Monday, December 17, 2012

First fish on the Fly..



With all this warm weather floating around this time of year I took the opportunity to hit up the HRBT.  It was flat calm and pretty warm out for December.  I fished with POL's head honcho "Surffishing Dave"  Rob Alderman and a few members of his family.  I first met rob a couple years ago with my friend Al fishing the point.  I had seen his videos  on YouTube of his crazy self chucking a brick on a heaver.  Also known as "The General" he runs the OBX based FishMilitia.com website.


We did pretty well on the night with the Stripers.  I managed 4.  One of them being my first fish on a flyrod.  It wasnt anything to brag about because it was barely big enough ti fit on the measuring board.  My biggest was a nice fat 25"er caught on a curly tail in the lights.  Everyone caught fish and went home happy.  





The next day I got another change to hit up the Elizabeth River for Speckled Trout.  This year has been a great year but after 6 hours in the rain I had nothing to show for my time but this picture of a sign coming into the cove.




Kiptopeke on the eastern shore was the next stop for the week.  A few friends were up there staying at the lodges for the weekend.  I was surprised how nice the lodges were.  Lots of room and pretty comfy.  I spent a few hours drifting the concrete ships.  Again with no luck.  First time at the ships so I really didnt expect much to begin with.  Most people who caught fish that day were offshore a mile or 2 and a bit North of us.  IAs we were preparing to launch we saw someone from out of town putting his big hobie sail kayak together.  Im not sure as to what model it was but the thign that caught me off guard was he was going out in waders a t-shirt and some flimsy boat cushion PFD.  Why spend $3500 on a kayak only to cheap out on saftery.  That night around sunset it got cold quick.  The rain moved in and I had enough of of myself.  I can only imagine what this nimrod was thinking.  I never saw him make it back to the launch either.   A few days later the Coast Guard had to rescue a kayaker not far from here because they fell out of their kayak and couldnt make it back into it.  Too many people underestimate safety.  The ocean can be a mean thing to deal with in the cold..
USS Nimrod preparing for launch...

"That's eeling fo ya"

And to wrap it up is the video I put together for these trips.  I hope you enjoy..



A.


Sunday, December 2, 2012

What else can be said but...trout




So I have been lacking a bit lately.  Fishing has been pretty good.  A few warm days mixed in with the "cold" have produced some alright trips.  I guess I will start to a few weeks back.  Chased fish around Rudee inlet and froze my butt off.  Ended up with a few drum just under the slot.  The big winner that day was Tommy V scoring a few nice fat drum and one slot.


A few offshore nor'easter had been pushing the water in Rudee way up and even at Low tide it was pretty high.  As we launched in the morning we had to paddle out of the parking lot.  Don't know how it effected the fishing that day but I sure froze my butt off.  

High Water

pretty colors




Its no big secret that there is trout in the Elizabeth River this time of year.  Earlier this week I made another trip with my buddy Rob.  It was Robs first time out on this section of the river.  The day started out very warm and actually had to layer down.  Fished along some grass beds and picked a 16 up pretty early in the day.  



We tried the slow troll and didn't have much luck early on.  Moved to another spot and fished it hard.  First cast out and I hooked up.  The fish was pulling drag so I knew it was a decent size fish.  Much bigger then the 16-18 inch we had been catching.  Rob was behind me and I heard a splash.  In my mind I figured"oh sweet Rob just hooked too and that was the fish on top of the water.." I turned to look behind me and I see the underside of an orange Tarpon 120. Coolers tackle boxes and gloves floating in the river, and Rob once again taking a dip.  He was able to stand and gather his stuff up.  Once I knew he was okay I went back to the fish.  One of the most nerve racking things I have found on the water is when you take a swipe at a nice sized fish with your net and miss...  Once it was boated I stuck a tag in it and snapped a few pics.  The fish was pretty fat and measured 22 1/4 inches.  My biggest trout of the year.  Still chasing that paper tho.  







The rest of the day was cold and rainy.  The front moved in at this point and it got cold.  We had dropped a minnow trap earlier in the day and went back to retrieve it to try the cove out.  That didn't last but ended up getting into smaller fish trolling around.  In total 11 fish caught with all of them tagged and released   A good day on the water.  This week I'm looking forward to shifting my fishing a little and trying to get into a little something different.  Striped Bass is in the sights for this week.  3 days off starting Monday and a trip to Kipto on Friday.  A short video and some more pictures for your enjoyment.





2 Rob Lee 1 Picture!!!!

Be a Hero







A.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Pre-Sandy Rudee and Post-Sandy Rivah Fishing..

Last Friday I had made the decision that I was gonna get some fishing in before this dumb storm pushed in.  I knew that with this storm came the possibility that the fishing which has been so good, would shut off.  I figured Id get out and try Rudee.  I haven't been to Rudee Inlet since the end of July.  The water was pretty cold and the wind was picking up.  Saw a few people from the VB Marine Rescue team out and about that I worked with.  They said it was starting to get snotty outside and the wind was forecasted to pick up even more.  I started by trolling around the islands with no success.  I fished a few parts that I hadn't been to before and pulled out a small speck.  He got a tag and released.  I worked my way back to the boat ramp and heard my name on the radio.  "Windknot Kevin Burns" was out and about peddling his cheater kayak with no problems.  We made it to the ramp just as Tom and Debbie V. were pulling up.  We sat and chatted for a little while and then decided to head back out and try a few more spots before it got to nasty out.


 We Paddled back out into the cold NE wind to the front of the inlet.  Trolled around for a bit and threw lures at a few places with no luck.  At this point I was tired.  It was cold and rainy now and the thought of going home and catching an afternoon snooze in front of the fireplaces was looking pretty good.  I decided to troll back on the way in and hoped maybe I would catch some lost fish.  I did.  A monster 10" Bluefish......Screw this I'm going home..




I more of kinda drifted back in because I was so tired.  Really didnt try to fish much.  The lure that I was towign behind was I guess dragging?  I met back up with Tom V.  We BS'd for a while while the wind continued to push us towards the launch.  I picked my pole up and decided maybe I should try to atleast look like a fisherman in front of my friends.   First cast out as im working the curly tail.  Bouncing it along the bottom of owl creek and bam.  The fish takes off and gives me a little run.  I could tell by the fight it was a little puppy drum.  Pulled a little drag on the trout rod and scooped him up in the kayak.  The fish went 17" and looked pretty healthy. He was hooked sorta deepin his mouth so i got the pliers out and had to dig in to get it.  Not far enough down to go into his stomach but enough to where I didn't wanna get my hands close to his crushes in the back of his mouth.  Hook came out with no other problems. 


While I was tagging the pup I had throw my lure out over the side.  Not really paying attention to is while I measured tagged and recorded my last catch.  Once I had finished and stowed my tagging kit away  I grabbed my rod and began to reel in.  The line looked like it was tangled around the bolts from my anchor trolley.  I tried to get it lose when my anchor trolley started to pull back?  I reeled it in and there was a 11" flounder on it.  There it is the most half assed slam.  I was almost mad at myself for catching those fish because I really put no effort into them.  There have been days where I have paddled all over the place in heat and humidity only to come back to the launch empty handed.  



That was it.  I was cold tired and I knew if I tried to fish anymore it would be nothing but disappointment.  I packed up and headed home.  All in all it was a cold and trying day on the water.  The thing that stood out to me was a few laughs with some good fishing buddies.  That's what makes it fun to me...Not the chance of nabbing a sponsor and getting free stuff.  Not the fame from writing a blog or beat my chest on facebook.  The reason I love to fish is because of the people I have met along the way.  So regardless of the commercialization of kayak fishing and the influx of mass blogging on the sport.  If I go out and have a few laughs with my friends on the water, Its still a great day.







Rivah Rat'n it 11/1/2012




Today was a cold day on the water.  Waders we put on due to the water dipping a few degrees along with the wind and cooler temps.  Man I was freezeing.  Today started with a first cast first fish kinda day.  I always hate those because I feel like the rest of the day would be a let down.  I missed alot of fish today for whatever reason.  Tha'ts always frustrating to me.  One of them gave me a really good run too.  Im afraid that may have been that paper trout I've been trying to find.  I ended up with 8 fish total.  3 Specks and 5 Puppy Drum.   I really do enjoy the pups.  They pull hard and are just a blast to catch on light tackle.  The surprise catch of the day came from Asian Rob Lee.  Fishing on a mouth to this small creek he pulled in a little Largemouth Bass.  I figured with all teh rain that the salinity was down and they ventured a little farther out then then normally do.  The fishing was alright and it was cold.  I made an early day out of it.  Heard of some bigger Specks caught too.  Decided to head in and get home a little early.  There was a few bread bowls full of homemade chicken noodle soup waiting for me.  A great day on the water with Rob as always. Untill next time...






The next 2 pictures are little mini stripers rob caught.  I couldn't stop laughing because all I could think of when he was trying to handle the fish was.  "WHAT DO I DO WITH MY HANDS"







Can you believe this guy has never thrown a cast net either?


Video for your enjoyment



A.



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

3 Trips worth of Photos and vids on the Rivah

This past week I have been luck enough to get out 3 times to fish.  Thanks to my beautiful wife for not giving me a huge honey-do list during the weekdays im off.  So the first trip I took I set off early.  Made to the launch at 730 and was on the water by 8.  I worked a few spots that had produced previously.  Nothing came through for me until later in the morning.  My friend Adam pulled a few corn-cob trout up trolling along the bank but nothing too big.  Once to tide got moving and their was a little current I started picking off the bigger fish.  Moved around to a few different spots and tried a few different lures.  The hit lure for me that day was the Chartreuse Bayou Thumper.  Ended up with a stringer full of fish.  Kept 1 and gave a few away to some people.  It was a short trip but it produced pretty good.  17 17 18.5 19 and 22.5 were the totals for the day.



 




Dracula



Short vid from the trip.


Monday came around and I was ready to hit it again.  The tide was high and I had just picked up a new batch of tags from VMRC.  Trying to get out and tag 300 fish this year.  Just under 100 fish to get and the way the trout have been biting I was sure I could put a dent in that today.  Got out on the water and the tide coming in.  The water level was pretty high and lots of bait was pushed into the grass.  I went to a new spot that I had fished briefly during my last trip and gave it a shot.  It was non stop puppy drum for the next few hours.  A few nice 16"ers with some shoulders that were a blast on light tackle.  A few times I was able to sight cast to these fish back in this creek and watch them hit.  Fishing like that is always fun and I stuck around for a while catching these fish and giving them a little state sponsored jewelry.


15" Puppy Drum with VMRC tag placed by me.



One of the coolest thing I saw that day on the water was a red tailing through the grass feeding on some little crabs.  I wish I had swung the GoPro around and got it on film.  It was cool to see all these fish really active and eager to eat.  Made a little vid compilation of a few of my hookups from that day.  



Finished the day off with a total of 10 fish.  9 Drum and 1 small speck.  Everybody was tagged and released. It was a beautiful day out there and the pictures speak for them selves.

cool spots



peaceful




Today was a trip thrown together to with some of the newest additions to the plastic navy.  A few guys I work with at the fire dept got into the whole kayak thing after hearing me go on and on about it.  Gregg Rob and Rob's nephew Ben from DC came out today.  I was really hoping to put them all on some fish.  Tide was real low all day and didn't really start moving until we were coming home.  We all caught fish and once again like the 3 previous times green was the color to have.  Pups and specks were caught today.  Everybody caught something.  It was a picture perfect day out there and I even got a little sunburned   I really don't mind that because its almost November.  A few 17 inch specks were pulled out by Rob and Ben.  Ben actually had a few throw backs.  I managed 5 Puppy Drum today and Gregg got him self a few pups as well.  This was Gregg's second time out and his first fish caught from his kayak/  Another person that I have sold on Wilderness boats.  3 in total so far.  2 Rides and a Tarpon 120.  So today wrapped up and Im still in search of my speckled paperfish.  Im sure they are out there and came pretty close earlier in the week.  Just gotta keep on keepin on.  Might be taking a few days off from the fishing scene with a impending Nor'acane bearing down somewhere on the East Coast.  I hope to get out again soon and continue to catch some fish..


pretty colors

Ben with his keepers

Asian Rob Lee

Gregg price'n it w00t w000t!


A.




Monday, October 15, 2012

2 days of Elizabeth River Speck'n

So the past few days a friend of mine has been doing pretty good on the Rivah.  I had been wanting to get out and give it a shot.  This year I kinda skipped over the speck fishing and the ER all together.  I guess I;m more of a fair weather fisherman?  I got a few tips about the bite that has been going on and decided to give it a shot.  I set out with my buddy Rob Lee.  He had recently bought a kayak and has the fishing bug hard!  We set off and paddled to a few spots.  Today was going to be more of a scouting trip.  I wanted to try a few spots that I had seen on google maps.


We stopped at a few spots and caught fish.  Rob got his first keeper fish from his kayak.  He was pretty stoked about that.  It was a nice speck that came in at 16.5 in.  We stuck around that spot for a while and picked up a few puppy drum too.  I love the color on the river fish.  They carry that nice gold hue to them.

In total we put 7 miles in the water.  It was a long day with just over 7 hours spent on the water but we covered alot of ground.  I picked a few spots that I wanted to fish in the coming weeks and started to develop a plan for finding the bigger specks.




We ended our day on the water with a nice sunset....


I put together a short video from that day on the water.. we can call it Part 1...

PART 2....Today!!!

With everything that I picked up from the previous trip I wanted to go out and put it to use this morning.  I got to the launch before the sun came up and was on the water in the dark.  It was calm and cool out.  I had my game plan set and was gonna do this trip solo.  The paddle out was easy as no current or wind to throw me around.  I got to the spot and started fishing.  It took awhile for it to really pick up but once it was light out it all turned on. All in all today I caught 8 fish.  6 of them were keepers but were all released back into the river to get bigger.  I got alot of video but the battery died about half way in.  I missed a few fish and had a few follow the lure all the way to the boat and then split when it saw me.  I didnt get any big gator trout but my biggest was 19 in.  The sunrise was beautiful and that alone was worth coming out that early.  It was a great morning to be out there and look forward to hitting it up in the near future again.

sunrise

First fish of the day



wheres my rula?

I threw together another video form todays trip filled with a few hookups before the battery died.




A.