Oh Stanley........

Quarantine 2020 has us all going stir crazy and sick with cabin fever. What better way to fix that than a little time on the water? The last couple of weekends have found my son and I exploring a local pond rumored to have a few bigguns lurking about. Let’s set the stage for you: a private pond with no apparent angling pressure filled with patches of lily pads, lay downs, and some overhanging trees. The deepest parts of the pond are right at 8’.  When I learned I could fish this pond through the graces of the owner, I was more than excited as I had been eyeing this spot for years and pondering the potential.

My son was also stoked as this would be his first chance to use his new baitcaster combo he received for his birthday. I armed him with the only line I use on my froggin setups - Sunline FX2 Frog Braid as well as a tackle tray with some plastics and some Scum Frogs. Since my son had never used top water frogs before, I figured Scum Frogs were fairly goof proof and would increase his chances of coming tight if a fish inhaled it.

I loaded up the Hobie Compass and Hobie i11s inflatable as our hulls of choice and loaded up the rest of the gear the night before. I also setup his other rod with a wacky rig in case he got frustrated with froggin. We headed out at first light and were more than pleased when we saw the water that lay before us. A literal Mecca of froggin heaven before our eyes and looked like it hadn’t been touched by any anglers in over 10 years.

Gear for the day:

Rod: Bull Bay Rods Assault Series
Reel: Abu Garcia Revo Inshore Gen 3
Line: Sunline FX2 Frog Braid
Lure: Stanley Ribbit
Terminal tackle: 4/0 weighted swim bait hook
Scent: Powerteam Lures Hog Tonic

My bait of choice should come as no surprise for anyone that has followed me since the beginning - the Stanley Ribbit with a touch of Hog Tonic just to encourage the bass to hold on a tad longer. I started working pad edges and open lanes as well as shaded banks. After about 30 minutes, I had my first bass on the Watermelon Pearl with Hot Feet version. For the next few hours, the action was constant on both trips. Literally a blow up every 20 minutes with not all of them coming tight.

The mornings were filled with typical pond bass ranging in the 14-16” range which was to be expected. Most likely this pond doesn’t have any harvesting occurring, so the bass are all similar in size and fighting over the same food sources. I did notice a few bluegill beds, so I imagine there are a few chunky bluegills amongst the surprises lurking in there. While we didn’t find them on these two outings, we did find a few good ones that would’ve been tournament grade fish in the 17-19” range with my largest measuring in at 19.5”.  My son caught 5 fish in total and lost the same amount. I had better luck landing 8 bass each outing for a total of 16 landed but also had my fair share of misses from smaller bass that were overzealous.  My best five totaled 81.5” - a 19.5”, two at 16” and two at 15”.

While I had moderate success, the high point of the trip for me was watching my son apply the tips I had taught him and catch his first bass on the frog.

It’s always reassuring at the end of the day for me when I am cleaning up my tackle and inspect my Ribbits to find that the heads are shredded up good from where the “teeth” of the bass have chewed up the head so much the color is gone and the bodies of the frog are split open from the vicious strikes and hooksets. Even though the frogs are no longer usable, I made it through two kayak outings and only used one Ribbit per trip. That’s a testimonial for how durable Stanley Ribbits are.

Oh Stanley.........

We plan on coming back again, but next time I’m only bringing the fly rods - one for the bluegills and one for the bass

Until next time, stay safe, use a face mask anytime you will be out in public and take a kid fishing!!

Veterans Day.....

Had the day off from work, since my company honors Veterans Day as a company holiday and paid day off! I only had about a four-five hour window to fish due to other commitments later in the day, so a pre-dawn excursion was in order.  Made my way to the lake and headed out to a spot after some discussion with a fellow Hobie Team member.

As I arrived at the launch, I had to pause and take in the early morning sunrise that was unfolding before me.  Truly an amazing sight to see.  As I unloaded all of my gear and prepared to launch, the sun had crested the horizon and yet another astonishing scene laid before me.

I made my way out to my first spot and worked the area over from top to bottom as best as I could with the little gear I had brought.  I saw a surface swell and thrash of a bass attacking bait, so I grabbed the topwater rod and cast in the vicinity and was rewarded with an almost immediate strike - not a bad way to start after being in the spot for all of 15 minutes.

I had a 3-pronged arsenal today - topwater, mid-level and bottom but all moving baits given that the water temps were still in the mid 60's.  I kept at it, casting in and around this spot for the first three hours of the day, but no more fish were found.  I decided to fish my way back to the launch given that I only had two more hours left.

I made my way into a shallow cove with exposed timber and was rewarded with another topwater strike, right in the nook of an exposed root ball, albeit another juvenile largemouth.  But still a landed fish is better than no fish I always say.

I kept working any structure I could find and was rewarded with my third and final largemouth on the day, yet again, a proud serving member of the juvenile bass brigade made a cameo appearance.

I missed a few others in the same area, but from what i could see, they were members of the toddler class and had no business attempting a strike at my lure 😂😂.

While not the best day for size and numbers, a day on the water is never a bad thing.  As I look back on the day, my plan to use moving baits may have been my downfall today.  As I was heading to the lake, I noticed two things.  One, when I left my house, the weather forecast indicated a chance of rain. Second, as I was driving, I noticed all of the cows along the way at the nearby farms were all laying down.

Hindsight is always 20/20 they say, but I'll chalk it up to another lesson learned for this popular and highly pressured lake.  Looking forward to coming back again and giving it another shot.

In summary, here was today's arsenal:

Kayak: 2019 Hobie Outback
Rods: Bull Bay Rods Stealth Tactical casting and spinning
Reels: Abu Garcia Gen2 Revo Inshore & Shimano Stradic FJ3000
Lures: Whopper Plopper, 6-9' depth & Lipless Crankbaits, FishHead Spin w/ plastic trailer

Lastly, as if the day couldn't be any more perfect, a bald eagle soared over head and watched me as I pulled away. Maybe that was his way of saying thank you for my service.  I say thank you for giving me a reason to serve!

Tight lines! And remember the 120 degree rule - if the combined water temps and air temps are less than 120 degrees (especially with water temps below 60) then you should be wearing proper cold water protective gear!

Windy day crankin....

Sometimes Mother Nature is cooperative and other times, she can wield her fury in various ways.  On this day, she opted for the latter and unleashed her windy fury upon the water.  Portions of the target lake were white capping with waves crashing over the bow of my new 2019 Hobie Outback as I moved about, but the winds did not sour my outlook on the day. I knew an approaching front might get the fish chewing, so I targeted drop offs near wind blown banks, the backside of wind blown points and any isolated submerged wood.

Tackle & Accessories:
Kayak: 2019 Hobie Outback 
Rods: Bull Bay Rods Stealth and Tactical series of custom casting rods
Lures: Profound Outdoors Squarebill (shad pattern) crankbait and a Z-Man Minnowz soft plastic
Cold water gear: Kokatat Drysuit, NRS Launch boots, Hodgmann fleece, Duofold base layers
Sunglasses: Hobie Polarized (Mantas - discontinued)
Line: P-Line 12lb fluorocarbon clear
Accessories: YakAttack Omega Pro rod holders, Panfishw/ GoPro mount and X-grip (cell hone holder)

Keys stats from the day:
Total fish (species) and (size): 3 (bass) for 49" total - (16", 17 3/4", 15 1/4")
Time on the water: 5 hours
Winds: 15 mph (gusts over 25 mph)
Water: public lake
Water temps: 52 degrees
Air temps: 37 degrees (at launch), 47 (mid day)

Here are the highlights......enjoy

Cold Weather Fishin' and more......

Each year in Central VA, the weather patterns make finding time to get on the water a little challenging.  One day the air temps creep into the low 60's followed by several days of freezing temperatures.  Recently, I had the opportunity to get on the water during a favorable weather window, so I took advantage of it.  I loaded up the 2019 Hobie Outback with my trusty YakAttack accessories, three of my favorite Bull Bay Rods, a small bag of Powerteam Lures Texas Rig Jigs and Food Chain Tubes, a SPRO Fat John 60 crankbait or two, a Siebert Outdoors jig selection and my cold weather gear.





Important safety note - and this one that was shared with me my very first year kayak fishing.  A general rule of thumb is the 120 degree mark - if the combination of water temperature and air temperature is less that 120 degrees, you should be wearing appropriate cold weather waterproof protective gear.  Since the air temps would be approaching 60 degrees on this day, I knew the water temps would still be in the 40's, so I dressed accordingly with a base layer, a wicking layer and a waterproof layer.

I hit the water and started off the day looking for a reaction bite given the warming trend over the previous few days.  I knew my window of opportunity would be small given that an approaching front was closing in on me and high winds were forecast later that morning.  Wish I would've checked the weather a little more closely, because the front had moved faster than expected, and I ended up launching dead smack in the midst of the front's arrival and higher than expected winds.  No turning back now!

My first cast was made with the chartreuse and black back crankbait, and I was fishing today regardless! I was rewarded immediately with a hard swipe at the Fat John and a miss, but the persistence of the predator was triggered and he came back for more.  This time I nailed him and had my first fish of the day.  A spunky 15" bass, but I know there are bigger ones in this pond.

I kept working the Fat John parallel to the bank first, then followed up with targeted casts towards the bank.  After a bit with no more bites, I switched over to the Food Chain Tube and started working the banks.  This small neighborhood pond use to have significant brush overhangs and fallen trees, but recently the HOA made the decision to remove all of the shoreline cover.  As a result, the fish population has no natural refuge or safe havens anymore resulting in a steep banked pond with no cover anymore.  The other side effect that may occur is what a friend told me about in that all of the chemicals used in the upkeep of the surrounding landscape will now flow freely into the pond and will likely kill off what little life is left in this pond.



A sad day indeed, but still I plugged along.  I came upon one of my favorite areas of the pond where there still was the remnants of an old brush pile and carefully cast my tube into the point of the brush pile.  The moment the tube hit the sandy bottom, I felt the tell-tale thump.  As I engaged the reel and prepared for a hookset, the bass swam full speed directly towards me forcing me to reel up the slack as quickly as possible.  By the time I had removed the slack, the bass had gained the leverage advantage and was immediately under the kayak.  I waited until she passed, then I set the hook, but sadly the bass just spit the bait.  She rolled on the surface and had the makings of what was easily a 20" bass with some thickness to her.  Oh well, sometimes the fish wins, and you just have to tip your hat or nod in acceptance and move on.  I fished hard and focused for the next couple of hours, but the wind and my experience on this pond told me the bite was over for the day.

While I likely will not return to this pond this year, it still holds a special place in my relative short history in the kayak fishing world.  Some of my largest bass have come from this pond.  It saddens me to know that the HOA was concerned more about aesthetics than the long term health and vitality of their pond.  Now the challenge is trying to find a new location "X".

While doing some research and prepping for my next outing, I received my 2019 Hobie Fishing Team package!  It's like Christmas for me, and I look forward to seeing what the good folks at Hobie have in store for us team members this year.  As usual, Hobie went above and beyond with their partnership with AFTCO and Hobie Polarized! Much appreciated Kevin, Morgan, Keeton and crew!  You guys are the best!



Until next time, remember to know the 120 degrees temperature rule (I prefer using 110 degree myself just to be safe), and be certain to inform friends and family of your float plan! Safety first!





No More Excuses .......

You've heard it before - I couldn't go fishing because of (insert any reason you have used in the past)!!  Well not this time!  I made plans to go out on Friday, my day off and again on Monday (Veterans Day observed by my company) and pre-rigged my Bull Bay Rods arsenal and loaded up all the tackle and YakAttack gear in my CRV for an early morning outing.  Once I got my kids off to school, I made my way back home, let the dogs out one more time and loaded up my new 2019 Hobie Outback for some fishing.  Mother Nature tried her best to literally rain on my parade, but I wasn't going to let that deter me.  Even as I pulled up to the launch and the rain continued to fall, I launched belligerently into the cold winds and early morning haze.

The weather conditions at launch were:
Air Temp - 41 degrees (Friday), 34 degrees (Monday)
Winds - NNE 2-5mph

Water clarity - 4'+
Lake composition - clay and sandy bottom

A few minutes to unload and a few extra minutes to change into cold weather gear were all I needed yo get the day started right.  I launched and made my way straight to the nearby rock jetty and started working a few different presentations.  First was a moving bait - a PTL JP Hammershad with an Owner Flashy Swimmer head, later switched to a twitch bait as well but no takers.  Second rod was rigged with a shaky head PTL 7" Finicky Tickler to work the rocks but no bites.  Third was a PTL Rock Crawler Jig paired with a PTL Craw D'oeuvre if things really slowed.  Lastly was a shot in the dark lure - a River2Sea Whopper Plopper.  I had noticed some top water swirls in a nearby cove when I crossed a nearby bridge on my way to the launch.

I figured what the heck, so I positioned myself parallel with the jetty, then I pulled the Plopper rod from the holder and slung the Plopper near the jetty - slow retrieve but no takers.  Second cast was about 4' away from shore but it traversed the drop off into deeper water.  Half-way back on the retrieve. and the Plopper is sent flying into the air by an overaggressive buck bass.  He hits it a second time and is stuck by both treble hooks.  He's landed and released measuring around 10".  Another cast into slightly deeper water and that's when things started to get more consistent over the next hour or so.

The rains came in earnest and really drenched me and chilled me good, but I toughed it out.  The winds even picked up with the rain and started pushing me down the jetty wall.  I kept working the Plopper and would get a strike almost every 15 minutes or so.  Once the rains dissipated, the top water activity took a noticeable turn and the bite tapered off.

I switched over to the PTL Tickler and started working laydowns and exposed brush pockets.  Landed my best two fish of the day using that technique.  Both times, the Tickler hit the water next to the submerged wood and was instantly devoured on the free fall - both times the bass were gut hooked they had inhaled it so deeply before I could even close the bail on the Stradic and set the hook.  Both fish measured at 18" on the HawgTrough but sadly my battery had died by that time. But managed to get a pic of this chunky 16" before the battery took a hiatus on me.

Landed 8 bass on the day, lost 2-3 as well.  All in all a successful outing in the new Outback I'd say!

 

I made my way back on Monday but targeted docks and wood for a few hours.  Managed a couple small ones but nothing too significant.

I'll be back again continuing my study of this body of water in preparation for landing that elusive monster I know is laying there in wait!

Until next time - tight lines and stay safe!!!

Warming Trends

Weather temperatures have you confused? Annually here in Central Virginia, it seems like each February there is a temperature spike with a 4-5 day warming trend that really gets the fishing juices flowing.  I was fortunate enough to spend two days chasing a bite at a local pond.  While the air temperatures were in the low 60's, the water temperatures were still in the mid-40's.  As the picture above clearly depicts, I was not venturing out without proper cold water layers - thank you #Kokatat!

The bite was fairly slow, but I managed to convince a variety of species into the kayak using some trusty PTL JP Hammershads on the end of the line.  The winning ticket on both days was a slow retrieve over submerged wood with the bait smacking into it and then a subtle pause/drop afterwards.  Since there were no storms of late, the shallower areas had crystal clear water and required a greater level of stealth.

The new Hobie MD180 Mirage Drive (which I borroed from my 2017 Hobie Revolution 13) was crucial in these moments as I was able to reverse my motion with one simple pull of the cable.  I could then make a longer cast to the target area and work it over slowly and methodically.  While I didn't have tremendous success, I did complete the two trips with 4 Largemouth Bass, 2 Fliers, 1 Bluegill and a massive Chain Pickeral that was well over 22" and fat but snapped the lightweight leader too easily when he choked the Hammershad and made a snap turn.

Gear summary:
Kayak: 2015 Hobie Outback
Rods: Bull Bay Rods Stealth & Tactical custom medium spinning rods
Reels: Shimano Stradic FJ3000
Line: PowerPro Braid Hi-Vis Yellow and P-Line Flouroclear leader
Lure: Powerteam Lures 3.6" JP Hammershad on a 1/16oz Jacked Whacker jighead
Photomount: YakAttack GearTrac GT-175 (4") and the Dogbone Camera Mount

A great weekend nonetheless! It felt amazing to be back on the water again.  Bigger fish are on the way - I promise!

I'm already looking forward to my next outing!

Stay safe and get on 'em!

#paddleva #becausewefish #yakattack #hobiefishing #bullbayrods

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!

Therapy

After a long week sitting at a desk and staring at work-related files and notes, time with my family is always special, but nothing gives me greater relief and peace of mind than some time on the water.  This summer was a little different than in the past, since I had to alter my work schedule to accommodate my son's summer camps resulting in losing my Fridays off.  Combine that with family obligations and other scheduled events on the weekends, and you can easily see how limited time on the water can be.

So this past Friday when my work schedule returned to its normal bi-weekly Friday off routine, you can imagine the sense of relief and anticipation I was feeling as I pulled up to one of my favorite local fishing holes.  While most people are tied to their work schedules and hectic pace of life, I was able to escape for about six hours.   As I unloaded my Hobie Quest 13 and loaded up the few items I brought along, I noticed a VDOT worker watching me with curiosity.  Once I pulled out my three rod arsenal from Bull Bay Rods, you could see a noticeable smile come across his face as he realized what I was getting ready to do.

As I began to drag my setup to the water's edge, I overheard him say, "Man that looks like fun.....".  I paused, turned around and smiled from ear to ear as I replied, "There's nothing better!"  He stood and watched in what I can only assume was a pang of jealousy as I paddled to my own little corner of the pond in search of my much needed Zen for the next six hours.

Today's target area was a choke point where the main channel meets up with a lily pad field.  It always holds fish, but it can be a slow day if they are not in a feeding mood.  The challenge with this spot is that you can visibly see the fish moving as pads are shifted to and fro from their movements, but you can't always cast to them because the pads are thick and above the water line. You're frequently startled as the silence and solitude is interrupted with an audible explosion of water as a predator chases its prey.  Casting into this menagerie and chasing these "sounds" is often followed by frustration as your line becomes wedged into that crease each lily pad leaf possesses.  Patience and "open" casting lanes are the key if you're efforts are to be rewarded.

On this day, my approach was simple - work the outer edge of the channel with a moving presentation, then follow up with a reaction presentation.  My rods were rigged with the following:

• a vibrating jig tipped with a Powerteam Lures Grub 
• a Capt. Ken Daubert #4 Brown Spotted Bull Clone Frog 
• a weedless Powerteam Lures 4.8" JP Hammershad

The three Bull Bay Rods used were:

• a custom casting rod (MH/XF) paired with a Gen 3 Abu Garcia Revo Inshore reel
• the new AR-20 series casting rod (MH/MOD) paired with a Gen 2 Revo Inshore reel
• a Black Ops Inshore spinning rod paired with a Shimano Stradic FJ3000 reel

After a few minutes of watching and listening, I was rewarded with a flurry of activity where the creek channel shallows noticeably.  As I positioned myself and prepared to make the first cast, I told myself that the first fish would likely be a pickerel just based on the style of feeding activity I was seeing and hearing.  Sure enough, ole' toothy showed up almost on cue......

After a few more minutes of chasing these slimy predators, I opted to move back out to the creek mouth and channel swing.  I started working the pad edges in earnest with the vibrating jig and Clone Frog and was rewarded with a nice bass with beautiful dark green hues.

When I wanted to change things up, I worked the weedless Hammershad through the same areas and was rewarded several times over the course of the day.  Some of the bass came in the heart of the pads, some in the open casting lanes in the pads, and some on the edge of the pad line.  While the Clone Frog produces for me regularly, the clear winning pattern on the day was high sticking the Hammershad through the pads.

As the day wore on and the air temperatures reached it's zenith, it was my signal to wrap up this outing.  I paddled my way back to the launch but made a couple stops along the way at past spots that usually hold a fish or two.  Using the same one-two punch of the Clone-Hammer technique, I was rewarded with one last fish at my last stop.  This one was laying in wait in a hole among the pads over my shoulder in the image below.

It was a nice way to finish off the day.  Final tally for the day was fifteen fish - three chain pickerel and twelve bass - the largest being a 20" chain pickerel and a 17.5" largemouth bass.  A wonderful day of peace and tranquility as the hustle and bustle of daily life passed by.  When you find yourself needing to unwind, the magic of the water is truly amazing.  As I loaded up my gear and secured my kayak, I took time to give thanks for a work schedule that allows me time to pursue my passion for kayak fishing while minimizing the impact on my family time.

Even if the fish don't always cooperate, for me this time is always sacred as it serves as my own therapy session.......

Tight lines!

Finally!!!

After years of fishing both in and out of the kayak, I can now say I have caught a freshwater citation in the state of Virginia.  The last three years have seen several bass each year fall short of citation by the narrowest of margins.  Well, the wait is finally over!  The best part of it all was that I caught it using my favorite frog lure of all time - the Capt. Ken Daubert Clone Frog, this one was the #4 Brown Spotted Bull pattern with some hand drawn black sharpie markings on the legs and underbelly by yours truly.  I also was using my latest "arrow in the quiver" - my new custom medium heavy Bull Bay Rod.  And to complete the trifecta of good vibes, I was sporting my new Astral Porter water shoes.

I am an avid and loyal user of PowerTeam Lures, so needless to say, the frog was touched up with a nice coat of Hog Tonic for good measure.  In hindsight, I realized that I had spent most of the first hour on the water trying to help my son get a top water strike and hadn't really even been casting that much.  While I was coaching him up, I witnessed a bass launch out of the water chasing a small pumpkinseed. 

I quickly cast my Clone Frog well past the spot and slowly worked it.  When the strike happened, it was even more violent than the breach I had just witnessed.  At first I didn't even realize how big she really was until I brought her alongside my Outback.  That's when I knew, it was going to be long enough.  When I finally got her on the measuring board, I let out a guttural scream of "Yes! Finally!"

Enjoy the video..... (just make sure you select 1080HD for best image quality!)

Thanks again to Hobie for designing my favorite fishing platform - the Hobie Outback.  Thanks to Astral Designs for the killer new shoes and fish catching mojo.  Thanks to Bull Bay Rods for building the best custom rods on the market - the new rod definitely had no problem at all handling that beastly bass!  Thanks to AFTCO for the extremely comfortable Fish Ninja technical shirt you provided for members of the Hobie Fishing Team.  And last but not least, thanks to Capt. Ken Daubert for designing the best frog lures on the market!  I'm proud to use your frogs as the only frogs in my arsenal.  Since I started using your Clones three years ago, all of my other frog lures have sat in a tackle tray collecting dust.

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......"