granpappyofpork Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 Hey...I have been contemplating kayak life, so I was doing some 'yakservations' yesterday in M.Squan inlet -- Had some questions but the most glaring OBSERVATION: Seemed like those boats were RIPPING into that inlet creating some big wake. Is it always like that there? Or, maybe I just never 'really paid attention' 2. Do you just 'ride' the wave however it hits, or do you have to 'point the bow' into every significant wake? -- I really feel like if taking the plunge ...errr....NOT a good way to phrase it! -- after purchasing -- you need someone to say OK, NOOB, here is what you need to know to stay alive! Usually, I just figure $hit out-- but this has a 'boat load' of variables -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 kayaking in the manasquan inlet is like riding a bicycle on the of the NJ turnpike hobobob, Matt7082 and granpappyofpork 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobEnglish Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) I’ve done it a few times with and against the tide. You need to be peddling as hard as you can and alert to everyone around you. It’s definitely not something to go out and just try though. You need to know your and your kayaks limits. The fish in my avatar was outside the inlet on a November trip. Edited May 28, 2020 by RobEnglish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Africaster Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 The angle you should hit the wake at has umpteen variables .... your sense of balance, your hips, your yak, wind direction and strength, size of wake, shape of wake wave, your speed, your confidence ... because wake waves are usually steepish and close together, I try and hit them at an offset angle of between 45* to 65* and use hips .... your sweet spot will come with time in the water. As to inlets ... avoid like the plague .... far too many factors outside of your control ... and to be fair to boaters too, having kayakers to also dodge in a busy, ripping inlet is an unnecessary complication ... IMHO C.Robin, Striper46 and Matt7082 3 Any society that charges it's own children for knowledge, is doomed to fail. Whilst intelligence is not affected by geography, it is influenced by education, opportunity and drive. Now is the time to change our attitude towards blues, next year may well be too late (Somebody listened ) Member of the Yellow Eyed Devils May you never have to fish to live, rather live to fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysav Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 3 hours ago, Africaster said: The angle you should hit the wake at has umpteen variables .... your sense of balance, your hips, your yak, wind direction and strength, size of wake, shape of wake wave, your speed, your confidence ... because wake waves are usually steepish and close together, I try and hit them at an offset angle of between 45* to 65* and use hips .... your sweet spot will come with time in the water. As to inlets ... avoid like the plague .... far too many factors outside of your control ... and to be fair to boaters too, having kayakers to also dodge in a busy, ripping inlet is an unnecessary complication ... IMHO Agree, No need to be in that inlet, some inlets can be done (Cape May) if you time the tides. Know your limits, fish smart, Google earth that location, I'm sure theres a place to launch both sides of the inlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbjpb Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 The biggest lessons learned kayak fishing in salt water as opposed to fresh water is that tides matter. Also not all tides are the same. Tides can be more extreme when the moon is full. Also not all launch areas are created equal. Certain launch areas can only be used when the tide is high. This is particularly true on the Manasquan river. As far as waves and wake from power boats that is all part of the equation. If you are not confident in your ability to avoid flipping getting side swiped by a wave turn the bow into the wave and meet it head on. As your skill levels increase you will need to do this less and less, Keep in mind it is your head that causes the kayak to flip, If you lean over to one side or the other your kayak will lean in that direction. You can avoid flipping by resisting the temptation to lean over and look into the water in the direction you are flipping. Simply lean the other way ? Always try to keep your head over the center of the kayak. (Not too far to the right or left)As your skills increase you will learn to use your paddle to brace. Some people even use thigh straps on a sit on top paddle kayak to help prevent tipping, Check out some you tube video's on proper paddle strokes and kayak bracing. Viking kayak has some good videos on surfing waves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 5 hours ago, Africaster said: As to inlets ... avoid like the plague .... far too many factors outside of your control ... and to be fair to boaters too, having kayakers to also dodge in a busy, ripping inlet is an unnecessary complication ... IMHO Good advise ..... Only time i will go into the actual inlet is when the tide is just fizzling out, not so much when its slack to picking up though, i find time slips by too quickly & its cranking in the blink of an eye, i will go up to the mouth when fluking in the back side but jet back in before going in too far.... The other thing about hooking up with something significant in an inlet with a building current & being in a kayak other than what africaster mentioned is, you're already fighting swirling currents trying not to flip & now you have to fight a fish that,s trying to pull you under with it, not much fun with the fear factor on top of the adrenaline rush.... been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazzoni Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 When it comes to inlets, I found that they're best fished from the jetties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pakalolo Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 Why the hell would anyone fuq around in an inlet in a kayak?! Just plain asking for all sorts of trouble IMHO. IN FAVOR OF COMMERCIAL FISHING AND SURFING THE NORTH SIDE MAY THE RICH GET RICHER!! FISH ARE FOOD!! UA MAU KA EA O KA AINA IKA PONO O HAWAII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G8trwood Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 Yup, stay out. Many inlets are tough for the boats navigating tide and wind, they aren’t looking for you and might not be able to dodge you without endangering their passengers. Matt7082 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt7082 Posted May 29, 2020 Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 There’s gotta be somewhere close by on the beach for you to launch instead of the inlet. If not, man I’d look for another spot. As previously said, inlets are busy, many boaters can hardly make it in and out of inlets safely, and you can’t control wind, tide, etc. There are just too many things you can’t control, and there’s nowhere to run if things are going bad. If you’re gonna do it, pick your day and do it on a slack tide. Honestly, boat wakes are probably the least of my worries while navigating an inlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odiemike86 Posted May 29, 2020 Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 Too many inexperienced boaters and sweetheart boaters to mess around in a NJ inlet buddha162 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granpappyofpork Posted May 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 Thanks for all the input -- figured it was a bit crazy. No way I would 'begin' in a cauldron such as that...more like back bay fluke jigging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frede Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 (edited) Thanks for your post.....I come here to learn and the pros responses are invaluable to me. I'll give you my perspective as a kayak newbie in his 1st season. I dabbled around back of Barnegat inlet on just 3 occasions in a peddle kayak when both tide and wind were optional.....I never felt comfortable. What Bill described happened to us last trip.....chased birds, lost track of time and had a serious current to deal with. I was in a drysuit and nearly dehydrated myself. As far as wake, I'll say I've had boaters that enjoyed sending me a few.... I nose into them. I'm pretty much done with the inlet....Barnegat inlet anyway. Edited May 31, 2020 by Frede spelling Salt air provides the levity needed for survival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimS Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 The amount of kayaks in Shark River yesterday was astounding I always slow down when passing them...out of respect...I also kayak from time to time. The problem is, the boat makes a wake two or three times bigger at plowing at 6-8 mph than it does on plane at 35....but I want the kayak dudes to know I see them and I'm slowing down outta respect. They'd get less wake if I blew past them...but that just seems rude Inlets are tough...on any busy day they are washing machine...even if a boat wanted to slow down for a kayak it wouldn't matter because the rest of the boats are plowing their way through. Wouldn't catch me in Shark River or Manasquan Inlet in a kayak...there are days it's a grind in a 25 foot center console...a couple party boats go by when the current is cranking and you can get 3-4' curling waves bounding back and forth across the narrow inlet TimS richie c 1 Show someone how to catch striped bass and they'll be ready to fish anywhere. Show someone where to go striped bass fishing and you'll have a desperate report chaser with loose lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to register here in order to participate.
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now