I was very nervous and excited. I was excited because this was an area of angling I have not yet explored. Nervous about being able to maneuver and fish at the same time. The yak he had for me was a sit-in Heritage 9.5ft feather-light. This was perfect. Being only 5'8 I had more than enough room inside for myself and some gear.
I was glad that the first hole was right next to the launch site and I quickly scored a few small-mouth! The second we started down stream I realized just how freakin cool this is. It is truly great to be able to just glide over areas that I either could not or would not wade. I was able to take in more nature as well while quickly moving form hole to hole.
This being my first time, my mind raced trying to keep track of my line, my yak, and where I was going. I felt as though I did not do bad for a first timer. The bite was on and we caught dozens of smallies with drift rigs and small plastics. Most of the smallies were small but that did not make it any less fun. Crabby Bass Helgies worked really well for us. After a while Ted managed to show me how to read the current to slow my yaks progress, how to park in weeds, and next to objects when needed. The only down side after hours of fishing my arms and ass were killing me. The light weight was awesome at 35 pounds! Way better then the 10 foot aluminum smoker craft I used for years that weighed 200 pounds. The yak fits perfect in my mini-van and my old carcass had no issue bringing it to the vehicle from the water's edge.
I want to thank Ted for this incredible experience and opening my eyes to something I should have been doing for years. It is just the beginning for this angler's kayak adventures.
I’m glad you had fun on your first time. I was also quite thrilled the first time I tried Kayaking, because it’s really challenging to have a battle with the waves! You might get aching joints from the continuous paddling afterwards, but the experience is definitely priceless! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteMarilyn Webb @ Spirit Paddle Sports