I went out on a float today with Jeff from the blog The Fish Whisperer. It was my first river float with my Native Ultimate and I wasn't sure how it was going to handle. We hit the river just as the sun was meeting the water.
I still don't feel comfortable scaling any type of rapids. I got stuck on a couple and had to get out to move the kayak. There was really no danger but I found it a little nerve racking trying to get the boat unstuck. Jeff was patient with me even though I'm sure I slowed him down. We fished the banks and after catching several sunfish I decided to try a spinner bait. It took awhile but I finally caught a bass.
Jeff hooked up often and it really showed that there's more to spin fishing than just throwing it out there. Each bait can be fished with a different technique and it takes skill to be efficient at using everything. I watched Jeff catch fish on what seemed like everything he threw in the water. He was even catching fish right under my boat. While we were talking near some blow downs I heard this splash then saw a monster bass go under my boat. I could tell by it's size right away that the fish was going to be good size. 
The fish was right at five pounds and a trophy for sure. My day wasn't as fruitful and I kept fighting keeping my boat in the direction I wanted while casting. It seemed like I could only get one good cast and the yak would be out of position. I still enjoyed the day and took in the scenery.
I'm on the fence on whether on not I like fishing from a kayak. It's alot more difficult than I thought it would be. I'll give it a few more tries before a make a decision.
Nice going Kevin! I'm kind of sitting back and waiting to see how things go here before I make the jump. I think you'll be fine with some time on the water. I'm actually jealous. Your first photo is now my desktop background. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks Howard, A yak was a lot more effort intensive than I thought but I'm still trying to make it work.
DeleteKevin
ReplyDeleteWhat length spinning rods were you guys using. I found out some years ago that I could get more out of spin cast fishing if I used a longer spinning rod. -----not knocking the spinning rods you guys were using, but just giving you my opinion on using spinning rods at lengths of 7 to 7 1/2 ft.
As for the kayak or the canoe, both are difficult for me to navigate, at my age I am much more comfortable using something like the pelican flat bottom boat. You could master either with a few more trips, especially the kayak, it was the easier one for me to navigate, I did have trouble keeping it in position for casting at times. Thanks for sharing
Bill, I'm guessing the rods were about 8ft. The kayak was ok if there was no wind. Once a steady wind kicked up casting with the fly rod was tough.
DeleteLooks like a fun outing, Kevin. That first picture is just great, and is my favorite from this post. It's different fishing from a kayak, especially on a river. Have you tried it out on a lake, yet? It's much easier. You should also look into an anchor system. (I just use a rope a 5lb weight) It really helps keep you in place and not have to worry about paddling constantly.
ReplyDeleteI have a anchor and a anchor trolley setup on this kayak. On the river today it would have been a pain to drop the anchor and pick it back up again over and over. A buddy had a good idea and said he usually uses a huge chain. It drags on the bottom and doesn't get caught up but slows you down enough to fish properly.
DeleteThat's exactly how my 5 lb dumbbell anchor works when the water is a tad high and moving on my local river. I can see how it can be a pain in the rear dropping and picking it back up.
DeleteThose Native Ultimates are great! I have had a very hard time resisting one. I currently own two fishing kayaks, both of which I love. I feel comfortable standing up and walking in mine. I just bought a paddle board, too, that is equally fun/stable. Give it time, I guarantee you'll love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phillip, I'm trying to be patient.
DeleteWith time you should be able to fish standing from it which will make fly fishing a lot easier. I fish standing from my kayak and it's only a 40lb 10' sit in. Just took some time to get used to balancing in it. Kayak fishing is an absolute blast and I think you will like it a lot, don't give up on it! They are great for going way back into creeks and backwaters on lakes and finding bass that have never seen a jon boat or bass boat before.
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