Nomad's Kayak Fishing Odysseys

Back from a long break with new changes.

2017-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

So I took a long break from my blogging. What have I been up to. To start I retired from the Navy and decided to start another hobby of mine of making metal art. I call my forge the Angry Anvil Forge.

It's fun and I enjoy it. Going to change the name of the blog to Angry Anvil Forge plus Fishing. I get a lot of inspiration from my fishing and what pops in my head so you will start to see a lot more of that on here. New boat, just got a Wilderness Systems ATAK 140 and I love it. I hope you continue to follow along and enjoy my metal work and fishing. Enjoy.

Fishing the Mississippi Gulf Coast

2014-03-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

It’s been a while since my last post but I will bring you up to speed from my last trip in January.

To start the new year off I was sent to school for a month In Gulfport Mississippi. First stop along the way I made my way through Alabama to see family and friends around Guntersville Lake but due to weather I was unable to fish my home waters so that will have to wait till next time.

Around Montgomery Alabama I was able to meet up with my long time brother and best friend from school, Tony. We were able to have a good breakfast which made for a good pit stop before finishing the last leg to Gulfport.

Now when you think about fishing in January you think of cold water fishing like my post Until My Toes Say Its Time To Go Home, but what I found on the weekends were nice 60 to 70 deg temps for most of the time I was there until the cold snap at the end of the month. The days I did fish were spent in a T-shirt and waders.

Finally in Mississippi all checked in to my room and school I had a few days to do some scouting with google maps and just some driving around. During the week it was all school and at night I would get to chat with my family on Skype which it was always a blessing to see the kids. It made me wish they were there with me to enjoy the adventure.

With the first few trips in this new area I was skeptical about finding some fish but I changed up some tactics a bit and started reading some of the local forums like MSKayakFishing and The Bull along with talking to people I met while out fishing. Out of everyone I met I was always greeted with kindness and respect from fellow anglers. Everyone I talked to or contacted in any way were freely giving advice and help which started getting me zeroed into the fish I was looking for.

A few people I ended up fishing with lead me to an area around the Wolf River off a corner of Bay St. Louis. With everything I have learned from the locals there I put my skills into action. The first few days, I slowly fish the deep holes hooking into some nice sized Speckled Trout slowly jigging some Paul Brown Devils.

There I met up with Jimmy and BJ. Some great guys to fish with and on the way back in we got a little fun tow that saved us a bit of a paddle after a good day out on the water.

But I still needed to get my Red. I hooked up with a few good ones that shook my hook so I looked for some more assistance. This day I met up with Nate and he took me to an area that he has always had some luck. This was a windy day but we went out that evening when he said the bit should turn on. This go around we were chunking top water lures and we were about to give up when Nate hooked into his largest Red at about 33 inches. Water temp was in the 50s and depth was at the 2 ft. mark. Then on we just kept chunking and chunking the lures till it was time to go.

That was my last trip out and I met some great people the whole time in Gulfport. I will say that this an amazing area to see for the angler to experience and I’m sure that during the warmer months of the year this area would be excellent to fish. I will have to wait for another time to get my Gulf Coast Red but at least I got to see a good sized Gulf Coast Red hooked up in January.

Until The next trip and thanks again for all the help from some great people in Mississippi.

Paracord Fishing Lanyards

2013-11-25T08:59:00.001-05:00

One thing this year with my kids was try to learn something new. One thing was to learn the art of parcord or 550 cord lanyard making. For anyone out there there is a plethora of online tutorials that we found for free on youtube or just plain Google searches that with step by step show you how to do anything. This was something my kids and I found easy to pick up on and since we started my boys have started selling some of there work to help them raise money to fund there hobbies. And yes I help them with it as well. I have found it somewhat quite relaxing to do. When we sit together as a family to learn a new pattern and i have there undivided attention, I know that is quality time well spent with the kids. One lanyard that I was able to taylor to my fishing, I added a whistle, pill bottle for a fishing license and some clippers for cutting fishing line. The neck lanyards we have started making I feel are customizable to each persons style of fishing. Hope you like what we have been doing and I hope to see you on the water.

A Scientific Way Of How I Make Catfish Bait.

2013-11-06T06:31:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite times of the year is upon us and a favorite fish to catch is catfish. What I would like to share today with you is a way I sometimes prepare bait for catfish. This is by no way the only way, and everywhere you go someone has there own special way and secrets to doing things. This is one of my ways.

Items you will need.

Chicken Livers
Chicken Gizzards
2 cans of Sardines in oil
Garlic Powder
Vacuum pump and a vacuum chamber

This is really easy.

Mix all items together in the vacuum chamber
Hook up machine and remove all the air you can.

As the air is pumped out all the flavors will begin to infuse within each other for the makings of a catfish delight. I will let this sit in the chamber for about 24 hours, every now and then shaking it around to stir it up. As you do this you will be able to see bubbles rise in the chamber showing you the good stuff is getting all in.

After 24 hours I will freeze half for another time and the other half will be place in another container that will sit outside in a safe place for
One or two days to stink up prior to using.

The gizzrds will hold up un the hook longer than just the liver but the oils from the liver and the sardines is what will help carry the scent and bring the fish to the bait.
This method has given me good luck in the past and i hope that you will find this will help you out and give you an idea for your own brew for a catfish magnet, until then tight lines and happy fishing.

A Clean Up For Your Waterways

2013-10-20T19:34:00.000-04:00

Here is an opportunity that is easy to get started and will make a great difference in your community to help preserve the waterways we all love to enjoy. This story takes place in Virginia Beach Virginia but other states and cities have their own programs as well. This program is called The Adopt A Stream Program.

For a longtime I have always wanted to start something that would be beneficial to the environment and improve the way we see the waters I like to fish. After joining the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association I found an opportunity to start a cleanup after seeing tons of trash in areas that looked like were getting ignored.

Myself and others I'm sure have always been taught to leave an area better than you found it but that wasn't what I was happening. I did a little searching on the internet I quickly found the answers I was looking for from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Adopt A Stream Program. With a quick phone call with Sheila Mary Barnett the Environmental Educator with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. She was able to send me the information I needed and answer any questions I had to help me on my way to get this program started with my club. Inside the packet was all the guidelines and step by step things to look for when setting up your own cleanup. This was easy and it was a simple application for an area that I faxed in and was quickly approved for. Another great bonus I found with this program was that they also send you supplies like bags, gloves and orange vest to help you with your cleanup. To get rid of the trash we collected I made arrangements with the Virginia Aquarium who also takes care of a section of the same waterway though the City of Virginia Beach Adopt a Stream Program. And they have already asked for our joint combined help in future cleanups.

Things were now on a rolling pace I set a date and went to request volunteers from the club. Our first date was completely rained out with hi winds and thunderstorms that wouldn't have made for a great time on the water so we moved to the 19th of October and has still wet but better conditions.

First to arrive, my sons and I quickly set up with the supplies and sign up sheet for the cleanup to hand out as volunteers started to arrive. Still with the rain I was wondering if anyone would show but soon we ended up with a total of 11 people to assist with the cleanup efforts. One set of Volunteers Anthony and Shan from Inkblot tees donated a batch of T shirts to the club to give out for free to the people helping. Set up for after the event the club even pitched in to buy pizzas for all the help. We were on our way to make a difference for our waterway.

Every one now out cleaning trash.

Everyone quickly was able to get to areas that needed great attention. We found trash everywhere.

From the shore to on land we found trash everywhere.

This is a great opportunity to get you kids involved in the environment and teach them good morals.

I had my boat all loaded down and back to the boat ramp we went.

As people showed back up we found we had collected 21 bags of trash a chair and other stuff that was now removed from our waterways.

This ended up being a very successful event and we even got to the local news. http://www.wavy.com/news/local/va-beach/volunteers-help-remove-trash-from-water

Now with all this cleanup done for now lessons learned would be to have more bags, we ran out. This was a 2 hour event and everyone there put forth the effort and it was much needed. We made a difference out there and as we hit the boat ramp with all the trash it felt good to be greeted with thanks from the onlookers from shore.

This is an easy program to get into and anyone can do it. From a small family to a club like the TKAA anyone can make your waterway in your community better. Ask yourself, what can you do in your area to make it better. See ya on the water.

The Lake Tecumseh Trip

2013-07-28T16:10:00.003-04:00

This is off a canal from Lake Tecumseh that has a narrow dam to cross over at the end. The water is about the clearest I've seen around here and depth around 1 to 20 feet in a vast portion of this area. We caught 4 all bass around 16 in and 2 White perch.

Son Angelo got his first bass here. Using deep diving cranks and white curly tailed grubs on jig heads

Here is a little video of our trip. We hope that you like it.

After were we done fishing we went over to the boat portage and had a little fun.

We made it back to the boat launch and it was time to go home.

Mission Accomplished and a well traveled day . He deserved this nap.

The End

New Water To Fish For Sons Birthday

2013-07-14T17:02:00.003-04:00

It was a great day to be out on the water with one of my fishing buddies for his birthday. This day was a day of first for him and I both. To start our journey we headed out to the Pungos driving though farm country on our way to new water to fish. Our goal this year is not to fish the same spot twice so we picked a spot and headed off. Our adventure lead us to Old Pungo Ferry Rd. At the end of this road is an old marina that looks abandoned and a newer kayak launching area that is free to park.

Once in the water we headed north toward Altons Creek. Armed with Beetle Spins we attacked the grass edges and Orion was able to land his first bass.

I kept hooking up with Yellow Perch that never made it to the boat . After a while it was Orion that had caught anything then the wind started up and we started getting pushed against the grass so we high tailed it up the creek towards the feeder ditch that leads back to the main river.

Once back to the main river we started out way back and took the upper horse shoe and found something cool.

What we found was a boat graveyard where people have left there dying boats. There looked like old barges as well that were everywhere just rotting away. We attempted to fish here as well but just more rubble than anything so we headed out across the river to some man made channels and we fished there.

It wasn't long and Orion got hooked up again with another bass and we knew we found a great spot.

We caught us some Bowfins here as well in this little channel. My son got his fist ever Bowfin then I caught one as well. It was a fun time.

More bass for Orion then I was able to land my first Pickerel. Cool looking fish if you ask me.

We head further into the creek and we both land a few Bluegill then at the end of the creek I end up with the smallest catfish I have ever caught in my life.

After that it was close to noon and we both were starting to feel the heat of the day upon us so we headed back to the launch. Six hours on the water for the both of us and what an adventure we had. I look forward to coming back to see this stuff again. So much still to check out and fish we didn't have the time for. So until next time we will see ya on the water.

Tight lines everyone.

The Original Kayak Fishing Lure

2013-07-06T13:50:00.003-04:00

Rainy Day Project DIY

The Kayak Fishing Lure

By David Sanders

also seen in
Kayak Angler Magazine Online
https://www.rapidmedia.com/tackle-kayak-fishing/item/1437-diy-kayak-lure.html

This is a project that I have wanted to do for a while. I thought how cool it would be to make a lure that looked like a kayak. Here is how I completed this build. With a little imagination and some things you could find in your junk drawer you can make one of your own.

Items needed for this project:

ü Soft wood

ü Pencil

ü Fast drying 2 part epoxy with small mixing cup and mixing stick

ü Knife and or a scroll saw

ü A hand die sander/ grinder tool or similar

ü Paint and brushes

ü Spray on polyurethane

ü Eyebolts

ü Split rings

ü Hooks

ü Sand Paper

1. Take some soft wood and cut it down to what you would think your own kayak would be scaled down. For this build I used some 1 ½ “x ¾ “furring strips from a local hardware store and cut it to 5 ½ “long.

2. Next I drew some guide lines to reference the shape of my kayak on all sides. These lines will help keep you from cutting to much out of one side than the other and retain a even look in the end.

3. Now with a sharp knife or scroll saw cut out the general shape of your lure. Don’t worry about shaping it much until you have carved out the seating and cargo areas. By doing that you will be able to have a more stable base to set the kayak down while you carve the seat and cargo areas.

4. Carve the seat and cargo area out of the boat then start to shape your lure along the guide lines you made earlier. After you have your shape cut out you can then fine tune the features with the sander and regular sand paper till your line now run smoothly and you are satisfied with the look.

5. Added to the look of this rigging party I took a golf tee and with the die sander I carved the head of the tee to look like my fish finder. Once satisfied I drilled a hole for the placement then glued it in. That will help it get to the fish. Next I found a small plastic square tube and cut the bottom out to resemble a milk crate

6. After you have sanded it smooth, dust it off and proceed to the painting process. At this time I glued the eyebolts in with the epoxy then applied a sealcoat on the wood. That will help water proof your lures and made it ready for paint. Seal and paint your lure in a well vented area.

7. Glue in your milk crate with the 2 part epoxy.

8. Once all paint and detail have been applied I then spayed the lure with clear polyurethane and let dry. One or 2 coats is all I needed.

9. Attach your split rings and hooks then test float your lure in the sink.

10. Now happy with your creation, enjoy it and go out to try to catch a fish.

Plan B- At the Creek Without A Paddle

2013-07-05T14:00:00.004-04:00

Took the kids today to try and catch some catfish. Water was high and the plan was to paddle up the creek to a spot I like and drop lines to the bottom for Mr Wiskers. Kids got up early, helped load the gear and we were off to Bobs fishing hole.

We got there , paid our launch fee, bought some minnows and continued to set up the boats. With everything almost rigged up I go to grab the paddles and I notice a problem, one set of paddles were two rights. Because we left a boat home the kids grabbed some paddles, I didn't check before we left home so now we went to plan B.

We set up at the end of one of the docks and tossed out some lines. With the boat traffic around the area I am sure led to the lack of a bite we had this morning.

I allowed two of my boys to go try the other side of the water where I could still watch them but after a while they just came back to the dock where I was and fishing with my daughter.

She had a great time just playing with the minnow bucket and by the time we were ready to go all the minnows were dead and still no fish.

Even after not being able to go fishing the way we wanted and not catching anything the kids enjoyed themselves. Plan B still worked and it was better than being up the creek without a paddle. Lessons learned on this trip it to color code the paddles with there match. This might keep this from happening again. Hope the next trip down this way will be better for them. Until our next trip tight lines.

Exploring The Virginia Beach Back Waters

2013-06-18T18:11:00.001-04:00

When you hear the City of Virginia Beach what do you think about. The thing that first pops into my head is salt water fishing. What you don't think about is the fresh water side. I’ve been living in this area since 1999 and even though I knew it was here I never thought about fishing it, even though my roots were bass fishing. This year I have taken a step back from the salt and put both feet into the fresh water fishing locations that I can find and I will tell you I am glad I did it. The salt is fun yes but to explore remote areas that boat traffic cannot get to and still find fish with the added tranquility and relaxation away from everything. This makes the back waters of Virginia Beach a still untapped getaway still with plenty of areas to fish around and find your soul.

This year one of my best purchases so far I have to say is a book written by a fellow kayak fisherman Charlie Bruggemann. I purchased this book from Wild River Outfitters off Rosemont Rd and Virginia Beach Blvd, and they always have a copy on hand for purchase. Charlie is the author of The Fresh Water Fishing Guide to Virginia Beach and has been fishing these local waters for so long I see him as a local fishing icon that has much to teach to anyone that is willing to listen. You can be sure to see Charlie almost weekly in his YouTube fishing reports Fishing With Charlie, where he will take you on a back water journey to areas in his book and map out the days route and show you the lures he was using. Thank you for a great book.

After reading the book and watching some reports I have now visited 3 different areas and have been amazed at what I have seen. I was able to take my children out with me without having to worry about boat traffic or worry about them with fast currents and changing seas. As they grow I will venture out to more with them but for now start them small.

One of our recent trips was to a small creek off North Landing Rd past the Virginia Beach Court House. Go down the road till you see a bridge that crosses the Inter Coastal Waterway and you will be there. There is a nice guy by the name of Chuck that is building a home that lives there. Knock on the door and give him $5.00 to use his property as a launch and you will be in the water in no time.

This creek runs back about a mile and is loaded with a fish called Bowfin. This is a fun and exciting fish to catch and if you got kids this would be the trip to take them on. Just be careful, a must have to take with you would be a good set of Boga Grips or Fish Grips. These fish have teeth and you don’t want to lip them. The day I went we were using Pig & Jigs along with small diving crank baits. I think some beetle spins lures would have worked better in this area.

We landed one but it was great to watch my kids routinely hook up with a fighting 16 to 25 in fish that was aggressively splashing them with water was priceless.

This is a trip to do again with them soon. On the way back it was still a great time for the kids and they got to practice their boat skills and see some wonderful wildlife in this remote area.

If you haven’t gotten out fishing these back waters here in Virginia Beach you are missing out. Go out and buy the book and get yourself started. You will be happy you did.

Mattawoman Creek Trip Looking for Snakehead

2013-06-04T19:09:00.001-04:00

So some buddies and myself went to Mattawoman Creek and Mallows Bay in Md for 3 days to look for Snakeheads. Ended up as an epic bass trip. We stayed at Smallwood State Park. Its a great place so hope you can check it out if you go. Here is the videos

Our last day was at Mallows Bay and we had a little fun on the kayak launch heading out there. We had a great 3 day trip and lots of fishing. Keeping this short so enjoy.

DIY ROD REPAIR

2013-05-29T17:25:00.001-04:00

Have you ever broke a good fishing rod. I did. If it isn't covered by a warranty then you have two choices, shorten it or repair it. For this I was able to repair this rod to use with a few things.

1- wire cutters
2- small steel rod cut to slide smoothly 3/4" on each side of break.
4- some braid line
5- two part epoxy adhesive

Cut your rod and test fit into each side of break.
Mix epoxy well and coat one half of metal rod and insert into one side of rod then the other to quickly coat both sections of the pole.
After that is done apply some more then place in one of the sections.
Apply some more epoxy to the other half of the metal rod and press both sections together and hold till set. The epoxy I used allows 5 min work time so work fast.
After that has set apply another coat of epoxy and then start a tight wrap with the braided line applying more epoxy as needed to coat the braid. The braid will soak up the epoxy and act like a fiberglass reinforcement on the rod.

After all was set for a day test your rod. Mine was able to go to work again and saved my fishing pole to catch fish another day. Sorry for the bad pics but wasn't sure if it would work at first so I took pics at the end.

Sea Line E Case Waterproof Phone Case

2013-05-23T15:52:00.001-04:00

Let me tell you about the Sea Line E Case by Cascade Designs. If you are in need of a phone case to keep your phone out of the elements and still be able to use it this is the case for you.
I bought this from Wild River Outfitters in Virginia Beach for around $30.00. The one I got was for an IPOD phone but it fit my phone perfectly. Also use it for my IPOD Classic to play some tunes if I'm on the water.
Pair this with a clip to keep it accessable on you PFD and a set of waterproof speakers and you will be set for a day on the water without your device getting wet.
Sea Line makes some great products that fit the need for kayak fishermen. Check them out.

Home Made Gaff

2013-05-18T18:31:00.001-04:00

In process of an upcoming fishing trip to the Potomac River area in search of Northern Snakehead. An invasive fish that is on the wanted list that is threatening to possibly take over I have started making a few fishing tools to help with the kill process and landing of this monster. A few items and you to can make one the same.
Stainless rod bent to shop with a point.
A hammer handle from the hardware store.
Marine Epoxy. Drill Hole at end of handle insert rod with epoxy and let set.
PAINT. Get creative.
550 Cord. Look around on YouTube and you can learn any little weaving techniques to add to your gear. Even to make your own leashes for your rods.
With all this together you can now make your own gaff. And the same above without the hook you will have a nice wacking stick to kill your snakehead monster . Now get to work and make your own. Later.

Daiwa AIRD 4000SH Reel and Daiwa Procyon Fishing Rod Review

2013-05-16T21:21:00.003-04:00

If you are in the market for a new fishing rod to target some inshore Reds, Specks or Flounder this could be something for you.

I was in the market for a new rod after a car wreck I was in took out one of my Team Daiwa rods. I stopped by Oceans East 2 to replace to broken one and saw the Procyon line of rods and made the purchase for a 7 ft medium heavy action rod.

I paired this rod with a Daiwa AIRD 4000SH. An excellent reel with 9 ball bearing, 6-2-1 gear ratio and light weight.

Over the last week I have been able to give them some good fish getting action in the morning and around lunch time to get a good feel for it and I wasn't disappointed.

With the features built into this rod like Minima black ring guides, a durable IM-7 graphite rod blank, micro pitch taping blank and Minima real seat with a woven carbon fiber hood this rods performance will speak for itself.

While using this rod you will find the ability to make a long cast and with the sensitivity to feel the slightest of nibbles and strength to real in a trophy sized fish I feel this makes an excellent choice for a superior inshore rod.

Together this rod and reel combo is light weight, comfortable in your hands and will help any angler land there catch in the boat. You will be happy you got them.

Kayak Fishing Little Yellow Perch Video

2013-02-26T20:53:00.001-05:00

This is a little video I put together to test out my camera mount mod. Sorry about it being short but the batteries on my GoPro didn't charge fully and it died before I got to all the days action. First YouTube video hope yall like.

YakAttack Dog Bone and YakAttack PanFish Mod

2013-02-21T21:49:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been out and the camera mount that you were using didn’t want to cooperate. This was my issue. The mount I was using had a flexible arm system that I would use to wrap around the top of my fish finder then try and take the picture.

I finally had enough of the fiddling around on the kayak trying to take a picture while holding a fish and the camera would start sliding from where I mounted it. I felt the need for a better system...
The system I found to be the best setup for my kayak was the Dog Bone from YakAttack.

This great system combined with other YakAttack products like the MightyMount, Screwball, and the Fullback for the backing plate. I would make a solid mount to hold my camera and a versatile mounting base.

It was now time to install the mount. For those that feel unsure of how everything goes together Luther from YakAttack has made some very helpful videos and has them available on his website.

For this install I used the help from my twelve year old. I had an unused mounting location just behind the fish finder. After drilling four holes for the mounting plate, we then added some sealant. We secured the mounting plate though the plastic into the Fullback. The MightyMount comes with all the hardware and tools (minus the drill and bit). The Fullback plate I purchased seperately from Wild River Outfitters. The Fullback came with a smaller threaded nuts, but I had some smaller threaded stainless bolts that I used instead.

After tightening the bolt, we installed the Screwball to the MightyMount and then installed the Dog Bone to the Screwball. All there was left to do was now attach my camera or the GoPro for whatever shots I wanted to take.

This was an extremely easy install. The amount of time taken to do everything was less than ten minutes. I now have a great looking and adjustable mounting system without the worry of the camera falling overboard.

Since I was in the mood to do some installations, I had another project in mind for a YakAttack product I already had. For the longest time I’ve been using the PanFish to video some of my trips. The PanFish is another great innovative product that Luther had created. It mounts to any GearTrac or installed track system that already comes on a factory kayak using the MightyBolt.

After looking around at some spare parts I had laying around, I came up with a small plan to get a little more from the PanFish that I wanted.

With the use of a Screwball and modifying a bolt, I attached the ball to the base of the PanFish so I could now adjust the angle of the camera for video/picture taking further out from the kayak. The ball is removable, so if I want to put it back into the track I could do that as well. I basically made the PanFish into a Longer Dog Bone.

Luther continues to make great innovative products that benefit the kayak fishing community and I’m sure I will get a lot of use from these camera mounts for a long time.

Untill my toes say its time to go.

2013-02-17T15:27:00.003-05:00

Feb 17, 2013
Air temp: 32 deg
Water temp: 44 deg
Location: Back to the Northwest River
Wind: 10 to 20 mph gusts

Woke this morning to meet up with Patrick at the Elizabeth River but was greeted with snow. After I got the snow off the truck I headed down to the river where we felt that 10 to 20 mph winds was not going to work for us so we headed off to try our luck at the Northwest River.

Got to the launch at 0900 and grabbed our gear then headed out toward and past the bridges to find some new holes to drop our lines in.

Bait of choice for the day was minnow and Beetlespins with minnows. Right away I found a small school and was able to land two small Yellow Perch. That was about the end of my luck for the day. After a few hours we headed back toward the bridge and tried there for a while. Patrick landed some good sized Crappie. I was also looking for the Crappie but it was not going to be my day. We stayed till basically our toes said it was time to go home. Even with the cold it was a great time out on the water. I will do it again any time.

My search for Yellow Perch

2013-02-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

To be a member of an awesome fishing club like the Tidewater Kayak Angler Association (TKAA), means having some awesome friends that are part of a group that will always have fun and safe events to participate in. One of the things we do to have fun is to hold monthly tournaments/competitions. By doing these tournaments/competitions, I feel it help’s an average angler paddle out from his or her comfort zone and teaches them to become a more than average angler. This month the fish on the list to catch are the Yellow Perch and Crappie. I’ve caught many Crappie in youth but the Yellow Perch was never a fish I considered before.

My latest quest took me to the Northwest River located in Chesapeake, Virginia. The site to launch from was Bob’s Fishing Hole.

The first time I tempted my fate at Bob’s Fishing Hole, I met up with some friends from TKAA. The forecast for the day was said be set for a high of 50 degrees. But when we arrived at about 8 o’clock in the morning, it was a different story. According to my truck temperature sensor it 27 degrees, we prayed it was going to warm up some. Pulling the kayaks to the launch we were greeted with a nice layer of frost on the ground.

Even with cold temps we paddled out to try and find the fish. Using my fish finder we figured we try and mark fish on the bottom. Our bait of choice for the day was a mixture of minnows, and jigs. But even after we found the fish, we were having no luck in hooking any. We figured out why the fish were not biting. We had just had some serious rain fall the last few days and the water was really muddy. With still having bait to use, we fished on.

After we got to an area to be known for holding good fish, we were greeted with more friends of the plastic navy (more TKAA members). We later joked about the TKAA taking over the Northwest River, ha ha ha. There were quite a few of us out there that day.

Every now and then a few small fish were caught, but none by me L. I found a spot on my fish finder just up the river that looked like a good hole. So we set off in that direction to try our luck. After we arrived I saw some good fish below, my buddy Patrick figured he would be funny and cast right next to me. Sure enough he hooked into a 22” Bowfin. It was the biggest fish of the day.

We fished for a while longer and then tried the bridges out next to the boat launch. I still had nothing but my other buddy Mike was able to land a few small Crappie.

It was time to go home.

The following week, I headed to the Northwest River again. This time I went out on my own. I needed some time to myself. I just loss my grandmother during the week and needed to get out on the water at that moment. I needed to clear my head.

I set out with my fish finder in an attempt to find the fish. The bait of choice today was minnow’s. After about an hour and a half, I was greeted with a hefty tug on my line that spun me in two complete circles. I fought this fish for about five minutes and brought it up to the surface. Low and behold I was surprised with a 31”, 15 lbs Blue Catfish. It was my first fish of the year, yeah baby! My largest fish to date ever caught out of my yak.

About an hour later while talking to a boater about the local fishing, I was greeted with my very first Yellow Perch, 10 ½ inches.

Still having bait, I decided to keep fishing the bottom. A hefty tug to the line and being spun around in circles again, I was beginning to think this fish was aiming to tip my kayak over by going under and around. After a short fight and remaining dry, I was then greeted by a 29 ½ inch, 12 lbs Blue Catfish. This day was turning out to be a rather great day even though I didn’t get to keep my Blue Catfish since they were just shy of the 32 inch keeper mark. This will not keep me from trying again another day.
**UPDATE** BLUECAT BELLOW THE VIRGINIA FALLLINE HAS NO LIMIT BUT ONLY ONE CAN BE KEPT OVER 32 INCHES. I HAD THE WRONG INFO.**

I would like to say my Grandmother was with me that day and she was the one to place the fish on my hook. Thanks Grandma for a wonderful day of fishing.

The Evolution of Kayak Transport

2013-02-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

So when you buy a kayak think of how you are going to transport it around. Be it on a car or in a truck. This is my tale of what I have experienced though out the last year. It all started with one kayak, but with having a large family I found my one-man fishing fleet quickly grew from one to four. With that said most would go about the usual way and buy something from Yakima with all the bells and whistles if you have the money for a rack / bed extender. Myself being a welder, I took the route of making my own racks / bed extenders for my truck. And boy does it get the job done!

To start, one bare bone kayak with the need to get covered in fish slime and marsh mud.

Next, I had to figure out what I was going to build and the materials I was going to use to construct this yak fishing helper of a contraption and get to work. I had some left over materials from a trailer build I had done previously. So I started working on a single battle yak carrier. This battle yak carrier would mount to the yak-battle wagon (aka my truck) via the tow hitch. I welded it up, ground and smoothed the edges out. I also tricked my kids into manual labor by telling them how fun it is to help with projects.

Phase One - The single yak carrier set up I first made was quite simple, and it’s very quick and easy to hook up. It makes loading and unloading of the kayak fast and extremely easy. It also made it possible to go to different areas in the same day to fish if I wanted to. This system was great for the one yak but as time went on, I found that more yaks I owned meant the need to adjust the yak carrier and make it more accessible to carry more than one.

Now Phase Two of the yak carrier was in effect...

Armed with the same help from my kids as before, it was now time to redesign the battle yak carrier from a single to double. After a slight modification in the original design, plus some cutting and grinding along with a little touch of paint, the finished product came out amazing. It can now make a few fishing buddies have a great time so they too an get in the water for some fishing action.

Now by this time I could carry a total of four kayaks. Two on the yak carrier and two more stacked on top of them, but the max that I’m doing with this trip was three due to all the extra fishing gear we were taking with us. I didn’t want to take the risk of damaging any rods with a fourth yak that would be stowed in the bed of the truck.
Phase Three - The next step, but not the last. I’ve been working on a plan for the Yak-Battle Wagon. I’ve taken some time on this one. I wanted to make sure it looked and functioned. I have looked around online and stalked around a few parking lots armed with a tape measure to gather a few ideas. I was able to come up with a design of my own for the Yak-Battle Wagon. It’s a kayak rack to mount on top of the camper. After about two weeks of pondering and doodles on paper I was able to whip two of these up in about 4-hours.

Took me a bit to get the angle right on the pads to bolt down but after a while things worked out.

This is how I made the bends for the kayak saddles. A little portable press brake I made a few years back. It comes in handy every now and then.

Time for the fun part again. I got the grinding done and got the kids to work on the prep for paint. I Love my little helpers. Gave them some sand paper and let them go. Presto, I was able to paint.

With the primer all dry ad some color to make some things pop and it was time to work on the placement for mounting the rack to the top of the camper shell.

Phase Four - Time to finish up the yak saddles. Oh there going to look sweet…

All primed and painted.

Time to do some drilling.

For what I chose for the material to cover the saddles with; I went with Rigid HDPE Polyethylene Marine Grade Sheet, 1/4" Thick, 24" x 24", Black from McMaster-Carr. I ordered it and it was shipped by the next day. Great customer service from this company. Before deciding to go with this material I figured I'd email an expert on this type material and pick his brain for how to best work with this material for shaping it. So I emailed Luther from YakAttack. A master of his craft with everything he has done with this sport and always willing to help someone out. Thanks Luther.

Cut the material to length and ripped it to 6-inch widths. Rounded the corners, heated the bends with a heat gun then bolted everything together after countersinking the bolts.

I didn’t have a good countersink bit so with the heat gun I heated the bolt areas and sucked the tapered bolts into the plastic.

Time to bolt everything to the rack and place it on the camper now.

Now isn't that the greatest thing you ever saw. LOL

Now with that all done, it was time to strap down the kayak on the truck and get it out on the water in the morning.

Hope you enjoyed my little project and I will see ya on the water.

Tight Lines Everyone.

UPDATE!!!!

The newest mod for the new truck. Needed to get this in here.

Of course I painted the bars to match the truck.

I finished this a while back but figured itneeded to get added.

Enjoy everyone.

My 2012 Striper Season

2012-12-30T15:50:00.003-05:00

My 2012 Striper season started off on my birthday November 10th on a trip out of Wallace Marina in Hampton Virgina. It was my fist time out after Sandy blew through the area and I was still hopefull to find some gator specks. Didnt find the Specks but I did find a small school of Striper in which I was able to get this on on a topwater Bomber Badonk-A-Donk. Not what I was searching for but always enjoy a good pull no mater what it is.

Since work is a priority and family comes first I got back out on the water in December a month later where I hooked up with a couple of fishing buddies Mike (FishNinja), and Patrick (HarborPartrol) from the TKAA and we thought that we would give Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach a try.

We launch from Crab Creek and paddled out to the bridge.

Mike was able to hook a small drum in the tail off the bottom with a jig, of course I didnt get anything this trip but was able to try out my new Frogg Togg wadders in which I think work great and I think Patrick got a few bites.

By the end of the night after fighting the current around the bridge I feel the best part was passing the bar by the water wishing the fishing was a little better in that spot so i could fish, listen to drunk people singing and watch sports on the big tv all from my yak. Still it was good company and great to be out fishing.

A week later I was out at the HRBT. The bite was on and I spent the night trolling back and forth allong the bridge with the Striper on force with a surprising hit an pull from some good slot sized fish though the night. Patrick got a few that night himself. Myself I was able to get 7 good ones between 18 to 21 inches. I got there at 1800 and I left about 0100 in the morning.

With my 2 chosen keepers for the night.

All packed up ready for the trip to the house. Cooked them the next day with some breading and a little olive oil and butter in the bottom of the pan and it was melt in your mouth goodness. I was ready for some more.

It was now time try my luck at getting myself a Cow Striper. Been planning this trip for a while so Mike came over to the house and we carpooled across the bay to Kiptopeke to try our luck at the Concrete Ships. First stop we headed over along the way to Oceans East 2 and grabed us about 6 eals each from Kayak Kevin and the shop crew there and some extra hooks and some weight for our leaders and we were northbound to the ships.

We tryed around the ships for a while with no luck then looking out to the horizon and seeing that everyone else was heading out to deeper water we felt that maybe someone knows something we dont. So with the old saying, (When in Rome, Do like the Romans do.), we headed out on our way to the hopefully promised water of big fish. We started out drift with the incomming tide around the bouy and with my fishfinder I watched our distance and after a good drift of 3 1/2 miles Mike and I got to feeling that the ships were looking a little far off so we started our very slow trip against the current back to the ships. If we waited another hour we would have had a much better trip back with the outgoing tide.

Back to the ships it we were dropping some eals and since we both had some Blue Crab we tried at some Tog too. Again everything was slow no hits and everyone I talked to said they were having no luck. There was a report of a few 30 pounders being caught but the were few and far between. After this trip I was down with the flu for about 2 weeks with the family. Fishing was the last thing on my mind then I just wanted to feel better.

photo by: Mike Manning

Now feeling better but not 100%, 28th December my final night for the 2012 Striper season was again a slow night for the fishing for me. I did have a good time though. I met up with a few guys from the TKAA like Jeff, and Dave (SurfDawg) and we set out from the public boat ramp on the Norfolk side of the HRBT. There was a lot of kayakers out there that night and was glad to meet a lot of them and put a face with the name. There were fish being caught that night but all in the 10 to the occatiional 17 in range from the reports people I was able to get from poeple as i was passing by them. I had fish all around me at some points where i could have touched them but they didnt like what I was giving them on the menu. Heared from some guys that were in ear shot of me after they hooked up a few times that they were useing some jerkshad on jigheads, well I didnt bring any that night. I was still a great night to be on the water and good company to talk to. Glad I went out. Untill next year everyone Tight Lines And Good Safe Fishing.

OPC Experimental GIS Data and Products For Google Earth

2012-11-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

Google has come along way. Since I havent been able to get on the water latley I have been doing some time online and came across this cool ability by NOAA that will be able to allow you to put pluggins into Google Earth. What you end up doing while on Google Earth is to open the NOAA link and look for some wind or Gulf Stream info and it will plug in onto the Google Earth map you have open for current or future predictions of what you are looking for. Looks easy to use and another way to help plan a fishing day out on the water. Some screen shots of some of it i was messing around with below. Cheers yall and tight lines .

Just check out the links above.

Olympus Tough TG-1 review

2012-11-11T16:02:00.001-05:00

My wife surprised me earlier this year with a new camera that I can take with me while kayaking. She got me the Olympus Tough TG-1. I have found this to be a well put together camera with watertight doors for usb plug in along with one for memory SD card.

Since getting it and useing the crap out of it I have got to say that it lives up to what it says. They say its shock proof, I have dropped it. They say its water proof, I've gone under with it. They say its freeze proof, well I put it in the freezer and it still worked. Im happy with it, and it takes great pictures.

With 12.0 mega pic, 3" LCD display, and you can charge battery or download pics with just the one cord without having to take battery or memory card out, easy to use controls. This camera has worked out well for me and my family.

Ive been able to find this camera from $399.00 in stores and some EBAY finds for new but refurbished ones for $200.00 and up. Ive bought refurbished electronics in the past and have had good luck but its up to you and what you are comfortable with from your wallet. There are also other lenses for this model that can be bought for extra zoom for around $100.00. For myself I just made an extra lanyard with a float with D-ring to clip it to my vest or something to secure it to and I was good. I hope this might help some of you out, I will think if you got one you would be happy with it.

Kiptopeke Concrete Ships to Elizabeth River Mad Dash.

2012-10-16T10:59:00.000-04:00

We have been wanting to do this trip for a while now. Ever since we found out about the ships it has been in the back of my mind to get out there and catch some Tau Tog.

This has been a fish that has always been out of my reach untill I got my kayak. Started doing some homework watching YouTube videos, reading articles and even messaged Rob Choi and Kayak Kevin to just make sure that the currents weren't going to be to much for my kids to handle. Again thanks for the help on the current info.

On this trip my buddy Brice joined us and checked in throughout the morning.

The plan was to time our trip a few hours before and after slack tide. From the tide chart it looked like slack tide was around 0700 but we didn't get it till about 1030. We paddled out attempted to fish but it was just to fast so we ended up finding what my son now calls his honey hole, a room opened up to the outside which allowed us to paddle right inside and we waited out the ripping tide outside.

While inside we fished and sure as anything we were having a blast catching the fish we were going for. Inside myself and Orion caught our first ever Togs.

My first was a little 10 incher and Orion caught a 15 incher.

I got another 14 incher and then we both caught more smaller ones along with Orions everyother Toad Fish.

Mario wasn't able to hook up on this part just got his bait took every time. After slack tide hit we ventured outside and found a good sized crack. We hooked back up with our quarter BlueCrab and dropped lines in the water. I there hooked up with a nice 17 1/2 in Tog landed and Orion hooked up with a bigger one that shook the hook at the boat.

Mario still fighting the bait stealers kept his moral up with a good since of laughter and just enjoyed being out there. Bait gone by 1230 it was time head to our next location for some Specks.

Back across the CBBT toward Top Rack Marina on the Elizabeth River off 17. Hours there are between 0800 and 2200 for the gate opening and 5 dollars to park. Easy drag to the launch with some dodgeing of the fiddler crabs and oyster beds and we were in the water.

Doing some drifts toward the bridge and along the bank and we ended up with 3 good sized Specks. 2 18 in and 1 19 in Speck.

Kids had a blast for the day and with the last good light we headed back in. A fishing trip to remember and cant wait to get back to the ships again.

My Lowrance Elite-4 DSI Fish Finder Install On Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140

2012-09-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Well I have been wanting to do this for a long time now. This week I got to the install of my fish finder for my Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140. The unit I ended up going with is the Lowrance Elite-4 DSI. This unit also has a mapping feature that should come in handy when I shall mark my new found fishing holes as I will find them. The install started with finding the spot I felt was more user friendly in placement. First thing I sat in the kayak and had one of my boys hold the fish finder in different spots to test how easy it was to operate.

Using a RAM mount to attach the unit to the kayak, I ended up having to shave with a grinder on two spots on the base to allow it to fit within the factory mounting area.

Now that the base was mounted it was time to install the scupper mount with the transducer. Since my style yak didn't have a rear access hatch behind the seat i ended up placing the scupper mount in the forward left hole.

With a little trimming to the lower plastic holder it ended up fitting nice and snug within the bottom groove out of the way so it will not get snagged or damaged when beaching after a long day of fishing.

Now to run the wires. A fellow fisherman Hanover Yaker in his blog Froggin For Bass used some cool wire hull threws that I was able to find at Boaters Warehouse.

I used two once I found the ideal spots to route the wires. Drilled two holes and with some marine sealant sandwiched between everything it made a nice water tight seal around the wires.

I did already have an existing RAM base from a GPS mount I had on the kayak before. I left enough wire that attached to the head unit so I now have the option to mount the fish finder in two spots on the kayak. That was somewhat not the original plan but it worked out in my favor.

The battery box is another good project to make this whole project come together. After doing my own research and reading other post from other kayak fishermen along with a phone call to another fellow yaker (Chip) who gave me his idea for adding a car adapter plug to the box, this was my direction to go.

Found a dry box from Wild River Outfitters and started cutting the foam to the placement of how I wanted everything to go together inside.

Even had room to store the head unit for when I wasn't using it. Drilled one hole on the handle side of the box, attached the female outlet sealed with more marine sealant, completed the wire job and now I just plug the power cord for the fish finder to the box and presto instant power.

The box now can be used to charge my phone in case of an emergency or some other 12 volt device can be plugged in. Thanks to all that had information from there installs to read and tell and thanks for a wife that encouraged me to buy some of the parts for this project. She supports me in my fishing and without her I couldn't have the best fishing partners a man could ask for, my kids. Been a fun project for the whole family now let's fish.