Failed to Demo

In my 11 years of kayak fishing, I've learned a lot. For most of it, I didn't have mentors and fishing forums that I could frequent. I was on my own, messing things up by trying to rig things, and getting good at patching holes. That first Pelican kayak (The Banana Boat), was something to get me on the water and did what it was supposed to. It was a sit in style kayak and I learned not once but twice that you can swamp them out and how dangerous summer storms can be.

With all of these lessons, and a few extra bucks in my pocket from overpaying the IRS, I decided to upgrade. I found an amazing deal through a friend of a friend. He was selling an Ocean Kayak Venus and a Heritage Pro Fisherman 14. I had never been in either of these kayaks. I hadn't even heard of the models specifically. What to do? I decided to do a little research and did an internet search for both of them. I quickly realized the OK Venus was pink. Looks like my wife was getting a kayak. Everything I read about the Heritage was "great fishing platform", "fast kayak", "might have to rig something for a crate". I heard these same things over and over. The deal had to be done and at the price I was getting I bought them. Sight unseen. With no demo.

24 hours after I heard about the deal I picked up the kayaks. Wanting to play with my new toys I headed to the lake. Having come from a 10 foot long sit inside kayak, this new 14 foot sit on top was going to be awesome! Except, it wasn't.

As soon as I pushed off from the shore I started to rock. It took everything I had to stay upright and not tip over. I paddled a little bit, struggling the whole time. I hated this kayak. 10 minutes after I started I wanted to get rid of it. My Pelican NEVER did this.

A month after I bought the Heritage, I sold it.

I made too many mistakes.

I failed to demo. The guy even offered to let me try it out. I refused because I knew other people were interested and didn't want to lose the deal. I was so anxious to get out of my old kayak I didn't check it out.
What I discovered was that year model of the Pro Fisherman was 26" wide. Worse than that the side swept up and it had no secondary stability. The cockpit was narrow and there was no way to redistribute weight.  The kayak's weight capacity was also 300 pounds. At that time in my life I was a doughy 225 on a slight 6'2" frame. Basically I jiggled when I moved which was a weight shift problem. That and the fact that water was coming through the scuppers. This was a bad move.

Too many times people get excited about a good deal on a used kayak, buy into the marketing hype for a new kayak and don't make an informed decision. Looking at specs and getting the opinions of others is helpful but the true determinant for if a kayak is a good fit is sitting in it or on it and trying it out, in the water.

If you can't demo, I understand but don't be surprised if you don't like the kayak. Is it possible to find a yak just by a catalog that you will enjoy? Sure. Well, sometimes. Do you want to get on the water so badly you'll risk $500 or $1000 or more? Not everywhere has kayak dealers, I understand that. Most places have folks within an hour that might be willing to meet up. It's your money and your choice but please at least be aware of what I'm trying to tell you. I made a BAD mistake. Try not to do the same.

A Lesson Learned: Long Walks with a Kayak

In 2003, my new Pelican Endeavor (sit in kayak) in tow, I took my first long hike with my kayak in search of the elusive honey hole. I was very new to the sport and didn't want to spend the money on a kayak cart so I  rigged up a golf club caddy and took off down a long dirt road, a road that hadn't seen a car in twenty years. I was smart enough to bring a buddy with me and he had a very similar setup.

Not a kayak cart

The road was old, sometimes rocky, sometimes sandy and had ruts running on both sides that had been there for who knows how long. Going around turns in the road was an adventure as you usually spooked a wild hog or deer or had to work around a rattlesnake. It was as close to an American safari as I've ever come. The landscape snarled with yucca, prickly pear, mesquites and cedars. It taunted us to make a wrong move. The hike, all gear and kayaks in tow was just over a mile. Because our "carts" weren't made for this terrain, it took several adjustments and close to 45 minutes to get to the water we were so desperately seeking. We saw it up ahead. A sharp rise of about 20 feet. A berm that stretched a few hundred yards was actually the dam on this honey hole and we knew it. With renewed spirits we made the climb and saw what we had come for: the honey hole.

I had bank fished this little spot in northwest Texas once before and had decent success but this time I was prepared with my new boat and a conquering attitude. We unstrapped our kayaks and quickly were on the water. Paddling toward a tree line that looked promising we were greeted by a pair of water snakes who seemed very curious about our kayaks, possibly the first ever on this lake. Two casts into the day we both hooked up and that pattern would continue for most of the day.

Time melted away and what had started at sun up quickly blended into late afternoon. We needed to get back. We hadn't prepared to be out after dark and had no lights to navigate back so the pace was brisk. The walk to the honey hole had been apparently been downhill because walking back to the car was agonizing. Shoulders worn from paddling and fishing all day made the kayak and gear feel like it was an elephant being pulled along on a tricycle. The boat kept sliding off and we kept getting stuck and we were only 100 yards from where we started. As I tried to pull the caddy out from another rut the scariest thing I hadn't known could happen, happened. The bearings and axle on the golf club caddy cart gave way. Broke in two. Now what!?!

After an attempted repair job and failure, I relegated myself to dragging it back. I didn't know what kind of damage it would do but I wasn't going to leave it and there was way too much gear to pack it out. Carrying it was out of the question. I had a 50 foot long anchor rope which I fastened into a harness and started pulling. It was hard work. I felt sorry for every plow horse and mule I had ever seen. My friend, being the good sport he always is, rotated shifts with me dragging this albatross back up the winding, rutted, mine field of rocks and cactus.

Nearly two hours later we reached our destination, completely exhausted and sun baked. I immediately started downing any available fluids I had. Though it had only been about 80 degrees I am sure my core temperature reached liquid steel a couple of times. We sat until dark, recovering and learning rapidly from our mistakes.

I learned so much about having the right tool for the job, preparation for the worst case scenario,  and how to plan for a trip just from that one outing. A steep learning curve leaves scars sometimes.

I haven't been back to that spot since. I have bought better equipment though. I have also been game planning with every possible scenario. Knowing what you are up against is a good battle but the unknown is the one that will ruin a day.

Plan well and invest in a good cart.

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Always Have a Backup Plan

Over the years I have often needed to change from Plan A to Plan B. This weekend may have been the first time I have used Plan C.

The November Tournament for the NTKBF Club was scheduled for Saturday at Mineral Wells State Park. I had been prepping, modifying, tinkering and organizing gear for at least a month though it felt like longer. Of course, Mother Nature decided she would unleash Big Bad Wolf style on the North Texas area Saturday. The tournament directors rightly chose to postpone the tourney to a later named date. I had already planned to drive up to the Dallas area to stay with my brother so I activated Plan B. I called him and we made a plan to fish a south shoreline, somewhat sheltered from the wind, at a local lake. I would load up, follow the same travel schedule, fish and then return home. No big deal. I'm flexible.

Fast forward to a few hours later. I was attempting to load the kayaks on top of my SUV and the Big Bad Wolf made her presence known. I loaded the Coosa and strapped her down which wasn't too bad. Lifting a 70 pound kayak over your head in the wind is never fun but it went fine. The next task was to load the Cobra Tandem on top of the Coosa and strap them both down. I have done this before but never in the wind and especially not in 30+ mph wind. Four times I got the Cobra up and almost in position when out of the south a demon wind would rise up and remove the kayak from its perch. Luckily no damage was sustained but after the fourth time I just sat down in a chair in the yard. The Cobra weighs in at 80 lbs and the angles and wind and spinning and lifting wore me down. My body said no more. My mind told me this was an omen. Mother nature was telling me this trip was a no go. And so died Plan B.

I was mad. Upset. Disappointed. My wife pulled into the driveway and saw the melee in the grass. She saw the disgust in my face. I asked her to help me re-rack the kayaks in the garage and we talked about a conversation she had with my soon to be 8 year old. He really wanted to go fishing. I thought about the Leon River but the strain of the dragging and loading just deflated me. I told her I would think on it and we finished the unload.

I was reading the forums looking for ideas and then a light bulb radiated in the front of my mind so bright I could have lit the block! I know a place! It would take a phone call and a little good luck but I knew a place where my son and I could both go, the wind would be an advantage and we could make a real memory or two. I made the call and it was a go. We were going to do a Father-Son outing with one of my good fishing
buddies and his son. Plan C was alive and well.

We all piled into my small SUV and made the hour trek to a place we call Dave's. It's a lake with a few acres, hungry bass and in a valley where the south wind is a big help in casting. We all four fished for a while and then the two boys went traipsing through the underbrush looking for grasshoppers, Devil's Claws and any other insect that could be caught. We only spent three hours at Dave's but it's some of the best time I've ever spent with my son.

The time was great. Plan C worked. I learned a lesson. We ended the day with over 30 fish, a container full of finds and great times. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Sometimes, a backup plan to your backup plan is the best plan of all.

Rookie Mistakes in a Kayak Fishing Tourney

Yesterday was a first for me. I fished my first official kayak bass fishing tournament with the North Texas Kayak Bass Fishing Club. I had a great time with these guys over the weekend and would do it again in a heart beat. And while these guys are great, this is not a piece on promoting the NTKBF tourneys (though I need to do that). This is a piece to confess mistakes, make some lists and hopefully pass on some knowledge to future tournament kayak anglers.

ACK Hawg Trough

Ruler Board/Hawg Trough

Most kayak tournaments use the Catch-Photograph-Release (CPR) technique to determine a winner. If you buy a hawg trough from one of the many retailers like Austin Canoe and Kayak, they come marked every inch. They do have ridges so you can measure up to 1/4 of an inch but they are the same color as the board. You quickly find out at "weigh-in" that those 1/4" lines are very important and very hard to see in a picture. Take a sharpie and run over those ridges and the judges will never have to guess. But to even get a picture, you have to keep the fish on the board. This is a dexterity challenge while floating in a kayak with a paddle, a fish with hooks in him trying desperately to stab you with the hooks, a trough and camera, not to mention the required identifier that has to be in the picture. A friend, Bryan Row, had a great idea and attached three small bungees to the board so he can strap the floppy slime rockets to the board for a picture. It was ingenious and I had to pass it along. It must work because Bryan placed second this week!

Confidence Baits and Techniques

Hag's F4 Tornado

You know them and use them. They are your go to baits and styles. These are usually the first thing you go to when a new method or bait is failing after the first 10 casts that you tried it. Mine is a drop shot rig with a F4 Hag's Tornado. I can catch fish out of a dry sewer line with this setup and yet I didn't fish it on tournament day until an hour before weigh in. Why? I over thought the lake. I had never fished Purtis Creek before except for pre-fishing the evening preceding the tournament. In that time I tried what people told me would work, different locations, depths I normally didn't fish and it hurt. At 12:30 I had two fish out of five and I caught those in the first 30 minutes of the day. When push came to shove, I switched back to my confidence setup and was rewarded with the three fish I needed to round out my limit. They were not huge by any stretch of the imagination but five fish on tourney day is never a given. The lesson here? Don't deviate. After talking to the winner, rodmaker Walker Nelson, my thoughts were reaffirmed. He said he stuck to his game plan and didn't deviate. Congrats on a great win Walker! 

Planning and Homework

I spent the better part of the last two weeks planning for this event. I scoured what topographical maps I could find and used overlays from satellite maps to determine the most likely places I could catch fish. I prefished the day before and did okay but felt lack luster about it. At dinner that evening I got some tips on where some fish were. After a slow morning I abandoned my plan and spent the next three hours chasing someone else's plan. That did nothing for me. In the time I left my prep work and techniques at the door, not a single fish came into the boat. Not a single, solitary fish. When I abandoned other plans and went back to my own, I caught the rest of my fish for the day. Lesson learned. If you doubt this, go back up a paragraph and read Walker's comments. 

Always Be Prepared

You just never know. It will creep up on you when you least expect it so pack accordingly. Not all of these things happened to me but some unexpected events at the tournament this weekend produced a bit of hilarity, some panic, some disgust and even some hunger. 

Raccoons will steal your food. All of it. 

Branches barely sticking out of the water get caught in scupper holes. Have a plan. And a saw.

The sun doesn't rise until well after 6AM this time of year. Have what you need to be legal on the water.And a light to see the dangers.

You can get sunburned even when it's raining.

Cameras fail. Have a backup plan.

The weather is like a good woman, usually beautiful and complex but she'll lose control every now and again and you should be ready for how you'll handle it. 

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Until next time, keep your food in the car and stick to the game plan.