SOUTHERN
KAYAK FISHING Featured Destination Louisiana! Paddle Purchase 101 -Get the Most for Your Money Fishing the Florida Everglades
issue #1
www.sokayakfishing.com
January 2015
Editor’s Message Yep, it’s just that easy with Western North Carolina’s premier fly shop and guide service. Kevin Howell and his experienced staff have been fishing the surrounding 500 miles of prime trout waters so long, they know all the fish on first name basis. And they’ll be more than happy to make a few introductions.
PISGAH FOREST, NC
GUIDE SERVICES | ONLINE & RETAIL STORE | LESSONS
J
anuary is the traditional month of new beginnings. New Year’s Day presents us all with the chance to start over, to make plans for new activities, and to resolve to do things better than we have in the past. This January finds me doing something very much new and different, and I truly expect, better. January 2015 brings this first issue of Southern Kayak Fishing online magazine. The past six month or so have been filled with lots of activity to reach this point. We’ve arranged for some skilled writers to prepare articles for us, and we’ve gone through literally thousands of photos- some really bad and some so good they make an angler’s heart beat faster- to put together this first issue of what we hope is a very long-term publication. We are working hard to make Southern Kayak Fishing the best publication about fishing in great places for great fish with some great people. When Don Kirk asked me to edit this new magazine, I jumped at the chance. Don has a proven track record of successful writing and publishing, and he is a pleasure to work with. Along with Don, I get to work with his wife, Leah Kirk, an English teacher and a first class lay-out artist and magazine preparer. With the rest of the staff, we are putting every effort into making the best online magazine about kayak fishing in the best part of the whole country- the South- for you, our readers. We want you to be not just readers, but also active participants in this magazine. If you have a good idea for an article about a special place for kayak fishing or a particularly successful fishing technique- please, let us know. We’d love to hear from you, and we value your input. Of course, we always want to hear about club news, tournaments, special meetings and activities. Please get your information to us, and we’ll do our best to get it in the magazine, website and newsletters. Now, for a little bit about me. I am a retired teacher. I taught English in small public schools and colleges in Arkansas, Missouri, and Alabama for nearly forty years. My wife and I raised our three kids to love being outdoors and on the water. Some of my best memories are of floating down clear Ozark creeks in our old aluminum canoe with the kids sitting and fishing and watching the real world go by as we floated. (continued)
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Editor’s Message (cont.)
Southern
Kayak Fishing Editor
Ed Mashburn Edmashburn@aol.com Publisher Don Kirk Don@Southerntrout.com Co-Publisher David Gray Managing Editor Leah Kirk Technical Advisor Tim Perkins Editorial Consultant Olive K. Nynne Contributors Rob Baker Tony Chavers Steve Gibson Danny Holmes Phillip Landry Tim Perkins Steve Sammons John Williams Captain Kristen Wray Southern Kayak Fishing is a publication of Southern Unlimited LLC and Stonefly Press LLC. It is produced in conjunction with Southern Trout Magazine and Southerntrout.com. Copyright 2015 Southern Unlimited LLC and Stonefly Press LLC. All rights reserved.
I build wooden kayaks from time to time, and I write for a number of other publications in addition to Southern Kayak Fishing. I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the country where winter doesn’t stay very long, and nearly every day is a fishing day. My wife and I load up our kayaks and go to the water very often, and that’s what keeps me sane when much of the world is going crazy. I love being on the water in my kayak, and I love sharing what I have learned with others. And l that’s what Southern Kayak Fishing is all about: folks who love being on the water in small craft, catching big fish, and then sharing knowledge with others so they can profit from our experience. If that’s where you’re coming from, then you may have found an online reading home for those times when you can’t actually be on the water fishing. So, we hope that you enjoy this first issue of Southern Kayak Fishing, and we hope you’ll tell your paddling buddies about us. Again, please let us know if there’s a subject you’d like us to look at for the magazine. Oh yes. Just because our name is Southern Kayak Fishing, that doesn’t mean we don’t care about other forms of human-propelled fishing craft. You canoe and paddleboard anglers- you’re a big part of the family, too. We plan on having lots of material on all forms of paddle and pedal powered fishing craft in upcoming issues. So, we hope you enjoy this first issue of Southern Kayak Fishing magazine. We’ll be seeing you on the water. Ed Mashburn edmashburn@aol.com
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This Issue Editor’s Letter
Staying Warm Kayak Fishing
3 8
Featured Artist Dan Sharley
14
Paddle Purchase 101 or How to Get the Most Move for Your Money
28
Featured Kayak Builder Hobie Kayaks
38
Fishing the Florida Everglades
46
Featured Destination Louisiana Redfish Road Trip to Grand Isle
54
Southern Way - The Best Way Kayak Fishing from a Big, Fine Boat
72
Escape the Wintertime Blues Head to the Coast
82
Make Your First Kayak Trip This Year a Great One or Not-The Choice is Yours
88
Featured Kayak Shop Pack and Paddle
8
62
Quickie Kayak Fishing Gear Review PENN Battle II
116
106
First Time Fishing Kayak Buyer 110
82
28
Cool Stuff for Fishing Kayaks Yak Attack
116
Sometimes, It Just Takes One
122
Kayak Fishing the Wakulla River 132 From Fresh to Brackish
132
Get the Drift
142
62
106 14
100
110 122
100
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Staying Warm Kayak Fishing by John Williams
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E
arly winter represents some of the best times to be out in your kayak fishing. Cooler water temperatures bring the speckled trout into range for our kayaks. The redfish are grouping up and patrolling the shores of the larger inshore lakes in large packs. Cool fronts are pushing tides lower making sight fishing opportunities some of the best of the year. One of the challenges that keeps kayak fishermen in watching the NFL instead of out in the marsh however, are worries about staying warm.
The first concept to think of for cooler weather kayaking is layering your clothing. Your complete system comprises three layers: Your base layer is next to your skin followed by an insulating layer topped off by your outer wind-blocking layer. Dressing in multiple layers allows for the kayak fisherman to adjust throughout the day to stay comfortable. The most important layer is your "next to skin" layer. A quick drying fabric that "wicks" the moisture away from the skin is essential. Damp skin and clothing transmits heat much more quickly than dry skin. This is particularly important in a kayak as the effort and moisture you put out in paddling to your fishing spot can result in moisture building up in your clothing. I use Patagonia Capilene in my layering system to stay warm and dry underneath where it really counts. Capilene base layers excel in damp environments over extended periods making it ideal for kayak fishing.
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Your next most important layer is your outer wind shell. It's very important to stop the wind before it sinks into your insulating and base layers. I recommend using a waterproof and breathable rain jacket for your outer layer. I prefer this jacket to have a roomy fit and a simple single layer design (avoid inner linings). This allows you to add layers underneath depending upon how cold it is. You'll also want to have room to cast effectively while wearing the jacket. The same goes for bottoms. A waterproof pair of rain pants are perfect to block wind and spray as well as for pulling a big redfish onto your lap.
In between the base layer and outer layer my strategy is to have just enough insulation to stay warm for the conditions. Many anglers use synthetic fleece jackets as an insulating layer. Where all the innovation is in the industry these days is in a fresh breed of jackets, pullover and vests that are broadly known as High Loft Insulators. Built to mirror the best qualities of down (light weight, compressibility, and high lofting) but with the ability to function in wet environments. A couple of examples are the North Face Thermoball and the Patagonia Nano Puff. In addition to all these benefits, these garments provide a more "slick" texture allowing you to retain casting and paddling mobility when on the water. My go to garment is a Patagonia Nano Puff Vest which provides all the warmth you need for most winter days in south Louisiana with no arm restriction at all. 10 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
Just as important as your main clothing are your accessories. As much as 60% of your body heat can be lost through your head and neck. Be sure to wear a warm hat as well as a fleece buff around your neck for a big upgrade in warmth while paddling. Wool or synthetic socks worn with roomy insulated waterproof boots or shoes is the best combination I've found for kayak fishing. I like Bogs calf high boots with my rain pants pulled over them. This way I can walk into the water while getting in and out of my
kayak without wetting my socks. Keeping your hands warm can be a challenge. I have found good luck using thin Capilene or Polartec gloves to use while fishing with a warm over-mitten while I am paddling. This combination allows me to fish well with some coverage - and also to have extra warmth when changing spots. Lastly, I recommend wearing your life jacket. A PFD adds extra safety should you capsize in cold water and also adds some extra insulation to your system.
Dressed correctly, you can stay comfortable in our South Louisiana weather. And the payoff is lots of fish with very little or no boat traffic. While your buddies are inside watching football you can be out enjoying some of the best fishing our state has to offer!
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Featured Artist
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Dan Sharley By Ed Mashburn
featured artist SKF- When did you first start painting fish and other outdoor subjects? I’ve been painting outdoor subjects for a long time, but I only started painting fish about twelve years ago. SKF- How do you select a subject to paint for your fish artwork? A lot of it just comes from inspiration, and often, that inspiration is based on fishing pursuits. I love fishing just as much as painting. For the life of me, I don’t know why I didn’t marry the two passions earlier. My trout paintings are almost always traced back to a fly-fishing trip, and ideas for saltwater works are usually hatched on the heels of a visit to the beach or a journey offshore. That’s just kind of how it works. I’m also inspired by other artists, and not necessarily other wildlife artists. I gravitate to a variety of techniques and mediums when looking at artwork, and many times, one of my watercolor compositions is influenced directly or indirectly by an artist whose approach, medium and technique are far different than mine.
I
met Dan Sharley some years back on the deck of an overnight fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico. I noticed right away that this big man was a top-flight angler, and when we passed close to a big oil rig and a peregrine falcon flew off the rig and over the boat we were on, Dan was the only other angler who even noticed much less knew the identity of the falcon. So I started talking to Dan about the bird and the fish and water, and I discovered that he was also a painter. Dan has been a friend ever since, and SKF is proud to feature him and his work in our first addition. We talked to Dan Sharley about his art and his life. SKF- What is your art training and background? I’ve been blessed with artistic ability, and I’m very thankful for that. I started drawing at a very early age, and thanks to my Mom’s encouragement, I took several art classes as a kid. But, that’s about the extent of the formal training. The class that really stuck, though, was the last one I took, a watercolor class taught at a local arts-and-crafts store. I liked acrylics, hated oils, and I didn’t like getting pastel chalk all over me. Watercolor was fast, and it required intense concentration and carried the pressure of being able to both execute an idea and to be adaptable enough to actually capitalize on mistakes. I had a very supportive instructor, and Mom and Dad were constantly giving me positive reinforcement. All of that combined with what has become a lifelong pursuit.
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featured artist
SKF- What is your favorite medium? Watercolor, Watercolor, without a doubt. It dries quickly and you can’t correct mistakes. Many artists hate it because of that, but I’ve always been drawn to it. I’m a competitive sort and my athletic background probably contributes a bit to the marriage with watercolor. Each painting is almost like a contest. Me against the watercolor paint.
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featured artist
SKF- How long does it take to get a picture from in your mind to finished composition? It varies widely. Typically, the simpler the painting — a study of an individual fish, for example — the less time it takes to go from idea to finished work. With a more complex work, like Fourteen, it may take months to go from idea to completed painting. You’ve got to get the underlying drawing just right, and I’ll devote a great deal of time to that. In many cases, the drawing takes much more time than the actual painting process. While I’m not a straight-up realistic painter, I do incorporate realistic aspects and a lot of detail. Paintings of heavily-scaled fish often take the longest, mainly due to the scale-work, but it’s worth the extra effort. Tarpon are among my favorite subjects because each scale is like a mini-painting. You can fill them with all kinds of washes and iridescence and abstract ideas, and still end up with a very realistic portrayal. SKF- Do you work from real fish or photographs? Neither, really. When I use photos, it’s typically for research and reference—like making sure fins and gill plates and scale patterns are correctly portrayed. When I did the Jacks of All Trades painting, I had to thoroughly research the species presented, as I had never caught or even seen several of them. I’ve painted enough of some species —rainbow and brown trout, for example—that I don’t need much for reference, but I’m always looking for opportunities to paint subjects that I don’t know all that well. That requires research and photos. The Maori Wrasse painting I did a couple of years ago is a great example of that.
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featured artist
But, the finished composition is almost always something that I dream up. I like to sketch from scratch and not be directly influenced by the eye of a photographer — even if that photographer was me. I’m kind of stubborn that way.
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featured artist
SKF- Does your fishing backgound help you in your fish artwork? Absolutely. Painting and fishing, for me, are essential parts of my life. They go together and help to define who I am. They are also incredibly relaxing pursuits. Thomas McGuane once said, “Angling is extremely time consuming. That’s sort of the whole point.” I agree, and even apply that to painting.
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featured artist My wife, Betsy, is a huge influence and source of inspiration. She’s creative, has a great eye and is my best critic. I rely on her for feedback throughout the painting process. I wouldn’t be successful if not for her. SKF- Can you work in the field or do you prefer studio working conditions? The studio is the best spot for me. Considering my subject matter, if I’m in the field, I’m fishing, not painting. The studio helps me focus, contains various sources of information and inspiration, and several guitars. Believe it or not, when I get stuck on an idea, playing some guitar seems to help. Not sure how or why, but it does. SKF- How can readers get in touch with you to purchase prints of your work?
You can contact me through dansharley.com and purchase prints directly from the site. I’ve also got a heavy selection of prints available for purchase on shallowfish.com.
IT COSTS NO MORE T O G O F I R S T C L A S S ... America’s #1 Trout Fishing Resort is Gaston’s. Our White River float trips for lunker trout are legendary from coast to coast. We do the work. All you do is fish – in style and comfort. Then there are the extras that make “resort” our last name. First-class lodging. One of the South’s finest restaurants, featuring a spectacular view. A private club. Tennis and a pool. A nature trail. A conference lodge for your group meetings or parties. Even a private landing strip for fly-in guests.
SKF-Can you give us a short bio of you- your college, art training, work, familyanything you feel would help the readers understand you and your artwork. I’m a fisherman and an artist, and very happily married to and inspired by my beautiful wife, Betsy. Our home in Tennessee is within a short distance of great smallmouth streams, trout-filled tailraces and striper-inhabited reservoirs. Many of the ideas for my artwork were hatched from visits to those bodies of water. I grew up in Memphis, and while I’m largely a self-taught artist, I do credit a watercolor class I took in high school for starting the journey I’ve been on for the past 30 years. While in college at the University of Dayton, I picked up a journalism degree and played quarterback on a National Championship football team. Afterwards, I earned my MBA at the University of Memphis. For the past twenty years, I’ve lived in middle Tennessee, where I’ve continued to pursue my artwork, to fish as much as I can and to root for my beloved Nashville Predators. And for what it’s worth: Kayak: An orange, butt-numbing, 12-foot Aqua-Lung SOT, with a rudder and a Scotty fly-rod holder. It’s a fishing machine that has been slimed by everything from flounder to flatheads.
1777 River Road • Lakeview, Arkansas 72642 (870) 431-5202 • E-Mail gastons@gastons.com Lat 36 20' 55" N Long 92 33' 25" W
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www.gastons.com
Paddle Purchase 101 or How to Get the Most Move for Your Money
N
ewcomers to kayak fishing tend to focus on their new boat and forget about obtaining the best possible paddle. This can lead to some problems and lots of wasted effort. But a little schooling can help any new kayak angler have the best results with the least effort- Paddle Purchase 101- school starts now.
By Tony Chavers
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So, I finally did it! I bought my first fishing kayak. I just couldn’t stand hearing all those stories from my buddies about the fish they caught and the places they went and the things they saw in their fishing kayaks. So now, I’m one of the club, right? Tomorrow is my first kayak fishing trip, and I can’t wait. I’m really proud of my new fishing kayak, and I’m so pleased that I didn’t have to pay much at all for my new kayak’s paddle. I got it on special at a big box store near home. After all, how important can a paddle be? It’s just a paddle, right? Morning of Day One- Kayak Fishing: My new kayak is gorgeous. It’s shiny and smooth and it looks like it will really move across the water as I paddle it effortlessly. The early morning light is very nice on the smooth water. I can’t wait to get on the water and catch some fish today! My buddy has just arrived, and he’s ready to go fishing, too. Here we go- look out fish! Afternoon of Day One- Kayak fishing I feel terrible. My arms ache, and my back hurts. What’s wrong? I couldn’t keep up with my buddy, and no matter how hard I paddled, my new kayak just wouldn’t go as fast as my friend’s boat, and he has the same model boat that I bought. And I’m exhausted. What’s wrong with my new kayak? I didn’t know paddling a kayak would be this much work. I need some help and advice about paddling and fishing.
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I Go to School About Fishing Kayak Paddle Selection Wow, this kayak shop is really neat. There’s such a wide range of different kayaks and paddles and other gear. Maybe I should have come to this shop first before I bought my first kayak and paddle at that big store. Oh, well. It’s too late now. I wonder if that wise-looking man at the counter can help me- I hope so, I do need paddling help. Newbie Paddler Excuse me, sir. I am here for help. I went kayak fishing yesterday on my new kayak, and I’m still tired from it. My friend suggested that perhaps I don’t have the right paddle for my new boat. I bought a paddle that looked nice and was really cheap. So, that should be a good enough paddle for my new kayak, right? A paddle is just a paddle, after all. Paddle Master Friend, paddles do not come as standard equipment with new kayaks. Paddles are sized to the paddler and to the boat they are using. If you have the wrong paddle, you won’t work efficiently, and you won’t move as fast as your boat is capable of moving. Newbie Paddler Really? Paddles come in sizes? So, how do I pick the right paddle for my new fishing kayak? Paddle Master You should take advice from a good specialty retailer with knowledge about fishing kayaks. Like this shop- kayaks and paddle craft is all we do. Newbie Paddler Oh, I see. So, could YOU help me? What paddle length is best for me and my fishing kayak? 32 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
Paddle Master Buddy, there is no single formula for selecting your kayak’s paddle. It’s not black and white. It comes down to what is comfortable for you when you paddle your kayak. Sometimes a paddler’s specific paddling style will dictate paddle length. Don’t pick a paddle alone. Go to a good specialty store that will have a good selection of good paddles and then budget as much as you can for the lightest possible paddle. Newbie Paddler So paddle length is that important? Paddle Master Grasshopper, imagine that you and your arms are the kayak’s motor. The paddle is the transmission. If the transmission is wrong, then no matter how much power the engine provides, it will not move the kayak efficiently. You must match the paddle length to the kayaker’s particular size and paddling style and boat dimensions. There are no cut and dried rules about paddle selection- it’s totally personal for each paddler. Newbie Paddler So there are no rules or guidelines? This sounds difficult. Paddle Master It’s not that bad. Here are some starting points for your selection of a good fishing kayak paddle. For instance, you are about five feet nine inches tall. You are normally proportioned for that height. If your kayak is twenty-five inches wide, you would probably need a paddle 220 centimeters long. If your boat is thirty inches wide, you would probably need a paddle 230 centimeters long. If your fishing kayak is thirtytwo or thirty-three inches wide, you would most likely need a 240 centimeter long paddle. These are basic starting points for choosing a paddle. Kayak paddles in the 230 centimeter length are the most commonly sold length, but they may not be best for you and your specific kayak. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 33
Newbie Paddler So I have to match my paddle to both me and my new boat? Paddle Master Now you’re getting the picture. Newbie Paddler So, does the material the paddle is made of make any difference? I’ve seen metal paddles with plastic blades, and I’ve seen all plastic paddles, and I’ve seen expensive paddles made of really strange combinations of materials. Is there really any difference? Paddle Master Of course, the paddle’s material makes a difference. The material used in the paddle affects the overall weight of the paddle. As always, you should buy the lightest possible paddle you can budget. Less weight will cost more money. However, think of how many times you will lift and work with your kayak’s paddle in a day’s fishing- if you have just a little excess weight, over the course of a day’s paddling, you have lifted a lot more weight. Buying a lighter paddle will cost more, but you will work much less with a lighter paddle. Newbie Paddler So, how much can I expect to pay for a good fishing kayak paddle? Paddle Master To be honest, you can pay as much as you want, but for most kayak anglers, a paddle costing $125 will usually work very well. Newbie Paddler Wow! That’s a lot more than I paid for the paddle I used yesterday. 34 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
Paddle Master How well did the paddle you used yesterday work out? Are you happy with the cheap one you bought? Do you want to take it out and use the cheap one again? Newbie Paddler Good point. Let’s look at paddles that will fit me and my boat. How should I take care of my new paddle which fits me and my kayak? Paddle Master After you use your kayak and paddle- especially if you paddle in salt water- you should rinse the paddle with fresh water. You should also break the paddle down and store it out of the weather. This will guarantee that the next time you take the paddle to the water, it will go together properly and it will last longer. Newbie Paddler Now that I’ve got my new paddle that fits me and my kayak, this should guarantee that I’ll catch fish, right? Paddle Master Son, I sell kayaks and paddles- I don’t do miracles. But I’d like to see pictures when you catch your first kayak-caught fish. And let me know how your new paddle works in your boat. By the way, congratulations on completing Paddle Purchase 101. You’re well on your way to becoming a graduate student in kayak paddling and fishing. Tony Chavers operates Fairhope Boat Company in Fairhope, Alabama, and he gets a lot of people on the water on the Gulf Coast in all kinds of paddle craft. He is always happy to help both newcomers and veteran paddlers in equipment selection. Tony can be contacted at 702 N. Section Street, Fairhope, Alabama 36532 or by calling 251-928-3417 or at fairhopeboat.com
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Hobie Featured Kayak Builder’s Profile
Kayaks
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T
here may be no boat company in the world that has put more people on the water to have fun than Hobie. From surfboards to sailboats to kayaks, for over fifty years, the company founded by surfer and builder Hobie Alter has constructed well-designed and very well built water craft. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 39
Featured Kayak Builder’s Profile
Hobie Ahead of the Curve For kayak anglers, the most important date in the Hobie timeline might be 1996. This was the year Hobie came out with the Pursuit kayak which brought rotomolded polyethylene boatbuilding to highest marine standards. Perhaps equally important for many kayak anglers, in 1997, Hobie released the MirageDrive system which allowed anglers handsfree propulsion of their kayak. To quote from the Hobie Kayak Catalog, “Long hours of paddling can dampen the fun factor, and paddle splashes can startle fish and wildlife. So we asked a hard question: why labor to pull with arms when it’s infinitely more efficient to push with your legs?” Since the release of the original Pursuit paddle kayak, anglers have taken Hobie fishing kayaks to every kind of fishing water. Hobie makes sure there’s a kayak for every angler’s needs. From traditional paddle boats to the broad MirageDrive line to inflatable kayaks with the MirageDrive, there are nineteen different Hobie kayak designs, and most are optimized for fishing.
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Featured Kayak Builder’s Profile
Improving What’s Already Great Hobie doesn’t sit content with the success of past designs. For 2015 many of the Hobie fishing kayaks will offer the elevated Vantage seating system. This seating promises to provide secure, comfortable seating for Hobie anglers. Fish finder and other fishing electronic ports are built into the 2015 Hobie fishing kayaks. The 2015 Mirage Drive provides improvements in the gearing and bearing systems to make kayak peddling even easier and more efficient.
And After the Purchase
A full range of kayaking accessories is offered by Hobie, and kayak anglers won’t have to go far to find a Hobie dealer in the United States. There are also Hobie distributers in Australia, Europe and Brazilfor those kayak anglers who get started on a trip and just can’t seem to stop, we guess.
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To contact the Hobie Company to locate a Hobie dealer, anglers can call 1-800-HOBIE-49 or go to hobiecat.com.
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2nd Annual
Southern Trout
Fly Fishing Fair
January 31, 2015 8:30 am to 6 pm LeConte Center 2986 Teaster Lane Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
ADMISSION
FREE!
fishing the Florida Everglades for Exotics By Steve Gibson
After some cold winter weather in recent years, some of the non-native but totally fun to catch fish which call the Everglades home have come back from the devastating effects of the cold. Anglers who get on the water of the ‘Glades in kayaks have the probability of catching some fine non-native fish.
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I’m not going to say things have rebounded totally in The Everglades, but the fishing isn’t too bad. Prior to the freeze in February 2010, exotics were plentiful in The ‘Glades. A typical day would produce upwards of 200 fish per person, a majority of which would be husky oscar and feisty Mayan cichlid. The freeze, however, sent a large number of the tropical exotics to their premature deaths. Exotics in the ‘Glades have been around for years. Some reports date back to the early 1950s when a disgruntled aquarium owner dumped his or her fish population into a backyard canal or pond. The rest is history. Oscar and Mayan cichlids took to The ‘Glades and surrounding water systems like rednecks to a Southeastern Conference football game. State fisheries biologists aren’t exactly enamored by exotics, but the fish are here to stay. So, why not take advantage of great sport? And they’re actually very good on the table. Oscars are unlike any freshwater fish you might have hooked on a fly rod. They don’t get very large (a 3-pounder is a big one), but what they lack in size they more than make up for in strength and determination. They’re the bulldogs of fresh water. They’re very strong and will convince you that you have a much larger fish on the end of your line. While Mayans aren’t as strong, they’re very fast. The make short, quick runs and are a treat on light fly rods or spinning tackle.
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And Since Then...
Going to the Glades Patrick O’Connor, a Boca Grande firefighter, joined me for an outing to The Everglades recently. We met at 4:30 a.m. and made the 2 1/2-hour drive south from my home in Sarasota where I own Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (www.kayakfishingsarasota. com). We launched the kayaks at dawn and immediately began fishing -- and catching! Kayaks are the perfect craft for this type of fishing. They’re unobtrusive, quiet and easy to handle. You can slip up on the fish and rarely have to make a cast of more than 25 feet. Both of us started the day casting popping bugs. I switched to my trusty Myakka Minnow after about 10 minutes. It didn’t take me long to hook a Mayan cichlid. In addition, I caught largemouth bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and shellcracker. We later added several nice speckled perch (black crappie). We estimated than we landed more than 200 fish on the day. O’Connor hooked the first oscar, a small one that weighed a little less than a pound. On the day, we caught and released 14 oscar and 15 Mayan cichlid. Those aren’t great numbers, but that was easily the best action since the 2010 freeze. I hadn’t seen an oscar since December 2009.
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I’ve done a number of trips to The ‘Glades since that trip and I’m happy to report that fishing is almost back to normal. A majority of the fish that we’re catching are oscar and Mayan cichlid. We’ve been averaging more than 150 fish per person. For this fishing, we use 4- and 5-weight fly rods, floating lines and 7 1/2- to 9-foot monofilament leaders. I’ll rig one rod with a No. 8 popper, one with a black Myakka Minnow and a third with a No. 10 nymph under a strike indicator. When the action slows after mid-morning, we switch to nymphs and begin catching quite a few fish. If you don’t fly fish, no big deal. Just grab an ultra-light rod, a few small jigs and you’re in business. I recommend 1/32-ounce Beetle Spins. And don’t forget micro topwater plugs or 4-inch plastic worms. Best times of year to fish the ‘Glades are December through April. Once the rainy season begins in June, the water level rises and fish spread out over millions of acres. When the water goes down, fish are concentrated. I have fished the area in June, but thunderstorms, high water and bugs are par for the course. On occasion, I have caught peacock bass, but not since the freeze. The particular area I fish is little north of the peacock bass’s Florida range. My favorite areas to fish are at any of the recreation areas along Alligator Alley, a portion of Interstate 75 between Naples and Fort Lauderdale. I missed the Oscars and Mayans for a few years. It now appears as if they’re making a comeback! January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 51
We take you fishing.... Southern Drawl
Kayak Fishing offers saltwater and freshwater trips. We fish the saltwater backcountry from Tampa Bay to Pine Island Sound, targeting snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon and other species. In addition, we fish freshwater lakes and streams in southwest Florida for bass, bluegill, shellcracker, tilapia and exotics such as oscars and Mayan cichlids.
2519 Wood Oak Drive Sarasota, FL 34232 (941) 284-3406 www.kayakfishingsarasota.com
not for a boat ride!
Featured Kayak Fishing Destination
Louisiana If there’s a better place than Louisiana for kayak anglers to go when the weather turns cold and nasty in winter, we haven’t found it yet. The bayou state is not too far to drive for most Upper South and Midwest kayak anglers, and when much of the country is locked up in the grip of winter, Louisiana waters are still open and very fishable. And the fish? Louisiana fish don’t stop eating when it gets cold- some even bite better.
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featured kayak destination
From the Biloxi Marsh on the east to Venice to Grand Isle to Cocodrie to Lake Charles on the west near Texas, coastal Louisiana offers kayak anglers some of the best cold weather fishing to be found-period.
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featured kayak destination
And of course, there’s always the food. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in spending a day fishing hard on the waters of Louisiana and then heading in for a big seafood meal of shrimp, oysters, crab, fish…well, you get the picture. Eating is taken very seriously in Louisiana, and cold-weather kayak anglers can find some world-class meals here.
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featured kayak destination
So, just as a taste of what wintertime Louisiana offers kayak anglers, we’d like to offer these snapshots as appetizers to our main-meal features on specific Louisiana kayak fishing locations.
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featured kayak destination
Redfish Road Trip to Grand Isle, Louisiana By Captain Kristen Wray
Today is a little chilly and windy, but we are sitting in kayaks, rods and reels at the ready, hiding behind a wall of marsh grass in a calm finger of saltwater that stretches from a shallow open bay into an oyster shell flat. Danny puts his finger to his lips and motions for me to be quiet–I start to hear a ruckus coming from around the bend in the marsh. Within a few seconds we can see them –at least a dozen redfish in a pack working down the opposite bank in water so shallow that their backs come completely out of the water as they swim over one another vying for pole position in the pack where they have first crack at any bait that may be in their way. Adrenaline starts pumping as I position my kayak out of their way in the middle of the thirty-foot wide canal. I don’t want to block their path or cast into the pack because that will scatter them and ruin the magic of the moment. Danny has a fly rod and
tosses his spoon fly twelve feet to our right, just shy of the far bank and in front of the pack so that they will come upon it naturally and, hopefully, in a competitive feeding frenzy, one will inhale his spoon fly. He gives a short strip of the line as they get closer then… Wait for it…Wait for it…Bam! The reel starts to scream as the lead redfish takes off with the fly. He only goes about twenty yards before he realizes he is hooked and the pack scatters. The alpha fish is quickly realizing he is not going far in the narrow canal. He tries running back to the oyster flat, a good place to cut the line attached to the hook in his mouth, but Danny skillfully turns his head and muscles him back toward the kayak. He makes a few more runs, but eventually Danny eases the twenty-four inch redfish to the side of the kayak, puts his hand under the fish’s belly and lifts him into the boat to remove the hook.
Grand Isle, Louisiana
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t’s best to get information from local and most experienced sources. When it comes to fishing Grand Isle--Redfish Heaven--there’s no one better equipped to tell us about the kayak fishing than Captain Kristen Wray and her husband Captain Danny Wray. Editor’s Warning: If this article doesn’t get you thinking about heading to Grand Isle for some kayak fishing, you might want to check your pulse...you might not have one.
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featured kayak destination
The redfish in South Louisiana are a beautiful gold and orange color. After a fight, the tips of their tails turn bright blue. You can also find a wide variety of spot patterns on their tails and sides. Most have the distinctive single black spot, but some (the leopard reds) can have multiple spots. We have seen up to thirty spots on a single fish! Most of the reds we find in the marsh are in the five to eight pound range and will pull your kayak around for about ten minutes before they tire. This one is the perfect eating size, but since we already have a redfish for dinner on ice in the cooler in the rear of my kayak, we let him go. On a good weather day, you can repeat this scenario over and over. In South Louisiana, that means temperatures above fifty degrees and winds less than fifteen knots. But even not ideal days can produce redfish. One benefit of the winter chill is that the organics drop out of the water and leave it really clear, a big advantage over the typically murky water we see in the warmer months. 64 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
My husband and I have been fishing the marshes around Grand Isle, Louisiana in kayaks for more than ten years. It started as our love for the place and Danny’s obsession for kayak fishing. Now it is how we make a make living. For years now we have been sharing our experience with folks from all over the world. There are a few things to remember when kayak fishing this time of the year. Before your next kayak fishing trip, take the time to do a few extra preparations. Take a second or third glance at the weather forecast as things change quickly this time of the year. Leading edge winds of a frontal boundary often switch one hundred and eighty degrees and may blow as hard as forty knots, so make sure not to get caught out in the marsh during one of these weather events. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged and protected from getting wet. Let a close friend know your “game plan” and the time you expect to be home, give them a time to call for help if you haven’t been heard from. If at all possible don’t go alone, fish with a friend. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 65
featured kayak destination
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Most importantly, you have to dress right. Chest waders are the ticket. Our preference is the type with the rubber boots included in the waders. The brackish water tends to rust the metal lace guides on the type I reserve for fishing freshwater streams. On an average winter day, you can add a warm hat and a water proof jacket on top of your wicking and off you go. Colder days require dressing in layered clothing. Over the years I’ve found that a good set of raingear is “priceless.” I recommend the lower half be the bib type so that water can’t migrate over the waistband. I also prefer the top half have the hood attached. Neoprene gloves help keep the hands dry when paddling and nothing is more important than keeping your head warm and dry. I have come across a pair of gloves that have a slit in the index finger and thumb so that you can expose your necessary fingers to tie knots and keep a finger on the line. I’m sure you could easily do this to an existing pair with a knife or scissors.
Find a few cocahoe minnows and some clear water. Slip a kayak in the water and head up wind. Put a minnow on a jig head and toss it out about twenty-five feet. Really...that’s it. Paddle quietly in water about eighteen inches deep. Most importantly, be sure your drag is set. Fishing in the cold requires a slower presentation as the cold water slows the metabolism of the fish and the prey they feed on. If you are having trouble catching fish, try slowing down your retrieve even more, and don’t expect to feel every bite. When a fish takes the bait this time of the year, his bite is often hard to detect. Just be patient and let him take it. Redfish get lazy in colder winter water. They want to expend the least about of energy to feed. Find a place where the water is flowing through a pinch point. Look for a break in the marsh where one pond or canal is flowing through a narrow gap into another. Reds like to hang in the water just out of the current where they can ambush the bait coming through the shoot. Your job is to cast up current and let your bait come through the shoot naturally. Pockets of still water surrounded by marsh grass just off the main canal are also good places to find a redfish or two lounging about. If they are not in a feed mode, you will have to cast the bait close to the fish to entice him to bite. You might even have to drag the bait over him or right by his nose to wake him up if it is particularly cold.
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featured kayak destination Most newer fishing kayaks have seats that sit high above the waterline to give you a better sightline and make casting easier. If you happen to be in an older model and feel like you need a few more vertical inches, our skinny water gives you an unconventional option: sit on the raised portion of the kayak just behind the seat, straddling the kayak (your waders and boots will help here as your feet will be in the water/muddy bottom). You can move yourself along or stop your progress with your feet. This is an old-school method we call “Flintstoning.” (You know, like the car that Fred and Barney drove with their feet.) Using this stealthy method, you can move slowly down the bank without having to move and reposition your stake out pole (a.k.a. Cajun anchor). One other advantage is that you can keep your rod in your hand ready to cast and let your feet move and stop you so that you are ready to make that perfect cast the moment you see the opportunity. [Caveat: Do not use this technique unless you are wearing waders/boots as the oyster shells that are ubiquitous in the muddy bottoms of marsh in South Louisiana will cut unprotected feet and legs.] Winter also brings better rates for lodging on Grand Isle. There are plenty of RV/camper sites on the island, motels and vacation home rentals with cheap winter rates, as well as the Grand Isle State Park for those that like to rough it. Check out all the options at www.grandisle. info and www.townofgrandisle.com for a list of all the options. There are several eateries that stay open on the island year round: Starfish restaurant, Yum’s (the name says it all!) and fast food options like Subway and JoBob’s Grill (fried chicken, pizza, burgers, etc…). The best meal is always your fresh catch. Cook your redfish fillets with a little garlic, butter & Cajun seasoning and you will create a meal you would pay big bucks for in New Orleans. 68 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
The Secret is out. The old days of our small little cult of kayak fishing are no longer. Summer brings hundreds of kayak anglers to Grand Isle and most camps on the island keep one or more kayaks ready to fish. But in the winter you can still find those beautiful days to slip into the marsh with your favorite fishing buddy and never see another boat. Redfish Heaven is how most fishermen describe Grand Isle, Louisiana. Kayakers from all over the country are learning that there are thousands of acres of marsh and salt to brackish water near Grand Isle, Louisiana that produce the best red fishing in the country. You can stay for weeks, never fish the same piece of water twice, and catch reds every day. Louisiana Highway 1 stretches south of the Intra-Coastal Waterway, past Golden Meadow, over the hurricane protection levy to Leeville, Port Fourchon and finally to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The last thirty miles of highway boarder an expanse of marsh dividing Barataria and Terrebonne Bays which are some of the most productive marshes for redfish you can find anywhere. So load up that kayak and head to Grand Isle this winter for some great fishing. Check out
www.calmwatercharters.net
for guided fishing, paddle trips and tours in Grand Isle.
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15th Annual
April 11-12, 2015
2015 SPEAKERS Lefty Kreh • Bob Clouser • Beau Beasley • Tom Gilmore Ed Jaworowski • Blane Chocklett • Walt Cary Captain Gary Dubiel • Pat Cohen • Cory Routh
2015 MAJOR SPONSORS Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation Dominion • Trout Unlimited • Temple Fork Outfitters
Advance tickets, extensive beginner and children’s classes, registration and program information: vaflyfishingfestival.org
Sometimes, one day is not enough time for kayak anglers to fully fish and enjoy a particular spot. How to stretch a trip and do it in comfort? Let’s consider mothership trips- and one of the best mothership trips to be found anywhere runs kayak fishing trips to the Chandeleur Islands, Biloxi Marsh and Cat Island in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Southern Way
The Best Way . . .
Kayak Fishing from a Big, Fine Boat The Mothership Concept
A
by Ed Mashburn
ll of us kayak anglers face a common problem: there’s so much waterand there’s so little time to fish it. We’ve all been forced to leave a hot bite or promising fishing area because we had to paddle or peddle a long way back to our launch area. The mothership concept deals with this problem in a simple, logical manner. Kayak anglers don’t have to leave good fishing in a distant area since the starting and stopping place on a mothership trip is a big boat that takes the kayaker to the fishing. When worn out from fishing, the angler just paddles a short distance back to the mothership, unloads, and spends the night on the big boat. Fishing will be very close at hand in the morning. Southern Way is a dedicated mothership- seventy-two feet long with central hear and air, full heads with showers for up to twelve guests- which takes anglers to fishing locations on the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast. When the anglers are through for the day, they paddle- or motor- Southern Way also carries motor skiffs for non-kayakers-back to the mothership’s location, and a fine hot meal, a shower, and later, a very comfortable bed is waiting. Breakfast will be prepared in the morning. It is very, very civilized fishing- I like this kind of fishing very much. The motto of Southern Way says it all- “You don’t have to go far if you are already there.”
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A Recent Biloxi Marsh Mothership Kayak Trip With my typical fishing luck, the weather on my first trip to the Biloxi Marsh in November of 2014 was pretty bad. It never stopped blowing, and the north wind was very cold. However, even with the hard conditions, I caught a lot of very nice- five to ten pound- redfish. These Biloxi Marsh reds don’t stop biting when the weather gets bad. I peddled my Hobie to reach protected areas which allowed me to hold my position on the water, and using either live shrimp under a popping cork or a weedless and weightless- rigged soft plastic fluke, I was able to fool several redfish. The most fun kind of fishing in the Biloxi Marsh is to sightfish the reds as they slowly cruise the clear water in search of their food or to find where the reds are actively chasing small mullet and cast to the feeding area. When I saw a redfish “pushing water”- making a wake that is very obvious- I had good results casting ahead of the moving fish and letting the soft plastic fluke slowly sink in front of the fish. The strike is often quite gentle with this kind of fishing, but the first run when the redfish realizes that something is not right is anything but gentle. When the reds are exploding on schools of mullet, there are often more than a single redfish doing the damage. When the water explodes with the fleeing mullet and the violent attacks by the redfish, a cast with a soft plastic fluke or a jig will be immediately eatenand this kind of strike is not at all gentle- it’s a brutal, crushing strike. The best thing about this Biloxi Marsh fishing is that I fished hard for three days, and I didn’t fish the same water twice, and I never left sight of the mothership.
Biloxi Marsh The Biloxi Marsh, one of Southern Way’s prime fishing and duck hunting locations is a special place, no doubt. Located at the junction of Mississippi and Louisiana, the Biloxi Marsh is composed of 210,000 acres of countless salt ponds, small bayous and creeks, with larger streams and canals. Interspersed with the water are low shorelines of reeds, mud, and oyster shells. This is the Biloxi Marsh- a wild place. Of prime interest to kayak anglers, the Biloxi Marsh is filled with more redfish and speckled trout than can be easily imagined. The larger, more open areas of the Marsh are where the specks will most often be found. Some really large reds are usually found cruising along the shorelines and up in small ponds making life difficult for shrimp, crabs, minnows- anything small enough to fit in their mouths. Access to the Biloxi Marsh is very limited. There is no road access, and the Marsh is generally too far from the nearest launch facility for kayakers to easily paddle or peddle to the prime fishing grounds. It’s a thirty minute run on the thirty-six foot boat The Guardian to reach the big Southern Way at the Biloxi Marsh fishing waters. Hopedale and Shell Beach, Louisiana are the closest access locations, and they are both about thirty miles east of New Orleans. By the way, fishing the Biloxi Marsh can be intimidating- it’s a big, wild place. All Southern Way anglers have VHF radios to keep in contact with “mother.” 74 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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Cat Island Trips For kayak anglers who don’t have time for a full overnight trip, Southern Way Charters offers day trips on The Guardian which carry kayakers from Pass Christian, Mississippi to Cat Island. Cat Island can be seen easily from the mainland on a clear day, but it is too far for most kayakers to paddle. A mothership of sorts- a large outboard-powered fishing boat- loads up several kayaks and paddlers and takes them across the open water to Cat Island, and later in the day, brings them back. It’s only a twenty minute run from the dock to Cat Island, and up to ten kayakers can go on a single trip. Fishing at Cat Island is quite good. There are tons of redfish, speckled trout, and flounder to be caught at Cat Island year-round, and during summer season, larger offshore fish like cobia, king mackerel, and big crevalle jacks are caught from kayaks around Cat Island. The Cat Island mothership kayak trips are a fun way for a group of paddling friends to access some outstanding Gulf Coast fishing without having to dedicate several days and complex camping planning to reach the fishing water. 76 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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What Gear to Bring Of course, the most basic requirement for a mothership kayak fishing trip is the kayak and all necessary paddles, PFDs, and other gear. However, if transporting your own ‘yak is a problem, Southern Way can arrange for rental kayaks. Kayak anglers will need to bring all fishing gear and spares. There are no bait and tackle shops close at hand when the angler reaches the Marsh. Spinning, casting, and fly gear all work well in the Biloxi Marsh, and live bait is rarely needed. In particular, soft plastic used with ¼ oz jighead is a good bet. A whole bunch of soft plastics take up little storage room. For spinning and casting gear anglers, some topwater lures are needed. “Walk the Dog” is a very successful technique in the marsh, and there’s nothing quite like the vicious strike of a ten-pound redfish on a topwater lure to make the world a better place for a kayak angler. Both spinning and casting gear need to be able to handle a couple of hundred yards of 20 lb test line. Using anything less than 20 lb line is begging for a big thirty-pound redfish to clean your reel of line. Fly anglers will find eight-weight gear adequate for most Biloxi Marsh fish, but a hundred yards of backing line is a good idea in case a truly big redfish shows up to play. Clousers and other streamer type flies are very effective, and pinks, oranges, and tans are good colors- anything that resembles a shrimp or crab will do well. I always have a selection of poppers and other topwater flies. Crease flies in plain white are very effective on actively chasing redfish. Bring clothing for all kinds of weather. Lightweight water-proof jackets and pants are nice, and good head gear for both shade in summer and warmth in winter months is very important. I like to bring very light-weight waders to wear on winter trips. I don’t like to be wet and cold, and when fishing from a kayak in winter, both of these conditions are almost guaranteed. In summer, sunblock and bug spray are good to have. Other than the needed fishing supplies, just about everything else will be provided by the mothership-and kayak anglers on the Southern Way can expect to eat very well, indeed. Contact Southern Way Bart Haddad Southern Way Charters, Inc. SWC Sportsmans Lodge/Biloxi Marine, LLC Cat Island Excursions,LLC 601-466-0152 78 l Southern Kayak Fishing
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Escape the Wintertime Blues he sleet is rattling against the window, and the forecast is for heavy snow tonight. There’s just so much a winter bound kayak angler can take in weather like this. When folks from the Midwest and Upper South get too much cold and snow, there’s a quick and easy solution:
Head to the Coast
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ead south to the Gulf Coast.
So Where Should We Go, and How Do We Get There? It’s simple. From St Louis, for example,
head south to Memphis. From Memphis, keep on south to Jackson, Mississippi. From Jackson, head to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. From Hattiesburg, keep on south to I-10- the major east/ west artery of the Deep South. I-10 will take frozen kayak anglers east to Alabama and Florida, or west to Louisiana. It’s perfectly fine to keep on heading south into coastal Mississippi, too.
This little wintertime escape will take most drivers about twelve hours. That’s a good day’s drive, but the trip takes folks to a whole different world in a short period of time. In winter on the Gulf Coast, the usual daytime high temperatures run from the 60s to 70s. A cold night is thirty degrees, and snow and frozen rain are a few times in a lifetime occurrences for many coast people.
Why Would Kayak Anglers Want to go to the Gulf Coast in Winter? There’s a special character which lives along the Gulf Coast, and this character is of great interest to kayak anglers. This special character is the redfish. This extremely common resident of all Gulf Coastal waters is one of the world’s top inshore game fish, and during winter, reds are especially easy to get to and to catch especially for kayak anglers. Redfish pull harder than any other inshore game fish I’ve ever hooked. There is simply no freshwater fish that compares. Anglers catch redfish which range in size from little “rat” reds of a pound or two up to “bulls” which weigh forty pounds or more. For kayak anglers, a hooked bull redfish soon provides a “redfish sleigh ride” which is very exciting.
Kayak anglers can bring either baitcast rigs or spinning rigs- both will work fine. These reels need to hold at least 200 yards of twenty pound line. That’s it. Buy your hooks, lures and other gear down here where free and very good advice will be given at the bait and tackle shops. Oh, by the way, smaller reds-say five pounds or less- are delicious eating fish. Florida and Alabama offer great inshore redfishing in winter, but the passes to Pensacola Bay and Mobile Bay are home to big schools of the largest reds. Both the inshore areas and the big passes are fine places for kayak anglers to visit. Mississippi offers anglers great inshore redfish around the barrier islands and the inshore bayous. Louisiana is quite simply the best redfishing destination in the world. Big ones, baby ones, and every size between- Louisiana has them in huge numbers.
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What Else is Special About the Gulf Coast? Although I don’t require anything else other than a redfishing kayak trip to keep me happy, I hear other folks want other things from a wintertime vacation. How about the world’s biggest party? If northern kayak anglers come to the Gulf Coast in February, there’s very good chance that Mardi Gras will be cooking. The best thing about Mardi Gras is that the celebrations are not limited to the bigtime parties at New Orleans and Mobile (the real home of Mardi Gras) but nearly every little coastal town will have a Mardi Gras celebration, and these small parades are often the most fun. It’s a lot of fun to holler to people on the floats and catch beads, moon pies, and other thrown gifts.
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Finally, the entire Gulf Coast offers visitors the best seafood in the world. The Gulf Coast is covered with restaurants and cafes that will prepare your own fresh-caught redfish in any way you’d like it. The entire Gulf Coast is very kayak friendly, and there are several top-notch kayak shops scattered along the Coast which provide gear, equipment, and good advice for visiting kayak anglers. So, there we have it. When the winter up north gets too much to bear any longer, slide the kayak in the carrier, load up the rods, and head south- you’ll be so glad you came.
Make Your First Kayak Trip This Year a Great One or NotThe Choice is Yours By Tim Perkins
O
ver the years I have actually learned what NOT to do rather well. I have paddle fished for 30+ years. I promise I have had my share of trips that flopped due to something I forgot. Maybe I didn’t inspect my stagnant equipment close enough and there was an equipment failure. I remember some of my first trips of the year. I would always be excited and, of course, in a hurry, and out the door I would go. Like every working family man, I would have ‘passes’ built up with my wife over the cold season and I would be pumped and anxious to try out some of my new kayak toys. I would have visions of how this day was supposed to be. More times than not, the trip didn’t work out as I thought. My assignment for this article was to share knowledge and experience to make your kayak outings the best they can be. I want to help you make a memory and not a nightmare.
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1. A Trip Plan Our team unanimously agree that a plan is essential. To help me help you, I have called upon some professional friends of mine from across the South eastern United States. These proven professionals are out on the water every day.
Let’s meet the team Tim Perkins Heflin Al 2011Riverbassin Champion Premier League Pro Staff, Terrapin Outdoor Center, email tpcabo2002@yahoo.com Lance Coley Calera Al 2010 Riverbassin Champion Jeremy Meir Old Hickory TN Middle Tennessee Kayak Anglers Hook1 Crew, Columbia Sportswear Pro Staff, email MidTNKayakAnglers@gmail.com Gary Ribet Danbury NC Froggy Waters Outdoors Guide Service Email garyribet@froggywaters.com Drew Haerer Durham NC Froggy Waters Outdoors Malibu Kayak pro staff, Columbia Sportswear pro staff, blog “MANPOWERED FISHING” Email Drew@manpoweredfishing.com Matt Frazier Kings Mountain NC Living waters outfitters, Native Kayak Pro staff Email livingwatersoutfitters@gmail.com
A plan can be as simple as letting someone know where you are going. Our team agrees it is important letting someone know your intentions for the day. Let someone know your time frame. Let someone know the body of water you will be fishing, the time you will return, estimated route traveling to and from. All agree, if it is really cold don’t try to do it alone. Have a buddy as part of your float plan. Our entire team agree that the smart phone is at the heart of the planning process. The team says they can monitor weather, tides, moon phase, flow rate, tracking device and flashlight. Here is a small list of apps our team depends on: River data, Scout Look, Navionics, Google map, NOA weather, the weather channel, river cast, GPS, Whereuat, Pocket Ranger, Gas Buddy and Flashlight- just to name a few. Our team depends on smart phones, but they were split on brand names. Half the team used Apple iphone and half the team used Android. Our team was also split on brands of protective case for their smart phone. Half used Otter Box and half used LifeProof. All of our team recommend floatation for their protective case. Most cases may be waterproof, but will not float. I use a Pelican waterproof box for my smart phone.
I started the assignment by sending each of my friends a series of questions to best help me gather data. I also asked each member to list some simple but essential steps he would follow when planning an early year trip. My find, as far as essential steps, was unanimous across the board. Let me share this knowledge with you. I think that if these six steps were essential for all six professionals, then they can be most helpful for preparing for our trips.
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2. How to dress & clothing Our team unanimously agree that correct clothing and dressing choices are essential this time of year. All agree dressing in at least three layers. All agree a good base layer with wicking qualities is important Drew Hearer and Jeremy Meir prefer the Columbia Compression as a base layer. Matt Frazier and Gary Ribet prefer Under Armor. For the second layer, most prefer something comfortable like a jogging suit or loose fitting clothing. Some wear waterproof KOKAT fishing pants or light weight waders, but the outer wear was unanimous... some sort of rain gear. Jeremy and Drew like Columbia Dorthy, Tim and Lance prefer Gortex, all use gloves, head covering gator, or mask. All use wader type boots to keep feet dry. Jeremy Meir says Columbia makes some of the best gear for the extreme conditions hot or cold.
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Our team also agree on the following: pack extra clothes and towel in a dry bag to keep clothes dry when taking layers on and off while on the kayak. Again, our essentials are dead on, name brands varied slightly
3. Kayak care Our team checked kayaks periodically specifically in key areas like around scupper holes, drain plug areas, skeg area and straps. Check all straps, especially those that secure seating. Check for cracks and discolored plastic in hull. To prevent any problems, our team advises to protect your kayak from the elements: sun, rain, ice and snow, That is the life of your kayak. Lance and Jeremy recommend using a hull conditioner a couple of times a year. They always use manufacturer’s recommendations. All team members ironically transport their kayak on top of their vehicles.
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4. The process of loading and unloading As simple as this sounds, our team agree that most mistakes happen at this step. Each team member has his own specific order or method to load his equipment. The theory behind this thinking is if I load and unload the same way every time, then I am less likely to forget or overlook something. My method is very simple. I load the cargo area of my SUV from left to right. I start with specific items. For example, to the left. I load my PFD, my tools and my paddle. The middle area of the cargo space I load my BLACKPACK or crate and cooler, like my ICE MULE cooler. To the far right I load my boots or sandals, measuring device, food and landing net. I load my rods in the overhead area with a set of straps. (I got this idea from Lance Coley) I shut the cargo area and now load my kayak on top of my SUV. I secure the kayak with a set of Yakima Straps. I then move to the driver’s compartment and I load my dry boxes. I use one box for phone, wallet and keys. I use another for cameras. When I get to the water, I load my boat the same way I load my truck. Instead of putting stuff in my truck, I am now putting into my kayak the contents from my truck. I do this every time to promote a habit.
5. Fishing equipment Our team agree changing the line frequently and proper maintenance using the manufacturer’s recommends can solve a lot of problems. Most of our team recommend using multiple rod and reels where you can rotate them out. I say probably the biggest mistake I see people make is under spooling their reels. This makes the reel have to work a lot harder. Our team of experts use “after the trip maintenance”. They wipe down all equipment, check for equipment damage, and properly store equipment. There is nothing worse than going on a trip and your rods and reels do not work properly.
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6. Finding fish Our team recommends unanimously to fish areas that have hard objects such as rock, concrete or wood. These objects tend to hold heat during colder months. Matt Frazier and I recommend areas that face the south or south west. These areas tend to be protected from the cool northern winds. These areas tend to be warmer in the early part of the year. Drew Hearer likes to start around riprap banks that get a lot of sun and wind Jeremy Meir recommends staging areas such as deeper holes out of the current but close to a feeding flat.. Again, key areas would be the presence of the hard stuff such as scattered boulders, rocks or cement. Our experts have a list of early season lures: Tim Perkins - a Premier League spinner bait, a Shad Rap, and a jig Lance Coley - Premier League spinner bait, a Zara Spook, a fat worm on a shaky head, and a jig Drew Hearer - a jerk bait, a LC pointer and a Premier League spinner bait Jeremy Meir - spinner bait, fluke jig, jerk bait and a Shad Rap Gary Ribbit - a Red Fish Magic spinner with a swim bait body Matt Frazier - Power Team tube spinner bait and a jig that Matt makes. Editor’s comment: These early season suggestions by our panel of outstanding kayak anglers can’t do anything but help all of us kayak anglers- IF we pay attention and follow the suggestions. There’s nothing like good advice well-followed to help early season fishing trips turn out best.
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f you like online magazines that are more like their paper counterparts, then the new issue of Southern Trout is for you!” -Phil Monohan, Orvis To subscribe FREE click here! Don Kirk—Publisher Don@southerntrout.com
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Jeff Kirk– Editor Jeff@southerntrout.com
featured kayak shop
Pack & Paddle
Lafayette, Louisiana A Kayak Angler’s Home in the Louisiana Bayou Country 100 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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t’s always a good thing when a business can sell to others what the owners and staff love doing themselves. That’s the basis for the long-term success of this issue’s featured kayak shop. Kayak anglers from all over the Deep South visit Lafayette in southern Louisiana just to shop and visit with the fine folks at Pack & Paddle, John and Becky Williams along with their dedicated staff have made Pack & Paddle a place where both visiting kayak anglers and homefolks alike can check out the newest and latest kayak fishing equipment and also get some oldfashioned good advice for kayak fishing trips in the bayous of Louisiana.
In the Beginning
Pack & Paddle owner John Williams says,” The shop was started as a family business when I was eleven years old in 1974. The business started when my mom wanted to get a deal on some Grumman aluminum canoes for her Girl Scout troop. She needed to meet a minimum order of twelve canoes, so she got her friends to buy a canoe. That gave my parents the idea that selling canoes and outdoor gear might be a good idea. I have worked in Pack & Paddle my whole life, and Becky and I assumed full ownership in 1999. The original shop was a 400 square foot Acadian shack. It’s evolved into a 7,000 square foot paradise for people that like to do things outdoors.”
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featured kayak shop
After the Sale
When asked about the importance of being a full-service kayak shop Williams tells us that just selling someone a boat is not the goal. Having them adopt the kayak fishing lifestyle and become integrated into the kayak fishing community ensures that they will be successful, have fun, and stick with the sport. Williams sees “full service” as having a super wide assortment of everything someone would need to go out kayak fishing. Also required is a great staff that can help plug people into the right boats and gear for their intended use, great content including maps, videos, and articles that can help people learn to be successful. A very special aspect of Pack & Paddle which helps kayak anglers who are considering a boat purchase is the regular demo days offered by the shop. Williams says,” We offer demos every Saturday of the year. This is a huge commitment for us, but we realize that getting on the water is the best way for new kayak anglers to understand what features and designs fit their needs best.”
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For folks who are not from the south Louisiana area, accessing the fishing water there can be pretty daunting- there’s just so much water. To help anglers new to the area or the sport, Pack & Paddle offers a program called “Louisiana Hooked.” This event allows potential anglers to come out and fish with a staff member and a guide in a group setting. Anglers are given instruction when needed and everyone is helped to have a good time on the water. Every angler uses a pedal drive Native or Hobie kayak to give them the ultimate immersive experience. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 103
featured kayak shop
In the Shop to See
When asked about the product lines that Pack & Paddle carries, John Williams says,” We carry many major lines of kayaks including Hobie, Native, Jackson, Wilderness Systems, but what makes our boat selection unique is the tremendous commitment we make to having many colors and many models of boats in stock. We offer rods, reels, and tackle that we know suits our local waters when fishing out of a kayak. We have a good selection of lures specific to fishing our brackish water marshes. Another unique thing is that we carry a variety of items that are made locally including a couple of unique anchor systems.” Williams adds,” We carry a wide selection of clothing suited to kayak fishing from Mojo, Ex Officio, Patagonia, Columbia footwear and a variety of other brands.”
What’s Trending Now
John Williams sees some general trends in kayak angling that are showing up in Louisiana specifically. He observes that a movement towards kayaks for stand-up sight fishing is growing. Stalking big fish in shallow water is a thrill like no other. The Louisiana area is perfect for this type of fishing, so these boats are trending. Models like the Jackson Big Rig and Cuda, Wilderness Systems Ride, Diablo Amigo, Native Slayer Propel, Hobie Pro Angler and the new Outback are all great examples of where the market is headed. Williams also notes that the other trend they are seeing is in pedal drive boats. The advantages are undeniable. Extra distance and hands-free operation allows for more casts to be made and many other advantages have many anglers moving towards pedal drive boats.
So, Come on Down
Louisiana is a special place for kayak anglers. John Williams tell us,” The Louisiana coastline boasts as much wetlands as the entire rest of the country put together. Much of it is accessible to kayaks through boat launches, kayak launches and simply throwing your boat off the side of the road. Our marshes are a rich estuary that provides an incredible food source for prime kayaking target species such as speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. And these fish have either a real aggressive streak or they are just plain dumb. It’s not unusual to catch ten to twenty large redfish in a day. We have many anglers that travel from Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and beyond to take advantage of the amazing fishery this state boasts.” Williams continues,” Kayak fishing has grown quite a lot in the past ten years. We live in a hunting and fishing culture in Louisiana. Lots of folks see kayaks as a natural extension of the fishing that they already participate in. There are also a big number of people that grew up fishing and drifted away from it for various reasons, and kayak fishing is the breath of fresh air that has brought them back to the sport. Interestingly, we are now seeing a wave of interest from traditional anglers that are seeing the success kayakers are having, and they want to join in on the fun.” When asked to convey a personal message to Southern Kayak Fishing readers, John Williams says enthusiastically,” We love visitors! Lafayette is the heart of Cajun culture and a visit here to fish can be an unforgettable experience. Our area has incredible music and food. Combine this with fun people and great fishing and you have a winning combination!”
Important Contact Information Pack & Paddle offers several online programs: http://packpaddle.com/about-us/pack-and-paddle-venue/ http://packpaddle.com/events-and-trips Pack & Paddle’s website also offers maps showing key kayak fishing locations: http://packpaddle.com/where-to-go/kayak-fishing-in-louisiana/kayak-fishingvideos/fishing-site-analysis/ By car: By phone and email: Pack & Paddle 337-232-6688 601 E. Pinhook Road info@packpaddle.com Lafayette, Louisiana 70501
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Quickie Kayak Fishing Gear Review PENN Battle II
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very issue of Southern Kayak Fishing will give a quick look at a piece of gear, equipment, clothing- anything that seems especially well-fitted for a kayak angler’s use. In this first issue of SKF, we look at a bit of very basic kayak angling equipment- a new and improved fishing reel- the Penn Battle II. Every kayak angler will probably have a particular reelQuickie Kayak Fishing which he or she prefers over all others, but not all reels Gear Review are well-suited for kayak angling. Let’s face it-a reel used on a kayak needs to be rugged, able to handle wet and stressful conditions- like the power of a big hooked fish, and not be prone to breakdowns. I’ve had lots of reels lock up or otherwise fail when I was using them for kayak fishing.
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The new Penn Battle II at first may seem to be a typical spinning reel. It has a good gear ratio of 6.2 :1, and it holds about 260 yards of 20 lb braid line- my personal preference for most kayak fishing situations. The reel weighs a bit less than thirteen ounces- there are reels lighter than this in the 4000 series class. So, what makes this reel particularly well suited for a kayak angler’s needs? First, there appears to be no plastic used in its construction- I don’t like plastic in my kayak fishing reels. It has HT- 100 carbon fiber drag washers. In my trial, I didn’t hook anything big enough to really test the drag, but it hand-strips very smoothly. During the trial fishing trip, I was able to adjust the drag setting easily during one fight with a pretty good fish.
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The Penn Battle II has 5 + 1 shielded stainless steel ball bearings- very important for reels which will be used in saltwater. However, the biggest advantage I find with the new Battle II reel is in the bail wire. This reel has a beefy piece of formed aluminum which should never distort or bend even under harsh kayak fishing conditions. I like the way the bail flips easily on retrieve start-up, too. I can’t wait to use this reel on a king mackerel which will give its drag system a good workout.
(Editor’s Note) The Penn Battle II handled 20 lb kings in the Gulf just fine in its trial run- no problems and everything worked fine.
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All of us kayak anglers were once first-time kayak buyers. We all made some mistakes, and we all made good decisions in our efforts to become the best kayak fishing anglers we could be. Here’s the story of one first-timer and how he got started in the kayak fishing game.
First Time Fishing Kayak Buyer
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By Danny Holmes
have been a canoe and small boat fisherman for over forty years, but until recently, I stayed away from trying to fish from a kayak because I perceived kayaks as unstable platforms for fishing. I thought kayaks were white water vessels that required a high degree of skill and athleticism to safely operate. Recently, I have found kayaks to be excellent crafts for fishing, and I decided to invest in one for that purpose. I hope you folks reading this article keep in mind it was not written as a “how to” manual or that after weeks of research I have become an expert and I have picked out the only kayak an angler should purchase. No, please read this article as you would if you were listening to a fishing buddy--you know, the one that isn’t really very smart but stumbles over useful information because he will ask the stupid questions. What I would like to do is share my experience and hope it in some way helps anglers make a decision on their first kayaks.
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Why a Kayak for My Fishing I have some friends who are my age and are not nearly as athletic as I perceive myself to be. These guys started utilizing their kayaks as fishing tools, and they were catching fish. They caught sharks, bass, trout, and redfish—lots of great fish. They could fish almost anywhere with these little paddle crafts. That really got my attention. I just needed a little further convincing before I committed to buying a kayak. There is an alternative to purchasing a kayak outright. Anglers considering a kayak purchase might try borrowing a kayak from a buddy. I did this, and I am glad I had the opportunity to do. My buddy lent me his wife’s boat. If an angler can borrow a kayak a time or two, he or she can see if these small craft are a good choice. I started out borrowing, and this experience helped me gain some confidence in the craft as a fishing tool. The first thing I found out is that a kayak is a great way to get on the water quickly and easily. Here is my best advice: buy a boat that fits you both physically and financially. There are several sizes and lengths in fishing kayaks. Another bit of advice: buy a kayak that is built and set up primarily for fishing. It is possible to fish out of nearly every kind of kayak, but some designs are just better for fishing than others. There is also a wide range of prices for kayaks designed for anglers, and just because a particular boat costs more than other boats, that doesn’t mean the highest-priced kayak is the best for a particular angler. What I found after looking at fishing kayaks is that there are plenty of choices out there. There are so many choices that it can be intimidating at first glance. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 111
There are sit-in models, siton models, eight feet long kayaks, ten feet long kayaks, twelve feet long kayaks. There are many, many available features and price points. An angler can paddle a boat or peddle a boat that has a propeller or flippers. There are lots of features and options.
So, What Kayak did I Buy? I bought an Ascend, FS12T, built and sold by Bass Pro. I bought the sit-on model that cost $549 plus tax. I am not saying this is the boat for every angler, or that it is the very best boat for the money. It was at the price point I felt comfortable with, and the reviews were as good as some of the more expensive kayaks. As I said earlier, I bought the fishing kayak that fit me.
Now, speaking of price point, I recently retired, and price point was one of my concerns. Like most of us, I wanted to get the very best value for the cash I was about to spend on a fishing kayak. I went to the interweb. I looked at bunches of boats-literally hundreds. I looked at the prices. I read the reviews; one thing the reviews did was help me determine the price point that I could afford and the boat that appeared to meet my needs. I found I could spend over $2000 or as little as $250 for a fishing kayak, and according to reviews, I could get some useable kayaks at both ends of the spectrum.
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Transport and Loading the Boat When I bought the boat, the salesman helped me put the boat up on my SUV’s carrier rack; he told me it was acceptable to transport the kayak upside down or right side up. I chose right side up. Loading the new kayak was easy with two guys, but I go fishing by myself sometimes, and I wanted to see how hard it would be for me to remove the kayak from the top of my SUV and launch it by myself. The next day, I arrived at the launch ramp before my buddy, and I easily removed the boat. It weighs about 77 pounds, and it slid right off the carrier easily. After we fished and were headed back, I tried to load the boat by myself. I was parked on the steep inclined ramp of the launch area, and the steep angle made it very difficult to load the kayak on the carrier- it tried to slide off to the side of the SUV rack. My buddy stepped in and we slid it up easily. I learned this important kayak fishing lesson: don’t try to load it alone on an incline. Later when I got home, I tried loading and unloading on a level spot and had no problem. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 113
How Not to Buy a Paddle I bought an 87 inch long paddle that was on sale at Academy because it looked and felt pretty good in the store. I found out the hard way after paddling a couple of miles that it was short. My fishing buddy kept pulling away from me, and he noticed I wasn’t keeping up. Then he let me borrow his 96 inch paddle, and it made all the difference. The lesson I learned: get a paddle that’s long enough. I would recommend longer instead of shorter. So, I Get Slime on my New Kayak The next day after picking up my new kayak, my fishing buddy and I met at the water supply lake near my hometown. Our state game and fish commission just built a launch ramp especially for small craft on the river above the lake. The river feeds the lake, and no big boats are allowed on that ramp. It was just us kayak anglers on the water, and it was nice. We both started out with shaky-head worms, and as we paddled upstream, we went to some cypress trees which made a thicket. I immediately discovered another advantage of fishing in a kayak. We slipped right through the thicket back where the river opens up again. I don’t think many boats have been that far in awhile.
Ricky hooked and landed a nice bass-almost three pounds, so now it was time for me to catch a fish from my new kayak. I got a strong bite, and when it was all done, I had a four-pound freshwater drum. On my ultra-light rod, this was a fun fish, and when my wife cooked that first kayak-caught fish, it was good! I believe I’m going to like this kayak-fishing thing.
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Cool Stuff for Fishing Kayaks
Yak Attack
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After Market Additions to Make Our Kayaks More Efficient
ne of the first things that we kayak anglers discover when we take our brand-new kayaks out for the first trip is that even though our new ‘yaks are nice, they are almost never perfect for our specific fishing needs right out of the box. We discover that we need a bit more storage, or perhaps we need some more rod holders- the needs of specific anglers is a long list, and what we need varies greatly depending on where we fish and what we fish for. Kayak anglers have a well-deserved reputation for creating “do it yourself” additions to their boats which improve their kayak fishing, but sometimes, professionally designed and built add-ons not only look a lot better than homebuilt stuff, the store-bought stuff just works better. A company which creates and sells very effective products is YakAttack. This Burkeville, Virginia based company offers a wide range of products which are designed to improve the lives of kayak anglers. YakAttack products are made of highest grade materials in the USA. YakAttack has been in business since 2009- it had like many companies, a very humble beginning with owner Luther Cifers working in a garage to build fishing kayak products for his own use- he’s a kayak angler, too. Since the small start, YakAttack has grown and now offers a wide range of products in retail stores and online.
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Cool Stuff for Fishing Kayaks
Some Cool Stuff That Works YakAttack has an extensive line of fishing kayak gear and products, and when asked by SKF to provide us with kayak improvements they felt particularly positive about, the folks at YakAttack sent us information about the following cool things.
BlackPak
A best-seller and a standard in rod, tackle and gear management for kayaks- designed for maximum versatility, the BlackPak allows anglers to store and organize their gear in any way they choose. The BlackPak is constructed of CNC machined panels of marine board, a plastic specifically designed for harsh marine environments (much better than the old milk crate often used by do-it-yourself kayakers). It ships flat and assembles quickly using common hand tools. The interlocking design creates incredible strength. The 12” by 16” crate has ten pre-drilled stations for rod holders which can be mounted at a variety of angles. The top rails are designed to accept Mightybolt accessories such as flags, cameras, and other gear. The Black Pak has lots of drain holes and e-slots which make securing it to any kayak with shock cord easy. It comes with three rod holders. The BlackPak is also available in white. The MSRP is $125, and it’s worth every penny. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 117
CellBlok
VISIcarbon Pro
The Cellblok is a track-mounted battery box with a top surface that serves as a mounting platform for the display and transducer deployment arm. Using the Cellblok means that kayak anglers won’t have to drill holes in the kayak or run lots of wires. Simply loosen the two track mounting knobs and the Cellblok allows anglers to move the whole unit from one kayak to another very quickly and easily.
YakAttack set the standard for kayak visibility with the VISICarbon Pro which is the best-selling flag/light combo in the industry. This flag and light system offers 360 degree visibility both day and night.
Many kayak anglers have outfitted their ‘yaks with a wide range of electronic gear from communications to fish-finders and GPS location devices. One of the biggest problems faced by these kayak anglers is what to do with the power source. Batteries are bulky, heavy, and they certainly need to be very secure in the kayak.
This is a well-designed and strongly-built unit that offers a lot of flexibility. MSRP $60.00.
When on the water, kayaks can be hard to seeespecially if the over-powered powerboaters around us are not paying attention. It’s important for kayakers to do everything possible to make themselves obvious for those around us.
The 48 inch deployed height gets the light and flag up where they can be seen, but the whole thing collapses into a 14 inch package allowing easy stowing. The flag doubles as a pouch. The lamp life is expected to 10,000 hours or more, and three AA batteries should last over 100 hours in use. The soft foam lower unit keeps the mast and flag afloat, and it fits perfectly in almost all rod holders. This is a very cool product- MSRP $90.00
PanFish Portrait Camera Mount
For those kayak anglers who like to take photos of themselves and their prize catches, the Panfish Portrait Camera Mount is a really great idea. This secure camera mounting system allows the pivoting head to be positioned at any angle in the horizontal plane. Simply rotate the camera’s LCD towards you and navigate the menu to set the delay timer. Press the start button, rotate the camera so the lens is looking at the angler, pick up that prize fish, and you’ve got a lasting memory. Pretty cool and easy! MSRP- $50.00. 118 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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Geartrac
One of the biggest problems facing kayak anglers who want to trick out their rides is how to mount the electronics or rod holders or whatever else is needed aboard the kayak. We all hate drilling a lot of holes in our plastic boats. A product which makes life much easier for us is Geartrac. For all kinds of applications, GearTrac provides a platform that is adjustable, configurable, and allows unmatched versatility for accessory mounting. Three different models are available, and all come in 4”. 8”, 12” and 16 “sizes. The light to medium duty GTSL90 series comes in six different colors- you can match or compliment any kayak’s color. Hardware is included. The GTS90 has a narrow profile that is 9/10” in width, but comes in medium to heavy duty hard, anodized military grade aluminum. The GT175 is heavy duty, and is made from military grade aluminum and is 1.75” wide. Anglers can add the optional Fullback backing plate for maximum rigidity. MSRP- from $7.00 to $41.00.
To reach the Yak Attack Kayak anglers can access the wide range of YakAttack producs by going to www.yakattack.us/ or by calling 434-392-3233 for more information. The website provides dealer location services to help kayak anglers find a good local shop which carries the YakAttack line of products 120 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
What Do You Want To Catch Today? Brown Trout Rainbow Trout Brook Trout Palomino Trout Steelhead Smallmouth Bass Largemouth Bass White Bass Kentucky Spotted Bass Walleye Muskie Crappie Bluegill Yellow Perch Flathead Catfish Channel Catfish Carp They’re all waiting for you in Swain County, NC one of
the most diverse fishing habitats in the world with four rivers, dozens of mountain streams throughout the Smoky Mountains, and the deep, cold waters of Fontana and Cheoah lakes.
Visit GreatSmokiesFishing.com for a map and profiles of 26 great fishing locations near Bryson City, NC.
Sometimes, It Just Takes One By Steve Sammons
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Most anglers like to catch a big pile of fish when we get to go fishing. However, there are times when just one fish-if it’s the right fish-is plenty to make a trip a lasting memory. One fish. Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of a single fish? One fish is all that stands between us and the dreaded skunk. How many trips have been “saved” by one fish? But at the same time, how many of us have a goal of just catching one fish? What makes a successful day? Two fish? Five? Ten? Thirty? Sometimes, to paraphrase an old 80s song, sometimes, one fish just ain’t enough. But sometimes it is.
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This past spring, I was fortunate enough to finally break the 6-lb barrier on shoal bass, and immediately designated that fish for the taxidermist The fish was done in August, but as luck would have it, I was unable to make the trip to fetch the fish until October. You see, my taxidermist lives in Blacksburg, Virginia. He mounted my first fish, a 4/75-lb smallmouth from the nearby New River, in 1989. Since then, he has mounted five others for me, including a 10-lb largemouth, a 9-lb walleye, and a 2-lb crappie. He’s the best I have ever seen, with extremely reasonable rates. Besides, like I mentioned previously, he has the New River in his backyard - so that is a big mitigating factor in the inconvenience of having to drive eight hours to pick up my mounts. So one fine Sunday, I drove 500 miles north to my old stomping grounds of Blacksburg to pick up the fish from my taxidermist. Sunday was a lovely day, a good day for driving, and other than the usual unpleasantness in Atlanta, it was smooth sailing all the way to Blacksburg. Some rain came through in the night, and I woke to low clouds and fog. I was in no hurry to get to the river. 124 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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The area I chose to fish was one I knew well. I had not been up here in more than fifteen years, but I still remembered every hole. This area of the river is extremely wide, 500 yards or more, and traversed by numerous ledges that go basically from bank to bank, spaced about every 100 yards. I used to wade fish this area, inching out on the ledges while throwing up or downstream into to deeper holes. Later on, I started to fish it with a canoe, using the greater mobility to cover more water and be more effective. I pushed off in my canoe and started fishing right away. For the first forty-five minutes or so, I pounded every nook and cranny I could think of, and got nothing - a big donut for my troubles. When I realized the water temperature was much higher than I expected, and given the low clouds and fog still obscuring the mountaintops around me, I thought about throwing a topwater lure to cover some ground. I tied on a trusty Pop’R and started throwing it behind the shoals. Surely a smallmouth would at least come up and slap at it, right? Two minutes later, I had my first strike. A fish came up right in the middle of some fast water and grabbed the topwater. I set the hook and the fish thrashed on top for a second, and the Pop’R flew out of its mouth. I was just happy for the strike, but one thing seemed odd. The fish was not a bass. In fact, it looked like a muskellunge. I should note here that the New River is well known for its musky fishery. The past two state records have come out of it- both fish were over forty-five lbs. But this stretch of water was not musky turf. When I used to fish here, the muskies were in easy to define areas: slow runs and pools with abundant vegetation. This was smallmouth water. Approximately two minutes after that (I had only moved one more time in my canoe), I threw a long cast off to my left, into a fast run about four feet deep. I started working the lure towards me when another big explosion detonated on the plug...and this time I hooked up. I knew immediately that this was no smallmouth. For one thing, I heard the strike over the noise of the train that was going by at that time and that of the rapids around me. Plus, saw the strike out of the corner of my eye, and I knew that this was ANOTHER musky. And this one was considerably bigger than the one before. But I had him on my baitcaster with 20-lb fluorocarbon, so I knew I could handle him. At that point, my only concern was the lack of steel leader; after all, I was here for smallmouth. I could tell this fish had some weight on him, but I figured everything was under controluntil he came up around me. 126 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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Now friends, you know that scene in Jaws when Roy Scheider is slinging chum and that huge shark breaches near the boat and he backs up and says, “I think we need a bigger boat!”? Well let me tell you, that scene is all fun and games and good for a laugh when you are sitting on the couch. It is NOT so funny when a fish a third the size of your canoe swims by with your lure in its mouth! At that point, I knew I was in big trouble. I realized that he was just playing along with me, wanting to get a good look at me before coming up with an exit strategy. I had the sense to immediately loosen the drag.
mouth looked big enough to eat that 6-lb shoal bass I was picking up tomorrow. And I had him on 20-lb fluorocarbon with no steel leader. That Pop’R looked like a fly stuck in the side of his jaw.
So off we went, with him pulling me through the shoals, while I was hanging on for dear life. Most of the time, I had my paddle in one hand and the rod in the other, trying to keep me off the rocks and avoid getting pinned/flipped, while the fish did pretty much whatever he wanted to. From my experience with some of the big stripers I have caught out of this canoe, I knew I had to get out of the boat to land him. He zoomed off with a flick No way was I going to be lifting that fish over the side of his tail, throwing water of my canoe and throwing five feet in the air. I knew there was no way to control him in there while I was still in it, assuming things even this fish when he got near got that far. the boat, so even though I didn’t want to do it, I pulled Problem is, this was not an the drag chain up so he area that had a lot of good couldn’t wrap me. I was in the middle of a 500-yard places to get out. Most of the exposed rocks were wide stretch of open river small and surrounded by full of rocks, ledges, and four foot deep water. I oneoccasional snags, with a hand paddled our way over four-foot long dinosaur on the end of my line. He was to one such set only to find It turns out, muskies are natural-born rapids out it was too deep. at least six inches across runners. He navigated the back and his head and 128 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
them just fine, inconsiderately leaving me to fend for myself. Somehow I managed to avoid disaster while keeping him still attached to my line. January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 129
I got him to the canoe and tried to reach over to grab him. He was having none of it - zoom! Off he went with a flick of his tail, sending a wall of water over me, drenching me from head to toe. I’ve been canoe fishing for more than thirty-five years and never had a fish do that to me before. I knew that the shoals got shallower the farther downstream he went, so I hoped that maybe I could find a place to get out if he stayed attached that long. And the battle raged on among the rocks and snags, under a lowering sky. I had no idea how that fish hadn’t bitten me off yet. At one point he thrashed up on the surface, almost tailwalking a little bit. May I say, it is scary to be looking UP at your fish while he is fighting you, especially if said fish has a mouth full of giant teeth! Finally, I saw a shallower shoal coming up. Now I just had to get the canoe through it, eddy up, and jump out, all while keeping a tight line on the fish. He rolled over, taking the line through his mouth, and started to shake his head. I knew the line couldn’t take much more. But, this was the final act of defiance. I pulled him up to me, slid my hands under his gill plate, and he was mine. Twenty minutes after the strike, I heaved the fish over the gunnel into the canoe. Victory was mine. 130 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
I began the paddle back to the truck. I just put my legs over him as I paddled. The fish was as beat as I was, and only managed a few feeble flops, but I was taking no chances. Even those flops made the canoe shudder and list alarmingly to one side. I guess when the fish weighs approximately 75% of the canoe, it doesn’t take much to upset its balance. I wet a sheet (I always carry some, but never thought I’d be using one for this), draped it over the hood of the Pathfinder, and put the fish on it. The fish measured forty-eight inches from jaw tip to tail tip. According to an online musky length-weight calculator, that would put it at about thirty pounds. I had two bites all day, both from muskies. I got only one fish in the boat. But oh, what a fish! So now I have another trip to make to Blacksburg. My taxidermist told me that the fish should be ready in late March, just in time for another trip. So maybe I’ll be able to catch another fish. After all, I made a 1000-mile round trip to catch one fish, but what a difference one fish can make! January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 131
Kayak Fishing the Wakulla River: From Fresh to Brackish and All Good for Kayak Anglers By Rob Baker
I
t’s late September in the North Florida Big Bend. The air temperatures and water temperatures are falling into early October. Fall is my favorite time to target a mixed bag of fresh and saltwater species in the magic zone known as the “Brackish Zone” of the Wakulla River.
A Little Bit about the River
First, the Wakulla River must have been designed with kayaker anglers in mind. The water is usually very clear. Weeds, bottom structure, and yes, lots of fish can be seen from a kayak floating down the river. Starting at a massive spring which flows from a very large cave system, the Wakulla River is easy to float and presents no real navigational problems for floaters. The channel is usually very easy to follow, and the few off shoots and side channels always rejoin the main river channel shortly. These side channels can give anglers some very good places to fish which may not see much boat traffic. The Wakulla is not a long river. Running just eleven or so miles from the Wakulla Springs State Park to the confluence with the St. Marks River, kayak
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anglers can easily access the river below the fence which marks the boundary of Wakulla Springs State Park and float down to the Highway 98 Bridge or all the way to St. Marks. Even taking plenty of time to fish, the Wakulla can be floated in a day quite easily.
What Can We Find in the Wakulla?
The species in this brackish river zone include a wide variety of both fresh and saltwater fish. The fresh water fish consist mostly of largemouth bass, mullet, gar, and bream. The saltwater species found in the lower reaches of the river are flounder, sheepshead, redfish, tarpon and speckled trout. It is not uncommon to catch saltwater and freshwater fish at the same place and same time in the Wakulla. The fish don’t recognize saltwater and freshwater boundaries; they come and go as they please.
Wakulla River largemouth bass are gorgeous fish. They are dark, very robust, and very strong. There’s something about living its entire life in a river that makes bass of all species fight harder than still water bass, and the Wakulla River largemouths are no exception. These bass are a blast to catch, and there are some very big bass in the Wakulla. They’re not easy to fool,
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but they are there. A very special species of freshwater fish found in the Wakulla River is the Suwannee bass. This small species of bass is found in only a few Big Bend region rivers, the Wakulla, Wacissa, Suwannee, and a few other area rivers, and nowhere else in the world. A very colorful little bass, the Suwannee could pass for a smallmouth bass on first look. It has
the stocky body of a smallmouth, and basically the solid coloration of a smallmouth, and yes, it fights like a smallmouth, too. A one-pound Suwannee bass is a good one, as the record Suwannee bass is just a bit over two pounds.
How to Rig for Wakulla River Fishing
These days I specifically prefer to target largemouth bass
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and redfish. I like to arm myself with a pair of light action rods tied up with light mono or fluorocarbon and a 10- to 15-pound leader, one with a trick worm or lizard, and on the other rig, a 1/8 ounce jig with shrimp. I like to have another pair of medium rod set ups with a 15- to 20-pound leader with a Storm Chug Bug or Heddon Baby Torpedo. Wakulla River largemouths in particular love to rocket up from
thick weed cover and devour topwater plugs worked slowly over the weeds. If I start my float down the river at the high tide north or up river from the brackish zone, I like to work the trick worm in sandy pockets among the eel grass. I may work a lizard with 1/8 ounce bullet weight. To pluck larger bass from ambush spots as I work my way down river, I notice the slow change in vegetation
along the banks of the river from pickerel weed to saw grass. As the weeds change to the saltwater tolerant saw grass, I know I’m getting into red drum territory. While I am bass fishing, I keep a close eye looking out for the elusive red drum, which are more tolerant of fresh water than other saltwater species. They will be working the mud flats chasing minnows and small to middle-sized
blue crabs and crawfish. There may be a lone red fish or small school foraging together. Deep in the river channel I use the 1/8-ounce to 1/4-ounce jig with imitation shrimp like D.O.A. or Voodoo Shrimp. On the mud flats where the fish tend to be spooky, I use the trick worm. I will periodically work my top water Chug Bug or Heddon Baby Torpedo along the bank or over the shallow
January 2015 l Southern Kayak Fishing l 135
mudflat to entice a top water bite. As I work my way down river through the brackish zone, I switch to my larger topwater Chug Bug as the clear fresh water gives in to its salty sister from the sea. Visibility diminishes along with the eel grass. Below the Highway 98 Bridge, the fish that crushes my topwater plug may be a big dark largemouth bass, or it may be a copper-colored spot tailed red drum. Either way, it’s a very good thing. A River Made for Kayak Fishing The Wakulla River can be effectively floated and fished from any kind of paddle craft; kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards all work well. However, some fishing kayaks work 136 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
better here. I prefer to use a kayak with ample stability to stand. This is extremely helpful in the clear Wakulla River. Being able to look down from a slightly higher angle makes it easier to spot fish and make targeted casts. Peddle kayaks are very useful in the slow but strong Wakulla River current. Sometimes an angler will want to hold position and work a particular hole or weedbed carefully, and a peddle kayak makes this much easier than a paddle boat which requires hands off rod. A good choice for first-time anglers on the Wakulla is to rent a kayak from TnT Hide-A-Way Rental which is conveniently located at the
Highway 98 Bridge over the Wakulla. Hobie, Jackson, and Wilderness Systems kayaks are available here, and shuttle services can be arranged for kayak anglers who bring their boats. Also, guided fishing trips can be arranged through TnT Hide-A-Way Rental. It is very possible to put kayaks in at the Highway 98 Bridge and paddle up and then float back down fishing both ways.
slow down a lot. Kayak anglers will want to be aware of the tide conditions and plan accordingly. It will take much longer to float the Wakulla when the water is backed up from a high tide than it will in lower tide conditions.
The Wakulla System is only twenty miles south of Tallahassee. This means that on weekends and holidays especially in the summer season, there will be very heavy non-fishing Special Wakulla River Considerations boat use on the river. To be honest, Tide conditions can make a big it can get pretty crowded. During the difference in the flow of the Wakulla summer, anglers will want to get on the River. If the tide is high down at the Gulf river at first light and fish hard before where the rivers enter, the water will the crowds arrive. back up and the current in the river will
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REEL-FIN- ADDICT KAYAK FISHING
Located along the coastline of The Gulf Mexico in the Big Bend of Florida focusing in Redfish, Trout, Flounder and Tarpon
Guiding local rivers and coastline for over a decade contact Robert Baker, Fishing Guide 850-210-4375
Kayak anglers will quickly notice that fish are not the only wildlife which call the Wakulla River home. Alligators are quite common, but they don’t bother kayakers if kayakers don’t bother them. There is a wide range of birds to be seen on the river including owls, eagles, ospreys, herons, and waterfowl. During winter, the river is loaded with ducks. The Wakulla is a bird-watcher’s dream. Finally, kayaker anglers in the wintertime on the Wakulla should not be shocked if something REALLY big passes under the floating kayak and comes up for a quick breath of air beside the kayak. Wakulla River is home to many manatees during cold weather conditions. First sight of a manatee can be a shock; these critters are huge. But soon, manatees become just part of the wonderful place that is the Wakulla River. For more Information about kayak fishing the Wakulla River and its brackish waters: TnT Hide-A-Way Rental 6527 Coastal Highway Crawfordville, Florida 32327 850-925-6412 138 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
Florida's Big Bend Paddlesport Outfitter 850-877-7200 Authorized Dealer for Hobie and Jackson Kayaks Where our salespersons are experienced kayakers And paddle the Pro Anglers – Revolutions – Cuda’s Visit our store at 3152 Shadeville Rd, Crawfordville, FL 32327 www.thewildernessway.net
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17 mi
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Get the Drift? A by Philip Landry
ngling from a kayak presents a few challenges, which is most likely why we kayak anglers like it so much. Since your space is very limited, outfitting your kayak with the proper gear for each fishing scenario is extremely important. After you’re rigged and ready with the right gear and the boat is in the water, the challenges begin. What is the wind or current doing out there? What are the fish doing? What is the most effective way to maximize your chances of a great day fishing while minimizing your physical effort? Nobody wants to paddle in circles and continually adjust boat position. While adjustments will always exist to a certain point, unless you are fishing with an anchor down, maintaining a better drift longer is the key to covering lots of water and catching more fish
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1. Small paddle strokes, often made only with one hand, can stabilize the drift very easily when working versus slight changes in wind or current. By leaving your paddle in your lap across the boat, you can easily lift it with one hand and make a few wrist driven adjustments and still keep your rod in one hand. If the force needed for the correction in boat position is more than that, set the rod down, make a few quick strokes, and then switch rod and paddle position again. 2. If the current is stronger and the water is shallow, you will not be in danger of catching a rock or piece of timber in the water to the broadside and flipping your yak. At an angle your boat will slide off the obstacle. Facing downstream also allows you to have a chance to see most obstacles. 3. The largest advantage, though, is in respect to fishing and your presentation. Fish in moving water face upstream and see most of their food drifting to them in the current or swimming through it. By using the angle, the fisherman can present the bait, fly, or lure to the fish from upstream, and the fish see it long before they see your boat.
Rivers
Anchor setup is clutch. You will need to rig your particular boat accordingly, but if your boat is a sit-on-top, as most fishing kayaks are, you can simply put a small anchor in the “cockpit” area tied off to a handle if you don’t have a more advanced system. Note, however, that each side handle will turn the boat a different way to end up facing upstream when the anchor catches and the current’s force on the boat causes the spin. Don’t get spun out of your boat! Current and wind are the two major forces that an angler has to contend with while fishing from a kayak. Specific situations can differ with the direction of these two forces on your boat in respect to your desired target water. It is not rocket science to figure out that you do not want to end up with the broadside of your boat exposed to a strong breeze, but how can you maintain more control and focus on the fish more and the boat less? They call it angling for a reason! Drift fishing from a kayak in a river is all about angles. By positioning your boat at an angle facing downstream, you will allow yourself a number of advantages: 144 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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Lake and Sea
We have all been out on a lake, bay or beach when the wind just will not quit and makes us fight a constant battle to keep the kayak in a decent position for fishing. It becomes disheartening and tiring very quickly. In these conditions, having a drift chute or sea anchor makes all the difference on the water. These water parachutes may look like a pain to wrangle with at first glance, but in fact, they reduce your pain and give you far more time in your desired position. A drift chute is far easier to manage if your kayak is rigged with an anchor trolley, but that does not mean you can’t use this tool without one. An anchor trolley allows easier attachment and positioning of the chute with the pulley system alongside the boat, but if your kayak is not rigged with such a system, simply tie a loop of rope the length of your boat to carabiners hooked on to your bow and stern ropes that are mounted for the handles. Tie in a small loop to connect a carabiner in the middle and you have a poor man’s anchor trolley. Using a drift chute allows you to slow your drift caused by the wind. The length of rope between the boat and the chute will control the speed of the drift. For a slower drift, use a longer leash between your boat and the chute. A handy way to make this easier to manage is to tie small loops or attach rings on your chute leash to accommodate your changing needs. To deploy the chute, hook it up at the desired length, put it in the water, and take a few quick paddle strokes to “set the anchor” and remove any air pockets inside it. A drift chute also manages the all important angle of your boat automatically depending on where you lock it in position on your boat. If facing downwind is the desired angle for your presentation slide the chute leash to the stern of your kayak. For facing upwind, slide the leash to the bow. Perpendicular drifts are also achievable by setting the leash in the middle on either side. This technique is very useful for a breeze blowing parallel to a bank or row of docks that you wish to cast towards. If there is any sizable chop on the water, drifting perpendicular to the wind isn’t quite as safe and may make you seasick with the side to side rise and fall of the waves. Personal preferences will exist on the actual length of the chute itself as it pertains to the length of your particular boat. Standard lengths of18 to 30 inches are readily available at any boating dealer or online outfitter. A longer chute provides more slowing power and also allows you to shorten its leash length, making it easier to manage. It is not recommended to use a drift chute in a river or a bay with a strong tidal pull, which defeats the purpose of the sea anchor. Use these tips to enjoy more fishing time and less time paddling in circles and fighting the wind or current. Hope you get my drift! 146 l Southern Kayak Fishing l January 2015
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