How to catch GIANT seabass in the Long Island Sound from a kayak

[@FishinAccomplished]

Damn Peter, now that’s what I call a productive morning! You really went in with a plan and capitalized! Just goes to show… so much of repeated successful fishing happens before you hit the water!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks Dan, it’s so true that preparation makes a huge difference - with time on the water limited you’re almost forced to prepare a lot. A blessing in disguise I guess !

[@josephmunch724]

Laying here for the last hour watching your videos, absorbing the inspiration. Really digging the kayak setup , and the deep jigging action. A great demonstration of how putting in the work leads to the reward of getting those most tasty beauties. I haven’t been able to ID your finder, seems like a good little compact unit. Would you mind sharing what it is, and if you were to need replacing it, would you get the same? Much appreciated. This is the best time of year, hope you get out and post more. Thanks 😊

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks man, for sure it takes some work researching the spots for keepers. The fish finder is a garmin echomap 44cv plus. great little unit, it would be the first one I recommend as an entry level unit. Would I buy it again? yes probably for this kayak it works perfect and once you have an echomap series then you can transfer waypoints and get upgraded maps like relief shading. cant wait to get back out there man, was too windy this past weekend tho...

[@gennerobootz6490]

Nice sea bass pete can’t wait for black fish season

[@PeterRanieriII]

You and me both Steven!

[@MrTcal4404]

Nice session. Glad you're calling out the work and prep that goes into finding success. Sometimes you get lucky, but more often than not it's time on the water, paying attention, planning and prep.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Very true! Preparation is such a big part of it, and paying attention as well once you're out there, then with a little luck when it does come together is a very fulfilling feeling. Thanks MrTacl, always great to hear your take!

[@RafSowiOutdoors]

Very nice! Love catching those big sebass!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Me too! Thanks Raf, saw your tilefish vid, that was some crazy deep water to be jigging, well done

[@RafSowiOutdoors]

@@PeterRanieriII that was an awesome annual trip! Got me hooked on the deep ocean SPJ. Can't wait for some fall seabass too . Tight lines brother! 😊💪🎣

[@Bsprecksfishing]

Awesome video man! Wish I had the knowledge and a kayak setup like yours to do this!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks man, its never to late to get a kayak! I know you have a paddle one...this one is a relatively cheap one (for pedal kayaks anyways). The motor is not completely necessary either but does make it easier to get around. But yea the kayak really opens your opportunities, more than i even thought it would!

[@csralumni]

WOW Peter, nice work!! It's magical when the plan works out that well.

[@PeterRanieriII]

So true! I had a vision that I may find one big one like this so all the others just made it that much more magical. Thanks! 😊

[@BobAquatic]

Those Berkley bucktails are fantastic. Great for freshwater too. It's nice to be able to switch to swimming action with a quick knot change. Great job Peter!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Yes they are! They fit the profile of the 6" grub perfectly too, even the 5" fits well, and it does seem they last longer with the holder on the shank, I think I only went through 3 grubs this trip. Having the versatility for straight retrieve eye hole positions is clutch! The hair stays on pretty good too, great bucktails

[@FunkyFishingTV]

you are truly mastering your Area!!!

[@PeterRanieriII]

haha I don't know about mastering, def still learning but thanks Dave, you know how much fun this kind of fishing is!

[@labtrainer09]

Marvelous sea-bass trip. I would love to find a few spots that hold consistently big fish like the ones you were hooking One suggestion, based solely on MY experience with bottom fish in the Northeast: I set the drag on my spinning reels before I leave the beach and don't touch them when I'm fighting hooked fish. At that point, I find it too easy to misjudge how much pressure the reel is putting on the line. In addition, the "fiddling" often causes me to "drop" the fish (as in "pull the hook.")

[@PeterRanieriII]

thanks yeah its really tough to find spots that have keepers on a consistent basis. I hear ya on the drag settings, I def mess with it a bit too much during the fight. Its almost easier when its just bigger fish it seems to have it set and leave it but when they feel smaller i get this feeling like i have to loosen it per their strength but thats often a mistake

[@robertstorms5539]

Awesome sea bass. I went out Monday, had a weakfish feeding frenzy in one spot much like your other video and moved to one of my sea bass spots and caught 4 nice lunkers.

[@PeterRanieriII]

That is awesome Robert, I guess this is the time for both weakfish and seabass. DId you find any bigger weakfish?

[@robertstorms5539]

@@PeterRanieriII They started out smaller but got bigger, 21-23" inches on the bigger ones

[@robertstorms5539]

@@PeterRanieriII Today trip only caught a few weakfish, again in the 20-22 inch range. Bite was not as crazy as monday on them. Drift was also a lot faster this morning then Monday where I basically was just sitting on top of them. Sea bass bite was great again, five large keepers.

[@kevinsweeney8914]

Catching up on some of your content! Wow, those were studs!

[@PeterRanieriII]

thanks Kevin! yea this was a really good outing and it really made me want to find more places to get seabass like this from the kayak - its a lot of fun to jig them up from the deep on light gear!

[@kevinsweeney8914]

Looking forward to seeing you get some more beasts! I'm trying to find some good sea bass fishing in the lower CT area. @@PeterRanieriII

[@bobthompson9890]

Some beautiful fish. Enjoy the fillets

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks Bob, they were delicious! Gave some to my parents, made some sea bass francese and sea bass oreganata

[@NYCE_Fishing]

Great video Peter! I have to say that was pinpoint accuracy going over that structure. That was key. Keep it up man!.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Much appreciated! That is the key man, I think really all of theses big ones were right on top of the structures, I had many drifts especially on the second piece that were off by a little and had zero bites.

[@punman0213]

We gotta get back on King Cod this fall. That was an epic trip.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Oh hey man! That was an epic trip! I heard he has a new boat now too, would love to try and get out there again, maybe in late november, we'll see im going away around that time though, may have to try in early december. Bringin a jig this time!?

[@robertgerber2533]

Great video Pete. I’ve caught some big sea bass in the sound too. Unfortunately they were out of season

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks Robert, aint that the worst though when you get a really nice one and you can't keep, then when the season opens they're no where to be found lol

[@tonysfishingadventures6725]

Peter, I’ve always enjoyed your videos man. You make things look simple but they are not. Great day. Awesome job!!

[@PeterRanieriII]

haha thanks Tony, it really was an awesome little excursion, things just worked out. Thanks for letting me know!

[@tonysfishingadventures6725]

@@PeterRanieriII I’ve seen you in person in NYC in the spring striper run. This day was a great day fishing for stripers. Hope to see you out again or even get out together fishing.

[@PeterRanieriII]

@@tonysfishingadventures6725 ohh was that you with Dave?! Nice man, haha glad you let me know. I sure hope we get on some bass like that again

[@tonysfishingadventures6725]

@@PeterRanieriII yes it was. 😀. Can’t wait for the fall run.

[@williamfris3835]

Another excellent fishing session... do your research and capture them like a good fish hunter! Quite the rush

[@PeterRanieriII]

Quite the rush indeed! Thanks William, there really is so much similarity to hunting with this type of fishing, love it !

[@SaltyHunterFishing]

Great fishing man!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks Dustin, so thankful these fish are around in our waters!

[@wenzhaochen9207]

hi peter nice work! do you drop the bait all the way to the bottom?

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks! Yep all the way to the bottom initially but then when I think the boulder or structure is getting close to the lure I bring it up a little and do those bigger jigs bc they will chase it up and I try not to get snagged

[@Luislop46]

Big fish delicious I just when to mamaroneck but just porgys was there

[@PeterRanieriII]

They were so delicious, yea western sound has so many porgys, hard to get anything else

[@gm1937]

Very impressive if this is the western end. I usually go further east like Greenwich Connecticut thinking that there are more fish there but I did not do too well the last time. I launch from Glen Island and Mamaroneck and I’m probably driving by these bigger Boys without even realizing it

[@PeterRanieriII]

This is not the western end. This is the middle sound so closer to Bridgeport but on the NY side. But I will say I’ve def found some big ones like this in the western end just not as many for sure. You have to find very subtle pieces of structure that no one else is thinking to try

[@gm1937]

@@PeterRanieriII You're totally right about that. I found a little piece of structure using navionics relief shading and hit the jackpot. Turned out to be a haven for black sea bass. Nobody goes to the spot and every time I throw my anchor I'm laughing all the way to the fillet table later in the day.

[@PeterRanieriII]

@@gm1937 that’s awesome, lol

[@justinlewis6341]

@@gm1937 wanna inform me ab this lol

[@joshuariddensdale2126]

While tog season is open now, our bag limit is only 3. Starting October 15th, it goes up to 5 until the end of the year. With the new slot limit on cod, I'll probably end up doing tog trips instead this year. They don't go far out either. Only like a couple miles off the beaches.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Def do some tog trips man, they are so much fun to catch, not as fun when the current is ripping and you need 14oz. to hold bottom but still a great fight and challenge.

[@NurShah8636]

How do you find the kayak launching area,

[@PeterRanieriII]

it def can be tricky on the northshore as its a lot of private or resident only access. Mostly I'm launching from resident only beaches but you can just go to any public beach or boat ramp area and fish very similar areas. I think even some resident beaches allow parking for non-residents for a fee. The toughest part is most of the time there are stairs or long ramps especially out east more which makes it very difficult to lug the kayak down and up but I do it anyways. The harder it is to get to an area the more likely it hasnt been fished by many other people.

[@seano2842]

Nice fish. I usually fish near the middle grounds. That would be a little far for you in a kayak. Where do you launch from?

[@PeterRanieriII]

Oh nice we fish basically the same waters as this is just east of port Jefferson. My parents just retired out here and they have beach access. I wish I could get out that far lol, but yeah can’t go much more than 4mi even on a perfect weather day

[@seano2842]

Cool. You can try fluking right in front of cedar Beach in 20 feet of water.. you. An be there in no time.

[@PeterRanieriII]

@@seano2842 thanks for the tip! I did try recently in that depth a little east from there but the seaweed was sooo bad and basically unfishable

[@seano2842]

You're right, I saw that. I get ou t a couple times a week. I launch from Ceder Beach ramp.

[@Bights-On-Fishing]

Great video's 👍 I am out of Stamford in my Hobie PA. What is your top wind you would go out in? I'm pretty much under 10 knots.

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks! I’m a little less than that, probably 8 or 9 knots.

[@Bights-On-Fishing]

@@PeterRanieriII ok that's a safe level.

[@ronnie1697]

Peter, time to hold fans kayak fishing party! What do you think?😂

[@PeterRanieriII]

😅 haha Ronnie, does sound like fun, maybe someday lol

[@johnhanshe7921]

Where did you get your sun glases

[@PeterRanieriII]

@@johnhanshe7921 I think prob over 10 years old, they’re costas with the corbina frame and green mirror lens

[@o.liriano7171]

Peter, great video, learn a lot from watching you. What is the max wind speed you go out into the sound?

[@PeterRanieriII]

Thanks, thats great to hear! I would say around 9 or 10mph. North East wind is usually the worst, sometimes with South I can handle a little more close to shore but yea when it gets to be close to 10mph I usually call it

[@totalnoobfishing1753]

Awesome video Peter.. I'm transitioning from surf to kayak next season, if I may ask, when you mention that you researched boulders, do you mean that you are studying Navionic's charts to locate different ground impressions ? Also curious what weather \\ tide apps you use? Thank you again!

[@PeterRanieriII]

Great question, I study the navionics app with relief shading on a lot, yep all those different ground impressions, even the most subtle shadows could be large boulders. If you see scoured out depressions on either side of an object that's even better because it means the current is strong there. My go to is windfinder's superforecast. I'll check the weather channel app as well but mostly windfinder.com

[@totalnoobfishing1753]

Amazing work doing the homework and having it pay off...thanks for the reply!!!

[@johnmichaelnobile1035]

Curious, what size buck-tail and gulp

[@PeterRanieriII]

the bucktail in this video is 2oz. and the gulp grubs are 6"

[@johnmichaelnobile1035]

@@PeterRanieriII awesome, thank you.

[@googanslayer6675]

Im havning a lot of trouble keeping sea bass hooked in deep water too. Is that just how it is or you have tips. I use 7ft slow pitch heavy spinning mostly fish colt sniper metal jigs, thinking of putting a bigger trebbel hook on

[@PeterRanieriII]

My catch to hook up ratio with metal jigs is horrendous. I think its the way the jig flutters down irraticaly and when they strike it they just don't get hooked well. are you using 2 assist hooks tied at the top?, the one jig I've had fairly good hook up ratio with is the mustad rip roller slow fall, with 1 assist hook on top and 1 on bottom.

[@googanslayer6675]

Just treble on the bottom. or the diawa sk jigs have the stinger hooks if thats the same. I drift kinda fast so keep them on the end but I only bounce the jigs on the bottom mostly sand waves and cover water. I get a lot of bites they come off in a second or less even when Im extremely vigilant and anticipating a strike

[@googanslayer6675]

@@PeterRanieriII I use jigs 2-6 oz. In my Dads wellcraft

[@PeterRanieriII]

@@googanslayer6675 I gotcha, Would try to use bigger single hooks, the trebles dont have a very wide gap usually, but yea your going to miss a lot of fish with metal jigs, I think thats just how it is

[@rickywhite5879]

Nice I needz that

[@kb7771]

I was out Saturday and was a little sketchy out there with the wind and waves… fishing was poor as well sad

[@PeterRanieriII]

Kb! I sat on the sidelines this weekend, seems I didnt miss too much then. Here's to hoping next weekend is better!

[@nurshah816]

Hi do you like this kayak, planning to buy one passport 12

[@PeterRanieriII]

Love it. I'm contemplating for my next kayak will it be the passport 12 or another compass. If you noticed in the beginning of the video I tried to show a quick clip of the bow cutting the waves and there is some water splashing. I do think the shape of the hull in the bow is better for calmer water as compared to my compass. I think the compass cuts the bigger waves a tad better but its hardly noticeable, I love how light and simple the passport is. Just also know the back rudder is manual deployment, doesn't bother me and I actually prefer its simplicity to an internal pull cord that can break but just to be aware, that's all.

[@kozaczero]

Where can I launch my kayak in LI sound?

[@PeterRanieriII]

I do it right off the beach

[@augustinecampbell7337]

6 ?

[@PeterRanieriII]

yeah in NY from sept 1 - dec 31 you can keep 6 seabass per person

[@rightnow1752]

Brooo

[@YAYOSKAYAK]

Coordinate please. 😆

[@PeterRanieriII]

😅