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What Can Kayak Fishing Do For You?

By on March 18, 2012 in Stories

Many hobbies are notorious time wasters with no positives other than earning another ‘prestige’ like in the popular video game series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Sure, you might get a different insignia, a different weapon or a little more respect from your online video gaming buddies, but that’s about it.

Rather than spend my time suffering from gamer’s thumb and television sunburn, I prefer to get outside and go kayak fishing.

Many people think kayak fishing or any type of fishing for that matter, just involves fishing – the act of casting out a lure and hoping a fish stupid enough will come along and hook itself. Well, kayak fishing does involve that, but it also brings more to the table, too . . .

EXERCISE

Unlike speeding around in a bass boat at 70 m.p.h., kayak fishing is a high energy activity. Propelled by paddle or peddle power only, kayaking is a great work out that involves all the muscles in your body from your head to your toes. Yes, you’re mainly using you arms to paddle, but the act of paddling a kayak also triggers the muscles in your arms, back, stomach and even legs. It’s a great full body workout.

I work kayak fishing into my exercise routine and weekend kayak fishing adventures take the place of a long distance run or an upper body work out. It works! Trust me, you’ll feel it at the end of the day!

How many other types of fishing where you can honestly say you are going to work out as you load up your kayak and fishing gear. Not many!

DO YOU DREAD GOING TO THE GYM? IS THE GYM BORING YOU?

If you answered yes, then you’re like 95% of other the gym rats. I used to be one of those people. I’d work on my strength, do a little cardio and maybe see a cute girl or two. But, over time that same routine started to get old. Sure, I was seeing progress with my body and health, but the more I went, the more I hated going. It became too much of a chore and I eventually stopped going even though I knew it was beneficial.

Unlike going to the gym, kayak fishing, or kayaking in general, isn’t dreadful. Kayak fishing gets you out of the house and in nature, allowing you to see another side of the world from another perspective. Another perspective that you don’t always realize is there until you get off the bridge and into the water.

And it’s certainly not dreadful!

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A Fall Date with the River

By on November 15, 2011 in Fishing Adventures, Stories

A Fall Jackson Kayak Coosa Moment on the River Fall afternoons are one of the most enjoyable times of the year. There is more right than wrong during this time. The weather is perfect with the wind breezing through the colorful shades of red, yellow and orange leaves. The beauty is enough to cause pause and wonderment in any person. Enough to turn anyone into a Michelangelo or a Hemingway as they paint it’s picture and write it’s story.

Recently, I went on a fall kayak fishing trip down a nearby river. It was just me, my Coosa and the river. The plan was to catch the biggest shoal bass in the river and any fish short of 6 lbs would be considered a failure. I set out determined. Fishing hard, as some people call it.

Halfway into my trip, and still without my 6 lber, I grew tired and started to bow my head towards failure. I was catching fish, but they were mostly small. Dinks, and only a few of any size. Not knowing what else to do, I pulled out my tacklebox and surveyed the assortment of lures before me. That’s when a glimmer of light bounced off a lure and into my eye, causing me to look up. I saw it for the first time this year.

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Bridge Fishing in the Florida Keys

By on October 28, 2011 in Featured, Fishing Adventures, Stories

It was windy when we first  arrived in Islamorada, but the wind worsened as each day passed. By the third day the wind was too much to attempt to kayak fish so we decided to head elsewhere. After reviewing the wind forecast we decided that heading south would be our best bet to get out of the wind. We had our sites set on a few spots located in and around Sugarloaf Key. On the map there were a lot of mangrove islands around the key and we were hoping one of those spots would give us some fishable water without blowing our kayaks to Cuba.

The ride down to Sugarloaf was fun as we crossed over the many bridges that span the Florida Keys. What’s unique about those bridges is that most of them have fishing platforms built onto the side, enabling persons without a boat access to the Keys’ prized fishery. Despite the high winds we still saw many people fishing on and under those bridges.

Here’s a list of bridges that have fishing platforms:Bridge Fishing

  • Channel 2 Bridge (MM 73)
  • Channel 5 (MM 71)
  • Long Key (MM 63-65)
  • Tom’s Harbor Cut (MM 61.2)
  • Tom’s Harbor Channel (MM 60.6)
  • Seven Mile Bridge (MM40)
  • Little Duck Key-Missouri Historic Bridge, (MM 39.5)
  • Missouri-Ohio Historic Bridge (MM 39)
  • Ohio-Bahia Honda Historic Bridge (MM 38.5)
  • Spanish Harbor (MM 34)
  • South Pine ChannelFishing Area Historic Bridge (MM30)
  • Kemp Channel (MM 23)
  • Bow Channel (MM 20)
  • Shark Channel (MM 11)

We stopped on a few of those bridges to sight see and try out our hands in Florida Keys bridge fishing. We didn’t hook anything, and that was probably a good thing. We only had light gear and it would have been impossible to land a fish of any size.
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A Very Belated Father’s Day Fish Story

By on August 8, 2011 in Stories

Many of us started our fishing careers with our dads. They were the ones who always took us to the water, whether it was a neighborhood pond or a local river. Catching fish was third on the list behind spending time together and just having fun in general. I was no different and I often found myself spending time next to the neighborhood pond or local river with my dad and my brother.

Those moments will forever be ingrained in my memory and although we don’t have many pictures, those moments will still last a lifetime.

WHAT? NO PICTURES?!?!?

Before the digital age, pictures were harder to come by as we were limited to film and film could be costly. We never took many pictures when we went fishing. We couldn’t afford to spend $5 on film and then $5-10 to process pictures of fish. However, just because we didn’t take pictures doesn’t mean we don’t remember those days, those moments, and those fish.

I probably remember those moments more vividly than I remember any fishing trip I have taken in the last 5 years.

I can still picture how I used to swing my cane pole back and forward, watching my line as it plopped my red and white bobber into the water only to see my bobber go under just seconds later. Tap, tap, tap, tap!

I can still picture how I would always exclaim, “I’ve got a bite,” before proudly hoisting those small bream up with my cane pole.

I can still picture the proud look across my dad’s face as he watched me hoist those bream up with more excitement than a million dollar lottery winner.

I think we all have an innate instinct to realize that moments like those are special. We may not realize it at the time, and it may hit us 10 or 20 years later, but it will eventually smack us across the face with an ‘ah-ha’ moment.

David and Banks River Fishing DAVID AND BANKS

A few months ago, I found myself sharing the river with David and his 11 year old son, Banks. It was great watching David and Banks fish the river together with golden smiles across each of their faces. I started smiling since I knew they would carry those smiles with them for years going forward. It’ll be a trip they’ll look back on years from now and tell stories about while cutting turkeys and wrapping presents.

Watching them I was instantly taken back to those special times on the water. Times that I had forgotten about flashed before me and smacked me across the face, leaving me with an unadulterated smile. It was a great moment watching them together and it reminded me that it was time to spend time river fishing with my own dad.
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Can’t Always Catch the Big Fish

By on May 20, 2011 in Stories

Redeye Bass There’s no guarantee that big fish will be caught on every fishing trip. That’s true whether you are a seasoned B.A.S.S. pro or a canepole adventurer. Let’s face it, fish are funny sometimes. Fish don’t care if the conditions are supposedly perfect, they bite when they want to.

Our job as anglers is to figure out how to make the fish bite no matter what. Many times this isn’t an easy task and we sometimes leave the water with only small fish to show for, or even worse, the dreaded skunk. But is it necessarily a bad thing to be faced with slow conditions?

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that we should relish the slow days just as much as we relish the epic days of fishing. Slow days make epic days. Slow days give us a floor and enable us to actually define a day as epic.

An epic day of fishing is relative to the person and the type of kayak fishing that they do. For some it could mean landing a few nice bream, to others it may mean watching their son reel in their first bass, and to the pros it may mean landing a hat trick of 10 pounders. Epic days are measured against all other days and stand head and shoulders above. Without those other days, those slow days, epic days wouldn’t exist and wouldn’t be engrained in our memories.

It’s kind of like a first timer going out and catching the fish of a lifetime. “That wasn’t so hard,” usually is their response after they reel in a fish of a lifetime. But, we know better. See, they have nothing to measure it against and can’t appreciate it even though they just caught the fish of a lifetime.

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Early Mornings and Early Evenings on the River

By on May 13, 2011 in Stories

Early Morning Kayak Fishing It is often said there are only two times during the day that fish can be caught, early morning and early evening. But is that really true, especially when river fishing? Should you forgo a river fishing trip all together if you find yourself still laying in the comfort of your bed when the sun rises over the tree tops? Should you catch up on your honey-dos until early evening before hitting the river?

I have often found myself facing the same scenario of laying in bed until the sun starts burning through the bedroom window, probably too often. I could blame it on work, and a lot of times I legitimately can, but most of the time it is because I enjoy sleeping in. However, just because I like to sleep in doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the river during the early morning hours, because I really do.

Y’all are probably now wondering how can I call myself a fisherman when I so often find myself snuggled beneath a down comforter when the rooster crows. Well, I don’t call myself a fisherman as much as I call myself a river fisherman.

RIVER FISHING

River fishing is a different animal in of itself. When it comes to river fishing traditional fishing rules are thrown out. Unlike lake bass, river bass can sometimes be just as aggressive at noon on a bright bluebird day as they can be during a traditional early morning or early evening low pressure day.

So why is that?

Well, for one river bass are more aggressive than their lake brothers. Food travels down a river like a conveyor belt. River bass wait in cover until the food, such as bait fish, is near and then they strike. They must strike quick, too. They don’t eat if they are too late because the food will have traveled past them down river and possibly into cover. So river bass will strike first and think second.

Also, because food travels down a river like a conveyor belt, river bass can’t necessarily wait until the most ideal conditions present themselves. Bass must eat when food is there. If an opportunity is missed then it may be awhile before another presents itself. River bass can’t necessarily go searching for bait fish, hours on end, because they will expend precious energy swimming against or through a river’s forceful current.

So what does this mean? This basically means river bass can be caught at times other than the traditional early morning and early evening times. Don’t be afraid to hit the river at noon with the sun blazing across bluebird skies. Many personal best river bass have been landed when traditional fishing rules would otherwise say stay home.

EARLY MORNINGS AND EARLY EVENINGS ON THE RIVER

Savannah River SunsetWhile river bass can be caught throughout the day, it doesn’t mean you should always forgo early mornings and early evenings on the river. There’s something serene about those two times, especially when on any type of water, not just a river.

I love paddling my kayak through the river’s current in the early morning light while steam rises from the water’s surface and fogs my glasses. Watching the evening sun dance across the sky and bounce off the water with its beautiful colors slows my thoughts and brings a smile across my face that reminds me of what truly is important. One trip, one moment, and one can easily understand that early mornings and early evenings on the river are peaceful times when thought floods with introspection.

There is something magical, almost Disney like, about being on the river during those two times.

So get out of bed early if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t because there’s plenty of river action throughout the day. Stay late if you can’t arrive early, you’ll be glad you did.

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A First Hand Kayaking Experience

By on March 18, 2011 in Stories

Tired, sunburned, but smiling, I have often walked through the door of my parent’s house after spending a day kayak fishing the Savannah River. “Did you catch anything” my dad would always ask when I walked in? “Sure did,” was always my response as I pulled out my camera to show him the pictures. “Wow.” “Nice,” would be his responses. He loves to fish and we fish together often, but it was only through my pictures and stories that I was able to share kayak fishing with him.

See, dad has heard me talk about kayak fishing and has followed my fishing reports over the years, but he has never experienced kayak fishing firsthand. Recently I was finally able to have him join me and see why I’m always smiling as I walk through the door after spending a day kayak fishing. Here’s his story…

Dad paddling the Coosa As I have said before, I live on the banks of the Savannah River. I often take my jon boat to fish or just ride around exploring the many coves and branches of the river, but I have never been in a kayak. Recently, my son came home with an extra kayak and talked me into going out with him. It was a windy day with the river running fast under a blue sky to set the stage.

I found the hardest part was getting in the kayak and not turning it over and falling in the water. I immediately noticed water sometimes coming up through what I later learned were the scupper holes and asked if that was okay. My son assured me that was okay and was by design.

I quickly learned there is an art to getting in a kayak. I looked foolish as all get out. I ended up on my knees and elbows balancing with my butt up in the air. For about 5 minutes I negotiated how to get me in the seat. Periodically, I asked for a rope, to be pulled over to the dock, for something to push on, for a raft, and for a hand.

My son shouted at me once in frustration, “Just get out of the boat.” But the thing was I couldn’t get out. I couldn’t move without the kayak dangerously tilting to one side or the other. So I kept trying. I didn’t want to fall in. Finally, I got up into a squatting position and asked if it was okay to fall back into the seat. My son said yes. Fall I did, but I landed on the seat perfectly.

Once I started paddling I got the idea pretty fast. It’s kind of like riding a bike where you have to keep a certain balance. You also are better off not wearing shoes or long pants because you will get wet. Although the temperature was in the 70′s the water was cold and the paddle constantly dripped on me with each stroke. Later, I found out the drip guards should have been further down on the paddle.

We went out for a couple of hours and I learned it’s a matter of coordinating the current and wind with my body’s power. It’s a total work out like using a rowing machine…arms, legs and back all feel it. The aerobic effect is also noticeable. In other words, I got tired.

Being on the water, feeling the sun and wind as I bounced in the kayak is real. It’s not an exercise machine. It’s an experience. We finally made our way back to the dock and I managed to get out a little more easily using the dock ladder instead of negotiating the river bank.

After a warm cup of coffee, I went back to my usual TV watching self. But that night I had a ribeye steak without guilt because I knew I burned some calories off. I can’t wait to do it again. Kayaking is a great total body workout in a beautiful natural setting.

Dad paddling the Coosa

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