New to the area and new to saltwater fishing. Gonna take my 4 year old out @ Bushy Park this weekend in our Pamlico 160. I mainly fish artificials but my daughter doesn’t cast well yet. Was thinking about just carolina rigging some bait and relaxing near a creekmouth or something. My question is, what’s my best bet for bait? How do kayak fishermen catch bait? You can’t really throw a cast net from a kayak. If I wanted to get some mud minnows where would I go to get them? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mellonfarmer
WS Pamlico 160T
Preception Caster SOT
First to answer your question: Carolina rig near a creekmouth should work. There is a gas station near the launch that sells bait. Someone should chime in w/ which one.
This time of year, I recommend the following, and I do this w/ my son on back of the kayak also: Get a couple rods rigged up with your favorite jig or paddletail artificial soft plastic. Electric chicken color or smoke with speckles for example. Use one light color and one dark color, and 1/8 or 1/4 oz jigheads. Throw them way back and set in rod holders and just go for a leisurely paddle. If the rods are bumping bottom thats perfect. When a rod goes down, you will know if its a fish or a snag (you will occasionally snag BTW) let your 4 yr old reel it in. Its great fun, and I bet you catch several. Stay relatively near the shoreline. Let us know how you do… BTW, if you catch say two fish on one particular color, change the other rod to use that color also.
With a kid in the boat, I wouldn’t try and throw a net, but it is very doable. TooBusy has some videos posted showing how.
Hit Duncan’s gas station on Red Bank for bait on the way out. You can often cast net some bait at the ramp at Bushy as well, or drop off a minnow trap while out, and come back and pick it up.
I try and use a little weight as possible, and put some bait on the bottom (mudders, shrimp, cut bait). While paddling around, toss a grub behind you and give the rod to your daughter. Some of the biggest fish I have caught at Bushy have some that way.
John
1996 Sunbird Spirit 170 - 112 Johnson
15’ Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
Thanks for the advice fellas, but because of the weather the warden made me leave my 4 year old at the house. Went out by myself just after high tide and tried trolling paddle tail grubs on 1/4 (red) jigs. No luck with that. Tried a glow DOA and popping cork along the shore line, but no luck w/ that either. Tide was falling out pretty quick and I had to go so was paddling back in and all of the sudden was surronded by fish on a flat in about a foot of water. Ended up trying just about everything I had in the tackle box and couldn’t get a bite. Seems I’ve got alot to learn still. Frustrating day, but beautiful and relaxing just the same.
