Reel Running Begins

I've decided to change my blog from kayak fishing to fishing and running adventures. This fits perfect for the way 2014 turned out and how I see 2015 shaping up to be. Mind you, I had no goals set up for fishing in 2014. However, this year will be different.

Here were my running goals for 2014:
1. Double my mileage (300 miles in 2013)
2. Lose weight. (Down 20lbs)
3. Get one race under my belt (Army 10 miler)

So here is what I will attempt to accomplish in 2015:
1. Run 1500 miles.
2. Run an official half marathon.
3. Run an official marathon.
4. Run an official ultra marathon.
5. Add more scenery to my runs by running more local trails.
6. Add strength training to increase strength and reduce injury.
7. Catch a 22" Largemouth Bass
8. Catch a 20" Smallmouth Bass
9. Catch a 15" Crappie

From September 2014 until the end of the year did not end so well with a new challenge I took at work. I spent majority of my time behind a desk the last several months of the year which limited my time outdoors. Anyhow here some highlights from the final months of the year.

Began fishing Fountainhead. I would like to fish the waters of the Occoquan Reservoir more often.

19" largemouth bass at Foutainhead Regional Park

Added a retractable anchor system to the yak.

Jeff Little's Special

Added a sweet combo to the arsenal.

Lews Speed Spool coupled with 13Fishing Omen Black

Pounded the bank from Bull Run Marina

A little Fluke action

Finally purchased a yearly pass at Fountainhead Regional Park and key to Bull Run Marina.

Largemouth bass at Bull Run Marina

Chasing some Crappie at Bull Run Marina

On to running. Added mileage and shed some weight. 

Army 10 Miler

Pounded the pavement.

Hitting the hood

Added new kicks. I started off with LunarGlide 4, great shoe, no problems running in them, so I decided to stick with the Nike LunarGlide as my road shoes.

Nike LunarGlide 6

Added a much need trail shoe.

Salomon SpeedCross 3

Hitting the trail scene.

Trails at Bull Run Marina

Trails at Hemlock Overlook 

Final total miles for 2014.

1260 miles on Nike GPS Watch

There were lots of ups and down throughout 2014.  I ended the year with an injury. Grrr! I have rehabbing my ankle since the end of December. However, I did get out and test the ankle on January 1st. No confidence on my ankle. So I begin my 2015 journey with 3 miles. Stay tuned. 

Summer 2014 Fishing with a Sick Stick

So it's been two months since I last posted. In the month of June, I don't believe I took the yak out once, since I was mainly focused on my running challenge of 150 miles for the month. Which I am very happy that I accomplished. Anyhow, I definitly made up for it in July into the first weekend in August.

In July I mainly hit Leesylvania State Park, but I also pounded the creeks at Pohick Bay, Mason Neck, and a little Occoquan Reservoir action. Not to mention Lake Mercer to finish off July. I managed to land fish 15"+ in each of those locations using PowerTeam Lures Sick Stick Texas rigged. Not too bad for this part of the state. My largest bass of the year is an 18", still looking for the 20"+.

Anyhow, here is a short 2 minute video of the fish I caught from July through the first weekend in August.

Muddy Waters

With all the rain we've had this early spring, it's been quite a challenge for me. My goal this year is to get my confidence up using the jig and craw rig. It seems to be working the best as I found out yesterday while fishing Pohick Bay.

We had a group of Northern Virginia anglers meet up yesterday for some fishing. Out of about 5 anglers, managed to catch more than two. Numbers were not that great for the rest. He managed to catch them on jig and pig rig. While the others that did catch bass, all landed them on a worm. One angler had a wacky rig, another had 10" ribbon worm on a weighted hook, and I had a Carolina rig tied to the end of mine.

Selfie

Bass attempting to eat Berto's camera

While it's been tough, I always enjoy being out on the water. Here are some other shots from my previous outing. Until next time. Tight lines.

Bass at Lake Audubon

Senor Gato at Lake Audubon

Hickory Shad

My First Shad Run 2014

As the American and Hickory shad make their annual run up river, I decided I would give it a go to see what the fuss was all about. So I went on on my first chase on April 12, 2014. I managed to catch 8 shad that day. They certainly put up a good fight on light tackle.

Then chased after crappie after lunch.

Then after some largemouths, but blue cats decided to play.

I certainly had a great time out on the Occoquan River. I'll be hitting it again tomorrow. Hopefully the greenies will come out and play.

Winter Fishing at Bull Run

As December approached, I focused on crappie. I really never targeted crappie, I mainly caught them while chasing largemouth bass. One of those "oh, hey, look what I've got here", kind of things. I believe Robert Altman said it best: "I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there."

I began researching the best approach to keeping your lure in the target area during the winter season. Since my favorite winter hole is known to have some huge giant timber laying underneath brought down the creek from the rushing water. I wanted to minimize hang-ups, but get the lure down to the those fish in deeper water.

First, I decided to look into the slip bobber approach coupled with a dual jig rig. Since I am fishing fairly deep water, I wanted a setup that allowed me to adjust accordingly.

Second, I went with Strike King Crappie Tubes coupled with Road Runner jigs. Additionally, I filled the tubes with Berkley Crappie Nibbles. Here is the method I used to inject crappie nibbles into the tubes. The method works as you can see here.



It's been a great December and a great year of fishing. Hopefully, next year I'll be able to get a couple fresh water citations.

Fall Fishing October 2013

I had some time to spare over the weekend, so I decided to pound the bank at a local lake that has produced around this time of year in the past. I tossed a StrikeKing Redeye Shad and a Berkley PowerBait 3" Smelt on a 1/8 jig head. I ended catching two greenies on each lure. Here is a quick time lapse of my outing this past weekend.



I'll definitely be bringing my yak out with me next weekend.

 Until next time, tight lines.