Addition to the fleet: Tarpon 140

This week I headed up to Appomattox River Company and picked up my new Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140.  Of course there is only one color kayak for me.  I was pretty excited to add a second boat to the fleet this year.  Since I started kayak fishing, I have fished from a Ride 135.  The Ride 135 is a fantastic boat,  Unmatched stability and tons of room to fish from.  The tarpon is a much smaller and faster kayak. 

When you first look at the Tarpon 140 you notice that is has the sleek lines of a Wilderness boat.  It just looks fast.  It is noticeably thinner in width then the Ride series too.  I picked the boat and lifted it onto my Jeep.  Strapped it down and headed back to the southside.  3 days of warm weather ahead, I wanted to try and get on the water at least one of them.

 

Phase 3 seat is super comfortable and adjustable.  The Ride has a great seat that I fell in love with but this one blows it out of the water.

Like I said before...It looks fast.

I was surprized at the amount of storage space that this thing had.

Plenty of track space to mount any and everything you need.

All in all this boat performed very well for me on my first day.  Hopefully later this spring I can give a little more indepth review on it.  Its only been on the water once and in some windy conditions it did great.  It even got smiled up a little bit too.   Stay tuned for that fishing report here soon!!

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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..

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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

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