to catch the first two fish of the shoot (of course the first was a foul-hooked blue). For a little more action, I was using a medium weight freshwater bass outfit, and tossing a jerkbait I often use for walleye. It worked great! Then the others got into the action, and Jim found the perfect pattern for the blues. On the way in we were able to help out some fellow boaters, and I was glad I was in my Ocean Kayak Torque. You’ll have to watch the episode to see what happened next…
On Saturday Gerry Benedicto from Seaguar met up with us for his first ever kayak angling experience… oh, and his first ever surf launch, too. We launched off the beach to meet back up with our chase boat, and searched for big stripers about a mile offshore. Throughout the day the conditions continued to build, and the swells began to face-up. Of our group, I caught our lone striper, but it was a beautiful specimen, and an awesome fight from the kayak in the conditions! When the weather began to look ominous, we decided to head in. And my surf landing was less than impressive.
John"Toast" Oast landing a sizable striper...
On Sunday morning we headed out early with another chase boat (On a Mission Fishing Adventures). This time we mother-shipped the boats a couple miles offshore. For most of the day the conditions were much better than the previous day, and Jim and Chris were both able to boat some nice stripers. But again, by afternoon the conditions turned, and we were forced to head in. Unfortunately we were able to see a helicopter search for a missing teenager from the beach as we returned to the marina. Sunday was a very dramatic and exciting day, but again, watch the episode to see all the action.
Jim Sammons in search of New Jersey blues...
A huge thanks goes out to Jim, Will, Chris, Gerry, Eric, and David. It was a great weekend, and an experience I will never forget!
John “Toast” Oast is the publisher of Susquehanna Fishing Magazine and a member of the Ocean Kayak Pro Staff. His kayak rigging videos have received thousands of views, and been linked to websites around the world. For more information, visit http://fishyaker.com/ and his Youtube page at http://www.youtube.com/fishyaker.
