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A quick post to recap my latest outing which occurred back on June 24, 2012. With work and the latest storm that knocked out power for 3 days, It is time to catch up on some miscellaneous items.

My outing on Sunday morning started off at Beaver Dam Reservoir. I had a couple of hours to fish before heading over to Powells Creek to fish with an old buddy of mine.  I started off throwing a buzz bait along the grassy edge with only one hit and miss. I switched over to a wacky rig Dinger and a Yum Money Minnow on a weighted hook. I caught a few small greenies with the Dinger and a catfish with a pearl Yum Money Minnow. A great fight but not what I was targeting. This catfish hit my lure as soon as it fell into the water off the vegetation.

Off to Powells Creek I went after grabbing a bite to eat. We had a small window before low tide. We began tossing some plastics in pockets within the heavy vegetation. The bass boats and recreational boats made it quite difficult to stay in position. So, we moved onto the back of the creek where we began throwing buzz baits and Dingers. The top water action was in full swing with a couple of huge blowups and a couple of snakehead runs which was pretty cool. All in all it was great day to be out in the water and get some pointers from a buddy of mine from Texas who knows Powells Creek fairly well.

Here is some footage of the outing.



Baits:
Yum Money Minnow (Pearl)
Yum Dinger
Buzz Bait Walmart Special

Better Than a Skunk

Hit my favorite spot in Loudon County last weekend. With summer heat picking up, I decided to launch by 5:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Both days started off with some top water action using Megastrike buzzbait, Jitterbug, and Rapala popper. The Jitterbug was the winner of the three with a fish hitting the bait on the last pause, just a couple of feet from my kayak. It was somewhat funny and caught me off guard as you can see in the video where I actually reel him in all the way to the tip.




As it got later in the morning, I switched it up a bit tossing Zoom Super Fluke, Strike King Shim-e Sticks, Strike King Baby Craw, and Gulp 3” Pearl White Minnow Grub. The winners here being the Shim-e wacky rigged, Strike King Baby Craw and the 3” grub on a 1/16 jig head. All fish came off the edge of the grass.


All in all it was a great outing; I even had a chance to try out my new toy, a GoPro HD Hero2. I rigged it up so that it sits on my back left shoulder with a YakAttack PanFish using Rob Choi’s v1 method of securing the Mighty Mount to my crate. It definitely was a great investment.   

Some lessons learned from this outing: I need to transfer my transducer from my old yak to the Ride. A game warden I ran into Sunday provided me some valuable information to a cove I fished for the first time in this reservoir. Additionally, I need to invest in a YakAttack PanFish Portrait for my Kodak PlaySport.  

The Last Cast, First Bass for My Princess

A late post but a memorable one. On Sunday, my day started off at Beaver Dam Reservoir, with nothing but dinks to show.  With my wife and oldest daughter heading to the movies in the evening, I convinced my little 7 year old to go fishing with me. It had been over a year since our last outing together. 

So, off we went to a local community pond out at South Riding in Loudoun County. The last time I was there, the fishing dock was in the initial stages. Wow! What a fantastic job they did. And by the looks, they may be adding a second one. Anyhow, back to my story. We had about an hour and half before we had to be back. Her first few casts I rigged up a 3" Senko worm with a bobber. She received a few hits but not hooking up. So, I decided to tie on a 2" Gulp minnow grub without the bobber as she loves the casting and reeling in method. 




On my end, I had a few hits but that was about it. With time flying by, I told my daughter one last cast and for her to aim towards the grassy edge. The next thing I know, I'm hearing her say "dad, it's heavy and pulling hard.", of course I had to help her reel it in because she simply could not reel this girl in herself. This was her fish using a lure, her first bass, and on her last cast. Wow!

And as you can see, that was about as close as she was going to get to the fish. We'll see if I can convince her to lip a bass for great hero shot to add to our memorable moments together.

Feelfree - Camel Trolley at Appomattox River Company

 My review on the Feelfree - Camel Trolley at Appomattox River Company. 



I recently purchased the Camel Trolley from Appomattox River Company. I have had little time to play around with the trolley until this weekend. Setting the Camel Trolley up out of the box is very simple, the concept is great but as soon I set it down to take on my kayak,  one of the wheels became loose.  A little wiggle and the wheel would simply fall off. Additionally, when I was able to get the wheel to stay in place long enough for me to sit my Ride 135, the cam would come loose. So, I tried sitting my Ascend A10 on the trolley as it is much lighter than the Ride 135. As soon as I began to pull the kayak, off came the wheel. Argh!

I contacted ARC, fantastic folks by the way, I'll be sending back the Camel Trolley in exchange for Sea to Summit Sit-on-Top Cart. I may have received a bad trolley or the parts are just that cheap, either way, I had high hopes for this product and now I sit here wondering if maybe I made the wrong decision and should have just gone with the C-Tug from the get go. We shall see...

Camping, Fishing, and Farming

I had a great weekend of camping, some competitive fishing, and some farming.

On Friday, I made my way down to Farmville, VA to fish the 5th Annual YakAttack Central Virginia for Heroes on the water Tournament.

The trip took about 3 hours but it was worth it. When I arrived, the scene was unbelievable with rigged kayaks everywhere.

The event was filled with laughs, stories, and great food. Thanks to Luther Cifers of YakAttack and family who cooked the meals for the event. The ribs and chowder on Friday and the pig on Saturday was on point--mighty delicious!

On Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m. However, no alarm was really needed thanks to the local rooster. So, off to Sandy River Reservoir I went.

It only took me a few minutes before I was onto my first fish. The problem is in kayak fishing tournaments, you have to measure your fish, mouth closed and tail in natural position. Well, just as I was about to take my second attempt of snapping a photo for photographic evidence, she jumps off my measuring device. She measured at 16 inches, not enough to win but it sure was disappointing. My second fish came on a go to swim jig unfortunately, it was a 16.5 inch catfish on the other end.

There was no way my junk fish would place once I took a look at Dan Hart's monster carp. He caught this carp on a 4wt fly rod. Wow!

Fish & Wildlife Unlimited Taxidermy donated these beautiful trophies. 

My new friend, Bill. (aka Mr. Zara Spook with Tiny Torpedo)

I want to thank Luther Cifers, Jim and Tina Shank, and all the sponsors for doing a fantastic job of making this event possible. I had a great time and by the looks of the veterans returning to shore, they had a heck of a time.  I will definitely be attending again next year. This time I'll ensure I take my stronger allergy medication ahead of time.

Farming and Fishing on Sunday

My allergies kept me from staying another night and opportunity to fish Briery Creek. So, I took the girls to Bluemont Farms to pick strawberries and do a little fishing.

My daughter picking strawberries with a smile.

Some farm pond fishing. These were caught on a Strike King Shim E Stick Texas-rigged.
The weekend was full of great laughs, meeting new friends, fishing, and still had time to spend quality time with my family.

Maiden Voyage

I finally was able to make it out on the water yesterday. Although, it wasn't my most productive outing in terms of fishing, I definitely enjoyed being out on the water and finding ways to adjust for future outings.

My thoughts:

The 2012 Ride 135 is a remarkable and impressive kayak. I could not believe how much space I have, the stability, and the tracking of this yak. Additionally, the replaceable skid plate on the keel is simply fantastic!

Lessons learned:

• Get rid of the tackle bag and invest in a CratePak Max or modify my existing crate. 
• Add STS to the bow where I secure the paddle under the bungee and where the tip and butt of the pole rests when laying on the deck.
• Add anchor trolley 
• Add nylon pad eyes to secure rods
• Invest in a kayak cart. I have my eyes on the Feel Free Camel Kayak Cart - 2012

Here is some footage of me avoiding the skunk. I did miss a few on a wacky rigged senko but the swim jig and Fat Albert grub came to the rescue. Whew!


Here is a shot of me standing on the Ride. Thanks Roney (A fellow KBF member and Beaver Dam fishing partner).

Minor modifications to the Ride 135

I received my package from Hook1 which included Silent Traction System Kit, NITEStripe, and a couple of Hook1 decals yesterday. Time to get add a little modifications to this beauty of a yak.

Before:


After:

The STS reduces noise that is caused by banging paddles, poles, and other gear. I placed them in areas where I will stand and where the paddle will have the most contact with the yak.

The NITEStripe is for safety while out on my night adventures and the decals to show my support for Hook1.

Anchor trolley up next.