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IT \7AS ABOUT 9:00A.M. ON THIS MID-JULYDAY and I was working a nice drift along Glace's Cove on Biock Islanclin my kay,rk. I c.,uld tcLlfrom the hlgh cioud ceiling, blue skies and humidity that it was going to be a scorcher so I had snuck out at 4:00 a.m. to get in a quick fish before ir gor roo bright. The wind was a slight west-southwest,maybe between five and ten knots, and thcre w:rs barely a ripple on the water. lt was tow:rrds the end of the flood tide and I was already comfortable with the sad tnrth that it didn't scem likely that I was going to hook up before breakfast. lt had been hot and bright for a while, so I leaned overboard, stuck my hcad in the drink, and decided I rnight drop the hook and work the rock garden with authority. I stakeclout using the cruclestform of an anchor. I had iashed a75-foot section of old anchor line to a plastic gallon milk bottle and filled the jug with sand. With the 25 feet of line I could set the anchor in a rcasonable fashion or I could tie it ofT at half-length to sl,-,wmy drift.
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now I leaned overboarcl to drop the anchor to the bottom and saw what was unquestionably the biggeststriped bass of my life. WINTER
2002
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I was so quiet in my kayak that I didn't spook Mr. Striped Bassand I was ableto watch him. I watchedhim swim around the rocks, slide through the long purple, brown and orangestrands of kelp, nose around the sea stars and dig in the rocks, probablyfor a lobster. It's impossible to accurately estimate the size of any fish when it's in the water and you're not; even a scuba mask distorts all sizesby 25 percent. Let'sjust saythat this was an enormous fish and he didn't even know I existed. I wish that I could saythat I was a cool customer,that I lazily picked up a rod and cast out my fly but that'd be a lie. My heart was pounding as hard as it did when I called my first turkey into range and blew the move by shooting over his head. It waspounding the way it doesevery time a grouseflushes,the way it doeswhen I get a flock of ducks to cup and pitch into my dekes,the way I get cranked when a good friend of fish. I mine lands his best-of-a-species was absolutelyjacked. I watched Mr. Striped Bass poke around. He wasn't going anywherefast; he was just looking for his meal ticket and I was going to give him one. I picked up my rod with the big Ken Abrames' RLS crazv menhaden. stripped off a pile of yellow line, made a couple of false castsoff to the side and pitched. I let the fly's long hacklespulse in the current and watched for a sign. There wasn't one to begin with. My fish had his dorsalside to me and didn't see my crazy menhaden. But then he started to move laterally on a shght right-
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our in fronr of him. The fly landed gently and the current made the long, thinstemmedhackles undulate softly. I saw his tail drop down, he raised his head, looked at the hackles moving with the currentand startedto ascend. I was sweatinghard now, my hands were wet, my neck was tight, and Mr. Striped Basswas coming for my fly. He wasn'tmoving quickly like small,suicidal schooliesdo, just slowly and deliberately. I watched him swim gently,he stayedhis courseand my line suddenlywent tight. It went tight all right but it wasn't Mr. Striped Bassthat was on the crazy menhaden. I had my eye on the prize,
I
didn't seethe bogeyin the perimeteqand a schooi bassencroachedon my fish. I instinctively strip-struck the fly and the smaller fish was on, bur I couldn't take my eyesoff of Mr. Striped Bass. I got my rod tip forward, pulled in someline, and watched Mr. Striped Bass casually approachmy smaller,hooked fish. Stripers aren't known for their aggressivebursts of lateral speed but when my school fish saw his Daddy coming at him he lashedout. He split to the left, headed back towards the right, dived, ascended,he was pulling out all ofthe stopsand he wantedto get out of there and fast. Mr. Striped Bass kept coming and, like a good boxer in the ring, he avoided the fakes until he delivereda solidpunch. He cameup on my smaller fish, clamped down on his tail, and waspoisedto move up the line. Had I been more relaxedI probably would have droppedmy rod tip and live. lined my smallerbassto victory but I did. n't. I kept the tension on, watched Mr. Striped Bassmuck on my fish for a bit and then spit him out, tum slowly and drift away. I calmed down, landed my short fish unevendrlly, revived him quickly and tumed him loose. I still wonder if he made it out of Grace'sCove alive. Ocean kayaking has come a long way in recentyearsand had I been on my boat or on shore I doubt I would have seenthis sceneunfold. Ocean kayaksare stealthy, easyto paddle, and easyto fly fish from. They're lightweight, far less expensivethan either an aluminum or a fiberglassboat, can fit on a car top and can be launchedjust about anywhere. I had resisted kayaks for years. Every time I saw one in use I admired their sleek design and the freedom they affordedpaddlersto get out beyond the crowds. Yet these long, thin boats required a whole new set of skills and gear. To do it right I'd first need to take a classand spendtime leaming to paddle and right a capsizedboat (i.e.: Eskimo Roll). Then I'd need a thin dry suir, a PFD (personalfloatation device), a spray skirt, a paddle, and a roof rack. And while I would have gladlyforkedover the cash,the roundedhulls weredesignedfor
smooth tracking in the water and weren't the easiestto fly fish from. And think of how much gearcould potentially sink to the bottom during saidEskimoRoll... In the last decade,fiough, big strides were made towards developing a sleek, stealthy and stable kayak for sportsmen. These kayaksfeature open cockpits with either one or two seats,and the two seaters are adjustableaccordingto each paddler's height. They feature hard chines and wider beams so that they are neither unstablenor difficult to paddle. Most of the oceankayaksaremadeof impact resis. tant hard plastic or fiberglassand they are virtually indestructible,light enough for one personlo poruage, and requireminimal maintenance. No new skills are nec. just get in the boat,paddleand fish. essary; There are also a wide variety of ways to customizethese ocean kayaks. During choppy days a spray skirt will keep unwanted water out of the boat. Some companiesoffer an angling pack. age that consists of a rod holder, an easy-to-operate anchor systemand paddle locks to keep paddleswithin easy reach but alsoout of the way. PFD'sare thinner and lower profiled so they don't interfcrewith your castingmovement. Some kayaks have foot pedals with a small rudder that makes staying on course a breeze while others feature adjustablefoot braceswhich makesyour paddling more efficient. While it's best to actuallv oaddle a
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boat beforeyou buy one there are solne general rr-rlesof thumb that are worth thinking about. 1. Long kayaks are fast and track straight;short boatsmaneuverbettcr. 2. The widcl the beam (width) the more stablethe boat. The wider the beam the slowcr the boat. l. The boat'sb()ttolndeterminesits stitbility. a. Flat bottolrrs are stable in cahn warer t'ut n.rr as gooJ in choppy waters. b. V bottornstrack well b u t a r c n ' ta ss t a b l e . 4. The sitlcsof thc kayaks determine the boat's per{ormance: a. Flared sides give the kayak more stability. b. Tumblehome sides curve in as they come up and offer easierpaddling. c. Straight sides offer easy padclling with stability. 5. Sit-on-tops are currently popular in warmer c l i m a t e s i;n s t e a do f s i t r i n g i n l h . r a t ' sc t r c k p i t r h e p a J J l . ' ri s a c t u a l l ys i t t i n gi n s p e on top of the kayak. cializedrccesses Tiopical anglers favor these boats, particularlythose who usea kayak to get ro a remotc fishing spot and then gef out and wct-wade. Of the many seakayakson the market, three companies offer boats that cater to sportsmenand women. Since New Englanc{has a long-standingtradition of canoesand kayaksfor fishing and hunting it comesas no surprisethat two of the three, namely \Ualden Paddlerand Old Tbwn, arc manufactured in and Maine respectively. Massachusetts Located in Ayer, Massachusetts, Walden Paddler has three kayaks that work well for the Northeastsait. First,the Scout is a l}-foot, one-personboat. Its beam is 29.5 inches, weighs 51 pounds and can support 325 pounds. Next, the Spirit is their l4-foot, two-persontandem boat. The Spiritl beam is 30 inches; it weighs 64 pounds and has a 425-pound capacity. Finally, picking up on the suc-
cessful tradition of Hawaiian Outrigger boatsis thc Nalu Expcclition.The Nalu is a sit-atop kayak, has a ZO-inch beam, wcighs 60 pounds and can support 275 pounds. The outriggerac{dsstability for anglerswho want to standwhile thcy fish, is a sit-on-top modcl and rnay not be totally conducive to thc Northeast seas and cold temperatlrres. Old Town is both a town in Maine and a canoeand kayakcompanythat was founded in 1898. "Canoe Ciry" as locals call Old Town, has been making canoes since 1898 and first added kayaksto its line in the late 1960's and then resumed production in the 1990's Old Town makestwo models that are great for saltwater fly fishing. The Twin Otter is a two-person tandem boat that is 14 feet long and has a 3l-inch beam. It can supporta whopping 450 pounds of total capacity. The popular Loon hull rangesfrom 8'6" to 16 feet. The Loon is a very stable boat and is available in either a one or two-person model. The longer boats offer a dry-storagecompartmentand they weigh between 39 and 74 pounds and beamsrangeproportionately{rom 22-29 inchesdependingon the boat'slength. North Carolina basedlTilderness Systems offers a few boats in their sportsman'sseries,three of which are well suited to the Northeast saltwater fisherman. The lungo is a great oneperson boat. \t rs l2'2" long, has a 29.5" beam and weighsjust 49 pounds while supportinga 325-poundcapacity. The Pamlico Angler is a two-person tandem boat that is 14'6" long, has a 29.75" beam, weighs 70 pounds and supportsa 400-pound capacity. Both come with an angling packageand are ready to fish. If you're going to add some waterfowl hunting to the mix check out the Pamlico Pro as it comes with Advantage Camouflage. So try an oceankayak this year;you won't have to stare longingly at the best fishing groundswondering if Mr. Striped Bassis on the prowl any more. q