Kate, I, and our host, Sara, left Philly at about 6pm yesterday and arrived in West Dennis on Cape Cod at nearly 2am. I was pretty eager to go to bed because I was even more eager to get an early start on fishing in the morning. After getting a lesson on how to get in and out of a kayak from Sara, I made my way down Swan Pond River to the opening to the Atlantic Ocean on the south side of the Cape.
From where I started.
View from the right of above picture.
A fellow I encountered along the way to the ocean.
I was a bit eager to see just how far it was to the ocean. As it turns, probably about a half mile. The river actually narrowed and was framed by a jetty and a private beach.
Right after I got past the opening there was a sandbar that apparently exists even during the height of high tide. I managed to park my kayak on it and get in some surf fishing. I was about waist deep in water for an hour or so. Only one bite -- something bit the tail off of a rubber artificial lure I was using.
After a little while I gave kayaking in the ocean a try. Definitely a different experience. I rode along the coast for about a half mile before turning back. Right before getting back to the river I came across a guy and his girlfriend struggling. He ended up flipping his kayak. It was only about 4 feet of water so it was all laughs. As I was watching a wave came crashing over the opening in my kayak and nearly sent me tipping over. It wouldn't have been a big deal -- I had on a life vest and I can swim. The kayak even has two inflated devices inside so it won't sink. And to really be prepared, all of my equipment was in a water proof bag and tied together and tied to the boat. So, aside from some possibility of looking like a doofus, there wasn't much risk to the experience. But its certainly an odd feeling to be sitting down, that close to the surface of the water, and have the boat moving around the way it was.
On the way back I stopped at a bridge that's about half way between the house and the ocean. I tied the kayak to one of its supports and spent a good hour fishing. Still no luck. I saw swarms of smaller fish constantly, about 4" or so -- immature shad? They were probably feeding on watever was washing in during the last moments of high tide. I dropped this and that into the water to see if there was a reaction. No dice.
Once I got back, getting out of the kayak proved to be the most challenging aspect of all this. I was really stiff from sitting in the same position for about three hours. It was quite a feat getting everything out of the boat and not ending up in the drink before I could pull myself onto the dock. I took a brief nap and tried a little more fishing at low tide.
So far I've tried rubber minnows, (dead) brined mullet, (dead) silver shiners, a lure for surf fishing, and numerous lures I'd usually reserve for fresh water. Nothing caught yet. I'm thinking about exercising the nuclear option in a few hours in the dark during next high tide -- chicken liver.
