FEATURES 5 Inside The Tackle Box 6 Boondogglin 14 BIGFIN Tip Of The Month 17 The Fishing Chef 16 Kayak Fishing The Nu Way 19Seeing What’s Out There 20 Angler Profile - Rob Choi Going Big In The Wide Open
28 The Barbie Rod Militia
The Learning Journal I cannot, by any means, say I am a master angler. Sure I can catch fish, and on occasion I do, but with so much to learn I find it impossible for anyone to say they have mastered this craft. The Fisherman’s Journal was started with the idea of learning and refining the skills needed in order to become a “master angler.” It is about taking the knowledge we have, coupling it with what we are learning, and sharing the lessons with each other. Who is better to teach someone than you? Throughout state waters anglers pursue some of the same species of fish and the tactics used are often different. This does not mean what works in the Everglades will not work in Virginia. Sure the waters are unique and fish habits vary, but with a little tweak here and a small change there it may work. I have caught snook on bass worms. Is that right? No! But this guy said to try it. I did and guess what?
Daytona Beach snook like watermelon/red flake worms rigged wacky! This is what we are striving for. Helping me help you help him help others. There is so much for me to learn and I would like for you to come along for the journey. As I travel the waters, stopping in your town, I will ask the locals what I should do, hopeful to catch a few fish and make a friend or two. I would be glad to have you along for the experience. Each month a new journal entry will be added detailing my quest for fishing knowledge. Stay tuned and one day I may be on the water beside you looking lost, wondering what I can do to catch a fish. And when I ask I am sure you will point me in the right direction. See you soon. Darryl Barrs, Jr. Editor Photo by Daniel Diez (Dan Decibel)
Inside the Tackle Box The D.O.A. Shrimp When Mark Nichols first created the D.O.A. shrimp, I could not help but believe he had tailing Mosquito Lagoon redfish in mind. It is a lure meant to be fished slow, casted accurately, and mimic a shrimp precisely. The lure’s lifelike presentation entices even the most weary of fish with a slight twitch on the rod tip. There is a plethora of ways you can fish the D.O.A. shrimp. During the colder months, try casting past a tailing red and reel it onto the dinner plate. Let it fall and work its magic. Hook Up! You can also cast into potholes and oyster bars, slowly twitch the lure, and wait for the drag to scream. Fishing the shrimp under a popping cork creates a Deadly Combo, which is a combo pack created by D.O.A. Fishing this style near drop offs will save a bad day of fishing. There are still many more rigging techniques to allow you to fish the lure weedless, with added weight, for improved casting or to maximize hookups. When it comes to the D.O.A. shrimp, there is nothing better than the original. It is a must have in your tackle box for wintertime fishing and should remain there year round. For more information, visit www.doalures.com or take a gander at your local
This Presidents Day weekend, 300+ kayakers came together at KARS Park in Merritt Island, FL What ensued was Boondogglin‌.. There was fishing, socializing, raffles, and best of all, cupcakes! Rob DeVore and Robert Lee, two of the dynamic videographers of Yaktastic Adventures, were there to record the action and agreed to give us a sneak peak of their newest video showcasing the 2013 President’s Day Boondoggle.
President’s Boondoggle KARS Pa Merritt Islan
Photos By Rob DeVore and Robert Lee
Day 2013 ark nd, FL
Robert Lee with a stud no-motor zone trout and a beautiful slot redfish.
To view the trailer for the upcoming 2013 President’s Day Boondoggle video as well as past videos by YAKTASTIC ADVENTURES, follow the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYj5FqeP_MY For more information on how you can be a part of the next Boondoggle event, visit
www.YakAngler.com
Bigfin Tip of the Month: Shredded Soft Plastics If you are anything like me and tend to fish soft plastic artificial bait on the flats, I find it can be an expensive habit when smaller pinfish and baby trout like to shred them to pieces. Instead of casting and retrieving until your soft plastic looks like a piece of cheese sitting on a broken mouse trap, try first adjusting your speed. Through experience, I have found by adjusting the speed of my retrieve I am typically able to eliminate the option of a pinfish or puffer from picking my soft plastic apart. Once the right retrieval speed is acquired, now it’s time to address the trout strike. When a trout attacks its prey, it likes to use that big sharp fang to injure the prey so that they can swing back around and easily finish off the job. So when you are working your soft plastic and they go for this initial strike, its habit to set the hook, this ends up resulting in a butchered soft plastic since the strike was not a quality attack. This is not always the case with trout, but I have found it more common in the smaller trout. For the sake of your soft plastic, and your wallet, when you feel the first strike, instead of trying to set the hook, slow your retrieve and let your swim bait fall slowly to the bottom to allow for the trout to come back for the main course. The second strike should be more of an aggressive bite, allowing for the opportunity of a better hook-set. Next time you are out on the water, give this a shot and see how it works out for you. By adding scent gels, such as Pro-Cure, it also tends to make the trout hang on a little longer during that first strike for a decent hook set. If you have trouble finding a good retrieval speed, don’t hesitate to bring some superglue with you and repair your soft plastic as needed. Tight lines and good times!
Nick Dyroff Bigfin Apparel Pro Malibu Kayaks Pro Staff www.bigfinapparel.com
The Fishing Chef Easy Lemon Mustard Broiled Flounder INGREDIENTS: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 teaspoons Dijon Mustard 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
PREPARATION: 1. Place the butter in a small bowl and combine with mustard, parsley, and lemon zest. Set aside 2. Arrange the oven or broiler rack 4 inches from the heat. Preheat the broiler. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Oil the foil lightly. Evenly space 4 flounder fillets on each of the baking sheets. 3. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the butter mixture atop each fillet. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until fish is lightly browned on top and just cooked through. Do not overcook.
8 flounder filets 2 lemons quartered for serving and clover for garnish
4. Serve immediately, garnished with a flourish of clover sprouts and a lemon quarter.
Kayak Fishing The
Lets face it. Finding the right vessel is hard. They all seem to be narrowly focused on one thing. You can buy the one over there because it’s good for fly fishing. This one for duck season and all that extra gear. That one for the flats and don’t forget the other one for those tandem trips. Pretty soon you will have your
Way
own fleet of kayaks and a much lighter wallet. Well fret no more, a Nu way of kayaking is here, and it’s called the NuCanoe Frontier. The design of the Frontier allows an angler to do things their own way. It comes equipped with a 70” freedom track, allowing you to position the seat and accessories any-
At the boundary between canoes, kaya
where along the boat. The seat rotates 360 degrees. It can be paddles solo or tandem with room to spare. Want to stand and fish? Go ahead and walk around while you are at it. Yeah I said it! Walk around! The Frontier was made out of necessity. It bridges the gap for the multi-angler. Finally the fly fishing, duck
hunting, family paddling, bass chasing, flat stalking, surf launching, river floating, picture taking guy has a kayak it can utilize. Check them out if you are that guy.
www.nucanoe.com
aks, and small boats, lies the Frontier.
Show Off Your Catch Share Your Story Make The Front Cover Be A Part Of Something Great Just send us your fishing photos and share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future issue of The Fisherman’s Journal. Who knows, you may be the next famous face to grace the front cover and spotlight our Angler Profile. Send all photos and articles to editor@thefishermansjournal.com
Seeing What’s Out There I have never been big on wearing polarized sunglasses while fishing for a couple of reasons. First, they never seem to fit on my face properly and I end up chucking them off within an hour. Secondly, I mostly fish brackish water and rarely sightfish. And last but definitely not least, I am a klutz and terrified of losing a quality pair of glasses to Davy Jones' Locker. But all of this was about to change. That was soon to change. Costa Del Mar was kind enough to send me a pair of their new Tag sunglasses to review and for the past month I have been wearing them as I fish, drive, walk the dog, and go about my everyday adventures. I must say these things are amazing. Costa Del Mar seemed to answer every problem I had with my generic polarized sunglasses. The first thing I noticed as I wore the sunglasses were their comfort. Made for smaller faces like mine (although my wife says my head is huge), you soon forget the co -molded frames are on. With shades, I usually stress to keep them on and within an hour my head is pounding from the burden on my face. But with the Tag sunglasses, I wore them for an entire day without a problem, never having to adjust or remove them. They just fit right and are made well, and that was just the beginning. How would they fair while fishing? The 580p lenses in the Tag sunglasses blew me away. The clear view easily helped me spot fish, even in the brackish water, and my eyes were never strained. I soon found out the polycarbonate lenses are another factor in the forget they're on feel and the gray lenses I had maintained the natural contrast
during the bright Daytona Beach days. The 580 lenses eliminates much of the yellow light, which is hard for us to process, and raises the red, blue and green areas, resulting in a view unmatched by other brands. To put in layman terms, they greatly improved my sight fishing opportunities. As those who know me can attest, I am a klutz, and my biggest fear while wearing an expensive pair of sunglasses is dropping and breaking them. Although I was very careful not to drop them, I was assured knowing the lenses were tested to meet rigorous impact standards and very durable. The coating process repels oil, water, scratches and dust, allowing me to be the klutz I am. And to keep my Costa Sunglasses from Davy Jones' Locker, I bought a Costa Strap to ensure they never leave from around my neck. My only downfall was the lenses color. After talking about Costa Sunglasses with a few local guides and trying out their pairs, I soon concluded that the copper or amber lenses works better for my fishing situation while the gray lenses I received is a great all around, everyday lens. I am still happy none the less. The Costa Del Mar Tag sunglasses come in three frame colors and wide variety of lenses, from everyday use mirrored polarized for fishing the seas. The range from $150 - $250 depending on the selected lenses. Go and grab you a pair of Costa Tag Sunglasses and see what's out there. ~TFJ Staff Member
This Month’s Angler Profile
Rob Choi Going Big In The Wide Open The mindset was that if we were lucky, one of us might get a shot at a cobia. The five of us knew going into it that finding mister brown of respectable size in a kayak is no easy feat... especially in Virginia. Yet, we all trekked out to the beach to take our chances. Our realistically curtailed expectations quickly found a serious deterrent as we stood there stupefied at the much higher than expected surf. As luck would have it, that wouldn't be the only curve ball of the day.
www.Angling-Addict.com
“The photos really don't do the waves justice. We had sets maxing out over 6ft that would build very quickly and close to shore. After stowing and tying everything down, everyone timed their launches well... Except for me.�
The photos really don't do the waves justice. We had sets maxing out over 6ft that would build very quickly and close to shore. After stowing and tying everything down, everyone timed their launches well... Except for me. After studying the waves for over 10 minutes I thought there was going a be a lull in the set and took a chance. I pulled the kayak out, sat down, and took one paddle stroke... just in time to see a massive wave build quickly and crash right on top of me... throwing me out of my seat. Luckily, I wasn't hurt and had everything in the rod pod. My second attempt was smooth with far less drama. I quickly found the others on the greener side of the breakers and joined in getting equipment out and ready. While catching bait, we immediately realized that we were surrounded by gray suits. The toothy bastards chomped on everything we threw out. Although entertaining at first, they became quite the nuisance. Both eels and baitfish intended for cobia didn't stand a chance. The sharks demolished everything and put a slow burn in our muscles. Dealing with hook removal and/or retying became a time consuming chore and as hours went by our hopes for the target specie sank deeper into doubt. We went farther and farther out into the vast Atlantic and continued to get harassed by sharks. To make things worse, clouds rolled over and took away our already limited ability to visualize our ambitious goal.
I eventually picked a spot to anchor up and everyone gathered around. We got into a few more sharks and then ...
The action was incredible and lasted for a good while. We still had sharks mixed in, but when one of us hooked up with a drum, we knew it. The signature head shakes and ensuing sleigh ride were more than enough to put the elusive cobia on the back burner.
Big jigheads and bucktails with various soft plastics got the job done as well as fresh cut bait on the bottom. The finally tally was 11 big reds between the 5 of us ranging from 38" to 47.5". Three personal bests were crushed. Three citations were registered. The number of sharks were ridiculous with the biggest going around 4ft. On an ending note, I was the only one who ate a wave on the way out and I was the only one who turtled in the surf on the way in. Good times none the less... It was a day none of us will ever forget.
About Rob Choi With numerous top tournament finishes ( TKAA Annual Charity Tournament, Pirates of Lynnhaven AOY Tournament, Kayak Bass Fishing, and Kayak Wars), Rob Choi is considered one of the best in the sport of kayak fishing. As an Ocean Kayak prostaff member, a Werner Paddles and Maui Jim Sunglasses Team Member, a Hook1 Crew member and blog contributor, Rob looks forward to helping the kayak angling community any way he can. “I hope to inspire as I was inspired by those who showed me the way. I hope to share the things I learn on the water as well as good info on news concerning the sport. I promise to promote good conservation for our fisheries and recommend only the top quality products/businesses of this fast growing industry.� ~Rob Choi
www.angling-addict.com
Wants You! Have you ever wanted to relive that big catch, tell your story, and enlighten others to how you accomplished it? Do you have a tip or technique everyone should by using? Well come aboard and contribute to The Fisherman’s Journal! All articles must be well written and contain quality photos. Unique, knowledgeable articles will be chosen for an upcoming issue. Send all inquiries and questions to editor@thefishermansjournal.com
The Barbie Rod Militia Sydney Holmquist BIGFIN Apparel The stillness of the water hiding the darting fish just underneath the surface, easy conversation being interchanged between comrades and of course the anticipation building up for whose line is going to go tight first. This could be considered a normal morning for most anglers, but the difference in this situation is that the rods being used to catch the fish are hot pink and less than three feet in length. Nick Dyroff started the Barbie Rod Challenge this past year as a silly competition between friends and has watched it grow into something much bigger than any of those involved ever expected.
Replace the images in your head of a traditional would see in a televised fishing tournament. Now or poling a flat waiting patiently on the open wa rod in one hand and a beer in the other. It’s an e has come from this challenge is monumental and that has made this such a popular competition. T taken in this new past time as if it has been arou it’s going away anytime soon. Essentially what the Barbie Rod Challenge has b monthly challenges. For example, in November t caught on a Barbie Rod and the challenge for M one of the great things about this competition is the best fisherman or woman out there, you can some great prizes. A Facebook group, open to th pictures, ask questions and stay in contact with t family and everyone loves seeing the others succ lost sometimes in the fishing world due to the co of the Barbie Rod Challenge, says his reasoning begun taking fishing too seriously and wasn’t do love for the sport. This is a problem that many a world. The competitive side takes over, and in a need to perform every time I was out on the wat so much”. The Barbie Rod Challenge removes th fishing which is the reason for the vast immediat I have been lucky enough to meet many of the p tertaining past time and I have to say they are a was a weekend fishing event called Boondoggle a and about was awesome to see! It looked like so the store to buy my own pink rod to join the “Ba announced at a fun gathering and they take pict cess with their fellow anglers in varying local bu and the Orlando Brewery. For the month of Jan name is Kalynn and even though she had missed made sure she was recognized for her success! A gle event everybody was very excited and couldn the trophy and listen to her tell the story that led maraderie that should be prevalent in all fishing even in something as silly as using a Barbie Rod bow of Tyler Vollmer’s (Hook EM Charters) flat
l fisherman with a normal fishing rod, one you w picture three or four grown men in kayaks ater with a miniature two foot, hot pink fishing extremely humorous sight but the success that d it’s not just the fish that have been caught The fishing community in Central Florida has und forever and in my opinion, I don’t think
become is an ongoing competition with varying the challenge was the largest game species March is the best decorated Barbie Rod. I think that anyone can join in! You don’t have to be n simply do this just for the fun of it all and win he public, allows everyone to stay updated, post those that are involved. It has become quite a ceed which is great to see because that can get ompetitive nature of it. Nick Dyroff, the creator behind starting all of this was because he had oing it for the most important reason being his anglers run into as they move up in the fishing statement from Nick he said that he “felt the ter and was unable to enjoy what I used to love hat pressure and brings back the fun side of te following. people that are a part of this amusing and ena great group of people. A few weeks ago there and the amount of Barbie Rods that were out much fun so I joined in on it and went out to arbie Rod Militia.” Every month a winner is tures with the trophy while celebrating the sucusiness establishments including Fish On Fire nuary the winner was a female angler whose d the ceremony announcing her win they still As soon as Kalynn showed up at the Boondogn’t wait to make her take pictures holding up d to her winning that challenge. That’s the cag endeavors! Be happy for those that do well d to catch a massive 30”+ black drum from the ts boat.
I have known Nick for about two months now and have realized what an overall grea Barbie Rod Challenge I have realized that the need to simply let loose and enjoy life open about their secrets to a great catch and are very friendly to new comers, like my izing that there are too many things in life that are stressful and fishing should not be someone else or be the absolute best. One thing that these anglers love to talk about i don’t think you could get through a whole conversation without some laughter and g took place while using a miniature hot pink rod. That right there is the pure beauty o you as a person will begin to notice the change within yourself and others. The future for the Barbie Rod Challenge looks bright because it continues to grow an to sponsor different challenges. Some examples of sponsorships are from Fishing Flo Tailin’ Toads, Elusive Tails, Hook1, KayakBassFishing.com and many more. These co message the Barbie Rod Challenge promotes. Yes, they do gain exposure while being more selfless reason which is to encourage anglers to come out of their shell. For the choice of Costa Sunglasses generously donated by Fishing Florida Radio. In addition to the sponsorships taking off and helping get the Barbie Rod Challenge lenges to help benefit different charities the encourage conservation and youth involv entry free, raffle off sponsor prizes with 100% of the proceeds that are collected from I encourage everyone to look into the Barbie Rod Challenge, even if you are not an a hind it and promote as much as I can because I believe in this idea. Put aside your pr enjoying yourself. You will be amazed at how much fun you are having and how free lenge is a great way to have fun, meet people and get involved in something different
at person he is. Through talking with him and others that are participating in the is something that a lot of people don’t do. Nick and Barbie Rod Militia enjoy being yself. The take away from the Barbie Rod Challenge is taking a step back and reale one of them. Do what you love because you love it, not because you have to beat is their ridiculous stories that have happened when fishing with a Barbie Rod. I good natured joking because at the end of it you remember that this whole story of it all, remove the negative aspects and surround yourself with the joy of it all and
nd gain support from those that want to participate in it as well as those that want orida Radio, TackleWebs, BIGFIN Apparel, Quality First Builders, Yakaholics, ompanies donate their goods and services simply because they stand behind the advertised to everyone involved but for the most part, these companies do it for a month of March the winner of the best decorated Barbie Rod will receive their
moving right along, Nick has also begun putting together one day tournament chalvement. What this means is everyone will get together for one day with a minimal m that day will be donated to the charity of choice. avid fisherman. I think it is a great thing that Nick has started and I firmly stand bere conceived notions and ego, go out there and buy a hot pink Barbie Rod and start eing it is to let go of the stress and embrace the silliness in life. The Barbie Rod Chalt than you have ever done before! Sydney Holmquist BIGFIN Apparel