A Speck-tacular Night with the boys

     I didn't expect to do much fishing after the shad run, since the countdown to wedding day was getting short, but when a TKAA Board of Directors meeting was scheduled for last Thursday night, and I got the "OK" to stay down and fish afterwards, I was pumped! With reports of a fantastic Speckled Trout bite, Alex, Billy, and myself hit the water with high expectations. It was forecasted to be cold and windy, so we figured we would get out for a couple hours and head home. Then plan was to troll a variety of hard baits and soft plastics until we located the fish- that didn't take long. I dropped my lines out and hooked up in the first 5 minutes. The wind wanted to spin me around and the fish tangled in my other line I had out, but I was able to land the fish in a mess of lures and lines.

My first Speckled Trout of 2013 @ 23"

 
With lines, lures, and the fish all wrapped up together, I quickly paddled froward to catch up with Alex and Billy because I needed pliers. Much to my suprise, I catch up with them to find out their first pass was as good as mine. Billy had picked up a 22" Speck and Alex had found his first redfish of the year.

 Qtip with a healthy 28" Spottail!

     The action stay hot for the next couple hours picking up fish on almost every pass with Specks, and a random Bluefish here and there, but most measuring in over 20". We had the fish buttoned down and could almost predict the strikes. I had a rod bend over as I passed the strike zone, just as I expected it to. I could feel it was another good sized Trout and decided to try to bring my other line in so I wouldn't tangle in it again. As I'm fighting the fish with my left hand, I begin cranking in my other line, still sitting in the rod holder, when BAM- it doubles over and I'm doubled up!! I repositioned that rod, loosened the drag just a touch, and went back to the first fish. After a brief fight, I swing the first Trout into the built in baitwell of my Malibu Stealth 14, and turn my attention to the other rod that is still bent over and giving line. I couldn't believe the fish was still hooked up and this one felt better than the first. My heart dropped into my stomach and my heart rate skyrocketted when the Speck finally surfaced... I got him in the boat and let out a shout as I knew I had my first Citation of the year.

 26" Release Citation Speckled Trout   

The first one wasn't bad either...

 
     The bite died off a little later, and we ended the night cold and wet but we had another awesome night of fishing under our belts. In total we caught roughly 20 Speckled Trout from 18-26", a few Redfish up to 28", and a few Bluefish around 20". If there was a downside to the nights expedition, it was only that we didn't get home until 3:30am and work was a bitch the next day. 

This would be my last fishing trip as a bachelor and it was one for the books. Next time you hear from me, I will have Tied the Knot and landed the best catch of my life. Kamaron has been so supportive of my fishing addiction, and my involvement with the kayak fishing community. I couldn't ask for anything more in a life partner and best friend. Thank you for the last 11 years. I cant wait to see what the future holds for us. I love you.

Stay tuned for a report from an offshore trip and Mothership Trip from our honeymoon in Hawaii!!! Tight Lines...

The wait was worth it...

     With my wedding less than a week out, saying I've been busy is sort of an understatement. As one might think, I haven't been able to find much time to get the kayak out and wet a line in the past few months, and when I have found a few hours, it was just that, a few hours, so driving to the salt was out of the question. The shad run here in Richmond was late, and a little shorter than normal, but I had been waiting all winter to hook up to a shad on the fly. With a little help from Rob Choi I was rigged up with the right flies and line and catching Hickory Shad in no time.

 
 Man was it worth the wait! There were times when I was hooking up every cast- my 5wt would barely turn the fish and my forearm was sore from spending the afternoon bowed up. Their tenacity and aerobatics never cease to bring a smile to my face, but all good things come to an end, and as the shad finish their spawn and make their way back to coastal waters, we know it'll be another year before we see them in our backyard again.

 Photo Credit: Rob Choi  

If you've never fished for American and Hickory Shad, you don't know what your missing- medium spinning tackle is chosen by most, but if your really looking for some fun, break out the ultralight tackle and give 'em a try. Check out Rob Choi's website for some great info on targeting and identifying the Poor Man's Tarpon. Also the out the MS Shad Shootout - It's a shad tournament open to everyone(kayaks, boats, shore fisherman, etc) that benefits the Nation MS Society.

Pig Wrestling

     After last weekends Smallmouth trip so successful, Alex and I were itching to get back out after 'em. The water level and flow continued to drop, while the clarity got better and better all week, so when we both got off early Thursday there was no question how the afternoon would be spent. We loaded the Stealths and hit the James in search of a citation Smallie. 

     The afternoon started out slow with no love from the fish. We were working the same areas that had been productive a few days before, with the same lures, but were not getting the same results. As the sun began to sink in the sky, I started to become less optimistic and thought we both might leave with the dreaded skunk. As often is the case, just when you think your day is over, you feel that subtle bite, the line comes tight, and your whole attitude changes in an instant.   

Such was the case today and I was rewarded with a fat 18" Smallmouth.

  
     With a new found sence of confidence, we continued our drift back towards the ramp. It didn't take long for my Jig n' Pig to get crushed again. I could tell right away this was a heavy fish and he began to strip a little drag as he tried his damnedest to get away.

                                            
     I thought I had my paper Smallie when he finally surfaced, but he came up a just short @ 19.5". I was still pumped to have caught a new personal best Smallmouth Bass- in fact, every trip out here I had stepped up my PB. Alex wasn't as lucky and ended the day without a bite, but with plans already made to get back out there Saturday, he knew he'd get another chance.



     

      The plan for Saturday was to meet up with Rob Choi and continue the search for a citation Smallmouth. He had morning plans for a YakAttack rigging party, and Alex had some daddy duties, so we figured we'd be doing good if we launched around 12 or so.... that was the plan anyway. After dealing with a flat tire, (Alex's wife's, not mine) we launched around 3 and headed up river to meet up with Rob. We only had a few hours til the sun went down, so we wasted no time in getting down to business.  
                                             

                                                                             Photo Credit: Rob Choi     

 We were all confident we would find the fish, but after hours of fishing, we were within sight of the launch, and my confidence started to wane. It seemed as though the change in conditions mandated that we change our tactics, and at some point Rob made his way out to open water, I moved out to slightly deeper water, and Alex continued to work the shoreline. Just as I'm starting to think the day is over, I just barely hear Rob say Whoa! As I turn to look I see a big ol' Smallie come flying up out of the water and Rob shout WooHooo! By the time I paddle to him, he's landed the fish and its a PIG.

                                                          Rob's new personal best Smallmouth @ 19.5"
  
As it turns out, this fish had crushed a spinnerbait and skied twice- it seemed as though the fish had finally gotten active. All was not lost yet, so Alex and I quickly tied on similar colored spinnerbaits and went back to work. I made about 5 casts, backlashed, and popped it off.... DAMNIT! All hope I had of catching a lunker was gone.


      After sulking for a few minutes, I grabbed a rattletrap and  started throwing it around just to pass time- I figured I might as well keep casting even though I had already come to terms with the idea of a skunk. I found a good eddy, posted up and figured I would kill the last 30 minutes we had before the day was over. Much to my surprise, it wasn't long before my slow rolling rattletrap stopped dead in its tracks and the fight was on! 

                                                         18.75" Chunker! Photo Credit: Rob Choi

The day ended shortly there after. Alex was unable to get that skunk off his back for the second trip in a row, but vowed he would be back for revenge. As we packed everything up I couldn't help but be amazed that even though we aren't catching great numbers, we were consistently catching trophy class fish with most between 4-5lbs. Had I know this great fishery was in my back yard, I would have spent alot more time out there, but rest assured that will change.

Hometown Hogs

     I haven't had a chance to fish much since the weather got cold, so when Billy called to say he and Tommy Dewitt were coming to Richmond to fish for Smallmouth Bass 15 mintues from my house, there was no question Alex and I would be there. Growing up in Richmond I spent alot of time at the James River, but literally no time fishing it- mostly just hanging out drinking and such.  I have never been much of a freshwater guy, but driving to the salt is time consuming and costly, and hey, any fishing is better than no fishing, Jack!

     The water level had finally come back down after all the rain/snow we've had lately, and the water clarity looked pretty good, but I still didn't have expectations for the day when we launched, accept to have a good time. I had only targeted Smallmouth once before, and it was late summer it totally different conditions, so I figured if I caught anything it would be a successful day.

The plan was to head upstream a good ways and float back down while we fished. The current was more swift than it looked, and the paddle would prove to be a serious workout. Tommy made his way to a large log jam and began fishing the eddy behind it, while the rest of worked various rocks are sections of the shoreline. It didn't take long before I heard Tommy yelling, and knew he had a good fish on. If this was any indicator of how the day would go, it was going to be well worth the work.

                                                                       Tommy breaks the ice with a 19" Pig!

     Alex and I continued to fish that log jam for almost another hour, but couldn't find another fish. Tommy and Billy had already headed further upstream, so we decided to follow suit and move on. The group of us spent the next few hours making our way up river and stopping to fish everything that looked like it might hold a fish..... nothing. After making it as far up as we had planned to paddle, we took a quick break to relieve ourselves and stretch, then decided to fish our way back down to the launch. We were worn out and the leisurely float was going to be a nice change. 

    Alex and I took one shoreline, while Billy and Tommy covered the other. After about 25 minutes I heard Tommy yell out again and Alex and I made the paddle across to see what he had. Half way there I could make out some of what he was saying... something about this ones a HOG!!! He was right and we were blown away as he lifted this Smallie out of his kayak....

                                                                                                               Tommy's 21" Citation Smallmouth Bass

                                                                                                                Look at the war paint on this HOG!

     We were fired up now and everyone was confident the fish were there, we just had to get the lure infront of them. Both of Tommy's fish hit a dark colored jig, so werolled with it and everyone started pitching jigs. We continued to work our way down working anything that looked fishy, while Billy made his way back to the log jam where Tommy had picked up his first fish. As I floated past a couple large boulders at the rivers edge, I knew there had to be a fish there, and decided to focus on it for a few minutes. The current made it difficult allowing only one cast before floating away and having to paddle back up- it reminded me of fishing the CBBT. Even once you paddled back up, the cast and bait placement had to be perfect to get the correct presentation. I finally got it right and felt a solid thump before the line started moving away from the rock. I reel the slack in, set the hook and felt the weight of a solid Smallmouth Bass.

 

                                                                                                                        An 18.25" Pig of a Smallmouth

     Meanwhile, Billy's trip back to that big log jam had paid off with a 17.25" fatty. I made my way down and tucked in beside him in a large eddy to take a break and relish in the fun of these bulldog Smallmouth Bass- we had figured we might catch a couple fish 10-14", but never expected this caliber of fish. It seemed as though there were no small fish around, only Hog Johnson and his cousins! Just as Billy was saying how he was surprised he hadn't picked up anything on a crankbait he was casting, it got crushed!

                                                                                                                       Billy with a  healthy 17.5" Smallie

     At this point we all had a fish, accept for Alex. He rarely looses his cool, but he was on tilt and just couldn't seem to get his head back in the game. I kept telling him to stick with it, but breaking off jig after jig wasn't helping the situation at all. We kept floating our way down working everything that looked good. I got my jig snagged up and after trying my damnedest, I broke off the only one I had. Somewhere in the process I got that line badly tangled with another rod I had laying in my boat, so I verbally expressed my discontent. It seemed as though Alex's bad joojoo had made it way to me and as he laughed at my struggles, he felt that thump he had been waiting on...

                                                                            Alex's hard work had paid off with a 19.5" Pig with some war paint of his own

     Alex was elated and it was laughs and high fives all around. We had come here in search of the elusive Smallmouth Bass and boy had we found 'em! We weren't far from the launch now and though we were still fishing, no one was taking it too seriously. Billy made one last pitch of his jig before calling it a day, and BOOM- there he was! 

                                                                                 Billy finished the day strong with a 19" Hog!

     As we pulled the kayaks out of the water and reflected on the day, we couldn't believe how successful we had been. Although we hadn't caught buckets full of fish, the quality of fish was way above and beyond what we had expected. Billy was reminded of a Beastie Boys lyric- something about "if I had known the party was gonna be this good, he would have put something in the mashed potatoes....." Had I known trophy Smallmouth fishing was so close to home, I would have been targeting them a long time ago.

The weather is finally starting to warm up, and spring fishing is right around the corner. Until next time, Tight Lines!

A Rare Mid-week Fix

     Seeing as how I live two hours from the Salt and have to work a 9-5, a spontaneous midweek fishing trip rarely, if ever happen for me. That being the case, when I see the opportunity for a midweek fix, I jump on it. My buddy Ramsey was in town for a concert last Tuesday, and I had taken the next day off to recuperate, so naturally the best cure for a hangover was some time on the water.

We left Richmond around 8:30 in hopes of spending a beautiful day on the water, and maybe bending a rod. The Speckled Trout bite has really been picking up with the water temperature dropping, so after a quick stop at Oceans East 2, we were off to Rudee to meet Billy and hit the water.

     We paddled away from the ramp with plans to troll around until the tide started moving some. I hadn't made it more than 100 yards when I had a strike and the rod bent over and started bouncing-FISH ON! I knew right away it was a good sized Speck by the head shakes he was giving me. He quickly surfaced and began thrashing and splashing around behind me. Luckily, both trebble hooks on my MirrOlure MirOdine had planted firmly in the fished face, and after a short fight I  landed the feisty trout.

A Healthy 18" Speckled Trout

I continued trolling for a while, but it was unproductive in the dead low tide. Billy had picked up a small trout and a couple small pups bouncing bottom, so Ramsey and I headed over to see if we could get him on a fish. The tide was just starting to move back in and it wasn't long before Ramsey had a solid hit on his jighead and drove the hook home. Not being a kayak fisherman, he did a great job of fighting and landing the fish.

 Ramsey's 16" Puppy Drum

We kept at it drifting around the same grassline, and after another half hour or so, Alex had a strong hit. This fish looked bigger, and I thought he had a good trout, but after a moment he landed an 18.25" puppy drum. He was stoked to finally have caught a slot red- the waters have been teeming with 10-16" pups all summer, but the slot fish have been few and far between.

     The rest of the day was slow. I landed two dink Specks around 12" while trolling the incoming, Billy caught a few Specks, a couple Blues, and a Croaker. We headed in around 7:00, happy to have spent a beautiful day on the water with good friends- having caught fish was just a bonus.

The End of a Season

     Tournament season is always a blast- traveling, fishing hard, seeing old friends and making new ones, and measuring how you stack up against Kayak Fisherman from up and down the East Coast. It can also be costly, time/life consuming and stressful for the same reasons, so when October comes around, and the NCKFA host their annual Oak Island Classic, there is almost a sense of relief that my tournament season is over with and it's back to "fun fishing."

     We headed down to Southport, NC Friday afternoon with no time to prefish before the Captin's Meeting, but being fairly familiar with the area we planned to fish, Kam, Billy, and I weren't too worried. The Classic had a great turnout this year, and the club actually had to scramble to find a larger venue to host the tournament that could accommodate the 175 registered anglers.

 Photo Credit: Rapid Transit Video

 It's great to see Kayak Fishing Tournaments growing and the support they receive from not only the anglers, but from the Sponsors and local communities where they are hosted. I was especially pleased to see that Malibu Kayaks had stepped up to sponsor the Redfish Division with a 2012 Stealth 14, and the team would be well represented by fellow Pro Staff members Nathan Wiles, Mike Eady, and
Team Malibu member Tim Norris.

Photo Credit: Rapid Transit Video

     The weather was rough with winds blowing 20-25 mph all day, which made fishing challenging to say the least, but at least the tides were in our favor. Kam picked up a solid Flounder early in the day to get things rolling.

 Kam's 16" Flounder

A little later, she hooked into a smaller Speck while trolling. Unfortunately, our lines got crossed somehow- while untangling them, the wind was blowing me and Kam apart, and her line, with the fish still on, came in my boat and the fish spit the hook- that meant she couldn't turn it in, since she hadn't landed it, but she was a good sport about it.

 Billy had a handful of blowups on topwater early in the morning, but never managed to hook up. He kept fishing hard, and midday he picked up a good Speckled Trout as the tide was moving out.

 Billy's 15" Speckled Trout

 I had struggled to find the fish all day, and when I did, I couldn't seem to keep them on the hook. One thing after another seemed to go wrong, and like a poker player on tilt, I just couldn't seem to clear my head and get back on track. Billy found a school of Puppy Drum feeding along an oyster bed at a creek mouth, and called me over. By the time I got there, he had landed 3 up to 18".

 Billy's 18" Redfsh

      Time was getting short, so he moved out to the channel in search of a Flounder to finish out his slam. Kam and I didn't mind, and we slid right into his spot. Kam tossed out a live finger mullet under a cork, and it wasn't long before it got inhaled by a Redfish.

Hooked Up!

Kam's 16" Redfish

It took a few mintues longer, but I finally got a solid bite on my jighead and got that skunk off my back. I needed that....

16.5" Redfish

We headed back towards the ramp knowing that we had done our best given the conditions and were lucky just to be fishing. Billy's puppy drum actually took 4th place and he went home with his second 4th place finish in as many weeks. Despite the weather, some great fish were caught. Congratulations to all the winners! 

1st place winners

Photo Credit: Rapid Transit Video