Back in May of this year, I booked a private charter with my father and uncle on the Chesapeake Bay in search of striped bass. We found out about the fishing vessel Mary Anne from a friend of a friend, and I was relieved knowing we weren’t fishing through the Yellow Pages. I don’t make it to this area often so this was a pretty big deal.
After meeting the captain, Gary Bramble, and his crew, we left port in Oxford, MD on a fairly long ride. If you know me, you know I’m a man of little patience. During this ride I was thinking to myself, “Here we go again- another long ride with mediocre results on a fishing charter. I’ve surely been here before.” This time, though, was different. We were immediately on fish. The ride probably took as long as it did for us to all catch our limits, about a half of an hour. It was quite simply electric.
In conversation, I mentioned to Gary that I wished I had brought my kayak along because I’d go looking for fish closer to shore and he told me I should have done just that. Before I knew what was happening, my first mothership endeavor was penciled in.
On such a large body of water, I find it hard to imagine someone could have their finger on the striper migration pulse well enough to know where they are and predict when they will be there. As it turned out, when he scheduled this trip months ago it was a great estimate but off by about a week. Gary knew it too, when he called me a couple weeks before and said, “They aren’t here yet. I can put you on fish but the big ones are still on their way.” Having a hectic schedule, I had to stick with my original plan which was to load up and head south the second weekend of November whether the “big cows” arrived or not, and make this mothership affair a reality.
I had spent the last few weeks not predicting where the herd would be but figuring out what I needed for such a trip. A few things were for certain, I didn’t want a lot of tackle or rods. I envisioned the kayak lowered into the water, me stepping in and then having someone hand me my rods and paddle. I had remembered the gunwales of this boat not being very high so I didn’t think this would be much of a chore. In terms of stepping into a kayak from the side of a boat in rough water though, I was a little nervous about that and I definitely prepared for the worst. I got the greenlight from my wife to buy whatever I “needed“ for the 50-degree water temps on the bay. I selected Whirlpool Bibs and the TecTOUR Anorak jacket — both Gore-Tex, and both from Kokatat. On my feet, I wore Nomad boots from the same company. The boots have a cinch at the top near the ankle and also at the bottom. When completely submerged, water will come in but it isn’t enough weight to keep you from re-entering the kayak should you capsize. I made sure of it on Lake Erie the week before this trip.
The feet on the bibs were warm enough to ignore the temperature of water which got inside the boot, at least for a brief period. Each time I righted the kayak (a Jackson Kayak Kraken in this case) and after getting back in my seat, I dumped my boots and then put them back on. The jacket has a neoprene neck gasket and latex wrists. I was pleased to find that when taking a swim, even one that is more or less head first, a suitable PFD will keep you near the top and the neoprene gasket is plenty snug for my purpose and prevented water from entering.I felt prepared for whatever was in front of me thanks to having appropriate gear. This was the first time I bit the bullet and went with quality and looked less at the price tag since safety was the matter at hand.
The Kraken is a product designed for big water. I’m a small water kayak fisherman at heart and not only did I give Lake Erie a try in this boat for my own safety tests, but I also wanted to get a feel for how it would handle my style of paddling and fishing rather than set sail on some huge water and make a fool out of myself. The longest boat in my current fleet is a Cuda 12, a boat with a different purpose but a great one in its own right. The Kraken surprised me though as I found myself able to cast comfortably for as long as I wished. I had wondered if this was a boat that would allow me to tournament fish medium to large lakes in my area, targeting timber and other various shallow water structures near the shoreline. Inoneshort trip, I knew the Kraken would fit the bill. As a bonus, I certainly don’t think I’ll have much trouble getting to my spot quickly. So after one trip, I was comfortable with my gear as well as the kayak I would be taking. At this point, I’m truly ready to go.
Both for the Lake Erie tests and mothership voyage itself, The River’s Edge near my hometown in Pittsburgh, PA offered one of their brand new models, the Kraken, from Jackson Kayak. I obliged, loaded her onto my trailer, and made my way to the Bay Bridge.
I am the king at predicting cold fronts. All I need to do is schedule a trip somewhere and the inevitable ensues. Saturday, November 8th was no different as early morning air temperatures were in the mid-30s. We arrived at the dock again in Oxford, MD at 5:30 in the dark; my excitement could have gotten me there at 3:00. This was a friendly trip –more than a charter and more experimental than anything, but Gary was ready to experience it as much as me. At 15’7, the Kraken fit easily on the deck of the mothership and we made our way into the bay.
The morning was just about finished getting the last of previous day’s 4-5 foot chop out of its system and we were met with 1-footers and a slight breeze out of the south. Gary looked for birds and found them quickly. Originally, we were going to try our luck from the boat to make sure fish were active before launching the Kraken, but he was confident enough to drop me in without any further reconnaissance. And so it began. My father along with one of the crew members lowered the kayak into the water over the gunwales, and held it in place while I stepped in.
I found the primary stability to be the same as I remembered while on Lake Erie and almost instantly felt a feeling of comfort. They handed me some gear, the boat slipped away and I paddled towards the birds. I made a cast, put the rod into a holder, made 14 paddle strokes and hooked up! The pound-for-pound fight of the 17” striped bass on light tackle was enjoyable to say the least.
I continued to catch fish in that size range and had a fantastic time in the process. I got a call from the captain that he heard reports of a few big fish about 10 miles away, and asked if I wanted to load back up and give them a try. As hard as it is for me to leave fish, I decided to go for it. At this point, the winds had picked up and were now out of the southwest. Waves were building to the 3-foot range as we reached our second spot. Feeling very comfortable, I was excited to face some larger chop so the Kraken was lowered into the water again, and it was on.
I turned my attention from trolling bucktails for the smaller fish to jigging with heavier gear in search of a larger one. While the boat hooked up with a couple, I unfortunately did not — but hey, that’s fishin’ as they say.
As I got the call that the boat was coming back for me I got a chance to test this kayak even more with larger, short interval waves and it performed extremely well. The boat I had intentionally flipped a half dozen times the previous week kept me floating even as a perpendicular wave from a yacht hit me in the back when it crested, an experience I wish I had on film.
Life is full of experiences. While I was nervous at times for this one, I found my excitement outweighed my fear and I’m glad it did because there was nothing to worry about at the end of the day. With the correct safety gear, communications with the mothership, and a calculated plan of action this is a trip I’d recommend to anyone. I know I’ll be back, but next time for the cows!
