On a Mission

On a Mission

 

Let me start by saying I love fishing regardless of whether I catch a ton of fish or not or if I catch a pig or not.  I can be content with spending a beautiful day on the water alone or with friends.  I’m not a huge fan of the skunk but I definitely don’t have to produce an epic trip to enjoy fishing.  That said, I do have a competitive side that gets the best of me once in a while and I just NEED to catch the big fish.  I just have to show myself that all of the time, effort and money I put into fishing can come together to fool that big one. 

Since it had been a while since I had caught anything of any size, AND I had entered an online Kayak for the Cure tournament, I set out on a mission to get some big fish in the boat.  The tournament is a two fish bag and lasted the entire month of May.  As of the last weekend of the month, I hadn’t entered a single fish.  I actually caught some decent fish the first trip of the month but had forgotten to register.  So I set out on a mission to get two fish big enough to submit and hopefully finish in a respectable position.

I decided to go to one of my favorite, somewhat secret, locations.  I had never caught anything real big there but always catch quality fish and I just knew there had to be some big ones to be found.  As I launched I noticed one of the pins had sheared off my rudder.  Not the end of the world but the wind was already picking up so I knew I was going to have to battle a little bit.  But I was on a mission.

The standard pattern at this lake is to fish along the shore line with a Texas rigged worm.  The entire lake is surrounded by reeds, weeds, trees or hydrilla and it drops to 10' almost immediately.  The idea is to cast right to the weeds along the bank and bounce the bait down the drop.  It will usually get hit on that first drop but today, after two trips around the lake, I had nothing to show for it.  Usually I would at least have caught a snakehead by now.

So my next move was to nose up to some of the thick mat and hydrilla and do some flipping.  Although I have a hard time standing and fishing from my Ride 135 in open water, I learned that if I get the nose of the boat in the grass the stability increases quite a bit.  So I worked my way through the thick stuff for a while.  Not much going on but I did miss two fish due to momentary concentration lapses.  I was running out of options but I wasn’t leaving without a big fish or two.  I was on a mission.

I knew from earlier trips that there was a bit of a flat on one end of the lake with a pretty abrupt drop off so I decided I would go check that out.  On the way over to that end of the lake I threw the Super Swimmer from Bruiser Baits a few times just in case.  On about the third cast, a snakehead hit it like he was mad at it and I was on the board.  I usually catch a couple of shakehead at this lake but at 30 inches, this was the biggest I had caught this far north.  Not what I was looking for but the skunk was off and I had at least put a big fish in my boat.  

My spirits lifted, I was ready to find that big bass now.  I paddled around using my depth finder to locate the big ledge.  It is a nearly vertical drop from roughly 5 feet to about 20 feet and I could see some sort of structure right at the edge.  I am guessing a bush or grass.  So I marked the spot with a buoy and moved into the deeper water so I could cast back.  It is then I realized my anchor trolley line was pinched under my seat.  I was too impatient to paddle the entire length of the lake to get to a place where I could pull the boat out and fix it so I was determined to go without the anchor.  That turned out to be an exercise in frustration.  The wind was blowing hard enough that by the time I cast and retrieved I had drifted way out of position.  This wasn’t working.  So I had to improvise a little bit.  I would paddle a good bit east of my marker and to ahead and cast.  I used the paddle to control my drift a bit (remember I don't have a rudder at this point) and then had to time my retrieve so my bait would cross over that ledge at the right spot.  So I basically would get one shot at it on each pass and have to circle around and do it again.  The entire cycle probably took 3 or 4 minutes so this had the potential to get old fast......................... but I was on a mission.  

Fortunately, it only took two attempts to get some action.  Right at the marker buoy I felt a strong tap on my Super Swimmer.  I reeled down and set the hook.  I had a lot of line out so I wasn’t sure what I had but the rod was doubled over so I was hopeful.  The fish broke the surface and her bucket of a mouth was a beautiful site.  Soon I had landed a good solid tournament fish, just shy of 20 inches.  I had been so frustrated and now it all seemed worth it.  I was so pleased with my victory I almost packed it in.  But what if there was another one down there?  I could turn in two fish for the tournament.  The mission was not complete.

The next time around I caught a 14” fish but farther up on the flat.  There seemed to be more grass on the flat than there had been in the past and it was holding fish.  Things had definitely turned around so I continued my unorthodox drift method.  Three more times around and nothing.  So I decided I would take a slightly different angle at the drop.  Sure enough, right at the marker, another thump.  This one looked even bigger as she jumped and shook her head.  I couldn’t believe it.  Did I really pull this off?  Uh, oh.  She was tangled in the marker buoy line.  Great.  A few tense moments later I had the fish, the buoy, and a bunch of tangled line in my lap.  She measured at just over 22 inches!  I had made quite a mess of tangled line and it seemed pretty chaotic but I had done it.  I had two good fish to turn in for the tournament on the last possible day. 

I haven’t seen the final results of the tournament and I am sure I am no threat to win.  I suspect I will be in the top 20 but I entered the tournament to help raise money for a fellow kayak fisherman whose daughter has been diagnosed with cancer so winning wasn’t my primary motivation.  I saw a good opportunity to challenge myself to use my knowledge, skills, and equipment to locate and catch some quality tournament fish on the last available tournament day. 

Mission accomplished!

Rigging To Put Fish In The Boat - The Big 3

Aside from the confirmed minimalists, we can probably all agree that rigging your boat is part of the fun of kayak fishing.  Whether you are the DIY type or you take advantage of the many amazing products on the market, pimpin’ your ride adds greatly to the experience.  Just look at most any kayak fishing forums.  The majority of the conversations are about how to mount, make, or rig some life enriching piece of gear on the kayak.  But how much of the bling we hang off our kayaks put more fish in the boat?

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my BlackPak and my super duper adjustable ram mount for my fish finder and my panfish portrait so I can take those “grip and grin” shots.  And I have rod holders, leashes and bungees, and a variety of other bits guaranteed to make kayak fishing more enjoyable.  And many of those things make my day on the water a bit easier.  But today I want to talk about what puts fish in the boat.  Everyone has their own ideas and styles but here are my big 3.

Lowrance Mark-4

I have found that one of the most important things the fish finder has done for me is to help eliminate water.  We are fishing in kayaks, not glitter rockets so jumping up on plane and moving to the other side of the lake isn’t really an option.  So we need to be as efficient as we can on the water.  Fish tend to relate to structure and edges.  The fish finder (or depth finder or sonar or whatever you like to call it) gives us the depth of the water and shows us ledges, drop offs, changes in the bottom, sunken trees or underwater brush – anything fish tend to relate to.  If I know where those features are, I can spend my time targeting those areas instead of blindly casting to an area that may or may not hold fish.  Regardless of what magic lure you are using, if you are throwing it where there are no fish, you wont catch them.  

The fish finder can also …………………… find fish!  Not that I paddle around chasing those little fish symbols on the screen but by watching the screen, I can see patterns in what depths the fish might be holding.  If I find that fish are mainly relating to structure at 10 feet, then I increase my chances if I fish that part of the water column.  The sonar can also identify schools of bait and given the option, I want to fish where the bait is.  

How to use electronics is a fairly lengthy discussion and it is not a good idea to rely solely on that little screen.  We still need to pay attention to what is going on around us.  Watch for birds, look for movement in the water.  Look for changes in the type of bank.  But using electronics to eliminate unproductive water and to identify areas where fish are more likely to be has definitely put more fish in my boat.

Boat Management System

The ability to manage position on the water, with a stake out pole or some sort and/or anchor and an anchor trolley puts more fish in the boat.  Once you have used your knowledge, your observation, and maybe your fish finder to identify a potential hot spot, it is important to fish it effectively.  An anchor trolley that extends as far as possible to the bow and stern of the kayak along with an anchor or stake out pole allows you to position your boat and sit stationary so you can make the most efficient presentation to that area.   

Once I locate an area I believe is holding fish, or maybe I have found fish in that location, I want to be able to pick it apart.  I start by casting to the edges and working my way through the middle.  Unless it is a dead still wind, the only way for me to do that is to anchor or stake out in a position that allows me to hold the ideal position. 

I personally use a YakAttack 8’ ParkNPole for my stake out pole and absolutely love it.  It is light, plants easily, and it floats.  I will use an anchor in deeper water.  I use a float on my anchor line in case I need to release to fight a fish or on the very rare occasion that I need to go retrieve a hung up lure.  The anchor trolley allows me to move the anchor point to the bow or stern depending on the wind and/or current so I can position myself in the best possible spot.  I can say without a doubt that my boat management system has put more fish in my boat.

Rudder

My first kayak did not have a rudder and I remember hearing people say they would never have another boat without one.  But I always assumed they were talking about the fact that a rudder helps keep a boat tracking straight in windy conditions and helps with turning.  A rudder does both of those things well but the greatest benefit in my mind is that it allows me to maintain position while drifting.

I know I just said that sitting still has put more fish in my boat but sometimes it takes some work to find those spots to anchor and sometimes the most effective way to fish a shoreline is to drift along it.  Before I had the rudder I felt like I was constantly making adjustments with the paddle as I drifted a shoreline.  Depending on the conditions, it would sometimes be between every cast or even during a cast.  Well, every time I had to make an adjustment with the paddle it meant I had to stop fishing momentarily.  The rudder allows me to keep the boat in the position I want as I drift so I can continue to make casts.  And I’m no rocket surgeon but it seems to me that my chances of catching fish increases if I can keep the bait in the water.  

The Big 3 

So consider this scenario.  I have used my Lowrance to discover that there is a sharp ledge that goes from 3 feet to 10 feet just 10 or 12 feet off the bank.  I use my rudder to effectively drift and fish along that shore line.  I picked up a few fish so I circle back and drift it again.  I catch a few more and notice that smaller fish are coming from the grass at the bank but larger fish are coming right at the drop off.  So I circle back again, this time placing my kayak just inside the drop off and anchor myself with the ParkNPole.  Now I can cast along the bank and fish the entire ledge laterally at the depth the bigger fish were holding and I can work my way down the shoreline like this fishing each section thoroughly.  I am confident I will put more and bigger fish in the boat.

So those are my big 3.  What are yours?

Fishing Report - Frog Fail

I recently had the opportunity to fish the annual YakAttack tournament in Farmville, Virginia.  An amazing event that hosted approximately 130 kayaks fishing some of the most beautiful lakes I had ever fished.  So, being a tournament, I went into it with a more competitive approach which means I had to develop a plan.  It was to be around 45 degrees and raining when we launched and much of the lake was over 20 feet deep.  Not exactly what I am used to.  So my plan was to find some shallow water and pick it apart.  I followed the plan and caught a pretty good fish on a really tough day.

That got me thinking that lately I had been out fishing without much of a plan. I had been mostly alternating between a spinner bait and swim bait trying to "find" fish.  Basically power fishing in a kayak.  No thought or preparation.  Just drift the bank and keep chunkin' and see if something bites.  If the wind was blowing that usually meant one cast at the most to that fishy looking patch of pads.  I'm not sure how I slipped into that pattern but once I realized it I knew I had to make some changes. 

So I was determined that the next time I went out, I was going to have a plan. The next time out turned out to the be the early May event for the Florida Bass Paddlers at Lake Ida in Delray Beach.  I had fished the lake a few times and caught fish throwing a lipless crankbait but nothing big and no real numbers.  I was determined to change that.

The Plan
I remembered the West side of the lake was lined with reeds and grass with some pockets and coves that only a kayak could get to.  I hadn't fished that side much in my previous trips so I knew I wanted to spend some time over there.  My weapon of choice was going to be the hollow bodied frog.  I was ready for some topwater destruction.  I was also going to throw a chatter bait around lily pads and I always keep a Bruiser Baits Super Swimmer tied on to throw in grass.    

The plan was to get in those thick places and throw the frog early.  Then work my way north using whichever of the three baits fit the surroundings as I moved from one spot to another.  The important part of the plan was to slow down and actually fish the spots I selected before moving on.

The Execution
I started chunkin' that frog into the slop and pads with vigor and enthusiasm.  It looked like a real, very frightened frog as it plopped through the grassy water.  I was impressing myself with laser accuracy and flawless presentation.  Unfortunately, I was far more impressed than the fish.  Not only did I not get a single bite, the frog seemed to actually be scaring fish.  Being quick on my feet ................ or in my kayak, I switched to a lizard with a fairly light bullet sinker.  I needed something with a little more finesse.  It was a good move as I landed 3 fish but they were all small.  Still I was happy with myself for staying and fishing the spot and having the flexibility to make a change when the original plan, the frog plan, failed.

With my high hopes of frog explosions dashed, I decided to move down the bank and find another place I liked.  I threw the chatter bait as I went along looking for submerged grass or fish relating to the sparse reeds.  Then I came to a long stretch of a taller type of reed tighter to the bank with a fairly quick drop from a few feet to about 10 feet.  A lot of times bass will hang out near the roots of these reeds waiting for bait fish.  So I pulled the Super Swimmer and started working the reeds.

Instead of my typical run and gun (again, in a kayak) I would anchor with my YakAttack ParkNPole and fish parallel to the bank.  That way I could keep my bait either right at the reeds or right at the drop for the entire length of the cast.  I could work the entire length of the bank instead of a cast every 30 feet.  The technique paid off as I was able to pick up two more fish from that stretch.

Next was a small bridge.  I had high hopes for the bridge because the lake really funneled down at that spot and created a little movement in the water.  It turned out it was too shallow and there was no cover to speak of so no dice at that bridge.

I used the steadily increasing wind to drift the East side of the lake, tossing the chatter bait and swim bait at docks, sea walls and anything that looked like it might hold fish.  Pretty soon I came up on a cove that led to another bridge.  I had remembered seeing this bridge on a previous trip but didn't fish it.  Today would be different.

I staked out and started throwing the Super Swimmer at the pilings, through the middle and along each side of the bridge.  The decision to sit still and fish paid off as it didn't happen right away but I was able to find some submerged grass on the north wall of the bridge and picked up a strong 17" bass.  I would show you but he was not pleased about being laid out on my Hawg Trough and escaped while I was getting the camera ready.  A few more cast to that side with no luck so I threw to the south side.  Second cast resulted in a 16" largemouth.  See.

I didn't want to leave fish biting so I alternated side to side and soon landed a hard pulling 18" bass.

I fished the bridge a bit longer with no luck so it was time to move on.  By this time, the wind had really picked up on the main lake and it was littered with screaming jet skis and boats so fishing was taking a second seat to safety.  In fact at one point I had thrown the chatter bait along some lilies and as the lure approached the kayak I looked up to make sure the jet ski that seemed to be bearing down on me was going to turn.  Just as I started to lift the bait out of the water the fish of the day took an aggressive swipe at it and missed.  I repositioned and tried everything I could think of to get that one to bite again with no luck.  So all that was left was to risk life and limb to try to get back to the launch.

It wasn't my best day on the water ever but I was actually very pleased with the outing.  I purposely slowed down and fished the areas that had the proper elements and it paid off.  By the end of the day I had almost forgotten that my frog plan had failed.