Video Compilation from 2013

For the longest time I had been having problems with Cineform on my computer.  I wasn't able to cut and paste videos from the GoPro's.  I finally figured out the problem and what was hindering that.  If you are having any issues look at your Windows .net Framework!!!  It worked for me.  I put this video together.  It has stuff from our trip to Florida and everything up til now that I have caught on camera.  I hope you dig it.

A.

External Link: http://youtu.be/ekWSJgfy0-U

Skinny Water and a Big Visitor!!

Can you top a scene like that?  Sometimes I find myself on the water in situations where you cant beat the beauty of being on the water.  In the motorless world of kayaks the silence can be deafening at times.  its not necessarily a bad thing,  I can understand how a group like Heroes on the Water can be so successful.  After a busy few weeks packed with stress, A few hours on the water can re-energize and refresh.  I hit one of my favorite places to fish.  Midway up Virginia's Eastern Shore.  There was a placed I passed on fishing many times.  Today would be different.  I was gonna venture into some water that like everywhere up there looked super fishy.  The winds were pretty easy going to begin the trip.  I worked against heavy current trying to hug the sides of the feeder stream.  I hit a flat looking for signs of schooling fish in hopes of getting some pullage.  Then right off my left side I saw it in the water.  In my time spent on the water I don't think I have ever had such a feeling of excitement and fear run through me at the same time.  a large dark shadow right out in front of me.  7-8-9 feet long.  I'm not totally sure on the size but I know it was big enough to make me think about moving to much and causing a commotion in the water.  It circled me once more then likely thinking the same thing I was," Who is that good looking dude in the kayak".  I snapped a photo and he took off.  It was amazing seeing a shark that big and something I wont soon forget.

After all the excitement I worked my way back to where my original plan put me.  With the tide high it gave me plenty of water from 2-4ft.  I found some submerged grass beds and it was game on.  Throwing a spinner bait out in front of the fish produced some great results.

The most exciting type of fishing is when you can see the fish stalk your bait.  Once I figured out the pattern of where these fish were feeding and how to set up to cast to them things worked out great.  On the ultra lite setups they were a blast.  I intended to get the fly rod out but having so much fun I forgot I had it with me.  

After a few money fish It was getting late.  With a little bit of a drive to get back home I knew I should be heading in.  The wind had changed direction while I was out fishing and it was a long hard paddle back.  It took twice the amount of time to get back compared to going out.  All in all it was a great day.  Good exercise and some quality fishing.   Go out there and challenge yourself to find new water.  Don't be afraid to go out and not catch fish.  The greatest risk you can take is not taking one at all.  Challenge yourself to learn more about these fish and how they behave.  It will make for a more satisfying experience on the water in the end.

Kendall and Russ showing off in Lynnhaven

My favorite pic from the trip.

A.

Review: Werner Bent Shaft Kalliste

Rewind to May 28th, 2008.  The year I was starting to get heavy into kayak fishing I was involved in a pretty nasty car accident.  I was out of work for 7 months and had a brand new kayak that I couldn't even take out on the water.  My injuries eventually healed and I fed my addiction to being a plastic navy member.  The first paddle I purchase was a fairly light carbon fiber 2-pc paddle.  It was light, compact and got the job done in the beginning.  After a few hours on the water my left arm (where the injury was) would be sore.  Sometimes even a backwards paddle stroke would even catch me off guard and I would really feel it.  I figured the pain was something that I would have to live with my whole life.  11 screws and 2 plates that held my arm together would hinder me from really ever putting any miles in on the water.  A worthy sacrifice to enjoy the peacefulness and tranquility that is offered by through kayak fishing.

Fast forward to last December.  It was time for a new paddle.  I had researched and looked around.  Picked up every paddle I could.  Checked out what other people were using.All the brands, all the different models, bent shaft or straight shaft, red or blue?  When it was all said and done there was really only 1 logical choice.  Enter the Werner Best Shaft Kalliste.  At 28 oz. this thing feels like a carbon fiber feather.  Yet still feels rigid pulling through the water.  I chose the bent shaft due to my previous injury.  The bent shaft helped me align my wrists while paddling and provide a better paddle stroke therefore creating less discomfort in my injured arm.  When you hold this paddle in your hands it just feels natural.  For the first time in years I was able to really put some distance on my kayak.  The Wilderness Systems Ride 135 is no sports car, but with a paddle like the Kalliste I was cruising all over in it.  The adjustable ferrule system help cut through the wind on those less then perfect days. and its 2 piece design makes it super compact.

Werner makes some top notch products.  They have a paddle that will fit your style of kayaking without a doubt!  With so many different colors you can even customize their look.  From the shoals of Virginia Eastern Shore to the skinny water of Mosquito Lagoon in Florida.  The Kalliste has yet to find a situation it inst suited for.  I hope this review will at least reach 1 person out there in kayak fishing-land who was in the same "boat" as me (pun intended) to make their choice easier when choosing a new paddle.

2013 in pictures

This will mainly serve as a picture post.  2013 has been a busy year.  my wife and I bought a house and have been diligently working on it since March.  I have been able to squeeze a few fishing trips out and have done pretty well.  I hope these pictures can help you appreciate the beauty of our waterways around the area and the fish that reside in them.  There are a few projects in the works that I hope to highlight here once they are finished.  

A.

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.

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.

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.