tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69773023621430100342024-03-05T13:48:16.827-04:00Bent Rod ChroniclesHappenings of a Kayak FishermanSeth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-83462965417693279772015-01-10T19:30:00.000-04:002015-04-25T19:37:03.957-04:00It Took Me a Long Time to Get Back on the Train<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The other day I was thinking about how long it had been since I wrote a new blog post, so I sat down and logged in. I couldn't believe that I had only written 2 post all year in 2014. I knew I had slacked off with my writing last year, but I had no idea just how bad I had let it get. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> To be perfectly honest, late in 2013, I walked away from my Prostaff position with Malibu Kayaks. That was a hard decision to make because I had worked really hard to get there, and I wholeheartedly believed in the product. I truly enjoyed being part of that team of kayak anglers, but I could no longer support a company that could provide no support, nor see the value in it's Prostaff. I'll admit that afterwards I was in a funk. I spent the winter re-assessing my needs in a fishing platform and decided to sell off my fleet of Malibu's and change things up a little.When Spring came around, it felt good to be fishing for me, and only for me- not because I felt like I had to get material and fulfill an obligation. I just kinda got back to focusing on having fun on the water, and didn't worry as much about documenting my trips and experiences, which led to me not writing anything here on Bent Rod Chronicles. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Enough making excuses, let me tell you a little about my year, show you a few pictures, and lets move on. It's 2015, and it's time for me to get back on the train. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though it wasn't my best year, 2014 was still a good one. I purchased two new kayaks, an Ocean Kayak Trident 13 and an Old Town Predator MX. I made my way to the coast to fish over 25 times and competed in 5 tournaments. I fished a handful of new locations, including Grand Bahama Island, and caught a few new species, both on conventional tackle as well as fly fishing gear. The one thing I take away from last year is a new found passion for fly fishing that seems to be taking over. This summer I plan on focusing on the long rod, especially in the coastal waters. I most recently purchased a vice and started ting my own flies, which is both meditative and highly rewarding. One thing I love about being a fisherman is that there's always new ground;something new to learn, and a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that was previously unfathomable. I hope to continue to share that with you this coming year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm looking forward to 2015 and to sharing my experiences with you. Give us a Like on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bentrodchronicles?fref=ts">Facebook</a> so you can keep up. See ya on the water. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-3371401135713497872014-07-04T12:00:00.000-04:002014-07-22T20:00:46.862-04:00Spring Drummin'<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> It's no secret that the Puppy Drum have been plentiful the last couple years, and can be found in creek mouths, grass lines, oyster bars, and flats all over the Tidewater area. I haven't gotten out nearly as much as I would have liked this Spring, but I've been able to squeeze in a few trips to get my fix...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fishing always heats up in Rudee first, so naturally I started my spring drum fishing there....along with every other fisherman in Va Beach. Even with all the boat traffic and other kayak fisherman, the fishing was hot, and Puppy Drum were being caught everywhere. One day in particular, I helped my Dad load up his new PA12 and we met up with <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky</a>, <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi,</a> and Jeff Lockhart to see if we could bend a rod.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p1eXN_E_SdT-0sSYa7HlfWDfxM9UsXp5zJWwlAyVMbUxpFwU7vlwNe7dnGJ-3Y2RBY806xcqQMwOiZc0Rh7E0HJsR-1UQKNhYSto73zipINIW66TAalJVr0IcT79FCiSSoooRqt5H-2-/s1600/10258424_10203619071979113_84713655822219270_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p1eXN_E_SdT-0sSYa7HlfWDfxM9UsXp5zJWwlAyVMbUxpFwU7vlwNe7dnGJ-3Y2RBY806xcqQMwOiZc0Rh7E0HJsR-1UQKNhYSto73zipINIW66TAalJVr0IcT79FCiSSoooRqt5H-2-/s1600/10258424_10203619071979113_84713655822219270_o.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: William Ragulsky</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pop's had a blast playing his personal best Redfish @ 22"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> We found fish along the shorelines, </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">with small schools moving back and forth in search of an easy meal. Slowly bouncing dark colored soft plastics seemed to do the trick, and the action was steady. Once</span> the tide dropped out, we all moved over to the island to take a "break", and eat some lunch. I quoted break because nobody ever really stopped fishing, and a few more decent fish were pulled even in a slack current.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxHgs8QSqzIwouih0iB0VAzc1tQcIlrv-hF41rTRBLN6UgrP5xhKKKQtQcDGZqClWvcmcUBlZHVNNq0UktLcoFvj2HhEd_12UHs7YpuzSrjXEzSwAMJTUaZTt31S8vCBIrzib-GuNsJxG/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxHgs8QSqzIwouih0iB0VAzc1tQcIlrv-hF41rTRBLN6UgrP5xhKKKQtQcDGZqClWvcmcUBlZHVNNq0UktLcoFvj2HhEd_12UHs7YpuzSrjXEzSwAMJTUaZTt31S8vCBIrzib-GuNsJxG/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Killing time waiting for the tide to turn. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> No matter how many you've caught, fishing for drum never gets old. Whether sight casting, tossing lures, or live baiting; Puppy Drum, Over Slots or Bull Reds- their drag peeling runs and head shakes will put your tackle to the test and leave your forearm sore. The tug is a drug and although I had gotten my fix, I couldn't help but fiend for more so I made the drive down the following weekend to get see if I could bend a rod again. Turns out, the bite was a little slower, but I still managed to catch a land a few decent fish.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2ngKqHK7KiTokgl-6TY_HG4kA_iUq574KSWEIYwF7GpM1ytZAbj6B1R0OknWD9HjVB7FAcH8XWygxc1oNOpwofnu2n9ibf3yuETRP6n3KIFdt9hvt_G74gtMeE6uvKKNXMNXhu-ufEET/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2ngKqHK7KiTokgl-6TY_HG4kA_iUq574KSWEIYwF7GpM1ytZAbj6B1R0OknWD9HjVB7FAcH8XWygxc1oNOpwofnu2n9ibf3yuETRP6n3KIFdt9hvt_G74gtMeE6uvKKNXMNXhu-ufEET/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> This Pup was a little smaller and skinnier than the others we were
catching, so I decided it must have been the runt of its litter, and thus needed to be blackened and pan seared. Turns out it hand a 3/8oz jighead stuck through its stomach.
It had healed around the hook and a mass of tissue had grown around the
sharp end to prevent any further pucture of organs. Very Cool! I always
check the stomachs of the fish I catch to see what they've been feeding on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It was 5 grueling weeks before I made my way back to the Tidewater area to chase drum in the kayak. By now, the water had warmed up a little, so Billy and I decided we would see if we could find some fish on the flats in Lynnhaven Inlet. We started the morning with a solid game plan, and we were going to stick with it and see where how we did. The wind was calm but with the cloudy skies, sight casting opportunities would be harder to come by.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made our way to the first flat on our list, and in 10 minutes, Billy was hooked up with a nice 21" Redfish.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;">He caught one more there and I lost one boatside, but after 30 more minutes with no action, we decided to move on. The water was dropping out quickly and we wanted to check another flat before it was too late. I was able to spot a couple fish right away as we made our way to the second spot, but not until I was on top of them and they were spooked. After making a few cast here and there, we decided to keep moving and head way back to a spot we hadn't fished in a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> By the time we arrived, tide had turned and was coming back in now, which didn't have me feeling oober confident, since I prefer to target Redfish on an outgoing and fish the choke points and ambush spots. Nevertheless, we started working the shorelines and made our way to a small creek mouth with oyster mounds out front, and we quickly found a bite. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQc4dtbb_x3wvgMt4FQuwdsgIIwx2XZTM5ZbNraF9U114Zccktnol24Iy0lUn4eofNPqmELvPTIr9D3l0ONBrqAEqJ0LihNb2HuKGovQE7ah3y5_9XuXaibwx-01_g0tnLgM7CwUnFdPy/s1600/_DSC0601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQc4dtbb_x3wvgMt4FQuwdsgIIwx2XZTM5ZbNraF9U114Zccktnol24Iy0lUn4eofNPqmELvPTIr9D3l0ONBrqAEqJ0LihNb2HuKGovQE7ah3y5_9XuXaibwx-01_g0tnLgM7CwUnFdPy/s1600/_DSC0601.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What happened next, we didn't expect...Billy and I spent the next couple hours throwing a variety of baits and hooking up to Redfish every couple cast. This particular spot we were fishing always seems to hold a couple fish, but had never produced a day like this one. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had forgotten my <a href="http://www.yakattack.us/PNP6_p/pnp6.htm">Park n' Pole</a>, so we were both using Billy's and fishing side by side. </span> We could have doubled up if we wanted but we were taking turns casting as to not hook each other, and plucking out fish after fish. My favorite strike of the day came after watching a school of bait get crushed-accept for actual sight casting, there is nothing like knowing the fish is there, making the perfect cast, and knowing that the strike is gonna come any second. This healthy 25.5" Redfish put up a great fight after crushing a Egret Baits Voodoo Mullet. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEES4itxv38f4a6PT_I1HR-GLjo-8MoeTuAvjIk8laqJ_4vhmgjVQ_pUudfZmQZ5sb8h1xOFBUdw-QosxU6HTtzUL8_tLDyT8Zn19-R2HkYPIOooA7uGd3LA-9pRXiLw5ze96ghspQ25uY/s1600/DSCN0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEES4itxv38f4a6PT_I1HR-GLjo-8MoeTuAvjIk8laqJ_4vhmgjVQ_pUudfZmQZ5sb8h1xOFBUdw-QosxU6HTtzUL8_tLDyT8Zn19-R2HkYPIOooA7uGd3LA-9pRXiLw5ze96ghspQ25uY/s1600/DSCN0689.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Drum aren't going anywhere, but my attention will soon turn to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel it's bountiful fishery. Sheepshead, Spadefish, and Triggerfish, and Flounder are up for grabs, along with the occasional Black Drum. While the prizes can be many, fishing the CBBT structure is dangerous and not for beginners, so plaease keep that in mind as the summer fishing season heats up. I will try to keep the reports coming more regularly. Tight Lines!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">P.S.- I did manage to get out with Ric Burnley and do a little boat fishing this spring too. We went out looking for Cobia and Bull Reds....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyuBiUKiAhuM_2gEawu2e3irFQcno3k2byDuGbo9Qilq61QzwTprMJHQxApkgXWL0GqYCFLO-QMiXMfkuYugy7FAXsgNN-x5XHQBrGkI153SHQobJ53QT0ylxoU9DrKDGFHQq-pDK3FR8/s1600/photo+3(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyuBiUKiAhuM_2gEawu2e3irFQcno3k2byDuGbo9Qilq61QzwTprMJHQxApkgXWL0GqYCFLO-QMiXMfkuYugy7FAXsgNN-x5XHQBrGkI153SHQobJ53QT0ylxoU9DrKDGFHQq-pDK3FR8/s1600/photo+3(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-46176539694898385972014-04-07T19:44:00.000-04:002014-04-07T19:44:31.623-04:00First Trips in the Trident<span style="font-size: large;"> Those of you who know me, know that I have been paddling a Malibu Kayak for years, but I felt it was time for a change. My kayak fishing expeditions have evolved over the years from shorter days in calmer water, into extremely long days where covering 8-10+ miles is the norm. That being the case, it is only natural that my choice in fishing vessel has also evolved. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and luckily I have the most comprehensive paddlesports shop in the county, in my backyard. I reached out to <a href="http://www.paddleva.com/">Appomattox River Company</a>, and they took care of me as if I were family. They pride themselves on that family atmosphere, impeccable customer service, and in having the worlds largest selection of canoes and kayaks in one place. Like I said, I knew exactly what I wanted, and ARC had a <a href="http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/angler_kayaks/trident_13_angler/">Ocean Kayak Trident 13</a> with my name all over it!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xHUqDN4TjaagISKeO8INujbYEQf6wtPZvlh2I6JvPwBVopk8m0gDfBd2sPjLTdv8NKdTfkflMPvzUl1SxeV8BuFeYMvdIbj1TvGlX3qtdM8YcyIujrnOwq4s8_CByxnnHJdyicG2_eau/s1600/DSC05987+cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xHUqDN4TjaagISKeO8INujbYEQf6wtPZvlh2I6JvPwBVopk8m0gDfBd2sPjLTdv8NKdTfkflMPvzUl1SxeV8BuFeYMvdIbj1TvGlX3qtdM8YcyIujrnOwq4s8_CByxnnHJdyicG2_eau/s1600/DSC05987+cropped.JPG" height="278" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Alex, our buddy Ryan, and I hit the river the following Saturday in search of trophy Smallmouth bass. <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> and Jeff Lockhart planned to meet us on the water as well. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">We fished the river hard, but the cold front was moving in quicker than we anticipated and it proved very difficult to find a bite.</span> By the time we got off the water, the rain had set in and was beginning to change over to sleet. I didn't really care if we caught anything, I was just happy to be out on the water with a few buddies, paddling my new Trident. That being said, I don't want you to think I got the skunk...</span><br />
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I did manage to catch one 16" Largemouth Bass.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It would be another two weeks before I could get the Trident 13 out on the water again, and I was dying to get back in the saddle. This trip wasn't planned, and the forecast was for rain all day, but the annual Shad run in Richmond had started and the fish were biting. So naturally, when Rob sent me a text saying that he was getting ready to launch, and <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy Ragulsky</a>, called minutes later saying he was heading up, I rushed to get things done around the house so I could hit the river with the guys, and get bowed up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every year</span><span style="font-size: large;">, both Hickory and American Shad make their way up the James River to spawn, and while they might only be baitfish, they put up a hell of a fight, and can be caught on light conventional tackle as well as the fly rod. The Hickory Shad are much more plentiful and the average fish will measure around 16". They are by far the more acrobatic of the species and have earned the nickname Poor Mans Tarpon. The American Shad are true brutes. These fish </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">weigh 3lbs on average, and </span>will put your tackle to the test with drag screaming runs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It took a little longer than expected to get myself in gear, pick up Alex, and get to the river, so we missed Rob. He had found the fish biting and spent a couple hours tearing 'em up before heading in for the day. Check out his report at <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">www.angling-addict.com</a>. Billy, Alex, and I launched in the rain, but it went unnoticed, overshadowed by the child-like excitement of the first Shad trip of the season. I anchored up on my spot and hooked into a fish on my second cast, and I knew it was gonna be a good afternoon. We stayed in the same area all afternoon, and subsequently stayed in the fish, hooking up every few casts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Alex caught his first Hickory Shad on the fly rod. He gets giddy like a kid on Christmas when he's hooked up, especially if it's a first. This time was no different and that one fish made his day. Billy caught his share of fish, including a nice Hickory on the fly to end the day. The highlight of my day came a couple hours into the day. I made a cast towards the shoreline, to the same general area I had been finding fish, and wasn't surprised to get a bite. After coming tight and gaining a few feet of line, my rod bent over and my drag started screaming. Every time I would get the fish halfway back to the kayak, it would take off for the shoreline and my drag would make sweet, sweet music. This senario repeated itself 4 times before I could even get a glance at the fish. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD-aGhb4B3eaoU3UOKT5x8VsYimH1Ee36AO60qBH8K-oc7SCfm0RFcA-wxJI8WeWD3tZd2DAoUg42bqsd5P0BFSZDJGfvf0jQYCeTKWCLhGCBnN-tD9H02yE9qiEw-kO2gSJmUUG_TiWA/s1600/10155274_10203409396777364_1911875023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD-aGhb4B3eaoU3UOKT5x8VsYimH1Ee36AO60qBH8K-oc7SCfm0RFcA-wxJI8WeWD3tZd2DAoUg42bqsd5P0BFSZDJGfvf0jQYCeTKWCLhGCBnN-tD9H02yE9qiEw-kO2gSJmUUG_TiWA/s1600/10155274_10203409396777364_1911875023_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: William Ragulsky</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b1ZjPCkTHPave8MsmrCLO32fVzryMwqMpJCV-c_C72GjmSSr5QF8ZpxfUbRClouYp3PhiGi1R_PVB5S1_ybr1b8AS54x-XXKVvAXlOkzOfviFCNgFsDNhBxNB_7nM9brzj29Bh-PR8mT/s1600/1236049_10203409396617360_1436081553_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b1ZjPCkTHPave8MsmrCLO32fVzryMwqMpJCV-c_C72GjmSSr5QF8ZpxfUbRClouYp3PhiGi1R_PVB5S1_ybr1b8AS54x-XXKVvAXlOkzOfviFCNgFsDNhBxNB_7nM9brzj29Bh-PR8mT/s1600/1236049_10203409396617360_1436081553_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These pictures don't do her justice. This fish is a true trophies of the Shad Run.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6AuW4wwl_fiQewoIgaK_7fkOOYh_rl695aiXfplycyRCMWsro7uVTJ-P2-bejchf6QGd0aZ3wRPRuT68de_bCxnX89DaW9kwQQh1ieXrY_Domuc_NGQZUVNLI_DZS1roCJXbvMnkSMSS/s1600/10169268_10203409396737363_2129743259_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6AuW4wwl_fiQewoIgaK_7fkOOYh_rl695aiXfplycyRCMWsro7uVTJ-P2-bejchf6QGd0aZ3wRPRuT68de_bCxnX89DaW9kwQQh1ieXrY_Domuc_NGQZUVNLI_DZS1roCJXbvMnkSMSS/s1600/10169268_10203409396737363_2129743259_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: William Ragulsky</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was the biggest American Shad that I have ever caught, measuring in over 20" and had to be pushing 4 1/2 lbs. She, along with all of the other Shad I caught were released to complete their spawning rituals. If you've never fished for Shad, give it a try. I promise, once you catch one, you'll be looking forward to the spawning run every year. If your looking for a fun fishing tournament to get you started before the summer season gets going, <a href="http://msshadshootout.blogspot.com/">2014 Shad Shootout</a> is on April 12th at Anncarrows Landing. This is a charity tournament benefiting the <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/">National Multiple Sclerosis Society</a>, and is open to all. Come on out, have some fun, bend a rod, and help out a good cause. </span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-19557845146341613192013-09-30T23:14:00.000-04:002014-03-18T23:15:58.591-04:00Bringing Home the Bacon<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every year in September</span>, the <a href="http://tkaa.org/">Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association</a> hosts the 3rd largest kayak fishing tournament in the country. This event draws hundreds of anglers from as far north as Maine, and as far south as Florida, to the tidewater area of Virginia to see who can bring home bragging right, a new kayak, and more importantly, raise money for a good cause. In 2012, TKAA donated $15,000 to </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://heroesonthewater.org/">Heroes On The Water</a>, an organization committed to helping veterans by using a unique </span><span style="font-size: large;">kayak fishing program, which allows the participants a chance to decompress from the stresses associated with combat and the physical rigors of rehabilitation. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHC7BHd4wmBXdGnIR4mAjxoa0l4rWm-rgEeee3rezN8dN_B72dW3g3QywH-Z7csiPDG2hqIbygyZIizGXix6yX8GBoXrNqDKFmjeXL4zBUx8bgs1ArniMavovdvyTrntAfMPLYNkVAYHek/s1600/TKAA2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHC7BHd4wmBXdGnIR4mAjxoa0l4rWm-rgEeee3rezN8dN_B72dW3g3QywH-Z7csiPDG2hqIbygyZIizGXix6yX8GBoXrNqDKFmjeXL4zBUx8bgs1ArniMavovdvyTrntAfMPLYNkVAYHek/s1600/TKAA2013.png" height="266" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> As so often is the case, the weather for this years Kayak Fish for Charity Tournament looked dismal, but that wasn't going to stop us. We take this one pretty serious since its in our own backyards, not to mention the fact that Kam, Billy, and I had all placed in different divisions last years and wanted to better our finishes this time around. Having had her 1st place finish taken from her at last years weigh-in due to a loophole in the rules, Kam was especially driven this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Billy and I had picked a spot that he was familiar with, and we thought would be productive, and fished it hard the weekend before the tournament with great results. Seven days later Billy, Kam, myself, and Alex paddled away from the launch confident that we would catch fish, and hoping they would be competitive. Redfish were plentiful this year, with huge numbers of fish in the 18-22" range, and we knew we would find them with ease. Good numbers of larger Speckled Trout were being caught in the area we were fishing, and though the Flounder bite wasn't as good as in years past, I figured we could bounce a jig in the channels til we found one. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4y_DLyYKO1ggxa39e79_w2cZduRD54zNtmkBi0AUnpwZrnMkZQIz1ZaOEEXx9NGCytbP9R_qPpMtHmi_1KAGWAY7LGpD28VW1952p35ivhLFXg5EuYToqTCNpgr3m1ZxgSm7iCmZGZy4/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4y_DLyYKO1ggxa39e79_w2cZduRD54zNtmkBi0AUnpwZrnMkZQIz1ZaOEEXx9NGCytbP9R_qPpMtHmi_1KAGWAY7LGpD28VW1952p35ivhLFXg5EuYToqTCNpgr3m1ZxgSm7iCmZGZy4/s1600/18.jpg" height="400" width="297" /> </a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First fish of the day was a healthy 20"er, and my biggest Redfish of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> My attitude toward the Flounder may have been to lackadaisical. <br />It wasn't much but it would have to do. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Specks didn't want to come out and play. Although I
had missed a couple much larger fish on topwater at first light, this
was the only that I landed.... embarrassing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUtkOKe6D2_soMMFVkC0WtNTDV7Sz0JutapihdqvrGRDW7Jyw2yscqxCAMkqOBpy0_VwYtr_hw28Q1a7q4yXVZpd_mNYPvF8keDGjVRK2cqCv8fyXL-LHMz-HFo1nAx_YHMo29IP0H7QU/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUtkOKe6D2_soMMFVkC0WtNTDV7Sz0JutapihdqvrGRDW7Jyw2yscqxCAMkqOBpy0_VwYtr_hw28Q1a7q4yXVZpd_mNYPvF8keDGjVRK2cqCv8fyXL-LHMz-HFo1nAx_YHMo29IP0H7QU/s1600/17.jpg" height="298" width="400" /> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Kam had a bit of a different strategy than the rest of us. That was because, the Female Angler Division would be given to the largest Speckled Trout, Flounder, <u>or</u> Red Drum caught by a female. She figured that the winning fish would be a Drum, so she fished hard for them all day and was rewarded with fish after fish, the biggest of which went 21.75"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohA25FsZ4GPGE4bodgl1GW_q23R8FmoKGnXIXZ46prftcRN23P_76pbM297dI7DQeoYOvjzl3T-0VTnaW613lD_dPVcpNgtiVIPImSkSDOKOx28KRPg94Hi-bq2A06FVEOYxctCQrMPEt/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohA25FsZ4GPGE4bodgl1GW_q23R8FmoKGnXIXZ46prftcRN23P_76pbM297dI7DQeoYOvjzl3T-0VTnaW613lD_dPVcpNgtiVIPImSkSDOKOx28KRPg94Hi-bq2A06FVEOYxctCQrMPEt/s1600/9.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">These two swallowed the hook and were destined to be blackened and seared.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We packed up and headed for the weigh-in hoping that Kam's 21.75" Redfish was enough. She was trying not to get her hopes up, but I was confident she should place again this year. We had dinner and a few beers while the judges checked and double check all the paperwork. The tournament committee does a great job of soliciting donations, which makes for the biggest kayak fishing raffle I've ever seen- it takes hours to get it all raffled off. After a few more beers and a long wait, it was time for the results to be announced. We knew Kam had placed, because she had been called back to turn the pictures of her fish for final judging, and when the third place fish was announced at 19.25", I knew she had it. Kamaron had finally taken 1st Place!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBQbC4jgDz8ibsKCBFPoVGBPm3LSAmZHhH7t4b0DaFpvPjHKbqe-IiyUqPurlNB11z5gd8z9K_hHKGr4o8Db5sOsUnQTfstRe6g7s9YKn8nBDA9ilHrbQwlS7qG6BKNrCnrrH5PlwoT8A/s1600/IMG_7301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBQbC4jgDz8ibsKCBFPoVGBPm3LSAmZHhH7t4b0DaFpvPjHKbqe-IiyUqPurlNB11z5gd8z9K_hHKGr4o8Db5sOsUnQTfstRe6g7s9YKn8nBDA9ilHrbQwlS7qG6BKNrCnrrH5PlwoT8A/s1600/IMG_7301.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am so proud of her. She has the same passions for fishing as I do, and she's damn good at what she does. She's an awesome fishing partner and an even better life partner. Love you babe. </span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-47348622070779132622013-08-04T20:41:00.000-04:002013-10-20T20:42:03.805-04:00Gettin' Pops on some Pups<span style="font-size: large;"> As with most of us, my dad was the one that taught me how to fish when I was a kid. We spent countless days out on my grandfathers boat catching Spot, Croaker, White Perch, and the occasional Flounder, in the tributaries of the Rappahannock River. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIc_ouY3hIWhyphenhyphenyAT339U8RHwnkzLzpfZsj7WB1R0B-7XkSZc0O6ODPdtEcYWFfU-H-vkh6qUtH3r150lQ8jSo9GuQdkDPAHGovnPZUGlvlJNHbp25HyAK4vThP4t_2PQRSzRI7zSqg22c/s1600/seth's+big+catch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIc_ouY3hIWhyphenhyphenyAT339U8RHwnkzLzpfZsj7WB1R0B-7XkSZc0O6ODPdtEcYWFfU-H-vkh6qUtH3r150lQ8jSo9GuQdkDPAHGovnPZUGlvlJNHbp25HyAK4vThP4t_2PQRSzRI7zSqg22c/s400/seth's+big+catch.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that I've grown up, and fishing has become a passion of mine, I'm in the unique position to be able to teach him now. As long as I've been kayak fishing, I've often thought about how awesome it would be to get Dad out on the water, but Cerebral Palsy limits the use of his right hand, making paddling out of the question. For the first few years, Papa Dukes didn't show much interest in kayak fishing, but lately, he had started getting more and more into the idea. Dad had taken the Pro Angler 12 out for a spin at the <a href="http://www.paddleva.com/">Appomattox River Company</a></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Demo Day back in June, and was itching to get out and chase some Redfish. <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy</a> and I put together a game plan, and with some help (a borrowed Hobie Pro Angler 12) from <a href="http://hookedup1.blogspot.com/">Joe Underwood</a> , we were off to Lynnhaven Inlet early Saturday morning to see if we could bend a rod. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We headed out of Owl Creek and let Dad get his seat and pedals straight before making our way to the fishing grounds. Once we arrived, we staked out and explained the jist of what we were gonna be doing. Dad had his lines out as quick as possible and was ready to rip some lips! I had just gotten moved over into my spot about 25' away, when I look over and see Dad popping cork disappear. He gave him a good hook set and a minute later, Dad had landed his first Red Drum @ 19".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgxqJG8lJ18KzHSMnE2kZwRFuUd0kNVKc-icszJtVVDHfuHj200muUH2HdYzbVs7pdTaR63l2M1hMCH7GmIyyr8RDIjgNv5YXOBH0SffTzsuejy0ScirQQTrktEoUE7EDRMeV_DZC32A/s1600/Dad's+Redfish(best).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgxqJG8lJ18KzHSMnE2kZwRFuUd0kNVKc-icszJtVVDHfuHj200muUH2HdYzbVs7pdTaR63l2M1hMCH7GmIyyr8RDIjgNv5YXOBH0SffTzsuejy0ScirQQTrktEoUE7EDRMeV_DZC32A/s640/Dad's+Redfish(best).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Watching Dad fight the fish, and light up when the drag started screaming was awesome. I imagine it was kinda the same way he felt watching me fish as a kid. We got a few pictures, and put the fish on a stringer since it had swallowed the jighead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dad was itching to get another so I got out of his way and let him get his lines back out. Billy picked up a couple of Reds around the same size as Dad's, but I wasn't catching anything. I wasn't really fishing though... the day wasn't about me getting on fish. I was just enjoying the time fishing with my father. It was about 30 minutes later when I heard Dad say something and looked over to see him bowed up! The light breeze had caused me to drift away a little, but Billy was nearby helped Pops land his second Redfish @ 18.5".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIrnfPD_Eqi-Wia7Tlmi35e7W5C7x0fH9SO8qHiyBgK0rBplJaErO2HQWFTnR-a-QGtXREcDFvZb2_4ImAyQQ2C-I8GX58L4jnPeZkrdzCq-ul_6pzJYJmE7XgDPGvKBqJUyX_h7HPPQK/s1600/IMG_1959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIrnfPD_Eqi-Wia7Tlmi35e7W5C7x0fH9SO8qHiyBgK0rBplJaErO2HQWFTnR-a-QGtXREcDFvZb2_4ImAyQQ2C-I8GX58L4jnPeZkrdzCq-ul_6pzJYJmE7XgDPGvKBqJUyX_h7HPPQK/s640/IMG_1959.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We continued to fish the area for another 45 minutes or so, but the tide was dropping out quick, so we decided to head out to a deeper creek channel and see if we could find some Speckled Trout or Flounder. After spooking a couple larger Redfish on a shallow point at the creek mouth, we pulled the kayaks up on a sandbar island and got out to stretch. There were a couple fish breaking in the creek so we began casting plastics. Everyone was getting bites, but the dink trout couldn't get the hooks in their mouths. I finally managed to find the largest in the school and landed a 12.5" Speck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tide was almost all the way out now, so we decided to pack it in and ride the last of the outgoing current back to Owl Creek. It had been an awesome day on the water, my most memorable day for sure, and I was honored to have been able to share something I love so much, with someone I love so much. Dad is hooked, and is setting aside money to purchase his very own Pro Angler. I can't wait to get out there with him again and see if we can catch him some big Speckled Trout and Striper. Even if we get skunked, it will be time well spent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to thank <a href="http://hookedup1.blogspot.com/">Joe Underwood</a> for letting us borrow his kayak, and <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy Ragulsky</a> for helping with the logistics and the company.<a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/"><br /></a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-15972614851435860602013-07-14T17:54:00.000-04:002013-09-09T18:04:11.768-04:00Kam's 1st to the 1st<span style="font-size: large;">My wife has been wanting to fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with me for a year now, but it had proven difficult to get her schedule to align itself with the weather and currents. With the water warming and the first reports of Sheepshead being caught, we took advantage of Kam having a free Saturday and headed to Chicks Beach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> After digging some mole crabs, we paddled out to a dead calm Chesapeake Bay. We worked our way out towards the 1st Island, dropping on random pilings along the way. The sheepshead were proving difficult to locate, so we switched gears and started looking for Spadefish. I couldn't seem to get a bite, but Alex and Billy were catching a couple here and there. Kam finally had one take her hook and after a brief fight with a jackhammer, she landed her first Spade.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrBCxJaSe-6s0p9OgIwdFJuD7NIl-pdkZ3dvXRP5Whj0ZHwrgFaDbHn2jcXRTZZIChpZI2mH09vafXh3qt9Wl8GlWVaazhtlKMqYMQFBAcOP-xK9UYj3Nlbh36K4DAUt4rU52dnCjxsXj/s1600/Kam's+First+Spade3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrBCxJaSe-6s0p9OgIwdFJuD7NIl-pdkZ3dvXRP5Whj0ZHwrgFaDbHn2jcXRTZZIChpZI2mH09vafXh3qt9Wl8GlWVaazhtlKMqYMQFBAcOP-xK9UYj3Nlbh36K4DAUt4rU52dnCjxsXj/s640/Kam's+First+Spade3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made our way out to the 1st Island to catch up with <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> and <a href="http://hookedup1.blogspot.com/">Joe Underwood</a>. Joe had hooked and landed a 43" Black Drum while Sheepshead fishing along the rocks. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIV_K3aKB-MikTH2nwPKE3OveDB4OWj5cR6NckEziIQ3tGjZepk3_h9zawzCy1pj9YO0VyGgqT45VQg9PKbp7aUH64Sj0fi9OwlPDrwSqmugmV53jf5nNfHJ0WcQUzBZioGkEV1wO7t0a/s1600/1009788_614818965216000_46567903_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIV_K3aKB-MikTH2nwPKE3OveDB4OWj5cR6NckEziIQ3tGjZepk3_h9zawzCy1pj9YO0VyGgqT45VQg9PKbp7aUH64Sj0fi9OwlPDrwSqmugmV53jf5nNfHJ0WcQUzBZioGkEV1wO7t0a/s640/1009788_614818965216000_46567903_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Rob Choi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He had switched gears and now was having some luck jigging Flounder, and Rob was chasing Big Ugly(black drum) along the rocks of the island, but they were being picky about what they wanted to eat. I spotted a couple myself, but the outcome was no different than Rob's was. Alex managed a small Sheepshead and Rob stuck a tag in it for him before releasing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My luck was not changing and I couldn't seem to find a bite from anything other than Black Sea Bass and Croaker. We worked our way back towards shore, fishing pilings here and there, but the fish weren't biting. We ended the day with few catches, but good times were had by all, and Kam had one more notch in her belt. One thing is for sure, when the fishing gets slow and there's a bunch of us just floating around, the trash talking and heckling will be plentiful. Good company is what makes any day on the water a good day. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-15710411601958088202013-06-03T16:15:00.000-04:002013-09-09T16:17:23.781-04:00Hawaiian Honeymoon Hook-Ups<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I really should have written a detailed account of our incredible trip to Hawaii immediately after returning, but since I'm such a slacker, this will be more of a photo recap of our time spent fishing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I am one of the few lucky men who's wife loves to fish almost as much I do. This being the case, we were both pumped to have a couple weeks in Kona to explore the Big Island, and more importantly, the crystal clear Pacific waters teeming with pelagic fishes. After 2 separate mechanical issues with our plane, and a 12 hour delay, we finally arrived in paradise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The Kailua-Kona waterfront.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had scheduled a fishing charter 2 days into the trip aboard the <a href="http://konafishing4u.com/pacific_blue.htm">Pacific Blue</a>, with Capt. Bill Casey. That afforded Kam and I just enough time to get settled in, get some rest, and be ready to wrestle with some fishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Luck wasn't on our side that day, and although we did have a big Blue come in and blow up behind the boat, the line never came tight. We headed in with an empty box and a slight feeling of defeat. Still, all hope was not lost... this wouldn't be our only chance to bend a rod while on this rock. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We had also booked a kayak mothership charter with Capt. John Tarson of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Screamingreeladventures/164523037032516">Screaming Reel Adventures</a> for just a couple days later. This was something we had been fantasizing about for quite some time, so we were eager to do some paddling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> Notice the slide to the left of the outboard- makes launching and recovery very easy.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We met John, along with his mates Patrick and Greg at <span class="pp-place-title">Kawaihae Harbor, to find the water dirty brown instead of crystal clear like they are used to. There had been alot of rain on Maui and all the run off had stained the water and made a layer of floating mulch and organic matter... fishing was going to be tough. We made our way out to clean, open water, launched the kayaks and began trolling rigged ballyhoo. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">Kam had a peanut Mahi take her bait near the surface, but it jumped almost immediately and threw the hook. We stuck around there for a while, but struggled to find a bite. Eventually we left the area and tried a couple other ledges, before moving back inshore where we began drifting the deep shipping channel leading into the harbor. This channel held big Ulua and if there was one fish I could have chosen to catch in the kayak, that was it. It was hours before we got another bite, but this time it was my down line... and it hit hard. I put the reel in gear, slammed the hook home, and I was cruisin'.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> Hawaiian sleigh ride!</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">Unfortunately, it was strong enough to get me down into the coral heads 60' down. Knowing I only had 2 options, I put the reel into freespool and paddled back up drift from where he had wrapped himself. It worked and the line came loose, but the fish had also spit the hook... my disappointment was immeasurable. We made another couple drifts, but that was the last of the action for the day. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"> A few days later, Kam and I had plans to meet a friend of Capt. John, named Jesse, who is a fourth generation Ulua(GT) shore fisherman. Jesse had offered to let me and Kam camp on the cliffs with him and teach me about old school Hawaiian shore fishing techniques. As luck would have it, a rancher had locked a gate that prevented us from accessing the shoreline. This is actually against the law, since in Hawaii, access must be given to the shoreline, whether the land is public or private. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">Jesse was livid- is family had been fishing from these cliffs for years, but without a pair of bolt cutters, there was nothing we could do.(I'm sure Jesse went back later and took care of it) We decided to switch gears and head down into Waipio Valley to fish from the beach. Jesse's whole family was to join us for a campout in the sacred valley.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"> Jesse prepares the bait, a large piece of Moray Eel. See the size of that hook...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">We used a 10lb rock as a weight, tied with a special knot that would shake loose after a few minuted of fighting the fish- they actually want the Ulua to swim with the rock to help tire it out. Obviously a rock that size can't be cast, so Jesse's brother, Tawn, swam the rock out to deep water and dropped it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">It was only about an hour before we heard the clicker scream on Jesse's Penn Senator 8/0. He let the fish take the rod tip down before heaving his whole body backwards to make sure the hook had found its home. This was a very strong fish, strong enough that it parted the 80# main line about 15 minutes into the fight. I was starting to think Kam and I were carrying some kind of bad juju. Tawn was convinced to carry out one more bait, even though the sun was down now and the sharks would be feeding. We cooked dinner and caught prawn in a stream running out of the valley, while waiting for another bite, but it never came.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">Waking up that morning was surreal- the sound of the waves breaking, the birds shrieking as they search for breakfast, the incredible sunrise in the valley, and the hospitality that had been extended to us left Kam and I with few words. After thank yous and goodbyes, we packed up our stuff, and made the treacherous trip up 1200' from the bottom of the valley, via a one lane road with a 25% grade. This was truly a night we would never forget. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"> At this point we only
had a few days left in Hawaii, and the idea of going back to the
mainland not having caught anything in arguably the best sport fishing
destination in the world, was killing me. Kam and I made the decision to forgo a helicopter ride around the island, to instead take one more fishing charter. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">I know, I know, I'm a lucky guy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"> Kam had been in touch with a Captain in Maui via Instagram prior to us landing in Hawaii, and I convinced her to call him and see if he could put us in touch with the right guys to get us hooked up. He made a call to a buddy of his, and before I knew it, we had a trip booked with Capt. Kevin Nakamaru aboard his 37' Merritt, the <a href="http://www.fishingnorthernlights.com/">Northern Lights</a>. Only hitch was, the trip was booked the day we had to fly home, but our flight didn't leave until 10:00 pm. The captain asked that we get there early and he would keep us out extra late, with a promise to have us worn out and sleeping the whole flight home. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">We had plenty of live baits and were trolling out to deep water by the time the sun broke over Mauna Loa, the largest of the 5 volcanoes that make up the Island of Hawaii. Kam and I were totally caught off gaurd when a reel started screaming only 20 minutes after setting the lines. We both looked up to see a Blue Marlin jumping and tail walking behind the boat. Being the gentleman that I am, I had told Kam that the first bite was hers.... is there any way I can take that back?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> Kam doin' work!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">Kam did a great job working the fish and was rewarded with a 100lbs Pacific Blue Marlin, tagged and released! The mate set the lines back out and we got settled in. It was only 7:30 and we still had a long day ahead of us. Less than 30 minutes goes by before the mate comes swinging down off the bridge, and a reel starts screaming. "Fish On! Think its a Stripey", yells Capt. Kevin. This time it's my turn, and there's a pissed off Striped Marlin at the end of my line. After a 15 minute fight my first billfish, a 120lbs Pacific Striped Marlin, was boatside! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">I actually got to reach down, right the fish, and turn him away from the boat as we released him. Another experience I will never forget. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">We continued to troll for another couple hours on our way out to the Tuna grounds. Capt. Kevin is known as the Tuna Ninja, and now it was time for some big Ahi. The plugs came in the boat, and the Green Stick was deployed, along with a couple live baits. The tuna are competing with Porpoise for their meal, and are aggressively chasing baits and leaping from the water. It's not long before we are hooked up with a double, as 2 giant Ahi leap out of the water simultaneously, grabbing a separate squid lure, and then diving deep again. Kam's got her work cut out for her, but one of the fish shakes the hook and after a few minutes, her first Ahi, roughly 100 lbs, is in the box.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"> The action stayed steady with a hook up every 30-45 minutes, and we took turns bringing them in. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;">This one was the only to take a live bait, but it was also the biggest @ just over 120lbs.</span></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">The action started to slow, and with 6 big Ahi in the box, it was time to head for shore. Capt. Kevin had kept good on his promise to keep us out late, and send us to the airport worn out and ready for a nap.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title">We had a quick rinse down on the back of his other boat when we got back to the harbor, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and headed to the Kona Airport. Our Hawaiian honeymoon had finally come to an end, and I couldn't think of a better way to finish it out. The hospitality and friendliness of the Hawaiian people was awe inspiring, the scenery was breath taking, and the memories are forever. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pp-place-title"><br /></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-72627386183328930702013-05-05T15:50:00.002-04:002013-05-05T17:35:33.085-04:00A Speck-tacular Night with the boys<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I didn't expect to do much fishing after the shad run<span style="font-size: large;">,<span style="font-size: large;"> since</span> the countdown to wedding day was getting short, but when a <a href="http://tkaa.org/">TKAA</a><span style="font-size: large;"> Board of<span style="font-size: large;"> Director<span style="font-size: large;">s meeting was scheduled for last Thursday night, and I got the <span style="font-size: large;">"OK" to stay down and fish afterwards, I was<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>pumped! With<span style="font-size: large;"> reports of <span style="font-size: large;">a fantastic Speckled Trout bite, <span style="font-size: large;">Alex,<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy</a></span>,
and myself <span style="font-size: large;">hit the water</span> 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.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Then plan was to troll a variety of hard baits and <span style="font-size: large;">soft plastics </span>until we located the <span style="font-size: large;">fish<span style="font-size: large;">- <span style="font-size: large;">that di<span style="font-size: large;">dn't take long. <span style="font-size: large;">I dropped my lines out and hook<span style="font-size: large;">ed up in the first 5 minutes. The wind wanted to spin me around and the fish <span style="font-size: large;">tangled in my other line I had out, but I was able to land the fish in a mess of lures and lines.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">My first Speckled Trout of 2013 <span style="font-size: small;">@ 23"</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">With <span style="font-size: large;">li<span style="font-size: large;">nes<span style="font-size: large;">, lures, and the fish all wrapped up together, </span></span></span>I quickly paddled froward to catch up with A<span style="font-size: large;">lex and Billy beca<span style="font-size: large;">use I needed <span style="font-size: large;">pliers. Much to my suprise, I <span style="font-size: large;">catch up with them to find out the<span style="font-size: large;">ir first pass was as<span style="font-size: large;"> good as mine. Billy had picked up a 22" Speck and Alex had found his first redfish of the year.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Qtip with a healthy 28" Spottail!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The action stay hot for the <span style="font-size: large;">next couple hours picking up fish on almost every pass<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>with <span style="font-size: large;">Specks,</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and a rand<span style="font-size: large;">o<span style="font-size: large;">m Bluefish here and there<span style="font-size: large;">, but most </span></span></span>measur<span style="font-size: large;">ing <span style="font-size: large;">in over 20". </span></span></span>We had the fish butt<span style="font-size: large;">oned down<span style="font-size: large;"> and could almost predict the<span style="font-size: large;"> strikes.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>I had a rod bend over <span style="font-size: large;">as I <span style="font-size: large;">passed the strike zone, just</span></span> as I expected it to<span style="font-size: large;">. I could feel it was another good sized Trout and decided to try to bring my other line in so I wouldn<span style="font-size: large;">'t tangle in it again. As <span style="font-size: large;">I'm fighting the fish with my left h<span style="font-size: large;">and, I begin cranking in my other line, still sitting in the rod holder, when <span style="font-size: large;">BAM- <span style="font-size: large;">it<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>doubles over and <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm doubled up!!</span> I <span style="font-size: large;">repositioned</span> th<span style="font-size: large;">at rod<span style="font-size: large;">, loosened the drag just a touch, and went back to the first fish. After a<span style="font-size: large;"> b<span style="font-size: large;">rief fight, I <span style="font-size: large;">swing the first <span style="font-size: large;">Trout into the built in <span style="font-size: large;">baitwell <span style="font-size: large;">of my <a href="http://www.malibukayaks.com/stealth-14-fish-dive.html">Malibu Stealth 14</a>, and turn my attention to the other rod that is still bent over and giving line. <span style="font-size: large;">I <span style="font-size: large;">couldn't be<span style="font-size: large;">lieve <span style="font-size: large;">the fish was still hooked up and this one felt better than the first<span style="font-size: large;">. My heart<span style="font-size: large;"> dropped into my stomach and my heart rate skyrocketted when <span style="font-size: large;">the <span style="font-size: large;">Speck finally surfaced...<span style="font-size: large;"> I got him in the boat and let out a shout as I knew I had my first Citation of the year.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">26" Release Citation Speckled Trout</span> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The first one wasn't bad either...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The bite died off a little later, and we <span style="font-size: large;">ended the night cold and wet b<span style="font-size: large;">ut we had another awesome night of fishing under our belts. In total we <span style="font-size: large;">caught roughly 20 Speckled Trout from 18-<span style="font-size: large;">26", a <span style="font-size: large;">few<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>R</span>edfish up to 28"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, and a few <span style="font-size: large;">Bluefish around 20". <span style="font-size: large;">If there was a downside to the <span style="font-size: large;">nights expedition, it was only that we didn'<span style="font-size: large;">t get home until 3:30am and work was a bitch the next day. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">This would be my last fishing trip as a <span style="font-size: large;">bachelor and it was one for the books. Next time you hear from m<span style="font-size: large;">e, I wil<span style="font-size: large;">l have Tied the Kno<span style="font-size: large;">t<span style="font-size: large;"> and landed the best catch <span style="font-size: large;">of my life. <span style="font-size: large;">Kamaron has been so <span style="font-size: large;">supportive of my fishing addiction, and my in<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">volvement</span> with the kayak fishing community. I couldn't ask for anything more i<span style="font-size: large;">n a life partner and best fri<span style="font-size: large;">end. Thank<span style="font-size: large;"> you for the last 11 years<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span> I cant wait to <span style="font-size: large;">see what the future holds for us.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span>I love you.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgwh_W9OLWfhhKl4sDBxI86_vKJw4KHL39nMZ7eyUC7tcHNeAXNfCjGYyd-H9D8rxVdoCxWo_tz9zQDKrUCoFPpVYe5i8RmsSu_5S5rviicBgvvA919YHHDvVvZn9fH0AGU0xv6DzDOCn/s1600/394534_10151218765870701_1808499311_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgwh_W9OLWfhhKl4sDBxI86_vKJw4KHL39nMZ7eyUC7tcHNeAXNfCjGYyd-H9D8rxVdoCxWo_tz9zQDKrUCoFPpVYe5i8RmsSu_5S5rviicBgvvA919YHHDvVvZn9fH0AGU0xv6DzDOCn/s640/394534_10151218765870701_1808499311_n.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for a report from<span style="font-size: large;"> a<span style="font-size: large;">n offshore trip and Mothership<span style="font-size: large;"> Trip from our honeymoon in H<span style="font-size: large;">awaii!!! Tight <span style="font-size: large;">Lines...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-38150236853842619762013-04-18T15:30:00.000-04:002013-05-05T15:42:04.466-04:00The wait was worth it...<span style="font-size: large;"> With my wedding less than a week out,<span style="font-size: large;"> saying I've been busy is sort of an understatement. <span style="font-size: large;">As one might think,</span> I haven't been able to find much time to get the kayak out and wet <span style="font-size: large;">a line in the <span style="font-size: large;">past few months, and when I have found a few <span style="font-size: large;">hours, it was just that, a few hours, so driving to the salt was out of t<span style="font-size: large;">he question.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>The shad run <span style="font-size: large;">here in Richmond was late, <span style="font-size: large;">and a little shorter than normal, but I <span style="font-size: large;">had been waiting all win<span style="font-size: large;">ter t<span style="font-size: large;">o hook up to a shad on the fly. With a little help from <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> I was rigged up with the right <span style="font-size: large;">flies and line and catching Hickory Shad in no time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaeFw0xelYxQVCThxv2wPulhBujq4ZLBI3IAf1-V5lo8eL05VcBbZkaOlurY5V_24xcX14NbbMsOsq0c2RhLdqbMZm8hA1fhLFjiBb1L6rJdM_VgArXT84cF156USwZV90nMDqqZ6R2Gx/s1600/541398_561975157179892_347730750_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaeFw0xelYxQVCThxv2wPulhBujq4ZLBI3IAf1-V5lo8eL05VcBbZkaOlurY5V_24xcX14NbbMsOsq0c2RhLdqbMZm8hA1fhLFjiBb1L6rJdM_VgArXT84cF156USwZV90nMDqqZ6R2Gx/s640/541398_561975157179892_347730750_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Man was it worth the wait! There were times wh<span style="font-size: large;">en I was ho<span style="font-size: large;">oking up every cast<span style="font-size: large;">- m</span></span></span>y 5wt would barely turn the fish and my fore<span style="font-size: large;">arm was sore from <span style="font-size: large;">spending the afternoon bowed up. The<span style="font-size: large;">ir tenacity and aerobatics never <span style="font-size: large;">cease to bring a smile to my face, but all good things come to an<span style="font-size: large;"> end, <span style="font-size: large;">and as the shad finish their spawn and make their way back to <span style="font-size: large;">coastal waters, <span style="font-size: large;">we know it'll<span style="font-size: large;"> be another year before we see them in our backyard again.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGTJ3hVsd-Anxm4EUJsT6PZK2i1-tnIwVcdN2lmaPhFxZ272lxWZwzVHbgL2KbLpwWJdDmqigrQqzfbq0FYTxd8Yk0ZliU7JtlMr7ukXjBt5cgNdATJA-CPWzhX7cCDN7tXfexy9IhGt9/s1600/906861_10151322587522167_703260506_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGTJ3hVsd-Anxm4EUJsT6PZK2i1-tnIwVcdN2lmaPhFxZ272lxWZwzVHbgL2KbLpwWJdDmqigrQqzfbq0FYTxd8Yk0ZliU7JtlMr7ukXjBt5cgNdATJA-CPWzhX7cCDN7tXfexy9IhGt9/s640/906861_10151322587522167_703260506_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Photo Credit: Rob Choi <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you've never fished for American and Hickory Shad, you don<span style="font-size: large;">'t know what your missing<span style="font-size: large;">- <span style="font-size: large;">medium s<span style="font-size: large;">pinning 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 <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi's</a> website for some great info on target<span style="font-size: large;">ing and identif<span style="font-size: large;">ying <span style="font-size: large;">the Poor Man's <span style="font-size: large;">Tarpon. Also the out the <a href="http://msshadshootout.blogspot.com/">MS Shad Shootout</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> - </span>It's a shad tournament open to everyone(<span style="font-size: large;">kayaks, boats, shore fisherman<span style="font-size: large;">, etc) that be<span style="font-size: large;">nefits the Nation MS Society. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-91119657466359424022013-03-30T11:58:00.000-04:002013-04-06T12:11:04.648-04:00Pig Wrestling<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">After last weekends Smallmouth trip so <span style="font-size: large;">successful</span>, Alex and I were itching to get back out a<span style="font-size: large;">fter 'em. The <span style="font-size: large;">water level and flow continued to drop, while the <span style="font-size: large;">clarity got better and better<span style="font-size: large;"> all week, so when we both got off early Th<span style="font-size: large;">ursday there was no question how the afternoon would be spent. We loaded the Stealths and hit the James in search of a citation Smallie. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The afternoon started out slow with no love from the fish. We were working <span style="font-size: large;">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<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">I sta<span style="font-size: large;">rted to <span style="font-size: large;">become less optimistic a<span style="font-size: large;">nd thought we both might le<span style="font-size: large;">ave with the dreaded skunk. As often is the case, just when you think your day is over, you feel that <span style="font-size: large;">subtle</span> bite<span style="font-size: large;">, the line comes tight, and your whole attitude changes in an instant.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqJqQJDeauN-Okul0ihMy6NLnkQNmgQbNNFv-FaWxpewTtqpCgVscWJHfCNAm-RDnfo-s_FHu5dLrLcJ1KBzNPkQO5dUF1DHjEBpLWw9vs_By4-CDm1g35MPNnRUCzBsBmRxaRxKu8oBM/s1600/DSC05943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqJqQJDeauN-Okul0ihMy6NLnkQNmgQbNNFv-FaWxpewTtqpCgVscWJHfCNAm-RDnfo-s_FHu5dLrLcJ1KBzNPkQO5dUF1DHjEBpLWw9vs_By4-CDm1g35MPNnRUCzBsBmRxaRxKu8oBM/s640/DSC05943.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Such was the case today and I was rewarded with a fat 18" Smallmouth.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">With a new found sen<span style="font-size: large;">ce of <span style="font-size: large;">confidence, we</span></span> continued our<span style="font-size: large;"> drift back towards the ram<span style="font-size: large;">p.<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">It didn't take long for my Ji<span style="font-size: large;">g n' Pig to get crushed again. I <span style="font-size: large;">could tell ri<span style="font-size: large;">ght away this was a heavy fish a<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">nd</span> he began to strip a little drag as he tried his damnedest to get away<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk8Bz4IFGd6hg2haqo__9uGKcNv4S_tZA_lBuUg5xS9nk5ukY-BsQE68UQQbpx8EQG3jOC3vC0z_td0JCj87BzN9_9r7MG2QArHefA8m_FWlezk3vszJCs4Qtzsay9QYcydSl7Rj9MQqW/s1600/DSC05938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk8Bz4IFGd6hg2haqo__9uGKcNv4S_tZA_lBuUg5xS9nk5ukY-BsQE68UQQbpx8EQG3jOC3vC0z_td0JCj87BzN9_9r7MG2QArHefA8m_FWlezk3vszJCs4Qtzsay9QYcydSl7Rj9MQqW/s640/DSC05938.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I thought I had my paper Smallie when he finally surfaced, but he came up a <span style="font-size: large;">just</span> short @ 19.5". <span style="font-size: large;">I was still pumped to have caught a new personal best Smallmouth Bass<span style="font-size: large;">- in fact<span style="font-size: large;">, every trip out here I had stepped up my PB</span>.<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alex<span style="font-size: large;"> wasn't as lucky and ended the day wi<span style="font-size: large;">thout <span style="font-size: large;">a bite, but with plans already made to get back out there Saturday, he <span style="font-size: large;">kn<span style="font-size: large;">ew he'd get another chance.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The plan<span style="font-size: large;"> for Satur<span style="font-size: large;">day was to meet up with <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> and continue the search for a citation <span style="font-size: large;">Smallmouth. <span style="font-size: large;">He</span> had morning plans<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">for a</span> <a href="http://yakattack.us/">YakAttack</a></span> <span style="font-size: large;">rigging party, <span style="font-size: large;">and Alex had some daddy duties, so we figured we'd be doing good if we <span style="font-size: large;">launched <span style="font-size: large;">around 12 or so....<span style="font-size: large;"> that was the plan anyway. After dealing with<span style="font-size: large;"> a flat tire, (Alex's wife's<span style="font-size: large;">, not mine) we launched a<span style="font-size: large;">round 3 and headed up river to meet up with Rob</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">. <span style="font-size: large;">We <span style="font-size: large;">only had a few hours til the s<span style="font-size: large;">un went down, so we wasted no time in getting <span style="font-size: large;">down to business.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrKbCUjDs0SX179GAHsViNJDjRaHHUrNXMJ5fPSMXu2jHtl9WBVQ0wBMPcgsQ8qpb2B9SHI4q_C8HN2XDbrmLMhobAC97vSSCFapGuWb-hVgob3e9SOOiayfmN9qy_0La8pChbyOcl8_y/s1600/Seth+and+Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrKbCUjDs0SX179GAHsViNJDjRaHHUrNXMJ5fPSMXu2jHtl9WBVQ0wBMPcgsQ8qpb2B9SHI4q_C8HN2XDbrmLMhobAC97vSSCFapGuWb-hVgob3e9SOOiayfmN9qy_0La8pChbyOcl8_y/s640/Seth+and+Alex.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> Photo Credit: Rob Choi</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> We <span style="font-size: large;">we<span style="font-size: large;">re all confident we <span style="font-size: large;">would find the fish, bu<span style="font-size: large;">t after hours of fishing, we <span style="font-size: large;">were</span> within <span style="font-size: large;">sight of the launch, and my confidence started to<span style="font-size: large;"> wane. It seemed as though<span style="font-size: large;"> the change in conditions mandated that we change our tactics</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, and at som<span style="font-size: large;">e point Rob made his way out to open water, I moved out to slightly deeper water<span style="font-size: large;">, and Alex continued to w<span style="font-size: large;">ork the sh<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">oreline</span><span style="font-size: large;">. Just as I'm starting to think the day is over, I <span style="font-size: large;">just barely hear Rob say Whoa! As I turn to look I see a big o<span style="font-size: large;">l' Smallie come flying up out of the w<span style="font-size: large;">ater and Rob shout WooHooo! By the time I <span style="font-size: large;">paddle to him, he's landed the fish and its a PIG.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixi0qaB0y3g9eqY_zxw7vvH95_nM_ZEglgmNIW8IW0R2uqvD-BYbUMNRsaJnbCWZFAsSizH5Iaisl8m-_v-Zq2K_ChDKi2y4jobMk7Vxzkzqqi2qTOy-lvoBjOkBhjCzejJGATw9LGHQl/s1600/Rob%2527s+19.5+smallie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixi0qaB0y3g9eqY_zxw7vvH95_nM_ZEglgmNIW8IW0R2uqvD-BYbUMNRsaJnbCWZFAsSizH5Iaisl8m-_v-Zq2K_ChDKi2y4jobMk7Vxzkzqqi2qTOy-lvoBjOkBhjCzejJGATw9LGHQl/s640/Rob%2527s+19.5+smallie.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rob's new personal best Smallmouth @ 19.5"</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">As </span>it turns out, this fish had crushed a spinnerbait and skied twice- it seemed as though<span style="font-size: large;"> the fish had <span style="font-size: large;">final<span style="font-size: large;">ly gott<span style="font-size: large;">e<span style="font-size: large;">n <span style="font-size: large;">active.</span></span></span></span></span></span> All was not lost yet, so Alex and I quickly tied on similar colored <span style="font-size: large;">spinnerba<span style="font-size: large;">its<span style="font-size: large;"> and went back to work<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span> I made about 5 casts<span style="font-size: large;">, backlashed, and popped <span style="font-size: large;">it off<span style="font-size: large;">.... DAMNIT! All hope I had of catching a lunker was gone<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> After sulking for a few<span style="font-size: large;"> minutes</span>, I grabbed <span style="font-size: large;">a rattletrap and started throwing it around just to pass time- I figured I might as well ke<span style="font-size: large;">ep casting even though I had already come to terms with the idea of a sku<span style="font-size: large;">nk. I <span style="font-size: large;">found a good eddy, posted up and<span style="font-size: large;"> figured I would kill the last 30 minutes we had before the day was over<span style="font-size: large;">. Much to my surprise, <span style="font-size: large;">it wasn't long before my slow rolling rattletrap <span style="font-size: large;">stopped dead in it<span style="font-size: large;">s tracks and the fig<span style="font-size: large;">ht was on<span style="font-size: large;">! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0UijA0SXaKpfht2mWOOz9CPM3Kf7_3LvTzjfw_iXwybTpG-jb-7x8BuRZJJk70kklL1zQ5zVZ_g8TpFMf8fzjCkJ3yzjQzQ1-MJEmLW09jIuofQN2L-k7YDQxDoEmjfZMgbtRGlbavXV/s1600/Seth+smallie+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0UijA0SXaKpfht2mWOOz9CPM3Kf7_3LvTzjfw_iXwybTpG-jb-7x8BuRZJJk70kklL1zQ5zVZ_g8TpFMf8fzjCkJ3yzjQzQ1-MJEmLW09jIuofQN2L-k7YDQxDoEmjfZMgbtRGlbavXV/s640/Seth+smallie+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">18.75" <span style="font-size: small;">Chunker! Photo Credit: Rob Choi</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>he day ended <span style="font-size: large;">shortly there after<span style="font-size: large;">. Alex was unable to <span style="font-size: large;">get that skunk off his back for the second trip in a row<span style="font-size: large;">, but vowed he would be back for revenge. As we packed everything up I couldn't help but</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>be </span>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. </span></div>
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</span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-3498230049223597012013-03-23T22:45:00.000-04:002013-04-06T12:01:56.260-04:00Hometown Hogs <span style="font-size: large;"> I haven't had a chance to fish much since the weather got cold, so when <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy</a> 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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaCU33QQq7-a2Ga4DGe9rc7pPujN1QcNVcrIwqZUCmyXk5Z1fLWTwLEbklzRdAlo484X9EA9pKoDGpf8bTvVbj-h-jq4e2dF56vnBC5jKxURMtmrJw0AF9gUVzGtACcQjZog8dTvDSXGM/s1600/tommysmallie5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaCU33QQq7-a2Ga4DGe9rc7pPujN1QcNVcrIwqZUCmyXk5Z1fLWTwLEbklzRdAlo484X9EA9pKoDGpf8bTvVbj-h-jq4e2dF56vnBC5jKxURMtmrJw0AF9gUVzGtACcQjZog8dTvDSXGM/s640/tommysmallie5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> Tommy breaks the ice with a 19" Pig!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> 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 </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 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....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq6YZQi8gYqtxmOjq7V8JN4MtiIcAwgP9acf3AHh-LePoD2buuC4is5OD-ki-3DwvkERsZ294euBqNyuS8DpZm5E03tNHnyFXRld-crSSL5JxhiR5tpjahb3tLKNzWAuaT0mjAl1H8kjF/s1600/tommysmallie3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq6YZQi8gYqtxmOjq7V8JN4MtiIcAwgP9acf3AHh-LePoD2buuC4is5OD-ki-3DwvkERsZ294euBqNyuS8DpZm5E03tNHnyFXRld-crSSL5JxhiR5tpjahb3tLKNzWAuaT0mjAl1H8kjF/s640/tommysmallie3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> Tommy's 21" Citation Smallmouth Bass</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlerGLPDWfSZF7ZCOHHxuFN77OhLNNEJl9HLyR50DTUs5Dw5V6XgBAUCfozDhEa9C28v204OOoKF7_TMsKsxCrZUhjc8O2AzNzQAIE3UdiT1DTznw-rFLXtIo2t__fJBo_x_vHGkLqeCtn/s1600/tommyspots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlerGLPDWfSZF7ZCOHHxuFN77OhLNNEJl9HLyR50DTUs5Dw5V6XgBAUCfozDhEa9C28v204OOoKF7_TMsKsxCrZUhjc8O2AzNzQAIE3UdiT1DTznw-rFLXtIo2t__fJBo_x_vHGkLqeCtn/s640/tommyspots.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> Look at the war paint on this HOG!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> 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.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlGA2-LNlWvdKdBSEAj_EGP1-jmMG44-ugYUX4OhFS55Dp4UK_tD7nFukZH6KvGt3kqEjxOgS4I8MN5oqV_XgyZSHHpoyBSWmOhIBnq8V3zRNLBWK_-ktNJvgoE_8xlG9JrZhVvu_8QiB/s1600/seth+smallie2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlGA2-LNlWvdKdBSEAj_EGP1-jmMG44-ugYUX4OhFS55Dp4UK_tD7nFukZH6KvGt3kqEjxOgS4I8MN5oqV_XgyZSHHpoyBSWmOhIBnq8V3zRNLBWK_-ktNJvgoE_8xlG9JrZhVvu_8QiB/s640/seth+smallie2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> An 18.<span style="font-size: small;">2</span>5" Pig of a Smallmouth</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> 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 <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">Billy</a> was saying how he was surprised he hadn't picked up anything on a crankbait he was casting, it got crushed!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> Billy with a healthy 17.5" Smallie</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;">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</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">. 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...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Alex's hard work had paid off with a 19.5" Pig with some war paint of his own</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 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! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">Billy finished the day strong with a 19" Hog!</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The weather is finally starting to warm up, and spring fishing is right around the co<span style="font-size: large;">rner<span style="font-size: large;">.</span> Until <span style="font-size: large;">next time, Tight Lines!</span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-24435158344407956472012-10-29T16:42:00.000-04:002012-10-29T16:42:00.648-04:00A 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.mirrolure.com/lumo/14-17-18-27mr.html">MirrOlure MirOdine</a> had planted firmly in the fished face, and after a short fight I landed the feisty trout.</div>
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A Healthy 18" Speckled Trout</div>
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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.<br />
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Ramsey's 16" Puppy Drum</div>
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-21080854473498982962012-10-29T15:06:00.002-04:002012-10-29T15:06:40.494-04:00The 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 <a href="http://nckfa.com/">NCKFA</a> 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."<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rapid Transit Vi<span style="font-size: xx-small;">deo</span></span></span></div>
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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 <a href="http://www.malibukayaks.com/">Malibu Kayaks</a> 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<br />
Team Malibu member Tim Norris.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rapid Transit Video</span></div>
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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.</div>
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Kam's 16" Flounder</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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Billy's 15" Speckled Trout</div>
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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".</div>
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Billy's 18" Redfsh</div>
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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.</div>
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Hooked Up!</div>
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Kam's 16" Redfish </div>
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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....<br />
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16.5" Redfish</div>
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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! </div>
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1st place winners</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rapid Transit Video</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-91154961922374914182012-10-07T21:07:00.002-04:002012-10-07T23:09:28.071-04:00Fishin' for Charity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The <a href="http://www.tkaa.org/">Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association</a> hosted their 8th Annual Kayak Fish for Charity Tournament on the last weekend in September, with a record 275 registered anglers coming out to raise funds for <a href="http://www.heroesonthewater.org/home">Heroes on the Water</a> and <a href="http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/">Project Healing Waters</a>. I hadn't had any time to prefish for this one, but being that we would be fishing my "home waters", I wasn't very worried about it and felt confident we could find fish. Although we had caught <a href="http://bentrodchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/09/bull-ridin.html">Bull Reds</a> a couple weeks previous, the weather wasn't looking great, so I figured Kam and I should stay inshore and fish the slam. The difficult part was deciding where to fish- the usual spots were sure to be slam packed full of other fisherman, and parking was sure to bean issue, as well as access to the water at launch time.<br />
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At the captains meeting Friday, I still didn't have a solid game plan,
but after some careful deliberation, the decision was made to go fish Fort
Monroe, and a game plan was laid down. When we woke up the next morning, I had a text from my from buddy <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky</a>, saying he and Matt Greschak had decide to change up their plans and join us. We had a strong team assembled, and even though we had pick the one spot none of us had ever fished before, we were all feeling good about the day. We were at the ramp a little late and after getting unloaded, I had to figure out where to park the trailer. It was 7:15 by the time we left the ramp, but that didn't bother Kam or I, and we headed out in high spirits.<br />
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Billy and Matt were ready to roll at 6:25 when it was legal, and by the time we caught up with them, they had already found smaller Reds, but had to paddle back to the ramp- rules stated the first picture on everyone's camera had to be of them at the launch with their ruler. Luckily, its wasn't far and they wouldn't lose but 15 minutes of fishing time. Kam and I started fishing the same area where they had found fish, and I hooked up with a small redfish on my first cast. It came unbuttoned at the boat, but with the numbers of 14"-18" reds in the water, I knew there were more to be caught. Our focus for the first couple hours of the morning was Speckled Trout, but we weren't find them anywhere. Instead we caught puppy drum after puppy drum, but being 14-16" we knew they wouldn't be competitive. Persistence paid off, and eventually I hooked into a stronger fish and landed a healthy 18" pup.<br />
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I didn't expect this fish would place, but I figured it was a good
start to a slam, and moved on still in search of Specks. Kam stayed there and kept at it working a popping cork and jig head combo and cut mullet on a Carolina rig. It paid off and she hooked up with 2 good fish at the same time. After carefully fighting both fish to the boat simultaneously, she scooped both fish into the net.<br />
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A healthy 17" Redfish</div>
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A solid 17.25" Flounder</div>
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The rain had been on and off all morning, and we had been periodically taking shelter under the bridge when the rain got too strong and too cold. I decided to make the best of it and on my second drink past the pilings, I got a bite. It fought like a bigger fish, but when it surfaced I could see it wasn't very much longer than the 14" minimum.</div>
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Billy and Matt had headed off in search of Speckled Trout earlier in the morning, and we decided to go looking for them. Me and Kam both had a couple decent fish and if we could find a Speck we might have a chance at this thing. I figured we should troll and see if we could cover some ground and hopefully locate fish, then fish the school. We hadn't paddle more than a 1/4 mile when my rod started bouncing from the tell tale head shakes of a Trout. I hoped it would make 14" but came up short by a 1/2". As soon as I released my fish, Kam hooked while up bouncing bottom. Her fish was bigger and putting up a little fight, but she quickly landed her much needed Speck.<br />
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She landed a healthy 15.75" Speckled Trout, catching her first inshore slam, a solid tournament contending 50"er. I was excited for her and super proud, but all that was quickly overshadowed, as I went to reposition and my paddle blade folded over backwards. As bad as we wanted to stick around looking for bigger specks, my paddle was just barely usable and I would have to limp back to the ramp. We made our way over to Billy and Matt, gave them the good and bad news, and headed in.<br />
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We arrived at the check-in early and were first in line to "weigh in". Kam had caught 3 solid fish and we were thinking she might win the Slam Division, and place in the Women's Division. I was hopeful that my Puppy drum might actually place after hearing talk of only smaller Redfish being caught, and we felt even better knowing that ties went to the first person to check in. There was thousands of dollars worth of prizes to be raffled off that were generously donated by the <a href="http://www.tkaa.org/tournament/">Tournament Sponsors</a>, and a much needed dinner to be had before the results were announced, making it a long wait. As it turned out, Billy, Matt, Kam, and myself were all called in to have our pictures reviewed- we had all placed in the tournament, fishing an area that none of us had ever fished before!<br />
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Billy was the first to get called up, taking 4th place in the Striper Division with his 17.5" fish.</div>
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Billy, being President of TKAA, was busy reviewing pictures and judging fish, so unfortunately his award had to be accepted on his behalf. </div>
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Next up was Kam in the Women's Division, where she took 3rd place with her 17.25" Flounder.</div>
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I was super proud of her. Although her 50" slam didn't place, it was later confirmed, she was the first female in tournament history to turn one in! Way to go Babe!</div>
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Matt was next, placing 2nd with his 20" Flounder. </div>
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My 18" Redfish was big enough to hold on to 3rd place.</div>
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We all headed home that night still pumped up about how well our "team" had done. There were some exceptional fisherman that fished this tournament and alot of good fish caught. It felt great to finally get called up there in front of everyone and be recognized in the 3rd largest kayak fishing tournament in the county.<br />
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I want to thank all of the <a href="http://www.tkaa.org/tournament/">Tournament Sponsors</a> for their support. The most amazing part of this whole story is that a group of like minded kayak fisherman and a very generous group of sponsors were able to raise $15,000 to help support wound Veterans. I can't think of a better cause to support or a better way to spend weekend. The full list of divisions and winners can be viewed on the <a href="http://tkaa.org/index.php?topic=4412.0">TKAA </a>website. We'll be headed south next week for the <a href="http://www.nckfa.com/tournaments.html">NCKFA Oak Island Classic</a> to give it another try, so until then... Tight Lines.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-6624645160442582142012-09-21T23:13:00.001-04:002012-09-21T23:13:34.527-04:00Bull Ridin' I got a call last Saturday afternoon asking if I wanted to join some guys on a hunt for Cobia. Initial reaction was HELL YES, but I knew it might take some convincing at the home front. Luckily, I have an amazing Fiancee and was given the go ahead, despite a long list of things I needed to do around the house. The line-up would consist of <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a>, <a href="http://www.kayakfishingnut.com/">Justin Mayer</a>, <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky</a>, Alex Britland, and myself. The alarm clock seem to turn on after about 5 minutes of sleep, but the excitement of a chance at Mr. Brown had me all fired up, and I was off to the races. As usual, Alex was running a little behind, but we made good time on the road and were able to get back on schedule. After a quick stop at Oceans East 2 for chum, eels, and bucktails, we were off to the beach to launch. Upon arriving, we all looked at the surf, and back at each other with a look of bewilderment. The surf was much higher than forecast, and it was fairly clean, so the waves were standing up peeling off the sandbar- this was going to be a sketchy surf launch for sure.<br />
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This picture must have been taken between sets, cause it was way worse than it looks. We all stood onshore watching the ocean and trying to time the sets, and wondering if this was the right decision. After lashing all our gear down and stowing our rods inside our boats, we decide it was now or never-can't stand here all day looking at it- go big or go home right? I dragged my kayak to the waters edge and waited for the next set to roll in. As soon as that 3rd wave broke and the water started to wash back out, I shoved off and jumped in without hesitation. My timing was perfect- I made it out beyond the second break and was home free. After a few minutes everyone else made it out, and it was game on. <br />
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Priority number one was to find live bait. With the water temps dropping, schools of Menhaden have been showing up near shore, so we started looking for birds right away. Alex and I both decided to troll an eel while paddling out to deeper water. I freelined mine, while he rigged an inline weight to get it down a little deeper. It wasn't 5 minutes before Alex's rod bent over and the clicker started screaming. We were both excited, but as the fish came in fairly quickly, we both knew it wasn't this easy to catch Mr. Brown. <br />
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Turned out to be a sandbar shark about 33". Little did we know this would set the tone for the morning. We found the Bunker pods, but the sharks were thick, and we couldn't seem to keep those toothy bastards off our hooks. The first few were welcome, just to bend the rod, but the fun was short lived and they became a nuisense. Billy had the only chance of the morning at a Cobe, as one came from under the school of bunker and took his bait 10 feet from the kayak. Unfortunately, he didn't get the hook in his mouth, and took the bait with him as he swam away.<br />
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After a few hours, bait was running low so we decided to move out a little ways, hoping just maybe the Cobia was holding in slightly deeper water. Still we found more sharks, but they were getting bigger.<br />
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Billy with his personal best shark @ 44"<br />
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At this point we were all getting discouraged, but we knew at the beginning of the day that we had a slim chance at spotting, much less catch a big Cobia. Just when it seemed the day was a bust, Alex hooked into something big. It was fighting much different than the sharks had, and by the time I got to him, he was on a full blown Chesapeake Bay sleigh ride. After a nearly 10 minute fight, the fish surfaced and Alex screamed out, "Bull Red!!"<br />
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Alex's first Bull Red @ 42.5"<br /><br />
Everyone scrambled to get something on bottom, knowing that these fish were schooled up, and over the next 3.5 hours, 11 Reds were landed between 38-47.5".<br />
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Rob Choi with a 46.5" release citation. 1 of his 3 fish landed.<br />
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Justin Mayer with a 45" Red. 1 of his 3 landed that afternoon.<br />
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My first ever Bull Red @ 43"<br />
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After a second fish around 43", Alex hooked into his first ever Virginia Saltwater Tournament Citation- a 46.5" Bull Red<br /><br />
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Billy was the last to land a fish, but it was worth the wait. He finally got his Citation Red @ 47.5"<br />
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The bite was slowing, and the sun was getting low in the sky, so we decided it was time to call it a day. As we packed up our gear and made the short paddle back to shore, we were all still riding the high from a truly EPIC day of fishing. The intense head shakes and drag screaming runs have me dying to get back out there before they're gone. The bend in this rod says it all.....<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Photo: Rob Choi</span><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-13252744242488367502012-07-20T23:14:00.000-04:002012-07-20T23:14:08.987-04:003 Guys, 3 New Personal Best- CBBT 7-14-12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hadn't been able to make it out to the 1st Island yet this year, and the reports of drag stripping Sheepshead and Spadefish had me itching to get out there, so when my schedule and the weather finally matched up Saturday I was excited to get out there and bend a rod. The plan was for me, and my sidekick Alex, to meet <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky</a> at Ocean's East II just before sunrise and hit the water early, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, it was hours later before hit the water around 10:30. The bay was flat calm when we arrived on Chicks Beach to launch. After rigging our rods and making sure we had everything ready to go, we paddled out with high hopes and an overwhelming feeling of optimism.<br />
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It was a leisurely paddle out, and were worked various pilings that had been productive in the past, as we made our way out to deeper water. Although we had a few bites, nobody hooked up and we decided to switch gears and start looking for Spades as the current was starting to slow. The water clarity was pretty good with visibility at about 6 feet, but I wasn't seeing any fish on the pilings. Not to be discouraged, I picked out a set and dropped my line down just far enough that I couldn't see it. As I paddled one handed keeping myself in the eddy, my rod suddenly doubled over- I never felt the bite, it just bent over and started screaming!<br />
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Immediately I was amazed at the power of this fish as I back paddled to get away from the structure covered in razor sharp barnacles, fearing he would break me off. I tightened the drag down ever so slightly and was glad I had a quality rod and reel with a super smooth drag. After a vicious few minutes of fighting, the fish surfaced and I was elated as I swung it into the boat letting out a "WooHoo! F@ck Yeah! <br />
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Personal Best Spade @ 17"<br />
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As quickly as I could I got back in position and dropped again hoping to find another fish of the same quality, but got no love, so I switched to another piling in the same group and it wasn't long before I had another solid bite and set the hook into another BIG Spadefish. Again the rod doubled over and the fish began to strip line from the reel. At one point my rod, a heavy power/mod-fast action <a href="http://ticafishingoutlet.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_108_111_129&products_id=388">TICA</a>, was doubled over and was bent down to the foregrip of the handle. I was worried my rod might actually break and I knew this was another GOOD fish and felt stronger than the first. Just as I though he had given in and was coming up, he went on one last drag screaming run and suddenly my rod straightened and the fish was gone. I brought up my line expecting to see my leader broken, but to my surprise I found my hook stretched open slightly and the fishes upper lip still stuck on hook, bone and all! That one really didn't want to come out of the water and was willing to tear his face off to make sure it didn't happen... Damn.<br />
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Alex was next to hook up, but it was much smaller around 8". Nevertheless he was stoked to have his first Spade and went right back to work looking for another. Billy came over and we were all three fishing the same set of pilings hoping to find another reel burner. A few more small fish were landed before Billy hooked into a good one and worked it to the surface.<br />
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Billy's Personal Best @ 15.5"<br />
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The weather was starting to change as the south winds churned up thunderstorms and began to pick up creating a decent chop. Billy got a call from a friend fishing Lynnhaven telling us to make our way in cause the weather was getting bad over there, and we could see rain falling with thunder and the occasional flash of lightning over Oceanview, so we began our paddle back in. We weren't the only ones making a break for shore and ran into <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a>, <a href="http://hooklinesinker1.blogspot.com/">Richie Bekolay</a>, <a href="http://www.infishicated.com/">Matt Anderson</a>, and Joe Underwood(PhillyJoe).<br />
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We decided to make a couple drops for Sheepshead on the way in and stopped at a productive set of pilings. I made my first drop and almost immediately felt the distinctive bite of a Sheepshead and drove the hook home. This fish was heavier than any I had caught previously and no matter how hard I back paddled, he continued to drag me back towards the pilings. I finally made my way to open water, and my heart jumped into my throat when the fish surfaced and I realized this might be my first citation. He rolled on his side but I couldn't get my hand on the leader and sweep him into the boat in time before he made another run to the bottom. About half way there, my rod straighted out and again the fish was gone... This time I let out a tirade of expletives, while kicking and pounding on my kayak like a young child. Alex and Billy couldn't help but laugh at me, no matter how bad they felt for me.<br />
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I needed a minute to collect myself and take a smoke break so I told Alex to fish that piling for a minute and Billy moved down a ways to fish. It didn't take long for Alex to get a feel for the Sheepshead's bite, and before long he was bowed up. He did a great job keeping the fish out of the structure, and leg scooped his prize into the kayak like he had done it a thousand times. <br />
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Alex's first Sheepshead @ 21"<br />
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After getting pictures and releasing the fish to grow larger and breed, we knew we had to get off the water before the storms caught up to us. We paddled over to Billy to find he had caught a smaller Sheepshead around 18" I believe. We made our way to shore just as it began to rain, packed up quickly and were gone by 3:00. It was a short day on the water but we had made the best of it. Billy, Alex, and I finished it out with Slurpee's to celebrate, before hitting the road for Richmond. Alex was super stoked to have caught his first Spadefish and first Sheepshead, and I was as happy as he was to have been there to help him get on the fish. It was a great day on the water with a couple of my favorite fishing buddies, and a memorable trip, everyone having accomplished catching a fish, whether Spade or Sheepshead, that was a new personal best.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-81699048536889824502012-04-28T15:00:00.000-04:002012-04-28T15:00:02.928-04:00It's Been an Exciting Couple Months: Part 3- Richmond Shad Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year in mid to late March, the Shad and Herring make their annual spawn run up the James River all the way to the fall line at Mayo Island in downtown Richmond. Striped Bass come up right behind them for their spawn too, so this is an exciting time for Richmonders that fish. Both Shad and Stripers can be caught from a boat or kayak, as well as from shore or the 14th Street Bridge. There are Hickory Shad and American Shad, as well as Blue Back Herring
and Alewife's available, but this year the Hickories were the only
available to harvest. <br />
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Paddling up from the public ramp at Ancarrow's Landing<br />
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There are times the shad are so thick, you can feel your 1/4 oz weight bumping over their backs as you retrieve your spoon. This year was no different, just early, as is the beginning of every other fishery due to our abnormally mild winter. The Shad run only last a month or so, which means every bit of free time I had for the next 4-6 week would be spent on the James. We don't call them poor mans tarpon for nothing. These fish put up a great fight on light tackle and can jump 4' out of the water- this year I had one jump clean over the yak from port to starboard.<br />
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photo by <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/2012/03/and-so-it-begins.html">Rob Choi</a><br /><br />
The river also grows thick with catfish during this time. I generally
anchor up, drop 2 lines off the stern with fish-finder rigs and bait,
then cast gold spoons and shad darts. The action is constant during the
peak of the run with Blue Cats in the 18-30" range taking your bait as
soon as it settles on bottom, and shad biting every cast once you've got
them dialed in. <br />
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This year, a local kayak fisherman put together a small tournament, the <a href="http://msshadshootout.org/">MS Shad Shootout</a>, to benefit the <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx">National Multiple Sclerosis Society</a>. It was a fun day on the water and great to see some fishing buddies make the drive up from the beach.<br />
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We had decent weather and the Shad were biting, but not like they had a couple weeks previous. The winner was determined by the total length of any 2 shad and 1 catfish. I ended the day just an inch and a half out of third place. Congrats guys!<br />
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1st place: Brian Whayland(center) 2nd place: Tom Vanderheiden(right) 3rd place: William Ragulsky(left)<br />
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A friend of mine had never caught a Shad, or fished from a kayak, so while the fish were still biting I was able to get Matt out on the water with me. I was a little concern taking him out, since the river has a pretty strong current just below the fall line, but I gave him a brief safety lesson prior to hitting the water and he did great. He is an avid bass fisherman, competing in the <a href="http://www.flwoutdoors.com/">FLW Tour</a>, as a co-angler, but I think he's hooked on kayak fishing now and wants to buy older <a href="http://www.malibukayaks.com/kayak_xFactor.asp">Malibu X-Factor.</a><br />
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Matt's first kayak catch!<br />
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The Stripers come up and feed hard on the Shad and Herring while staging for their own spawn, and can be caught on livebait, cutbait, and artificials. The potential for a citation is always there, with fish over 40" consistently being caught from boats and the bridge. This was the first year that I set out specifically targeting the Stripers, but I had been given a few pointers by a fishing buddies who had caught 20 or so fish the day previous, and I felt confident I could get on 'em. I used a Sabiki rig to catch some small Hickories, and after double and triple checking to be sure they weren't Herring or Alewife, I hooked the fish in a manner similiar to how you would bridal a bait for Marlin, going in ahead of the dorsal, just under the skin on the back, and out just behind the head. I only had one bait, after giving a couple to my buddy, but one was all it took, and within 15 minutes my clicker started screaming. I could tell right away that this wasn't a catfish, and quickly got a glimpse of the fish. He was no giant, but I was still stoked.<br />
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My first hometown Striper @ 27"<br />
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That was the only Striper we picked up that day, and I wasn't able to get back out after them before the bite slowed. The Shad made their way back downstream and the Striper fell in right behind them, so my attention has turned back to the Salt. With good reports of Flounder, Trout, and Redfish, as well as Bluefish and big Croaker, I'm itching to get down to the inlets and tear 'em up. Until then... Tight lines!<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-14243382921974233462012-04-27T15:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T15:00:04.738-04:00It's Been an Exciting Couple Months: Part 2- Stepping My Game UpThe first kayak I bought was a <a href="http://www.malibukayaks.com/kayak_stealth_12.asp">Malibu Stealth 12</a>. I had paddled a couple other boats, but I was impressed with the layout of the Stealth. Over the next few years I acquired 3 more <a href="http://malibukayaks.com/">Malibu Kayaks</a>, consisting on another Stealth 12, a Stealth 14, and an X-factor. I stand behind these boats and truly believe they are one of the best fishing kayaks available on the market. That being said, when I decided I wanted to look for sponsorship and join a pro staff, I wanted to do it for the right reason- to represent a brand that I believed in, and naturally Malibu Kayaks Pro Staff was top of my list. I contacted Tony Hart, the new Pro Staff coordinator, introduced myself and filled out the application. I had a couple good friends put in a good word for me, and a couple weeks later, I was offered, and gladly accepted a spot on the Malibu Kayaks Pro Staff!<br />
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I am lucky to be part of this great group of fisherman, and to have the chance to work with Malibu to better their brand and the sport of kayak fishing. I'm going to make the most of this opportunity look forward to becoming even more involved in the kayak fishing community.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-51727622280132913102012-04-26T14:47:00.001-04:002012-04-26T14:47:52.470-04:00It's Been an Exciting Couple Months: Part 1- Fishing in Paradise 3/12/12 - 3/21/12 I've been putting off writing a couple post for way too long now- sorry guys. The last couple months have been super busy- work has me out of town 1 week a month with no end in sight. Aside from that, there have been a couple major events in my life, but as usual I squeezed fishing in wherever possible. I can't remember all the details , so the following is one of a couple brief posts to get me caught up:<br />
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A couple days after my last post, my girlfriend Kamaron and I flew out to St. Thomas for her oldest brother's wedding. We had made plans to get the a week early to we could enjoy and explore the island and all it had to offer. Top of the list was fishing, so before we left I had booked us a guided kayak fishing trip for the Silver King, as well as a spearfishing trip, and an offshore fishing charter! I packed a few things to take with me...<br />
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Our fishing guide for the week was Capt. Rick of <a href="http://www.swashbucklintours.com/">Swashbucklin' Tours</a>. He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, and was able to accommodate the kayak fishing, spearfishing, and offshore fishing that Kam and I wanted to do. The plan as to target resident tarpon in a salt pond surrounded by mangroves. We met up with Capt. Rick early and hit the water with bait busting and birds diving on them 20 or 30 at a time.<br />
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Tarpon were rolling and jumping everywhere, and a couple were pushing 80 lbs. We fished the incoming tide in the front near the inlet, then followed the birds back to the pond.<br />
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Those boats belong to local fisherman, who keep them anchored in this protected pond. Fish were everywhere, but they didn't like anything we tossed at them. Kam and I fished hard for 5 hours, with only one short strike.<br />
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We packed it in and headed to a different bay, to hop on Capt. Rick's boat for some spearfishing. The snorkeling down there is incredible. Coral reef is everywhere and covered in fishes of all sorts. We motored out to an island a mile or so offshore and anchored just outside the reef. Kam and I both speared fish including Parrot Fish, a species of Triggerfish the locals call Bastard Old Wife, Cero Mackerel, and a Lionfish.<br />
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We sent the fish home with Rick. Although edible, they're not highly regarded as tablefare, but he knew some locals that were living in poverty and would really appreciate the meal for their kids. We had a couple beers with Capt. Rick and confirmed our plans to go offshore a couple days later and headed back to the condo.<br />
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We met Capt. Rick a couple days later in Redhook for our offshore charter aboard the <a href="http://bluefin2.com/">Bluefin II</a>, on which he is the first mate under Capt. Don, who built his boat. The offshore fishing reports had been hit or miss, as it was still early in the year and the water was still a little cold, but there were Mahi Mahi, Blackfin Tuna, King Macs, and even a White Marlin caught in the week or so previous, so we headed out with high hopes.<br />
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We trolled for a couple hours before we got our first bite, which was Kam's to land. She did a great job working the fish in, and commented how suddenly the fish felt twice as heavy, then went slack and she thought the fish had thrown the hook.<br />
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Moments later the fish surfaced, Capt. Rick gaffed it, and Kamaron had caught her first Blackfin Tuna! The additional weight she felt was a big Barracuda trying to steel her fish, luckily all it got was the tail.<br />
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We reset the lines and continued to troll the area. The bite remained slow. Although I did see a couple peanut Mahi come in and check out our spread, but they must not have liked something since they wouldn't bite. It was another couple hours before we had another bite, and finally it was my turn to sit in the chair. I<br />
was hoping for another Blackfin, but after a short fight I brought up a Barracuda.<br />
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That was it for the day. Shortly there after we headed back to shore, where Capt. Rick cleaned our fish and we had a chance to hand-feed large Tarpon under the docks.<br />
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That evening our accommodations moved from St. Thomas to St. John, for the wedding. We were staying at the Westin, which had a large concrete pier and dock for their ferry. When we arrived, a charter captain was dropping his guests off at the hotel and cleaning the fish they had caught . Again there were a few large Tarpon, a bunch of snapper, and even a large grouper feeding on the scraps, which got me excited, and plans were made to fish the next night. I had the fillets from Kam's Blackfin, so the next evening I clean them up a little and trimmed some scrap off to use as bait.... that's right- I'm using tuna as cut bait, but first we ate some of the Blackfin for dinner.<br />
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As soon as we were finished, it was down to the dock for some fishing. Immediately I started chumming with some bits of bait to get the fish fired up and feeding<br />
I quickly hooked into a smaller tarpon(36") I could see cruising the light line created by the dock lights. The fight lasted less than 5 seconds as he dove down, then came shooting up 3' in the air. In my excitement, I forgot to bow to the King, and he spit the hook right out at me. My heart was beating 100mph and I was all jacked up- it was AWESOME, even if I didn't land the fish. We caught around 20 snapper afterwards, mostly smaller fish, but I was supprised by how strong these little guys were.<br />
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There was one bruiser mixed in the bunch that sent my drag screaming and tried to run under the pier, but I was able to thumb the spool, get the rod tip down and turn the brute around. Unfortunately, Kam was at the bar getting a couple drinks, so I never got a picture, but he was easily twice the size of the others. I sent the fish home with an employee who was extremely grateful. I only had a couple hooks with me, and after we both had our hooks swallowed and were forced to cut them off, we called it a night.<br />
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We only had 2 days left in paradise, and one was taken up by the reason we were there, her brother wedding. There was something very important I had to do, but the right time had not yet presented itself. The following evening I asked Kam to go for a walk on the beach so I could smoke a cigarette, since you weren't supposed to smoke anywhere on resort property.<br />
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A couple groups of people were walking down to the end of the beach, so I smoked slow to allow them time to reach the end and turn around. As she turned to take a picture of the sunset, I pulled out a ring and got down on one knee. She said YES!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Z5Y1R0JYkKDYKORs8qpAcYAwmNKguHzdSF8-R9SHZ9iq20qUfkWqxJlOcf9RGiyHK3DQbsDTS33EYUtFFXD2nVg5UDDtjBC3dt0VtoBTuLaFBY2YWcV9NnZvE3dRUIkao-pWWB1gY0q/s1600/ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Z5Y1R0JYkKDYKORs8qpAcYAwmNKguHzdSF8-R9SHZ9iq20qUfkWqxJlOcf9RGiyHK3DQbsDTS33EYUtFFXD2nVg5UDDtjBC3dt0VtoBTuLaFBY2YWcV9NnZvE3dRUIkao-pWWB1gY0q/s320/ring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I did a good job picking the ring from what I've been told...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguodEuy3Lr3WIvXLjwhqrl8S4kezCmAjvh5FNz1vuVIkfVTR33-TDuXBwJT74GYHMXjU-ofRcRRReJNaCUizJQRG1Lv2VYwzaC2Hc2n9pH8HCZW9Bf8IDul7bBbrhWuF22Y5PRmBbBuTg3/s1600/meandkam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguodEuy3Lr3WIvXLjwhqrl8S4kezCmAjvh5FNz1vuVIkfVTR33-TDuXBwJT74GYHMXjU-ofRcRRReJNaCUizJQRG1Lv2VYwzaC2Hc2n9pH8HCZW9Bf8IDul7bBbrhWuF22Y5PRmBbBuTg3/s320/meandkam.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Me and my beautiful Fiancee! <br />
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We decided to keep the engagement a secret until after her brother's wedding, as to not steal their glory. The wedding was the next day on the beach at beautiful Maho Bay, an absolutely pristine beach with emerald green water- words just don't do it justice. The ceremony was short and sweet, but as beautiful as the surroundings, complete with steel drums, baby barracuda cruising the shoreline, and pelicans diving on bait. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSopMw7JBUic85RvhL9UVVQkN6On6mGL2YJBD82qNxijbnft6uZZqOKu5aluJbGlot3bXcn-atyW7PNmlKJ65fJ-gwsqCSMC7dIUBAQ3aQsuS4bm1TcFVyPIq1B1GSYS3BOlUr1OBvaKPV/s1600/wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSopMw7JBUic85RvhL9UVVQkN6On6mGL2YJBD82qNxijbnft6uZZqOKu5aluJbGlot3bXcn-atyW7PNmlKJ65fJ-gwsqCSMC7dIUBAQ3aQsuS4bm1TcFVyPIq1B1GSYS3BOlUr1OBvaKPV/s320/wedding.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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We headed home the following morning to return to normal life(work), and announce the good news to our friends and family. Kam already has most of our wedding planned, which will be on the sand in Wrightsville Beach, NC and be fishing themed! I'm a very lucky man to have a lifetime fishing partner like her. Love you Kam!<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-57640783790026934012012-03-10T20:09:00.001-04:002012-03-10T21:38:30.798-04:00Not Such A Crappie Day I've been itching to get back out on the reservoir after coming up 1/2" short on a pickerel citation, so when I got home from West Virginia a day early, I could think of no better way to spend my Friday than fishing. I called my fishing partner and it wasn't log before Alex was at my house helping me load up the Malibu Stealths in the truck. His cousin Cassie had given him a ride, so I figured I would ask if she wanted to go. She was super excited having never kayak fished before and she kept singing that song,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IueDj96fhqI" width="420"></iframe></div> I knew I would have to help her and it would limit my ability to fish somewhat, but I really enjoy taking someone out kayak fishing who has never been before. Seeing their smiles and excitement when they catch fish is awesome!<br />
The plan was to target Bass and Pickerel, and as always we would do a little kid fishing too for Yellow Perch and Crappie. The perch have been thick for the past few weeks, so I was confident we could put Cassie on some fish. We loaded up a third kayak and pulled together extra gear for Cassie and we were off to get a couple dozen minnows. We only had a couple hours until sundown, so we figured we would start at the old honeyhole. On the way there we stopped to fish a pier that always holds a few fish. I got Cassie a minnow hooked up and told her to cast as close to the pier as she could. Within seconds her bobber disappears but the fish misses the hook. I explain how to set the hook when the fish bites and went back to getting a line in the water. Before I could get a minnow on my hook, Cassie was hooked up! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6t4jQJL2KdJ0Dthy5barMIvvHw6ZvU1OHqm-84eLK9tDLtZb9tvzM1cKXbUTQaxjAUS8Ailw2NQTzXvGrfOC4w5spagjJqTXE6CAobm8UZOzoCIyOZQHCWb8ptJW0m7u6IRV1H6IZLjp/s1600/IMGP1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6t4jQJL2KdJ0Dthy5barMIvvHw6ZvU1OHqm-84eLK9tDLtZb9tvzM1cKXbUTQaxjAUS8Ailw2NQTzXvGrfOC4w5spagjJqTXE6CAobm8UZOzoCIyOZQHCWb8ptJW0m7u6IRV1H6IZLjp/s320/IMGP1950.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Cassie's first kayak Crappie.<br />
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She landed the fish, which turned out to be a nice 10" crappie. This supprised me since Alex and I hadn't caught a single crappie so far this year, only perch. I know the perch should be spawning by now, maybe the crappie have finally moved up shallow to stage before their spawn. I missed a couple fish and I moved to the other side of the pier where Alex was got set back up. Neither of us were having any luck. Another kayak fisherman came through fishing a small crappie jig and located a good sized school of smaller crappie in the 8" range holding in open water, suspended about 3' deep. I quickly switched over to a beetlespin and had a short strike on my first cast. A few cast later, I get hung in a submerged tree brach and have to paddle right through the school to retrieve my lure. While doing so, I found a 1/16 oz. spinnerbait stuck on the same branch, which was lucky since I wasn't able to get my bettlespin back. I tied on my new found lure and went back to fishing but the school had spooked off, so we headed on over to our intended destination.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Right away we were into the fish. The sun was setting and gizzard shad were popping the surface all around us. Cassie had an issue with her reel and a massive loop in the spool, so I paddled over to help her out. After getting her straight, I realized my bobber had disappeared and quickly landed my first fish of the afternoon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2EplVgSozcJUxGvEculfcDWdGTcf-Otg_Yrte7JU3_Ypo9aF4DCXitlwZ6_gzdsCcglxK0-RJeMSn1QtvwIdeuMi5RR-KXZNKsNfRAxbSlm_l55gtT2Foe4x2mo4465nwRPkVI4zFquJ/s1600/IMGP1951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2EplVgSozcJUxGvEculfcDWdGTcf-Otg_Yrte7JU3_Ypo9aF4DCXitlwZ6_gzdsCcglxK0-RJeMSn1QtvwIdeuMi5RR-KXZNKsNfRAxbSlm_l55gtT2Foe4x2mo4465nwRPkVI4zFquJ/s320/IMGP1951.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I continued to fish a knocked down pine tree with the small spinnerbait and found a school of crappie of the end of the tree, about the same size as the last. I also managed to catch a small slime dart on the Might Max, a tiny childrens pole I use to kid fish(with a bobber).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQkcpLF3HnLgefLZccYT3pJjErmUOkstio7YOrzgFrdER6SMV7xdWOgfKfK1DxElwvbcWPSJpO4U1YKrM6ir1kYCxNWTKsd_Q4ajfh4rRRkPcvDf5oMHN3yDGjR6z1smEWL-Vy5GIPhRw/s1600/IMGP1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQkcpLF3HnLgefLZccYT3pJjErmUOkstio7YOrzgFrdER6SMV7xdWOgfKfK1DxElwvbcWPSJpO4U1YKrM6ir1kYCxNWTKsd_Q4ajfh4rRRkPcvDf5oMHN3yDGjR6z1smEWL-Vy5GIPhRw/s320/IMGP1954.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Alex hadn't caught a fish yet, so I had him come over and I made him a small spinnerbait out of spare parts in my tacklebox. The bite seemed to die so we moved out to the mouth of the cove, following the last of the setting sunlight. It wasn't long until Alex hooked up and assured himself he would not go home with a skunk. Cassie had started strong, but could not seem to find a bite. I located another school in open water, but these Crappie were bigger, and were feeding much more aggressively. One actually broke the water after smashing my minnow from underneath- sweet! Turned out to be this guy...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxJA4bqvaVf0iWucbJICLd4kQN5Ipm9Rw6jlCpj23IzF00hmdcQJpLxqjf6GwN207X_MkTgRlb68nmClCodlXyoD22r4gZChNzMIfzRN0cCYYOYMm4uIxXPyVKg1VfVpRrIpV9dO4UgfI/s1600/IMGP1955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxJA4bqvaVf0iWucbJICLd4kQN5Ipm9Rw6jlCpj23IzF00hmdcQJpLxqjf6GwN207X_MkTgRlb68nmClCodlXyoD22r4gZChNzMIfzRN0cCYYOYMm4uIxXPyVKg1VfVpRrIpV9dO4UgfI/s320/IMGP1955.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have never kept nor eaten a freshwater fish, but these big crappie were making me think twice about it. On the Might Max fishing pole, this one was really a blast! Please understand this rod is 24" long and has no backbone at all. Hook sets are laughable on these things and the drag is either wide open or tight closed on maybe 50 yards of 2 lb test- tons of fun with any fish on the business end. One of these days I'm gonna take it to the HRBT light line for some schoolie stripers. Anyways, I digress- back to fishing. I went back to fishing the tiny spinnerbait, and after a few casts, something slammed it. Drag started peeling off and the fight was on. When the fish surfaced the first time, I thought it was a largemouth, but when it finally tired, I realized it was a really nice Crappie, maybe a citation. Knowing they have a paper mouth, I pulled out my net and landed the fish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qdlZfO9iaQlFGXO3eHWftlFJsVHm3x1spbJzI3gSyyVP_trBQsodXLWwa04XNnoO_d4VtJs1Zkf_KoD-N5wwy3qR2xTKogvJe-ShQV3aebRMEXnCM8mvv9bVP1Zr77MPfQFeiVTk2JGk/s1600/IMGP1956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qdlZfO9iaQlFGXO3eHWftlFJsVHm3x1spbJzI3gSyyVP_trBQsodXLWwa04XNnoO_d4VtJs1Zkf_KoD-N5wwy3qR2xTKogvJe-ShQV3aebRMEXnCM8mvv9bVP1Zr77MPfQFeiVTk2JGk/s320/IMGP1956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> A couple inches short and about 6 oz. too light for papers.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">We picked up a few more small crappie and called it a day just as the sun disappeared. As always, it was a great afternoon on the water with my buddy, and I was glad to be able to take another first timer out. I was even able to rack up a few points for <a href="http://kayakwars.com/">Kayak Wars</a>. Go team Trouser Troutskies!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-72604271344952646382012-02-24T18:31:00.000-04:002012-02-24T18:31:12.498-04:00Movin' on Up....Well, I finally got with the times and made a page for Bent Rod Chronicles,so now you can "Like" us on Facebook! Use the link beneath the blog archive or search Bent Rod Chronicles. Look out information age- here I come. A smart phone might be next....<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-16947784505207203162012-02-19T17:58:00.000-04:002012-02-19T17:58:49.480-04:00Sweetwater Crankin'I've never been much of a freshwater fisherman, as I grew up fishing the salt. What little experience I do have has been fishing minnows under a bobber- what I call kid fishing. Not that there is anything wrong with it, its just that as a kid you start out with a minnow and bobber and it always takes me back to those days. This year I decided to broaden my spectrum and spend more time fishing the local sweetwater.<br />
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While taking advantage of an early day off work, my buddy Alex and I have been out a few times recently targeting crappie and perch just to bend a rod. I don't keep any although I understand they both make great tablefare. We have had some good days bring in 15-20 between the two of us. Most have been in the 10" range and fat.Oddly enough, we have yet to find the crappie yet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9jnWl1dMSEVkJG3shNUoGhD1ATeSsJwQ_8qbFvqiR57TaxXnZKgieOmUwfuSIIkykN21T9ecvh7UPYU7tcD2luIlL9wrSsvLDFY2cyryOm-eMZFusE9HFouyc7zWOzVLWlaRyzfGd6Bp/s1600/perch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9jnWl1dMSEVkJG3shNUoGhD1ATeSsJwQ_8qbFvqiR57TaxXnZKgieOmUwfuSIIkykN21T9ecvh7UPYU7tcD2luIlL9wrSsvLDFY2cyryOm-eMZFusE9HFouyc7zWOzVLWlaRyzfGd6Bp/s320/perch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> As expected we've also both picked up a few largemouth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8mPemFG5T-FSSzROSKFdc6S0wRVGFy7Zf4G7uecPiVdbr8QhNh4LT339FT03peUq_pF_-q4hS4PHWKtKGZbNco9uV3OSwHmCB7XfkJ8nubQFdLaznjUuQpVOldhecejfqCRrKKWqSAGW/s1600/alex%2527s+bass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8mPemFG5T-FSSzROSKFdc6S0wRVGFy7Zf4G7uecPiVdbr8QhNh4LT339FT03peUq_pF_-q4hS4PHWKtKGZbNco9uV3OSwHmCB7XfkJ8nubQFdLaznjUuQpVOldhecejfqCRrKKWqSAGW/s320/alex%2527s+bass.JPG" width="239" /></a></div> Alex has me beat so far this year for big bass, but there's alot of time left to fish. I took it last year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCo1WkqOBj6-EksCxtBbulQR1hGYZkCyTrmBW4gX9gfWMS9yVd_h_C-sl3SrxgWBi3LDNCGfuCAqRmF3L8tlL3v9qI-rzeT54Att6pMCCwm1DUGROSyjqa_eZpKxZcv7_B56E8CEyCXwb/s1600/bass1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCo1WkqOBj6-EksCxtBbulQR1hGYZkCyTrmBW4gX9gfWMS9yVd_h_C-sl3SrxgWBi3LDNCGfuCAqRmF3L8tlL3v9qI-rzeT54Att6pMCCwm1DUGROSyjqa_eZpKxZcv7_B56E8CEyCXwb/s320/bass1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I couldn't pull myself off the water after he caught that fatty. It paid off just as it was getting to dark to see. <br />
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The following week we decided to target the Largemouth Bass and Chain Pickerel, as there has been some good reports of consistent catches on crankbaits. Alex had picked up a couple small bass on a shad pattern in a private lake, so the next chance I got, I picked one up and we hit our little cove to see if we could crank up a big'un.<br />
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Just before leaving I made a Go-Pro mount to fit in my forward rod holder. It only took about 10 minutes to make and cost me nothing. I figured it will work until I can pick up a <a href="http://www.yakattack.us/Products/Products.html">YakAttack Panfish</a> and <a href="http://www.yakattack.us/Products/Products.html">Panfish Protrait</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3FhR-gDY8uz5RHaJSE7pwOUfADn8y-AEyAwT72Sic8f8PEdfpNNGUsSKPcIcW7jog8CzRQuZAWhLSploXSsNMDfiJlWq17lVNiuiYCik4hN2u-Z89bO5sO0dQqoueHIbtd7INnMljX7x/s1600/whole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3FhR-gDY8uz5RHaJSE7pwOUfADn8y-AEyAwT72Sic8f8PEdfpNNGUsSKPcIcW7jog8CzRQuZAWhLSploXSsNMDfiJlWq17lVNiuiYCik4hN2u-Z89bO5sO0dQqoueHIbtd7INnMljX7x/s320/whole.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I will do a short post later with instructions in case anybody wants to know how to make one.<br />
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The afternoon started off slow. We each had a couple short strikes, and Alex hooked up a heavy fish, but it shook the hook loose before he could get it to the boat. I was spending alot of time picking my crankbait out of the bushes along the shoreline. At one point I jerked the pole and broke it in half. Luckily, it was a very inexpensive combo I bought about 15 years ago. Not long after, Alex finally hooked up with a heavy fish. It turned out not to be the bucketmouth he was looking for, but a 22" chain pickerel.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWbCFqbPRTOpqooNbHOpdJTM4z7bNYo7s3KwpLJvruRLfk04Zn4ah0tYrb0owaXIqlx07DD4vbK92zrYOMRSIuyOvty1zJsyYczIfZlhnujIv4qYllUz451k6Rcp27ZJqz1v7qwd2_ZN7/s1600/apic1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWbCFqbPRTOpqooNbHOpdJTM4z7bNYo7s3KwpLJvruRLfk04Zn4ah0tYrb0owaXIqlx07DD4vbK92zrYOMRSIuyOvty1zJsyYczIfZlhnujIv4qYllUz451k6Rcp27ZJqz1v7qwd2_ZN7/s320/apic1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>He was excited, as I believe this was his personal best. I was jealous, as I wasn't having a great afternoon on the water, and it was about to get worse. After getting some cool footage and a measurement on the <a href="http://kayakfishinggear.com/hawgtrough.aspx">Hawg Trough</a>, we released the fish. Somehow while sliding it back into place behind the seat, I broke the lip off the end of it. Damnit! I paddled away to take a smoke break and get refocused. I just had to laugh and decide to get back at it.<br />
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I moved over to a lay down and cast out past where I guessed the end of the tree was. I hadn't cranked more than 6 feet or so when I had a strike but didn't hook up. I paused and slowed my retrieve just a hair when the fish took a second swipe and smashed the bait. I knew right away this was a good fish. I also knew there was the top half of a large pine tree down there somewhere and had to keep the fish out of the structure. I have never caught a chain pickerel, so when the fish surfaced the first time, I was stoked to see a large, possibly citation "slime dart."<br />
My crankbait was way down his throat and all I could see was my 8 lb flouro. It took some work without pliers but I was able to go in through the gills and release the hooks, and use my <a href="http://dehooker4arc.com/store/product.cfm/mode/details/id/403/8-mini-pan-fish">ARC DeHooker</a> to work through the mouth to free the others. Not a drop of blood, from me or the fish!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yJOFbR_OsF3L37aNYbF_myBQukkN2N0GQjbjfKL0gNWDaEohPK2H-xyHWPTGGUg8IxZwetvM98eZcGi4BINB1_09EFv-PgU459BTwEAi-jg5U2VTeUt0kHQlbk0aPFtD67BfBtn8gxTO/s1600/seth+pickrel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yJOFbR_OsF3L37aNYbF_myBQukkN2N0GQjbjfKL0gNWDaEohPK2H-xyHWPTGGUg8IxZwetvM98eZcGi4BINB1_09EFv-PgU459BTwEAi-jg5U2VTeUt0kHQlbk0aPFtD67BfBtn8gxTO/s320/seth+pickrel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsFmgj6j7DnIhdNnV5ze9WSPvm_t2UBGGYB8IrrP7fHSDyYyHD0zvSqY7_dCgNmT9uFQDjT9-LyBW5AEoQwXjxl1k7EKGpjxjl_8VzgSec_pZc72FG6idbsI90E0zY8ISEw370a-3QaFx/s1600/bass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Next order of business was to measure this ting and see if I had my first citation . . . . . 2 3 . 5" So Close! But I had my buddy beat and braggin rights, any real fisherman knows it doesn't get much better than that.<br />
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Its funny how quickly your mood can change, and it goes from a bad day of breaking equipment, to a great day of fishing, in about 2 minutes. We finished the day out fishing the mouth of the cove and both Alex and I picked up a couple small bass just as the sun was setting. It was rewarding to go out and focus on fishing one bait, target a certain species, and have it pay off. This fishing season is starting out pretty good!<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-46291243526536669202012-02-08T18:32:00.000-04:002012-02-08T18:32:26.195-04:00Deep Bottom BluesI got a call from <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> on Friday asking if I wanted to join him on the James River in search of big catfish. Its no secret that just south of the city you can hook up to a 40+ lbs cat on any given day, so I was excited to give it a try. We met at the Deep Bottom ramp at 6:00am to colder than forecasted temperatures and a steady breeze that wasn't helping. Rob had a cooler full of gizzard shad his boss had left over from the previous day, and had some holes he thought would hold fish, so we were ready to get bowed up. The morning started out a little slow as we moved from spot to spot looking for a bite. Thousand and thousands of Canadian Geese overhead kept me entertained while waiting on a run. I couldn't help but wish I was in a blind. The daydreaming came to an abrupt end when my clicker finally made some noise and my line started moving across the water. I reeled down and let the line come tight, then immediately put as much pressure as I could on the fish, as he was getting ready to cross one of my other lines. I could tell it was a good sized fish, but not the citation blue I really wanted. He did get wrapped up in my other lines, but with the reels in free spool it wasn't a concern. As I lipped him and swung up and in the boat, the fish bit down on my thumb like a vise grip. Even after I laid him between my legs, he wouldn't let go.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6psYekXeTkl55RkOuiVcWwrXupdq3Z14l52wWpriG3mxL_MIQYBUbx2cqbGPaS3xV5plmi1CuW7n2-H1OUiHwwjSP8FfB_-bHBVbR0S4tE_h6yyjSmlvZt8DO542WInyMvo9iV_XPKtr/s1600/P2042063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6psYekXeTkl55RkOuiVcWwrXupdq3Z14l52wWpriG3mxL_MIQYBUbx2cqbGPaS3xV5plmi1CuW7n2-H1OUiHwwjSP8FfB_-bHBVbR0S4tE_h6yyjSmlvZt8DO542WInyMvo9iV_XPKtr/s320/P2042063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> My personal best blue cat @ 30" 21lbs<br />
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Rob had a bunch of good runs and finally landed another blue just a little smaller than mine. We continued to try other holes but found no takers and ended the day around 2:00. I was asleep on the couch within the hour! Thanks for the invite Rob. Hope to give it another try again soon.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-72752501397687397682011-12-07T16:43:00.002-04:002011-12-07T16:50:10.580-04:00Eeling for the Big' UnsWith the water getting cold, I have had striper on my mind for weeks. Between work, school, and hunting, I haven't had the chance to get down to the light lines yet, and have gone striperless for almost 12 months. I called <a href="http://www.angling-addict.com/">Rob Choi</a> to see if he wanted to fish the HRBT on Friday night, but he wasn't in town. He did say he planned on toggin' or eelin' on Sunday which got me all fired up, as there have already been a few reports of Kows coming in from the Concrete Ships. The winds weren't great either for fishing the light line, so I decided to hold off and fish Sunday. In the mean time, my fishin buddy Alex Britland called and wanted to go to the ships, as did <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky</a>, so we decided to cross the big bridge in search of citation stripers instead of fishing under it for Tog. Billy's buddy Tommy would be joining us as well, and the plan was to meet at Oceans East for eels before crossing the tunnel.<br />
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We hit the water around 11 and headed straight to the alleyways between the ships. It was my first trip to Kiptopeke, so I was excited just to be in the mecca of kayak fishing for stripers.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMrZC3MtoW_VShsVxv64moe9LFc04jCiqxdiNLUd0FYpUhKXd1N1FiYOPU5Mox62qOL9ftZXOEb7FRSOaLannQsQLFbVsBsyqbyMG2RhCDRY5Bs6ZGhQutGhTxQ7PvAfXaE6BPkk62hQG/s1600/IMGP1921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMrZC3MtoW_VShsVxv64moe9LFc04jCiqxdiNLUd0FYpUhKXd1N1FiYOPU5Mox62qOL9ftZXOEb7FRSOaLannQsQLFbVsBsyqbyMG2RhCDRY5Bs6ZGhQutGhTxQ7PvAfXaE6BPkk62hQG/s320/IMGP1921.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Me and Alex set up on opposite sides of an alley and dropped our eels down, set the clickers, and waited for a bite....... nothing. A couple hours later...... nothing. There was a point when my eel was going nuts, but nothing ever came of it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt8AxFX3jH7ti9Eewv2NPo_VaIrZWGKl5UQ78Qk-r-X19NUh42ijdZNMQQ1UySdJ8qbuXgok3-Yoft-PQaLRry8WpYgDePQJvNq9o6NhsncMcKgzD-sMsi6FNf4_3VJce7cn5Ibs_XdSC/s1600/IMGP1922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt8AxFX3jH7ti9Eewv2NPo_VaIrZWGKl5UQ78Qk-r-X19NUh42ijdZNMQQ1UySdJ8qbuXgok3-Yoft-PQaLRry8WpYgDePQJvNq9o6NhsncMcKgzD-sMsi6FNf4_3VJce7cn5Ibs_XdSC/s320/IMGP1922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After an hour, I brought him up to find he had balled up on the line and created a mess. I decided just to cut him off and re-tie. The current was dying at the alleys, so Alex decided to drift the outside of the ship. He had only drifted about 60 feet from me when I heard his clicker scream. I looked over to see Alex set the hook, but the clicker screamed again.....? In all his excitement, he forgot to put the reel in gear........the fish was gone!<br />
Billy had one run later in the afternoon, but all in all, it was an uneventful day and we headed in around 4:00.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk56q3nX1CQZ4zMz9RI0u39MsmeaLeeN_hs24LX6y2n_b1wxnHDRH-QszZeW_5-gHPk4Am9mriXcMDbv81qGAHSEGfmiv_bElYK_7I7VWi4z0e3TmKU1MfxSDs9NFT4SrBE-h-6P8OPED4/s1600/IMGP1924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk56q3nX1CQZ4zMz9RI0u39MsmeaLeeN_hs24LX6y2n_b1wxnHDRH-QszZeW_5-gHPk4Am9mriXcMDbv81qGAHSEGfmiv_bElYK_7I7VWi4z0e3TmKU1MfxSDs9NFT4SrBE-h-6P8OPED4/s320/IMGP1924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We all agreed, The fish are there, just not real active yet. Once the water temps drop a little lower, the bite will turn on. It was worth a try. We considered hitting the CBBT light line on the way home, but being Sunday, Alex and I both dicided it would be better if we headed home. Turns out Rob had gone toggin' and finally got his citation Tog. Congrats Rob! We stopped at Ships Cabin for some dinner with Billy and were home by 9:15.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQffvp2y-PtCqok2L8eQHC8-YcL89_daLxQlWwTcSdKY_-CYZMVYxUiMJ_Nhysyntx5SfTPuCASCUPSYNWihxX62RDziVlWkz8YLs95jfbXiPr1TfaQFQHlt8kTT9yaL62xs7wXeJ40Wb/s1600/IMGP1925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQffvp2y-PtCqok2L8eQHC8-YcL89_daLxQlWwTcSdKY_-CYZMVYxUiMJ_Nhysyntx5SfTPuCASCUPSYNWihxX62RDziVlWkz8YLs95jfbXiPr1TfaQFQHlt8kTT9yaL62xs7wXeJ40Wb/s320/IMGP1925.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Sunset over the Ships is Beautiful!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It won't be long til I make the drive back over to the Eastern Shore. Kows are calling my name, and I can't catch 'em sitting on my couch! Tight Lines- See ya on the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6977302362143010034.post-10148499554165449272011-11-16T15:27:00.000-04:002011-11-16T15:27:06.840-04:00Spots and SpecksKamaron's granddad turned 90 years old this past Veterans Day, so we headed to Wrightsville Beach one last time this year to celebrate with him. He is in great shape for a man of his age, and still goes hunting and fishing when he can. Coincidentally, the <a href="http://nckfa.com/">NCKFA</a> was hosting a small tournament at Fort Fisher the same weekend, so I could see no reason not to take my little plastic boat down with me and see if I could find some fish. <a href="http://coastalkayakfishing.blogspot.com/">William Ragulsky </a>was also going to be in the area on other kayak fishing business, so we decided we would get together and try to plunder another kayak from a N.C. tourny. This would be a CPR event, with the combined total length of 1 redfish and 1 speckled trout being measured, hence the name Spots and Specks.<br />
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This was a very informal tourny, with the registration and captains meeting held the morning of, at the public ramp into the Basin @ Fort Fisher. Lauch time wasn't until 8:00. Billy had won the <a href="http://www.hooklineandpaddle.com/">Hook, Line, and Paddle</a> tournament with a trout from the fort, and I had fished here a bunch in the past, so we knew we could find fish, it was just a matter of finding bigger fish. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu98-wyqpnWi0UbaEHiN2_desbvAkRVNf5eUhoT5HAJCCreFVTfjCBgcogZepnWg4v4KcswR6u5hipwBsOg9AyoJ0I8WTcJobq9XAAc4UUhM2FmfrxWHGkmGJCVVuyJWUZjw9W2lWwg8BP/s1600/IMGP1904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu98-wyqpnWi0UbaEHiN2_desbvAkRVNf5eUhoT5HAJCCreFVTfjCBgcogZepnWg4v4KcswR6u5hipwBsOg9AyoJ0I8WTcJobq9XAAc4UUhM2FmfrxWHGkmGJCVVuyJWUZjw9W2lWwg8BP/s320/IMGP1904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We started the morning trolling the wall that separates the Basin from the Cape Fear River with a <a href="http://www.marsh-works.com/btsp3.html">3" Bayou Thumper</a> and <a href="http://www.mirrolure.com/">Mirrolures</a>. There are several places where the wall has broken apart, and the current rolls through carrying bait back and forth from the river. It didn't take long to get my first bite, and with the head shakes, I was sure it was a trout... until I saw those beady yellow eyes.... Damnit! Bluefsih.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cyyC3HqbMsqERt63KPoJrNeQIS-V9lJeTX1HW0kU6YFN46r0BgrCJzUjfcq2DCfg0Dm7trmCNsQGqB8yUI3npu_lD5M80T7stBuVw9JfCdq4At8-NpDSP_EO_wVu9M8lK9wj4P6ohxbX/s1600/IMGP1906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cyyC3HqbMsqERt63KPoJrNeQIS-V9lJeTX1HW0kU6YFN46r0BgrCJzUjfcq2DCfg0Dm7trmCNsQGqB8yUI3npu_lD5M80T7stBuVw9JfCdq4At8-NpDSP_EO_wVu9M8lK9wj4P6ohxbX/s320/IMGP1906.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We trolled the wall around to Zeke's Island and worked that area for a bit, drifting along the wall and casting. There was very little bait in the water, so it looked like it was going to be an all artificial day, which I don't mind one bit. We decided to head through the Cribs and down to the second bay. Billy quickly picked up a 13" Spec as we left the wall and trolled along Zeke's. A few minutes later my rod bent over but as soon as I picked it up, the fish came unbuttoned. I left the line out and began paddling again trying to match my previous speed when it bent over again. This time I made a good hook set. The fish stripped a little drag, shook its head a few times and came over the side of the boat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW8rGobsISs41SIw_TRax5lLGdjjU01dxnyC9v3YsHO8gxN9siu1C5rMvnEC89yF1DcqgU8QiZGV4lGaa0nZbaGWlFdiNpjibA_rfUsJN_XwVJLtofb3xnCM7MRLPwMucclP6JyFl_wU7/s1600/IMGP1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW8rGobsISs41SIw_TRax5lLGdjjU01dxnyC9v3YsHO8gxN9siu1C5rMvnEC89yF1DcqgU8QiZGV4lGaa0nZbaGWlFdiNpjibA_rfUsJN_XwVJLtofb3xnCM7MRLPwMucclP6JyFl_wU7/s320/IMGP1908.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At just under 17" in was no gator, but if I could find an upper slot Red, I might have a chance at this thing. We worked our way down the the second bay, trolling the whole way, picking up smaller fish here and there. We weren't hearing of any trout much bigger than 17" being caught, so I still felt confident that I had a chance at this thing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3cSFP6EQPSANJje8ODZksDgzHENZUzHmd1Pd4x7MuqOjrdX0qzIG8wOfSyaAqNUfXf6Eez7eP6Ejc2BQr_jipXHxCt1BIdgIDC3jnU_0o-yCeFxgV1xNPqG0HwZ6psSYqj96PUHjiAC8/s1600/IMGP1912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3cSFP6EQPSANJje8ODZksDgzHENZUzHmd1Pd4x7MuqOjrdX0qzIG8wOfSyaAqNUfXf6Eez7eP6Ejc2BQr_jipXHxCt1BIdgIDC3jnU_0o-yCeFxgV1xNPqG0HwZ6psSYqj96PUHjiAC8/s320/IMGP1912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Billy ended up way out in front and I eventually lost track of him, as his boat is much faster than mine. The tide was moving out pretty fast now, and having my specks, I went in search of my spots. I found a very shallow cut between a grass island and the shoreline with a muddy bottom. This looked promising, so I slowly worked my way in, keeping my eyes peeled for signs of activity. There was only about 18" of water and it was crystal clear, but the breeze was blowing a little, and I couldn't get the sun at my back, so spotting the fish was proving difficult. As soon as I entered the creek, I paddled right over a redfish and he spooked, leaving behind a cloud of muddy water. After spooking 3 or 4 more fish, I finally spotted one ahead of me slowly cruising around waiting for the current to push bait to him. My heart was beating like the first time I shot a deer. I made a perfect cast and he immediately hit the <a href="http://www.marsh-works.com/btsp3.html">Thumper</a>, but it was a short strike. Luckily, I hadn't tried to set the hook, and just kept my retrieve steady. He was chasing the bait- couldn't have been more than 3 or 4" behind it. I paused my retrieve for a split second and he short struck again. At this point he was only 15' from the kayak. He saw me and disappeared into a cloud of pluff mud. I worked my way throught the rest of the cut, a spotted a few more, but was unable to cast to them before they spooked.<br />
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I met back up with Billy, and we worked through the same area one last time looking for a redfish, and found one more, but Billy made a bunch of commotion and that fish was long gone. I'll let him tell you the story, if he wants. We trolled our way back to the ramp and both picked up a few more small trout, but nothing worth keeping.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS-W2XzAs1yboUw-FUE3U4Li9DyZINITc_BUREnp_pxgx5eIB-JPRcOiDjLGEzcwk1yIBckAzxKYaOd7gmT_zuN6aFH-xshFj8BpKTmYPXAlE4HYHx1Cl5K-hZd3oIG_nof1l_g6EwmO0/s1600/IMGP1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS-W2XzAs1yboUw-FUE3U4Li9DyZINITc_BUREnp_pxgx5eIB-JPRcOiDjLGEzcwk1yIBckAzxKYaOd7gmT_zuN6aFH-xshFj8BpKTmYPXAlE4HYHx1Cl5K-hZd3oIG_nof1l_g6EwmO0/s320/IMGP1911.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> This one went somewhere around 13" but hopped back into the water before I could get a clear picture. We ended the day with lots of specks but no spots. The winner, with a 18.5" redfish and a 18.25" speckled trout took home a new boat from <a href="http://www.kckayaks.com/">KC Kayaks</a>. I took home dinner, so I wasn't empty handed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLbxXOykgq2UgfSqOY_fSvPsYuO0ajo2sh1QRP4qxMh0xybc6L57JhQefIseN6vy69_yLxL477ZLe7rWIaHgAQduS99HkqS7tiK5NbU7MpwmkpjsFHPfbaI9GHOnNrKNtw9ALEidpqo0x/s1600/IMGP1909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLbxXOykgq2UgfSqOY_fSvPsYuO0ajo2sh1QRP4qxMh0xybc6L57JhQefIseN6vy69_yLxL477ZLe7rWIaHgAQduS99HkqS7tiK5NbU7MpwmkpjsFHPfbaI9GHOnNrKNtw9ALEidpqo0x/s320/IMGP1909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Gotta love the bait well in the Malibu Stealth. Almost 5 hours after catching this guy, he was still live and kicking, and that's without the aerator plumbed. As always, it was a great day on the water. Always glad to wet a line with Billy. <a href="http://nckfa.com/">NCKFA</a> puts on a few great tournaments every year, and the Wrightsville Beach/Cape Fear/Fort Fisher area is fantastic place to kayak fish. Check it out if your looking for a new fishing destination.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing." ~Babylonian Proverb</div>Seth Goodrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163295961205528315noreply@blogger.com2