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Here’s that shot of David/Ridge Runner with his nice rainbow, which he mentioned in a comment below.
Wasn’t it great to finally have some nice weather? We got spoiled last March, didn’t we?
I didn’t get out fishing this weekend, but I’m guessing Ridge Runner wasn’t the only one among you who did.
Let’s hear some reports!
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While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures.
Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism.
After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters.
Went to Wal-Mart and bought a Silver Rooster Tail and a Rapala Sinking Brown Trout. No fishing yet though. Need to spool some new line on the rods, then I’ll be ready to hit the Smith down here in Henry County.
Step 1, complete, Drew! Love that Rapala Countdown in brown trout! Killer lure!
Thanks, Mark. I thought I could have some success with it as long as I don’t get it hung up knowing my luck. This being the third straight day in sixties, I think there may be some crappies(males) moving into some shallow water today before the cold front comes in and they move back out into some deeper cover.
Good point on the crappies, Drew. I’ve never done squat on early season crappies but I know that this can be a good time to hit them after a few warm days.
Wild Life regular Ranger217 gets out after them quite a bit. Maybe he will chime in here and provide us with some insight and tips.
This weekend my son (14) and I were talking about the possibility of buying a couple of fishing kayaks. I see places are starting to put them on sale, but have no experience in paddling. Anyone have any advice?
I hate to say it, but I was not able to go after crappie this weekend. I was able to steal away for a few hours Saturday morning for trout though. I expected Roanoke River to be covered up, so I went to Glade. I saw very few fish in the upper section above the bridge and only caught one small brown there. I didn’t try below the bridge. I decided to head over the Tinker for a while and caught 3 rainbows. Caught all of them on 2.5 inch Gulp minnows.
I plan to start going after crappie now when a get some time off. I recently bought a couple Alabama-type crappie rigs I want to try out. I’ll report any successes (or failures) here.
I hit the roanoke river at smith park both saturday and sunday for a couple hours each day. I caught 12 on saturday and 14 on sunday. I released everything I caught so I left plenty for other anglers. No real size, just average size browns and rainbows, mostly browns. I was using 2.5 inch gulp minows and size 1 panther martin spinners.
Glen in comment #5, my advice is to take your time and do your research before purchasing a fishing kayak. I recently upgraded to a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 and am in the process of outfitting it for fishing. My previous fishing kayak was a late-90′s era sit on top that I had tricked out for fishing but it was nothing special to look at (i.e. ugly) and the newer kayaks are much more functional.
What you need depends a lot on what kind of water you’re going to fish. Rivers, lakes/open water, or both? You don’t have to buy absolute top of the line but in fishing kayaks to a certain extent you do get what you pay for. There are tons of articles, message board threads on kayak fishing websites and the like that you can find via google search that will help you get started.
Still working 7 days a week….no let up in sight. Going into 2nd year same schedule same out come..
Karl: Thanks for the reply. I plan to use it on a small river and ponds. I have started to read some reviews to get a better idea on peoples perceptions. It seems like stability, tracking and menueverability are all important.
Glen, I can confirm that Karl knows what he is talking about. He has been a kayak fishing fanatic for a while. The challenge is that boats that are best on still water are not best on moving water. So figure out where you’ll be doing most of your fishing and go from there. As long as you plan to only fish small still waters (aka, ponds) you could probably get away with using a good river boat. But if you try to cover much water on a lake in a river boat you will be hating life.
I guess what I am saying is, buy two boats!
Mark and Glen, there is never one boat that’ll do it all. Kayak fishing is no exception. My wife suffered a disabling accident/bad surgery outcome, and is unable to paddle a kayak anymore. She is looking into the foot pedal Hobie Mirage line as a possible way to get out on the water in an independant fashion. They also have a small sailing package available for them. I have seen people fishing on Claytor Lake in them and have also spoken with folks who are using them on the Chesapeake Bay coastal waters. I have heard nothing but glowing results for the hands free locomotion amenable to fishing. They are expensive, no doubt, and seldom sold used, but many good boats are. They also accept a small trolling motor set-up. I have seen them with lights as well. While there may be a better way to go, I have watched a couple of kayak fishing tournaments on tv, and at least half of those hard-core types were in the pedal ‘yaks, so there must be something to them. Good luck and let us all know how you fare.
And Drew, best go back to the store and buy another brown trout countdown, having only one will just make you mad when you lose it in the middle of a good bite. I have also done really well with suspending Yo-Zuri pin minnow baits. I would also recommend the rainbow trout countdown, I have had better luck east and out west with the rainbow than the brown, and did really well on the silver color in the Jackson river, back before the King reclaimed it from the public. The forage can matter, but the action is great on the whole line of countdowns. Good luck on the Smith.
Ranger217: I would be very interested in your experience with the ‘bama rig for crappies. Seems like a hang-up waiting to happen, but should work as well as the bass ones and the original umbrella rigs on the targeted fish.
I would also like to recommend fly fishing for crappies. Not all that popular, but a great way to catch them. 5-6wt outfits work well, use one of those bobber style strike indicators and put a small bead head nymph a few feet below it. Cast, and strip once and then wait for the bobber to go down. Combines the hands on approach of fly fishing and the childlike fun of watching the bobber go down without using minnows. This method works very well when the crappies are on brush piles in the spring, as long as they’re not holding too deep. Don’t strip much, slow is the ticket. Often the crappie will hit the fly when it is sitting still, an excellent finesse presentation when they’re finicky. Commercial doll flies in the smaller sizes work well also, with white and yellow being my most productive colors.
Great comments, Perch.
I’ve played around a little with the Hobie pedal kayaks, as Hobie is a supporter of the Outdoor Writer Association of America and often comes to our conferences with some boats for us to try. They take a little getting used to, but my overall impression is they would be great for fishing. So nice to not have that paddle sitting across your lap! It probably wouldn’t hurt my cycling, either, and Lord knows I need all the help I can get on that discipline!
I love the looks of the Yo-Zuri Pin’s Minnow but I’ve never caught jack on them. In terms of the little minnow plugs I’ve found nothing that can be the Rapala, at least in terms of minnow plugs. (No, Rapala didn’t compensate me for my promoting their products!) That said, the Rebel Wee Craw is dynamite, too. I think fish hit it for a minnow most of the time since I usually fish the shallow diver and it’s well off the bottom. Much tighter wiggle than the Rapala minnow.
I have done a little fly fishing for crappies, but I admit I’m old fashioned. My favorite rig is a 10- to 14-foot fiberglass cane pole with a jig, minnow or combo. When I’m in my boat I can reach fish just about anywhere (except really deep, but that’s a moot point since I really don’t target crappies in summer or winter).
Perch, I have a friend on the Outer Banks who has a peddle drive Hobie that he fishes out of in the channels off the ends of the islands and he loves it. He showed it to me and I was impressed with the engineering and durability of the peddle drive system. It’s great for holding position in current or wind while still keeping your hands free for fishing. and would be an awesome open water, flat water boat But after asking around a bit I realized it would be less than ideal for the application I use my kayak for the most: shallow water fishing behind Ocracoke and/or Hatteras where sometimes you are in stretches of water less than 6 inches deep. The peddle drive extends too far below the hull to make it very practical for that application. But man if I could have a second kayak for lakes and deeper saltwater sound/inlet fishing the Hobie would be it.
As for Glen’s question, I agree with Mark that no kayak can do everything. See my discourse on the Hobie’s strengths and limitations, and as Mark says, shorter more maneuverable kayaks ideal for negotiating river rapids don’t track very well (won’t paddle straight) for long distances on flat water. Trying to paddle a shorter river boat on Smith Mt., Lake, Moomaw or Carvin’s Cove could drive you crazy. BUT don’t despair, Glen. If you are really just using it in smaller ponds and rivers I think you can get away with one boat. I’d look at something like the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 or 100, the Jackson Kayak Coosa, or similarly sized models (those aren’t the only brands/options out there by far but you couldn’t go wrong w/ either one). The T100 is a river/small pond only boat IMO. The T120 and the Coosa are pretty good all-around compromise kayaks that could handle lots of different applications even if not perfect for any single one. They won’t be ideal for going through lots of rapids like the Glasgow-Snowden float on the James but could handle most of what you’d find on the New or Upper James or similar, and track well enough to be decent on flat water. I also have a friend who has a Wilderness Systems Commander 120 and loves it.
Mark, thanks for your thoughts on the Hobie. We will be demo paddling as soon as the weather warrants. Most of the people I see in the pedal ‘yaks have a paddle lashed to the side, front to back, just in case, I guess.
The Yo-Zuri takes a little getting used to. I used it first on the South Holston during generation, and on the San Juan as well. It is deadly, and on decent sized fish, too. Thrown across river in good current, you don’t really reel it, just jerk it down a bit, and fish it with intermittent jerks for action until the bait is directly down river, then jerk back, watching behind it as it gets to the boat for the follow up…then go again. Have also used it on the Clinch with great results. Probably too much like natural food for most stocked trout, but in good current and with good populations of wild trout, it is a go to for me.
Side note on this, the guys at the San Juan tackle shop I visited gave me a really hard time for using such an expensive “bass lure” on dumb ole trout.
As for the crappie fishing, give my system a try, you’ll get real hooked, real fast. You will have more range than that big ole fiberglass pole, and with a decent crappie on the 5 or 6wt, you’ll have a fun fight on your hands as opposed to just levering them in. I have fished easily five feet down, and in the spring on a beaver lodge or brushpile, that’ll usually do it. I’ll be after them soon, myself.
Karl, I was under the impression that the pedal system could be removed as well. If so, even the skinny water you frequent could still be in play, but I don’t know if that is so.
Perch, yes the pedal system can be removed but it is a little cumbersome. If you know you are only paddling skinny water then it’s not a problem to just leave it out. But if (as would be the case in much of the Pamlico Sound waters I like to fish) you would be covering long distances while going in and out of skinny water, going through multiple places where 5 feet turns to 3 feet turns to several hundred yards of 4-8 inches then back to 3 feet, taking the drive system out and putting it back in again would be kind of a pain. The guy I know who lives on the OBX and owns one absolutely loves his Hobie and swears it isn’t that big a deal. But he does most of his fishing in deeper water, inlet areas or traversing longer stretches of deeper water using channels. And it is ideal for those applications. When I’m in Hatteras Inlet or Ocracoke Inlet dealing with tidal current and moving water I’d LOVE to have the Hobie. But in the backwater areas with lots of skinny water to traverse it’s less ideal – at least that’s the consensus I’ve gotten talking with a couple of yak fishing guides down there and also asking question on a Texas Gulf Coast yak fishing message board, where they have lots of skinny water.
I could just buy a Hobie and leave the pedal drive out when I go in skinny water environments, but (a) the Hobie is 2x as expensive as even a very good non pedal drive yak, and (b) while the Hobie paddles well, it doesn’t paddle as well as my Tarpon 140 for example. Since a lot of my yak fishing is in an environment where I’d be paddling rather than pedaling, I opted for the cheaper and better paddling yak. But Mark’s “buy 2 kayaks” solution is really what I need. Heck, I’d love to have 3, each with its own specialty application. I think the key is: know what kind of water and application you plan to do most of your yak fishing in, and buy a kayak that is suited to that. If you want to use it for multiple types of water and applications then realize there are trade-offs and figure out what is most important to you and where you are willing to sacrifice performance/convenience.
Thanks Mark. I love your thought process on two boats, but I don’t think the wife will quite let that happen (part of being married). Looking forward to new opportunity on the water.
Karl: Thanks for the feedback. To start, I’m just looking to fish ponds around home and float on Goose Creek. Very little to no rapids.
Thanks, Karl. My experience with fishing is big, but with kayaks, small. I agree with your thoughts. I grew up fishing the Currituck sound from float innertubes that my daddy turned into fishing tubes with cut up rubber and a rough “seat”, fly fishing for bass near Spot, NC. We’d walk/wade mostly, but the tube would float us over deeper water until our feet could touch. I understand your dilemna. The cost of the Hobie is daunting, the Tarpon is a better choice for many, but like I said, I am likely to see one only because of my wife’s disability….but you can bet your booty that I’ll get it out for the fishing when she’s not inclined.
I haven’t been fishing any lately (just got rolled to night shift and will be on the road for the month of April) but I did just buy a Renzetti Traveler vise and have been tying up a pile of flies in the bad weather. In fact my nights off on the road will likely be spent tying up a pile of flies…
Anyone know of a good fly shop or fishing spot near Benton Harbor, MI?
Lucky you, Scott. That robin (and brook trout) state is a fly fishing paradise. DNR regulates fish and game, so go to their web site for public fisheries near Benton Harbor. If you can, you will want to drive a couple of 2 to 3 hours north to the Pere Marquette River. One of the better wild* steelhead waters in the lower 48. Giant browns, too. March and April is steelhead spawning season.
*Note: Not “wild” in the anadromous sense, but they’ve never been stocked in the Pere Marquette. They’re stocked in other Lake Michigan feeder streams where they imprint and repeat the circle of life.
However, some of the stocked steelhead (and some salmon) got confused and found their way into the Pere Marquette and spawned. Any you catch in there are born in that river. If you are fortunate enough to be there in the fall you will have double the fun. Kings are running and steelhead are eating their spawn.
Glen: If small water/rivers is your game take a look at the Ocean Kayak Tetra 10. I just got into kayak fishing a year ago and bought one. Its great for small water applications. I’ve almost finished rigging her up, too! Just need to get the fish finder
And, best of all, Sportsman’s Warehouse carries them for about the best price I have seen.
Karl is right about needing more than one boat. I love the Tetra 10, but when I take it out on SML I wish I had bought the 12 or another, longer version. I have looked at the Wilderness Systems Ride 135 and that left me drooling.
Just another addiction to tack to the fire pit and throw my money into!
Rjsteiner:
Thanks for the feedback. Good luck with getting a second one.