2019 YakAttack Tournament Wrap Up

Every year since 2012, I have participated in the YakAttack annual kayak charity fishing tournament to benefit Heroes On the Water and Project Healing Waters.  The format for the tournament is a catch, photo and release tournament with five divisions - bass, crappie, sunfish, slam and big bass.  For each of the species divisions, your best two fish combined length is your entry.  For the slam, you need to have at least one fish in each of the three species for a combined total length.  Finally, the big bass is simply that - the biggest single bass is your entry with the one limitation of a person can only win one of the five divisions.  Each year kayak anglers from literally around the US flock towards this event to fish the likes of famous bodies of water like Briery Creek Lake and Sandy River Reservoir.

This year my plan was to fish quieter waters with less water traffic and revisit a lake I hadn't fished in over 5 years - Bear Creek Lake.  I also was interested to check out some new toys - my newly installed Lowrance Elite 7 TI2 paired with my new Nocqua YakAttack power supply, as well as my new Lithium Ion Power-Pole battery, as well as the new ANGLR Bullseye Fishing Tracker.  You could say that it had all the makings of a potential disaster, but I am happy to report that all of them worked amazingly.

With a full moon phase in effect, I had a feeling the bite was going to be tough once the morning pressed along.  I also learned that the bass were also still spawning, which for me personally, is one of my biggest weak points - I am not a bed fisherman.  I don't have the patience to sit there and stare at a fish for potentially hours on end trying to entice one bite.  I'd rather explore an area and see if I can figure out the puzzle.  With my new toys, this approach is much easier now with respect to acquiring information - now I just need to learn how to piece it all together to get better.

As for my setup on the day, it was as follows:

Kayak - 2019 Hobie Outback
Rods - Bull Bay Rods, 5wt Fly Rod and a couple Ugly Stik ultralights.
Lures - Powerteam Lures Sick Stick and Finicky Tickler (Kitchen Sink color), Squarebill, Whopper Plopper, Stump Jumper Road Runners and a black ant
Accessories - Power-Pole Micro, YakAttack Omega Rod Holders and Lowrance FF mount
Sunglasses - Hobie Polarized Mantas

I started the day off with a flurry - 3 bass in the first hour but nothing any larger than 11.5".  I missed several larger fish, too. And then the bass were not being cooperative, so I switched over to the ultralight and started slinging a little white grub in the hunt for crappie and landed one at 8.5" shortly thereafter.  I couldn't find another in the brush piles, so I switched over to the fly rod and literally slayed the bluegills and redears on every cast for the rest of the day the biggest checking in a 8.25".  I was so immersed in how many fish I was catching off of the bluegill beds that I forgot to keep pressing the ANGLR Bullseye for about an hour.  Every bluegill landed was over 6.5" with most  checking the box at or just shy of 8" - not enough to improve my total length to turn in.

At the end of the day, as I was loading up I ended my trip on the ANGLR app on my phone and let the data synchronize.  Of the catches I remembered to actually record totaled 78 catches, but like I said, I was still catching the bluegills and redears off of this one massive bed in the back of a creek and forgot all about the Bullseye. I was still catching so many gills that I literally was slinging my little fly without even hauling or stripping the line and catching a fish every cast, unhooking and casting again immediately with sometimes up to 3-4 fish per minute.

While the day in total was a success with literally over 100 fish caught, it lacked in quality which is what is needed to win any of the divisions.  Here are a few highlights from the day:

Looking back on the day and reflecting on what could have been, I think my biggest mistake was not being flexible in my approach.  I had in my mind a plan for how to target the bass, but once I arrived at the water, I failed to adjust my plan and modify my approach.  Hindsight as they say is 20/20.

Once I was loaded up, I headed back to the weigh-in to turn in my scorecard with fish in each category and enough to turn in a micro slam, bass division and panfish division ultimately not large enough to place but still fun.  Once the awards had been announced and supper was all done, the stage was cleared and the raffles began.

I normally don't worry about the raffles too much, because there is very little that I need at this point, but I did see a few items of interest this year - including a fly rod set from Orvis, a couple Nocqua battery pack kits, a couple PFDs and the new Hobie Livewell v2.  When the ticket numbers began being called out - my prizes of interest quickly started to disappear.  Then one of my numbers was called, and I noticed the fly rod setup was still available, so I quickly made my way forward and gladly selected that setup for my prize.

The setup was comprised of:

• Rod - Orvis Clearwater rod - 9' 8wt
• Reel - Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor IV reel
• Line - Orvis backing and floating line and tippet
• Other - Orvis Tacky Fly Big Bug Box filled with flies

I also heard my numbers called two other times and selected a set of YakAttack Kayak Straps and a YakAttack shirt giving the straps to a friend who needed them and giving the shirt to my son.

All in all I can't complain because the fishing, the raffle and the food are just added bonuses for me.  I look forward to just sitting down and shooting the breeze with fellow kayak anglers many of whom I am friends with and don't get the chance to share the water with.



I'm already looking forward to next year's event and the chance to share some stories and reminisce once again.  Until the next time I'm on the water, tight lines and stay safe!!

A Speck of Luck for a change

Every year I volunteer and participate in the TKAA Kayak Fish for Charity Tournament to benefit Heroes On the Water and Project Healing Waters.  This year was to be the same, but work commitments threw a wrench in the works forcing me to miss the volunteer setup on Friday of the event.  I ended up arriving right before the Captain's Meeting was about to begin.   I was exhausted and hungry, so I checked in, gathered my captain's bag, finished the meeting and grabbed a bite to eat with fellow Hobie Fishing Team member and Hobie Sale Rep Michael Garett.

As the 5am wake up neared, I was stoked to get my kayak back on the water after a long hiatus.  I launched into a slight breeze and started seeing finger mullet bait busting all over - never a bad thing!!  After a couple hours of bite-less action, I ventured into a protected cove and switched tactics to a suspending presentation.  Almost immediately, I started getting some takers.  Finally after two hours, my first measurable fish was on the board - nothing special but nevertheless a fish!

A short while later, I managed to get a significant upgrade in a 17.5" speck!

Things were looking up and so was the bait activity in the cove! I kept at it for the next four hours with a trout literally every 5-10 minutes - several undersized with a total of 17 trout, 12 keepers but none upgraded the one above.  I lost three sure fire upgrades, including one over 24" that spit the treble as I was lifting her into the kayak and one over 20" in my lap but she had other plans and literally flipped out severing the 15lb fluorocarbon leader and escaping.  I later learned that fish would've secured me at least 2nd Place in the Trout Division.  No worries though, still a great day on the water, learning a pattern, applying it and catching fish for a successful outing.

In the end, I never was able to successfully measure an upgrade, but at least I stuck to my plan and literally fished until I had no time to spare and was forced to head in and load up to beat the check-in window of 4pm.

But the story doesn't end there!  My stress level was put to the test in a way I could have never imagined as a fisherman.  At some point, most if not all of us as fisherman have lost or left something of value at the launch, broken something on the water, etc..  Well for me, I somehow absentmindedly left my three Bull Bay Rods at the launch! How does that happen you ask?  Well, I was loading all of my gear into my car and loading my kayak onto my trailer.  While doing this, my Mirage Drive and rods were drying off after having been rinsed off just a few minutes earlier.  When I finished loading all of my gear into the car and secured my kayak to the trailer, I loaded my Mirage Drive into the car, closed the rear hatch and drove off.

I went back to the hotel, took a shower and went to the load my dirty clothes into the car when I realized I had left my rods back at the launch - over a half hour away.  With a sickening feeling, I drove back to the launch fully expecting to see my rods gone or even worse, run over and broken/destroyed by another vehicle/trailer.  When I arrived, my heart sank when I didn't see my rods.  As I was about to pull away, I noticed a piece of paper taped to the railing where my rods were drying off.

I was floored - the note read, "I have your three fishing rods, if you left them call me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx and describe them to me.  My heart raced with excitement like a kid on Christmas morning.  I dialed the digits and went through a few preliminary niceties and then proceeded to describe the unique features of the rods.  The man who found them was a fellow kayaker and a former Navy Senior Master Chief, basically a man with integrity and honor!  We met a few minutes later and went about talking about each of my Bull Bay Rods and how much I enjoyed them and designed the specifics on each rod.  He confessed honestly admitting that he partially hoped the owner would never call, so that he could have a nice rod or two for a change.  I could tell he really wanted one for his own, so I gathered his contact info and let him know not to worry.  I'll have one made for you as token of my appreciation for his actions.

It was nice to have a speck of luck work in my favor for a change both on and off the water!

Tight lines one and all!

Equipment Used:

Kayak: 2017 Hobie Revolution 13
Lures: Trout Eye Jig (short shank) with Z-Man MinnowZ and Mirrolure suspending jerk baits
Rods: Bull Bay Rods Stealth Tactical Inshore and Tactical PRO spinning rods, custom bait caster
Reels: Shimano Stradic 2500FJ, 3000FJ and Abu Garcia Revo Inshore (GEN3)
Line: PowerPro 30lb Hi-Vis Yellow, 20lb Sufix 832 HiVis Green, P-Line Flouroclear 15lb.
Other: Astral Ronny Fisher (PFD) and Loyal M's (footwear)
Accessories: Yak Attack VisCarbon Pro, GT175-12 on a Crate Rail and GTTL175-04 Top Loading GearTracs

2016 YakAttack Tourney wrap-up

Another year has come and gone and left the kayak angling community longing for the next year already.  Why you ask?  Plain and simple, the 8th Annual YakAttack Kayak Fishing Tournament to benefit Heroes On the Water and Project Healing Waters is now officially in the books.  This event draws some of the best kayak anglers from all over the US.  This year we had representation from Maine all the way to Florida and points in between.

The tournament weekend starts off with an awesome dinner that included this year: ribeyes, pulled pork, bbq chicken and all the sides that go with it.  The weather was a bit challenging with rain over the last couple of weeks throughout the region.  On tournament day, the rains moved in yet again and doused us for most of the day.  I came into the weekend battling a sore throat and sever sinus congestion and headaches.  Not a winning recipe for overall comfort and enjoyment, but thoughts of these things fell to the wayside as I unloaded all of my gear and prepared to launch.

The format of the tournament is fairly straightforward.  Four divisions in total: Largemouth Bass, Crappie and Panfish with a Slam for the best length of a single fish from each division.  So you could theoretically not catch large fish but still win the slam for total length.  After some brainstorming with fellow Hobie Fishing Team member Grant Alvis the night before, a plan was put in motion and I hit the water.

The rains tried to dampen my spirit and had even forced me to reconsider staying out in the damp conditions in my current sickly state.  Having not caught a single fish for the entire morning, I finally caught up to good friends Daryl Boyd and Greg Timmer (Hobie Fishing Team member from FL).  We made a tactical decision to escape the wind in a small cove before heading back down lake.  We took the opportunity to refresh by eating some food and hydrating with some water.  This little respite revitalized and re-focused my energy.  I set out again with a different mindset and decided to switch up my approach and opt for a thumpin' plastic over the preferred spinnerbait.  I was immediately rewarded with two smallish bass, but still a rewarding situation given my production thus far.

I kept at it with cast after cast and switching up casting angles, retrieve speeds, lure depths, etc.   Another smallish bass came to play but was welcomed regardless.

As the fishing window started to close, I decided to switch things up and try for some panfish and crappie back in a protected cove.  I switched rods to my U/L spinning rod rigged with 6lb test line and a white Rooster Tail as the bait of choice.  After 5 minutes of slinging it around the protected cove, I slowed down my retrieve to a crawl and slow rolled it back to the yak.  The line came tight and started peeling off of my reel.  When I first caught glimpse of the fish as it rolled, I knew I would have to baby this fish if I had any chance of landing it.  After a good 2 minute fight, the big bass decided to chill out long enough to get it kayak side and be landed.  Finally, a respectable fish to put on the board at 19 1/4".

Well, that would prove to be my last fish on the day, since no panfish or crappie made an appearance for me this tournament, but I still managed to turn in 34.5" of fish as my two-fish submission.  Sadly it fell 3" short of placing this year, but I still managed to enter fish.  I still walked away with a cool assortment of goodies in the captain's bag, and I was one of the people fortunate enough to win a premium raffle prize - a new Hobie Fish Bag for keeping my salty catches in the future to feed my family fresh fish!!

Saturday for the tournament is always fun, because of the raffle and fellowship that ensues once the fishing is done, but the main point of the tournament is the benefit aspect of it, and the raffle and tournament entry fees when totaled are estimated to exceed $22,000.  It's an amazing tournament coupled with a meaningful benefit theme and fellowship that is unequaled in the kayak community.  Luther and the whole crew at YakAttack outdid themselves yet again this year.  I know that next year's event will be even better and am already longing for that Armed Forces weekend yet again!

Tight lines everyone! Stay safe out there!

Pride.....

There is no greater sensation of pride in a father than seeing his own son succeeding using the techniques and teachings passed down over the years.  My son and I participated in a Heroes On the Water mini-event this past weekend where we helped a local veteran out by taking him out for the day and putting him on some fish.  That in and of itself was fulfilling in its own right, but my son's day on the water was the icing on the proverbial cake.

In the past, my son has lost patience when fishing for bass and the bite is slow.  I sent him out in our new Hobie Quest 13 armed with a YakAttack 8' Parknpole and two Bull Bay Rods - one rigged with a 5" PowerTeam Lures Finicky Tickler and the other rigged with a PowerTeam Lures Jacked Whacker jig head and a Sick Stick.  After a few minutes giving him pointers on how to work each lure and showing him what each lure looked like underwater when worked, we ventured into a protected cover where our good friend Chip had told us there were fish.

We made our way into the cove and proceeded to stake out and work the area slowly and methodically.  He spotted a tree limb sticking up in the shallows and knew there was a good chance at a fish being nearby.  He cast the Sick Stick near the shore and slowly twitched it and let it fall, a couple more twitches and the fight was on.   He worked the feisty bass away from the cover and got him into the kayak.  I myself was in the middle of photographing my own fish, but I put the fish on the FishGrip in the water and made my way over to him to help him.

Little did I know that my son had just caught a nice chunky Largemouth Bass that would end up measuring out at 17 3/4" for his new personal best!

The winds were up for most of the day with a storm front moving in later in the afternoon.  We spent the day working every type of contour change, lay down, rock pile and grass line we could find.  The bite was tough and only got tougher as the day wore on.  At one point, the winds were so strong, I had to move us into some shallow flats, so that my son could stake out and wade for a bit.

Even though the bite was slow, he had a few bites that came unhooked as he attempted to put the fish in the boat, including his last fish of the day that was a feisty chain pickerel that was easily over 20" that spit the hook as he was lifting it into his foot well.  All of us saw him fighting the fish and can attest to the size of it.  He was bummed, but we all encouraged him letting him know that chain pickerel are notorious for that!  He only managed to get two bass for pictures, but it was a success in my book.



My son fought through the doldrums of the slow bite, kept his focus and caught fish by staying persistent and determined through it all.

At the end of the day, I was further elated to hear my son utter a simple phrase before he nodded off for the long ride home....

"Thank you......"

Love and Inspiration......

Do you love to kayak fish?   What a silly question to ask a kayak angler, but is it really that silly?  What is love?  As it pertains to kayak fishing, it is the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration according to Webster's Dictionary.  In that regard, yes, I do love kayak fishing.  I have a strong devotion to the sport of kayak fishing and try to do my part in sharing the knowledge I have gained whenever possible.  I admire those that have laid the groundwork and foundation for the sport that I love so dearly today.  But you might ask, "Was it love at first sight?"

In short, no......well, not at first.  You see, I was looking for a way to re-live my days as a kid when I had nothing more than a fiberglass rod, a Zebco 202 and a Plano mini tackle box loaded with a few Beetle Spins, a couple Rooster Tails and the infamous Rapala Mini Fat Rap.  I caught more fish than I can remember on those three lures, and I longed to experience that joy again.  The love for kayak angling was nurtured and cultivated from this feeling of nostalgia, as I harkened back to those simple times in my youth.

It was during one of these bouts of day dreaming that I began to ponder a way to recapture that simplicity and sense of enjoyment and satisfaction.  Like many aspiring anglers, I ventured to the local Bass Pro Shops and salivated over the possibilities of adding one of their boats to my household.  Those dreams and desires were quickly quelled when the cost factor made it's way into the equation.  I also looked to the "Pond Prowler" and "Bass Raider" options thinking an electric only vessel would be more cost effective.  The cost was reasonable, but the ability to transport this type of watercraft would be a challenge.  While pondering this dilemma, I happened to watch the episode of Hank Parker Outdoors where he was fishing using a Hobie Outback, and the light bulb went on immediately.

After countless hours on the internet researching every possible forum post and online review, I finally located Appomattox River Company, a local Virginia company that specializes in kayaks, and decided to attend their free demo day to test out the various kayak models.  I gravitated at first to the Hobie tent, since they recently had released the now famous Pro Angler and even tried the Outback.  I was hesitant to pull the trigger at first due to limited funds.  So I left that day without a kayak, but the seed had been firmly planted in my mind.

I eventually pooled together enough disposable income to get my first kayak, but I was a novice when it came to fishing away from shore having been a bank fisherman up to that point.  Since that time, I have learned more in five years that I ever could have imagined and my skills as a kayak angler continue to improve.  I am fortunate in that I have the privilege of sharing the water with individuals that the kayak angling community would say are some of the most talented anglers out there.  It is these individuals that contribute to my love of the sport and are the source of inspiration to push myself to achieve more and catch quality fish.

Anyone can surf the web and pick up a trick or two, but there is something more personal and meaningful when you can look the person in the eye and hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes in real-time.  Each interaction over the years has revealed a new tactic or tidbit of information I could file away in my "angler's toolkit" for future reference.  While they are sources of inspiration to me and to this day have had the most profound impact on my fishing skills and knowledge, they are at the core my friends.  My angling friends in short are my inspiration.

I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the inspiration I find in the countless number of current and former service members domestic and abroad protecting the freedoms that you and I are afforded.  I try and volunteer as often as I can with both the Central Virginia and Tidewater HOW Chapters as time permits.  Where possible, I also include my son on these outings so that one day he may find the same feeling of satisfaction I do from the time spent with these magnificent individuals.  Maybe he too will one day find inspiration to give back like I try to emulate for him.

Do you love kayak angling?  What inspires you as an angler to better yourself or learn a new tactic?  How you as an angler characterize your love for the sport or how you find inspiration is unique to you and is a feeling that you should take tremendous pride in and hold on to as if it was a family heirloom.  I know I do.