Fishing Big Water Like Round Valley Res?

[nickniescior]

Hey guys,

So it was my birthday yesterday (hit that 21 mark) and I was quite surprised to find out my very loving parents got me a kayak to go fishing with (how cool is that)  so now I can hit those spots I could only dream of when being a shore fisher.  So my family frequently visits the lake Round valley in NJ for sailing and general relaxation, so the plan is to bring my kayak and fish to my hearts delight, the thing is, I know nothing about clear water deep fishing, I only fish the ponds of South NJ (if you dont know, they are usually very shallow, stained/muddy, and weedy as all hell)  So I was wondering if some of you fishing veterans could give me some insight of how I should go about fishing?

Thanks very much guys!

[Christian M]

Hey Nick, 
  First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and congrats on your new kayak! I'm all too familiar with central and southern NJ lakes, seeing as how I live in Toms River. There are a few things that you're gonna wanna keep in mind fishing from a kayak in lakes like Round Valley. The first thing I would say is BE SAFE. Round Valley is a world of difference from places like Union, Assunpink, Salem Canal, all the other South/Central NJ lakes that have a "deep" section thats around 10'. When the wind gets blowing on the shallow lakes, you have to deal with a strong current and dirty water. But when fishing a larger, round body of water like Round Valley, that stong current is coupled with 3'-4' white caps. So, if the wind is anywhere over 10-15mph, think about whether you want to be out in the middle of that water on a yak. That brings me to my next point, if you have a SOT yak, think twice, if its a sit in kayak (SINK), don't even think about it. Even the wake from a 9.9 on an average day can catch you off guard and capsize you. Honestly, that goes for most of the NJ Skyland lakes. I have a Tracker tx17, and sometimes I dont feel safe with the chop and wind on those lakes.

 

That being said, if you plan on fishing the lakes in north jersey, start practicing bottom contact and finesse techniques like dropshot, shakey head, wacky rig, and jig fishing. Dont forget crank baits, medium & deep divers work great for pretty much all types of fish there. Round Valley recieves a tremendous amount of pressure, so you're going to want to downsize your bait size on the finesse techniques. Trolling is a great way to catch fish on cranks, especially off a kayak. the best investment you can make right now is on a fishfinder. Being on a kayak, you dont want to spend time and energy fishing water that doesnt have fish! Manasquan reservior is an awesome fishery that sees a lot of yak traffic. Its a bigger, deeper body of water that gets those big white caps too. Depending on where you live, you may want to practice there.

[nickniescior]

Hey Nick, 

  First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and congrats on your new kayak! I'm all too familiar with central and southern NJ lakes, seeing as how I live in Toms River. There are a few things that you're gonna wanna keep in mind fishing from a kayak in lakes like Round Valley. The first thing I would say is BE SAFE. Round Valley is a world of difference from places like Union, Assunpink, Salem Canal, all the other South/Central NJ lakes that have a "deep" section thats around 10'. When the wind gets blowing on the shallow lakes, you have to deal with a strong current and dirty water. But when fishing a larger, round body of water like Round Valley, that stong current is coupled with 3'-4' white caps. So, if the wind is anywhere over 10-15mph, think about whether you want to be out in the middle of that water on a yak. That brings me to my next point, if you have a SOT yak, think twice, if its a sit in kayak (SINK), don't even think about it. Even the wake from a 9.9 on an average day can catch you off guard and capsize you. Honestly, that goes for most of the NJ Skyland lakes. I have a Tracker tx17, and sometimes I dont feel safe with the chop and wind on those lakes.

 

That being said, if you plan on fishing the lakes in north jersey, start practicing bottom contact and finesse techniques like dropshot, shakey head, wacky rig, and jig fishing. Dont forget crank baits, medium & deep divers work great for pretty much all types of fish there. Round Valley recieves a tremendous amount of pressure, so you're going to want to downsize your bait size on the finesse techniques. Trolling is a great way to catch fish on cranks, especially off a kayak. the best investment you can make right now is on a fishfinder. Being on a kayak, you dont want to spend time and energy fishing water that doesnt have fish! Manasquan reservior is an awesome fishery that sees a lot of yak traffic. Its a bigger, deeper body of water that gets those big white caps too. Depending on where you live, you may want to practice there.

Thanks very much, All I have been reading about this is safety first, 

question though, how do you troll with a kayak?

[Zel]

If it were me in a kayak, for safety sake, I'd go left out from the launch and hug the shoreline on the north banks.  I swear you can see clearly down to 50 feet on that lake.  I’ve always believed at Round Valley Res if the fish can see you then you can’t catch them so long casts or deeper water is key.  Small 4" straight worms on light jig heads, 4" Senkos hooked in the center, and Fat Ikas served me best - all in dark natural colors.  I always key on grass, points and riprap there.

 

Again if it were me on a kyack I’d ditch Round Valley and take the short jaunt to fish safely at Spruce Run Res.  Better fishing, quality largemouth, and are easier to catch in my opinion.