Hidden Coast Paddling Festival
Last year, in October of 2013, five of the NCLA gang registered for and participated in the 4th Annual Hidden Coast Paddling Festival. That year it was held in the quaint little fishing village of Cedar Key. It was an event we spent a number of hours planning and one that none of us will soon forget. The event organizers went to enormous lengths to polish off every little detail, dotting all the "i"s and crossing all the "t"s. Each year the Festival is held in a different location all along the Hidden Coast of Florida around the Big Bend region in order to broaden the horizons of those with a taste for adventure. New sights, new sounds, new friends. Jena/Steinhatchee was the location selected for 2014 and we wasted no time in registering for this year's event as well.
Hidden Coast Paddling Festival
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After much debate over the weather, it was supposed to be a 70% chance of rain/thunderstorms, Judy and Sue ended up throwing caution to the wind and went out kayak fishing on Friday. As luck would have it, it ended up being a beautiful day. Judy made a pit-stop at the bait shop to pick up some shrimp and then met Sue at the the Pirate's Point launch site in Ozello at 8 a.m. Not long after they were out, the tide started moving out pretty fast and the wind was a bit of an issue for a short period of time but it settled down eventually. Judy caught the first fish - a puffer fish, then Sue caught a 14" redfish, which is always fun. Judy had a close encounter with some dolphins, but they didn't stick around too long. They caught various species of smaller fish during the day, grunts, pinfish and lizardfish and then paddled back to shore around 1:00 p.m. and soon realized that they made it through the day without catchine one single catfish...YAY !!
Thursday, Sept. 18th, Delores and Dot met at Captain's Cove Bait and Tackle Shop in Yankeetown for a kayak fishing adventure in Steinhatchee, neither of which had ever fished that area before so this would be an honest-to-goodness raw adventure for the both of them. They were on the road headed north by 6;30 p.m. and did their best to deal with the light rain and keep up with the constant rise and fall of the posted speed limits as they drove through the connecting towns. 65 to 55 to 45 to 35 to 45 to 55 and back up to 65 again. This went on several times for miles and miles until they finally reached their destination at Good Times Motel & Marina where they had made a reservation for the night. They arrived at 7:30 p.m,, just as the sun was setting and made a B-line to the check-in office. They were tired, hungry, and ready to unload! Three 4-legged greeters met them as they walked through the door and made sure that they each got a pat on the head and a scratch under the chin before allowing visitors to pass on to the check-in counter. There's nothing that puts a smile on a weary traveler faster than a wagging tail or affectionate purr. With the check-in formalities out of the way, Delores and Dot headed straight for their vehicles and took out only the bare necessities. The minimal amount that would get them through a good night's sleep because ultimately, all of those things were just going to be repacked the following morning anyway. A quick check to make sure everything was in its place and then it was off to the Who Dat Bar & Grille, a screened in restaurant attached to the marina. Needed a quick bite to eat before turning in for the night. Nice sized grilled chicken salad for Dot and a BLT with fried green tomatoes and french fries for Delores along with a cold beer....THAT hit the spot. Then it was off to bed... Can't say that the night was all that restful. Dot was missing some sheets and the A/C was a bit noisy but the beds were comfortable and when you're tired you can sleep through just about anything sometimes. The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. and after a quick shower and repack, they turned the keys back into the office and picked up a few bags of frozen shrimp because they didn't feel up to driving around unknown territory trying to find a local bait & tackle shop that had live shrimp, although in hind-sight, they probably should have. The only thing they had on their minds at that time was getting a bite to eat for breakfast and finding their launch site with the crude set of directions they had been given from a friend. The manager at Good Times Motel & Marina had given the ladies a good tip on where to eat breakfast. Seemed Casey's Cove Convenient Store, a landmark they had passed on their way to the hotel, had a small cafe' inside where one could eat a bite, so naturally that's where they went. It wasn't too busy for a Friday morning at 7:30 a.m., so they helped themselves to a cup of fresh coffee and talked out their expectations of the day over pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. The first challenge would be finding the recommended kayak launch site at a place called "Sink Creek". They crossed their fingers and hoped for divine guidance. Following the directions given, Dot followed Delores through the parking lot and onto Hwy 361 heading west where the road is affectionately called "The Road to Nowhere" because if you follow it all the way to the end, it dead-ends in the marsh near the Gulf. Great view, they were told, but by no means were they planning on going to that extreme. If they ended up that far down, clearly they missed their turn....and they almost did just that. Directions stated that the Sink Creek Road turn off would be approximately 6.6 miles from Casey's Cove, but Delores forgot to start her trip-ticker when they pulled out of the parking lot and didn't know how many miles she'd driven before she realized that little mistake. She had to rely on good old-fashioned eye sight to spot the street name before she passed it. As she was cautiously traveling, she spotted a sign that potentially could have some significance but passed it before her brain processed the words on the sign. She and Dot pulled over about 100 yards after the fact to discuss the matter. Delores made a U-turn to check it out and it was a good thing she did, too, because it was the exact turn off they they were looking for. She signaled to Dot to turn around and by 8:00 a.m., they were happy to know they were on the right track. The travel between the turn-off and the launch site, however, would be another story. The mile long Sink Creek Road seemed like it took forever. It is a low lying road that has small flood planes every 500 yards or so during high-tide days. Luckily both Delores and Dot were driving trucks with good tires. They actually came to one particular water covered spot in the road and questioned their ability to cross it safely because they didn't know how deep it was or how hard or soft the bottom was. Delores went first and crossed it without any problem, however, Dot's truck was bigger and heavier and there was concern for her until she made it across safely as well. But the question was how many more of these areas were there before they reached the launch site and were they willing to take them all on? And if the huge pot holes weren't enough to scare them off, what about the swamp flies? They made their presence known when Delores and Dot got out of their vehicles to evaluate the pot hole situation. They flew into the trucks when the doors were opened and the next ten minutes were spent trying to avoid smaller pot holes while opening and closing the windows to let swamp files out at the same time. Hard to multitask those two at the same time. The question rolling around in their heads now was how infested the launch site would be with them, but they were at the point of no return. They would know the answer within the next ten minutes. By 8:30 they had arrived at the launch site and were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. Good hard ground on which to park. Few if any bugs and/or flies, beautiful scenery, smooth-as-glass water, and peaceful surroundings. It was well worth the one (but what seemed like five) mile to get there. Now time to get down to business. The gear loading routine was going like clock-work until Dot found out that she couldn't get her two paddles to join together. Delores was whistling Dixie while joining her own to paddles together until she heard a loud "cracking" sound behind her. She turned around to find Dot slamming a three pound rock on the poor little paddle tab that is supposed to spring in and out of the paddle shaft and lock two shafts together to make one long shaft. That's how they do it in New York it seems. When that didn't work out according to plan, Delores suggested a different strategy. They squeezed a little gel hand sanitizer inside and around that little silver tab and massaged it through the cracks while they whispered sweet nothings to it.....and.....it worked....just seconds before Dot was about to slam it against one of the nearby boulders. So, that was one less thing they had to worry about now. By 8:30 a.m. the girls were locked & loaded & ready to launch! Date: Friday, Sept. 19th, 2014 Location: Sink Creek Time Out: 8:30 a.m. Air Temp: 72 degrees Weather: 20% chance of rain Barometric Pressure: 30 Humidity: 90% Moon: Quarter Tide: Incoming - 11:00 high tide A sign - going in the right direction! As they paddled west following the flow of the creek, they came upon a primitive campsite on their left just 500 yards from the launch site. Even though they had just found their paddle rhythm, Delores made a pit stop to check it out. She was being watched by hundreds of fiddler crabs as she approached the shoreline and since they didn't run scared when she pulled up, she tried her hand at corralling a few. Of all the useful things a big brother can teach a little sister during childhood, how to catch a crab with your bare hands is something that may one day come in handy :o) Several of these little critters where captured and stored in the home made live well for future use. The only cost was a slip in the mud which made for muddy clothes and sore butt! A short walk-about of the campsite revealed that it is still in current use because there was a fresh pile of chopped firewood nearby. Wonder who put it there? Below, Dot hung out while Delores explored the campsite and then she paddled on, keeping her eyes peeled for jumping mullet or tailing redfish. Once they reached the mouth of the creek, Delores and Dot paddled in opposite directions in search of a productive honey-hole, staying in contact by two-way-radio. The place was a beautiful grassy marsh. Grass beds as far as the eye could see - simply beautiful! Delores and Dot paddled and fished, paddled and fished, paddled and fished some more. Even though they fished for hours on end, they came up with only pinfish, ladyfish, and catfish. Very disappointing in waters that looked so perfectly suited for trout and redfish. They were stumped. Shrimp on circle hooks. Pinfish on circle hooks. Shrimp on jig-heads, Gulp on jig-heads, sub-surface artificials - - - -nothing! What gives? Dot's theory was the barometric pressure at 30 and the drizzly forecast. Whatever it was, it sucked! No decent fish to speak of the entire time out. Not that it wasn't fun being out there on it's own....it was...but where were the keepers they had their hopes set on catching? Even the unexpected grouping of structure didn't yield anything except a hook hang-up that had to be cut-off. This is the paddle path with hours invested from start to finish An overcast landed Delores's hook in a sea-grass clump and it became unretrievable by reeling in alone. Yet another foul hook-up. She pulled up anchor, again, and paddled toward the hook-set only to find the reason: the line was unretrievable. The hook got tangled in some discarded buoy line which was probably connected to a long lost crab trap somewhere nearby. So the goal of any day is to leave the water a little cleaner than you found it. With that in mind, that mangled clump of rope and styrofoam was fished out of the dead grass bed and tossed into the back of the kayak to be properly disposed of when back at the site. Neither ladies had taken the time to eat anything since breakfast earlier that morning. Their focus was on finding and catching some nice sized fish and so most of the day had been spent paddling and blind casting into what looked to be promising fish holds. Eating took a back-seat. So on their way back to the ramp later that day, they stopped at the campsite they had passed on their way out to eat lunch, chat, and trow a line out while they ate. An hour later and still no fish to brag about. That's not to say they didn't catch fish....just not any target species, unfortunately. A leisurely paddle back to the ramp after a bite to eat and the ladies loaded up their gear and made the hour and a half drive back home. It was a really fun adventure with different sights and experiences and all of the conditions were right for big fish but that was the only thing that would have made the day spectacular. Even so, it was a fun get-a-way and a return visit will be scheduled sometime in the near future....
If you notice at the bottom of Capt. David's business card above, you'll see, written in red, the catch phrase
" Information, Education, and Entertainment for Anglers". That phrase is actually a condensed version of their Mission Statement. A Mission Statement is a short sentence that describes the goals, purpose, and work of an organization and TOF's is pretty short and sweet. Not only does TOF host a very informative and educational website for the general public, they also support the less fortunate through charity work like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and abused children charity networks. If a need is brought to their attention, Capt. David and the staff at T.O.F.will make sure it gets addressed and followed up on. It's just the right thing to do when you have the resources at your disposal to help. Fishing just happens to be one of those activities that draws in and excites children of all ages. Play a mental video in your head of a child catching their very first fish. Imagining the look on their little faces and you'll find yourself smiling, too. You know it's something that a child will chatter about for days, even weeks afterwards. That memory may last a lifetime. It can the the catalyst that changes a child's life for the better, giving them hope for the future, even if it's just short term. However, it's as much of a benefit for the 'teacher' as it is for the 'student'....maybe even more so. Nothing makes for a better nights sleep than knowing that you helped a child that day. Now let's address the topic of resources mentioned earlier. T.O.F. does all of these wonderful things mentioned above but it also has a network of for-profit companies that sponsor the site by giving away items in a free weekly raffle. Every week there is a new item posted to the site and some simple instructions on how to enter to win. This past week, for instance, they were giving a way a micro power pole for a skiff, canoe, or kayak. This little extra marketing campaign is another great way to encourage folks to become an active member on the site. But, they don't stop there. In fact, Capt. David was generous enough to bring a brand new Snook rod that he personally designed himself to give away at the end of our NCLA meeting. That kind of generosity and good-will is what the world needs more of. He held up that long hunter-green colored rod and described it as a Gold Series IM-7 Graphite rod with silicone guides designed specifically for braided line and it even had a small Snook emblem varnished on for that little extra touch. We are a big fan of TOF - without a doubt! He closed his introduction to the TOF site and jumped right into the topic of Snook...
The Capt. is clearly comfortable in front of an audience whether it's a group of 5, 50, or 500. He casually introduced himself as "David" and began by holding up an old-fashioned white and red bobber for everyone to see. He tossed it in the air several times as he described the inspiration behind theonlinefisherman.com website and why they selected the common bobber as the logo. You know, there are so many extreme fishing logos out there that give the impression that you've got have an aggressive nature to be a real fisherman. These rough-neck logos attract and appeal to these kinds of "go-get-'em, tiger" anglers and that's all fine and good. But the common red and white bobber pictured above that you were introduced to by maybe your grandfather represents something more - or better yet - something 'less', something that's hard to find these days....the simple joy of simply fishing.
This humble little two-toned piece of plastic represents the simplicity of fishing. It's the undisputed universal symbol for fishing tackle and it's recognized almost anywhere you go, even in Europe. In fact, the bobber, in all the various new materials, shapes and colors available these days is still, by far, the number one piece of fishing tackle sold. Think about this: Do you remember the very first time you awkwardly cast your line out in the water with a piece of bait on the hook and a bobber secured to it? Do you remember staring at it as it floated on the water top? The jolt of excitement you felt when you saw it pop under water for a split second? Then it went under again, all the way this time, and your line got tight? That's the moment when you held the rod a little tighter and you officially became "hooked" on fishing. That's the power one tiny little iconic bobber has to change your opinion of fishing. This little thing has probably been responsible for turning more people onto the sport of fishing than any other piece to tackle known to man, which is why it is the perfect representation for theonlinefisherman.com It is the perfect 'dot' in the .com. We asked our good friend and author of Good Luck and Tight Lines , RG Schmidt, to come back for our August 5th meeting to teach us a thing or two about the Red Drum species. We had a feeling he'd know a thing or two about that subject matter and we were right. However, he had a little surprise up his sleeve. Knowing in advance that some of us ladies had a 6 hour scalloping trip planned with Capt. Kyle Messier later that month, he opted to begin with a short informative overview of the bay scallop. That was a nice start to the evening. Technically, this species of scallops are called Florida bay scallops. Bay scallops and sea scallops are closely related members of the same family of shellfish. Both make extremely good eating. Gourmets particularly prize bay scallops, which are much smaller than sea scallops, for their tenderness and the sweetness of their flavor. Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_5410054_sea-scallops-vs-bay-scallops.html This year, 2014, the scallop season opened June 28th and closes Sept. 24th. RG told us that every June, the FWC marks off and grids a popular scalloping area and does a physical survey of the number of scallops in that particular area. Based on that information, the FWC can make basic predictions about how successful the season may or may not be. The outcome of these surveys give them the information they need in order to made adjustments to the regulations if need be. For instance, maybe they would cut back on the bag limit or something similar in order to protect and maintain the population over the course of the scalloping season.. This is one of the reasons RG wasn't in favor of opening the season early like they did. He just felt like the June 28th opening day was really too soon. Unfortunately, though, politics gets in the way of "the right thing to do" and the flow of revenue into the counties and towns over-ride better judgment calls. Getting Back to the Topic of AnchorsThere are times, Kirk said, when using an anchor is more of a hassle than a help. For instance...when he paddles upon an oyster bar that is covered in grass at high tide and he knows that there is a good current of water running through a nearby cut, he doesn't use his anchor at all. He paddles quietly right on top of a grass patch which causes enough friction to halt his forward motion and this acts as a natural anchor. His kayak isn't going anywhere at this point until he physically makes an effort to move it. He'll cast into the oyster bar cut half a dozen times and if he hooks into a fish his kayak might be pulled out naturally during the fish fight, but he never had to mess with an anchor during the process. He brought up another anchor option that involved something a little bit more unconventional. He said that there are times when you may want to anchor down close to a mangrove line and fish a nearby channel or good sized hole. A claw anchor has a tendency to get hooked onto a mangrove root (which is great for the anchoring aspect) but it's a little bit more work to get that anchor out of a messy root system when you want to pick up and go in a hurry. For this type of situation, he suggested investing in a cheap set of alligator clips and tying you anchor rope to that and just clipping your anchor line to a nearby branch and then adjust the length of your line as you need, either keep it close or allow yourself to drift out a ways....it's a pretty neat idea! The Benefits of a Kayak vs a BoatAt that point, Kirk explained the two biggest reasons that he chooses to fish from a kayak instead of a boat. 1...A kayak does not have to be registered with the DMV because it is not motorized like a boat is, and that can be an inconvenience over the years. Now, if you opt to have a small motor installed (even a trolling motor) well then, that's a different ball game and it will have to be registered at that point. 2...A kayak can simply be thrown in the back of a truck or on top of a vehicle which makes for quick loading and unloading. It's not a big hassle to be on the water fishing less than an hour after you've gotten off of work, assuming you live/work that close to the water. Less is MoreKirk is a minimalist, the less he has on his kayak, the more comfortable he is, so he doesn't take too many things with him when he goes out kayak fishing. Here is a list of what he DOES take (aside from rod, reel and tackle) 1...He takes a dry-bag which holds all of his electronic trinkets like cell phone and keys. 2...A paddle leash. 3...A safety bag which contains a big whistle among other things. 4...He brings a tow rope with a carabiner clip on each end. This is just in case he has to tow some poor soul who didn't have enough energy to paddle back on their own. 5...He also has a first aid kit that includes the following: A...A pair of hook cutters B...A tube of Anbesol, which a topical anesthetic for your gums (used if/when you have a toothache to relieve pain). However, Kirk uses it if/when someone has accidentally embedded a fishing hook into their, or someone else's, skin. Anbesol, combined with ice, will deaden the nerve endings around the affected skin enough to allow the hook to be pulled out with minimal discomfort. C...A bottle of hydrogen peroxide to cleanse the area where the hook was removed. All really great ideas!! Door Prize TimeWe had a great discussion about all things related to kayak fishing and Kirk gave us some super ideas about how to solve some of the problems we'd been experiencing as well as some suggestions and guidelines to follow. We really learned a lot. He ended our meeting by handing out his business cards, Kayak brochures, a map (that is no longer on the market) called "BOATING and ANGLING GUIDE to CITRUS COUNTY" which outlines from top to bottom the coastline of Citrus County. He gave out "15% OFF" coupons for anyone that has been a prior customer of his and "10% OFF" any new customers. Finally, to wrap things up in a fun way, he had three highly coveted items on the table in front of him that he brought as door prizes. He picked the following names: Lucy won the yellow dry-bag, Theresa won the 3 lb claw anchor, Donna won the wind-up flashlight, and Virginia won the waterproof cell-phone case. We all were very thankful for Kirk's generosity in giving up some time to speak to us and donating some items to give away. He really is a great guy and we appreciated his straight forward approach and we learned a lot. Hope we can talk him in to returning again next year!! Paddle OptionsNext topic of discussion was..... Paddles. Kirk brought two different types of paddles that are typically used with fishing kayaks. Just like kayaks, paddles can be made from all different types of materials ranging from low end aluminum shafts and nylon blades up to carbon fiber shafts and fiberglass reinforced or even solid glass blades. Typically it's going to take 1,000 paddle strokes to propel you approximately one mile. If you buy a cheap 55 oz paddle at some big box store, you'll be exhausted before you know it. So please talk to a professional before you pick out a paddle. It's really very important. One thing Kirk does NOT recommend is rectangular shaped paddle blades. Most of these are designed to be pretty flexible and that's not always a good quality. When you're paddling and the water resistance puts enough pressure on the end of the blade and causes it to flex several inches under water, then you're not getting the functionality you think you've paid for - it'll tire you out real fast. At this point he gave us an impromptu paddle lesson, instructing us to lean slightly forward and push the air-exposed half of the paddle with your arm as much, if not more, than you pull the submerged paddle blade. It's a 'pull and push' process that takes some practice to get used to but eventually results in a more relaxed paddle stroke. If you only use the pulling motion as you paddle each stroke then you're simply putting unnecessary strain on your neck and rotator cuff. Try to get into the habit of locking your elbows a bit as you paddle which forces you to use your back and tummy more than your arms. Another small change: don't hold a paddle with your thumbs underneath, which is the most common (natural) grip for new paddlers. Nothing will cause a blister faster than a 'death grip' on the paddle shaft. He suggested we use more of a "hook" grip similar to the way you would hold a set of weights when you do a bench press. That hand position helps to 'lock' the wrists. And...if you want a little cushion under your hands to make the grip even more comfortable to hold, you can purchase paddle grips that just Velcro around the shaft so you can position them exactly where you want, and they look great, too. They add a little personalization to your gear - if you're into that sort of thing. From there, he moved on to paddle length, a detail most people don't really take enough time to consider and it's really important. So what determines the best paddle length to use? Kirk says the paddler's height, and the width of the boat. He showed us two paddles for comparison. One was 220 centimeters in length (a little over 7 ft) and the other was 230 centimeters (a little over 7.5 ft) long. He even sells 240s and 250s but the point he was making was that a paddle in the wrong size results in more work and sore hands - it'll wear you out and nobody wants that. Again, that's why it's important to have a professional help you with this selection. On a side note, he mentioned that some of the paddles he carries even have a measuring device built right onto the shaft. That's pretty handy when you want to measure a fish quickly. And others have a specially designed groove in the paddle blade that's designed to help retrieve a lure that's either stuck in a mangrove branch above or on an oyster rock below. Safety / Life Vests / PFDs (Personal Flotation Device)Next, we asked Kirk's opinion about PFDs (the new term for 'life jacket'). He personally doesn't wear one and he gave us several reasons: A) they're hot and that's doubly uncomfortable during the summer months in Florida, and B) he fishes in such sallow water that he's more concerned about cutting himself on oyster shell than he is about drowning. One of his main frustrations with this piece of safety wear, however, is their 'uni-sex' design. Men and women have entirely different physics. A man's height is primarily from the waist up. A woman's height is from the waist down. A 'one-size-fits-all' PFD just isn't going to cut it in this day and age. So over the past eleven years as a kayak business owner, he's seen a lot of improvements made in the design of PDFs and he carries, in his shop, what he calls true paddling jackets, which are opened on the sides and the foam in the back is cut up with only a bit of netting to pull the strap through so when you sit down, so it's comfortable. And on a side 'safety note' Kirk is a big advocate of a designated "meet-up" place and time before launch so that if several people are going out on the water together and eventually head in different directions, losing sight of one another around or behind a mangrove island, there is always a plan for meeting back up again in order to account for everyone in the group. We thought that was a GREAT idea! Other Safety EquipmentAs we continued the discussion of safety on the water, Kirk help up an interesting little gadget. It was a manually powered (as in no batteries) flashlight that's waterproof and floats. For every minute you crank the handle you get an hour of light. It gives you the option of a single beam of light (which lasts up to 6 hours), a triple beam (max of 4 hours), or a flashing beacon style. AND...It's practically indestructible. He has one in each of his vehicles and vessels and travels with one, too. Pretty nifty little thing! Oh, and by the waHis "other" piece of safety equipment is his Ruger .38 LCR LUNCHSo we were curious about what Kirk typically takes out on the water for a day of fishing. It's always cool to ask simple questions like that because you learn different tactics and strategies for keeping food cool and safe during a hot day. Kirk, we learned, is an "on the water early / off the water early" kind of guy and doesn't like to fish when it's really hot. His lunch box consists of 2-3 granola bars and a few frozen water bottles. The night before, he empties out a little bit of water and then puts them in the freezer overnight. In the morning, they're frozen and he puts the caps back on. They act as ice-packs for his lunch and he can have ice cold water as they thaw throughout the morning. Of course Murphy's Law is that the minute you stop to eat or drink anything, the line you had out in the water starts screaming! Sometimes you can be out there all day and never take (or have) time to eat! BaitWe also learned that Kirk is more of an artificial lure kind of guy but when he does use any type of live bait, it'll be shrimp. He uses a six pack, soft side cooler with a couple of packs of blue ice at the bottom and a damp paper towel to cover. Toss the shrimp on top of the damp paper towel and they'll go dormant for a few hours. This storage style keeps the shrimp from freezing to death but makes them easier to handle initially. He cautioned us to hold on to those 'dormant' shrimp when putting them on a hook, though, because the second they feel that pin prick, they "wake up" and can quickly pop themselves right out of your hand and into the water before you know it - and that's money (and a fish) lost. He repeated a little trade secret that Capt. Kyle Messier mentioned to us several months ago, too, and that was Lizardfish make great bait, so if you hook one accidentally, cut it into a few pieces and see if you don't hook up on a redfish once or twice. And don't make the mistake of using small pieces of bait on a small hook to catch big fish. Use big pieces of bait skewered on a 5/0 circle hook if you want big fish!! Plus, a larger hook is a heck of a lot easier to remove than a small hook is. Fishing Kayak Necessities vs LuxuriesCapt. Kirk Deardorff, owner of Riversport Kayaks in Homosassa, Florida, agreed to be our guest speaker for our July 1st meeting. Topic: How to rig a kayak for fishing, and he should know, it is his subject of expertise. He also outfits and repairs damaged kayaks as well so who better to come and give us an overview of kayak fishing necessities vs luxuries? Capt. Kirk, (yes, I'm sure he's heard the reference to Star Trek a gazillion times, so we won't put him through that) started off the meeting by giving a short self-introduction and told us that he, and his wife, Cindy, have owned Riversport Kayaks for almost 11 years. He has his masters degree in Ecomonics and was a Risk Manager for Citrus County for a number of years and walked away from all of that stress to be his own boss and he hasn't regretted that decision for one second. His only disappointment is that he doesn't get out on the water for his own fun as often as he would like to. He went around the room and identified those who have kayaks and those who do not. Secondly, he wanted to pinpoint specifically what brand and style of kayak each member had. It was a good way to evaluate the experience and knowledge of his audience so that he can educate us accordingly. The kayak spectrum went from WalMart brands all the way to high-end Hobie Pro Anglers. Kirk acknowledged that even the less expensive style kayaks are enough to get you on the water. What was interesting was that he owns two specially designed motor driven boats and he still prefers to paddle around in his kayak. His favorite is a Commander 120 by Wilderness Systems, which is a cross between a canoe and a kayak. You sit down in it. It has a double-tunnel hull so it's very stable. It's a 30 inch wide boat that he can actually stand up in. It has a lawnchair style seat with a canoe style cross bench behind it so you can fold the seat down, store it under the cross bench and sit on the cross bench just line a canoe. The advantage to that boat is that it only weighs 60 lbs. and you can stand up in it. He brought several brochures for the following fishing kayak manufacturers: Jackson Kayaks Wilderness Systems Kayaks Hobie Kayaks and briefly explained how the rudder and peddle systems work on the Hobie Pro Angler and the advantages of a hands-free (for fishing) propulsion mechanism that allows you more casts for an increase chance of fish hook ups. Kirk warned us that the biggest obstacle to overcome when learning how to fish from a kayak is the need to minimize your equipment. He carries one small bag specially designed to hold all the lures he would potentially use on an outing. His necessities include Gulps, jerk baits, bass assassins, skidderwalks, mirrodines (in blue, chrome and black, sometimes white, and sometimes chartreuse), weighted hooks, floating pliers, line cutters and a tape measure. This is a visually noticeable difference from the 12 tackle trays inside two tackle bags that he used to carry on his flats boat when he only ended up using a total of three different lures the entire day. It all comes down to the bare necessities. We moved into recommended rods. Kirk shared his opinion, telling us that he prefers to use Shimano brand 2500 series spinning reels, spooled with 10 lb braided fishing line with 25 lb fluorocarbon shark leader all on a 7.5 or 8 ft soft action rod. One of the main challenges of fishing from a kayak is the difficulty to make a long cast from a sitting position. The longer the cast the better your chances of catching a fish on the off chance that you've scared a few that otherwise would have stayed in close proximity. Redfish, like many other species, can feel the displacement of water that a small boat makes as it navigates through the water even at an extremely slow pace. Even a manned kayak with minimal gear will displace some water so the farther you can cast, again, the better your chances of attracting fish that have no idea you've arrived yet. To keep things simple, he only takes two rods with him on his kayak. One of which has a sub-surface artificial lure on it. He replaced the treble hooks with circle hooks and lets it troll through the water behind him as he paddles. The number of trout hits he gets is surprising. The slower you paddle, the higher the lure stays in the water column and because trout tent to be looking upward for food, they can see it from above. Organizing Your Space....Let's start with rod holdersKirk held up a 30 degree flush mounted rod holder and began to talk about the difficulty in organizing the gear, starting with rods. Most fishing kayaks already have a minimum of two flush mounted rod holders installed on each side of the kayak behind the seat, however, more of these can be added in other locations on the kayak or can be installed on a river kayak to make it functional for fishing if needed. The down-side to this style of rod holder is that if a rod is baited and in the water with a tightly set drag and a large fish bolts with the bait, the rod can quickly be pulled out of the holder before you know it. Kirk prevents that problem by loosening his drag half way (just like RG taught us during our last meeting) so that when something like this happens, and he can't react immediately, he still has time to grab his rod and bring in his catch. The fish may have run with quite a bit of line at this point, but it's better to lose a fish than to lose a rod. He does not recommend a rod leash because it's just one more thing that gets in the way. In addition to the flush mounted rod holders he mentioned above, Kirk also told us about a different type of rod holder option called a Scotty Rod Holder that is a wee bit more advanced than the basic flush mount. This rod holder can be secured to many different spots on a kayak but is typically mounted within arms reach in front of the kayak seat. The benefit of this type of rod holder is that it can be adjusted horizontally and vertically and be easily removed all together with a quick turn of a knob. On a side note, He told us to organize our kayaks the same way each time we go out so that we get familiar at every launch where all of our gear is located and it becomes a routine. Like assigned seats in school. You should know where everything is all the times. Where to Store the PaddleWe moved on to paddle storage. Kayaks are sold with a wide variety of paddle storage options from paddle parks made out of bungee cord to hard plastic clips that allow the paddle shaft to 'snap' in place. Kirk's problem with each and every one of these paddle park systems is the noise that's made, no matter how careful you are, when securing the paddle shaft to a holder like this. In most cases, even the smallest amount of noise will alert a fish and it'll flee the area before you even have time to cast. Not a good way to use your time out there. He suggested investing in a paddle leash and just lay the paddle quietly in the water and let it float. It's the best use of time, makes no noise and it can easily be retrieved because it's leased to the kayak. Dry BagsEverybody on a boat or kayak should have one! The benefit of a dry bag over your basic household Ziplock bag is the floatability. It's fine to keep your necessities (keys, phone, camera, etc.) in a watertight Ziplock bag, but if it hits the water for some reason, it's still going to sink like everything else and what good will that do you? Sure, it's still dry, but how are you going to find it in four feet of murky water? There's nothing worse than losing stuff out there on the water. Anchors - Lots of Choices When it Comes to AnchorsStake Out Poles - Great for places with soft muck bottoms. These can be pushed right through the scupper holes. It can go down through a ring tied off to the side of the boat. It can be used with an anchor trolley system. Some that come in 8 and 10 ft can actually double as a push pole. Anchor Trolley System This is basically a pulley system. One pulley is secured to each end of the kayak. A thin rope is threaded through each pulley. And the tag ends of the rope are tied to a ring. The anchor line is also tied to the ring. This device allows you to anchor in various positions with or against the current. Sea Anchor This is a device that looks like a wind sock. Kirk himself uses one to drift fish. The down-side to that thing is that a caught fish will sometimes get fishing line tangled in the sea anchor line. One think that Kirk strongly recommended was a simple buoy system for the anchor. There will come a time when your anchor rope detaches itself from your yak. Maybe due to a loose knot or something. Likewise, there will come a time when you are anchored down and your hook has become embedded in a mangrove branch or oyster rock. If you have a marker for where your anchor is (like a small floating buoy) then you don't have to worry about pulling your anchor up. You can voluntarily detach yourself from the anchor system, take care of your hook problem, and simple paddle back to reattach your anchor if you wish. Why? Because the floating buoy marks the spot where you left your anchor. Everybody always ties their anchor rope only around the ring at the top of the stem. But what happens when the anchor claws get stuck on the rocks? In a kayak you have almost no chance of getting that out. Kirk pointed out that these types of grappling anchors have another eyelet ring at the bottom, too. Most people don't realize that. The best practice is to tie the knot on the bottom of the anchor instead of at the top. That way, if it does get stuck, one quick tug of the rope should actually "un" stick the anchor from its rocky trap. Need more storage room? Kirk can install a kayak hatch kit for you. But that hatch won't be 100% secure until you've put the hatch cap on tight. As he talked about hatch sizes he mentioned one of the Jackson Brand kayaks that has a specially designed long hatch that can double as a bait well or live well if you wish. Conclusion of Part 1
Wednesday, July 9th Delores, Martha Ann and Sue met up at Levy. Co. Park at 7:00 a.m. and discussed the weather forecast. Weather radar didn't look too concerning but stepping out of the vehicles and getting a first-hand visual of the morning skies did bring concern. Unexpected lightning even more so. You could literally hear the rain coming toward the shoreline. The Plan: Go ahead and unload the gear that a little rain wouldn't hurt. Maybe by the time kayaks were unloaded, the weather would clear out and the designated launch time of 8:00 would happen according to plan.....then again......maybe not. An hour and a half later (8:30) it was still raining and lightning in the distance. Decided to take refuge under the picnic tables and wait the storm out. Our new friend, Dale, who was setting traps for mud minnows, asked if he could join us until the storm passed. He told us his life story in all of about 10 minutes. He also told us about a few marine landmarks near the launch site. A place called Hodges Island, a sunken shrimp boat called The Silver Lining, a waterway called Vassey Creek, and a nearby island with a deserted fish camp on it. Lots of places to research and paddle to one day in the near future. Mean while - those three kayaks all prepped and ready to go were calling out "Let's Go Girls" And with the skies clearing up by 9:00 a.m., it was time to heed the call. Time to part ways with Dale and bail out all of the water that accumulated in various spots on the yaks. There's nothing more uncomfortable for a woman than to sit in liquid of any kind....even water. The hunt was on for fish! Clear skies, strong in-coming tide, and bait fish were everywhere. All systems were "GO"................ And in typical Florida fashion - the skies opened up fifteen minutes later and dumped more water..... But....that didn't prevent a few fish from being hooked. Over the next few hours we just relaxed, paddled around and hoped for the weather to hold out just a little longer for us. Over the course of the morning Caught some Jacks and Trout and a random catfish from time to time. Martha Ann saw a number of black drum tailing and did her best to lure them with artificial crab to no avail. Neither were the reds going after spoons. Martha Ann got an up-close and personal visit from a few dolphins that were taking advantage of the calm waters and abundant baitfish. Maybe they're the reason not many fish were caught on a line and hook! They really were everywhere you turned and a dolphin show comes a close second to catching fish. Dolphin Show video will be posted to the Nature Coast Lady Anglers Facebook page. By 12:00 (high tide) another rainstorm chased everyone off the water. Kayaks and gear were loaded back up and a stop at the Shrimp Landing for crab-cake burgers before the drive back home. It wasn't a stellar day in regards to hooking up with fish but it was still good to get out on the water with friends!
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