Thursday, February 24, 2011

Crossing My Fingers in a New Kayak

First of all, I'd like to thank Vic from Appomattox River Company.  He was very knowledgeable, helpful, insightful and just overall awesome.  The customer service was unbeatable.  If you're thinking about getting a new or used kayak, give Vic a call at the ARC store in Kiln Creek.  They have a huge inventory at the store and additional kayaks are constantly being delivered from their main warehouse in Farmville.  They also have every known accessory for kayaking.  Aside from actual fishing tackle, ARC has just about everything else you would need.  Once again, THANKS VIC!

 After long deliberations, I got an Ocean Kayak Trident 13.  I wanted something lighter, faster, and something that would protect my gear during an oceanside surf launch.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Heritage Redfish 12.  I can even say I've got an emotional attachment to it since it was my first and I've done so much in it.  I've had it for 3 years and I've been able to do everything I've wanted to in it.  Except surf launches.  I've been wanted to launch from Sandbridge and other ocean side beaches but not being able to stow my rods and reels inside kept me from venturing into the potentially dangerous and expensive waves.  The Trident 13 will remedy this, plus it's 10lbs lighter and 1.5 feet longer.  The hull is thinner so I won't be beating it up like I did my last one.


Old Hull





 I'll put up an entry about rigging and outfitting soon.

 


            In the mean time, here's a fishing story. I went to HRBT Sunday  night and got into the stripers again with Marty. The wind picked up pretty bad and the current was ripping.  I had two rods with me but had to put one in my lap since the water was high and I didn't want the top of the rod to scrape or break against the underside of the bridge.  The rod pod came in handy on my first trip.  I ended up with a little over a dozen with the biggest three going 23", 24" and 25".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       As the title of this entry implies, I'm crossing my fingers because I caught a striper with a Diamond Jim tag in it.  It was dated back in 2009 but I called in anyway and left a message with the tag number.  It's crazy to think that this tagged fish was possibly worth up to $25,000.  A decent consolation prize would be nice.  Hope they call back soon!                                                                                                                                                                                              Stay tuned!                                                                                     
Either way, I'm off to a great start on my lucky new kayak!

9 comments:

  1. That hull wont look like that for long!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I second your endorsement of Appomattox River Company. I dealt with Tom over the phone and via e-mail. He even arranged to ship my kayak all the way to Illinois where I picked it up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is a sweet boat brother. Congrats on your purchase!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You should see the ARC Farmville complex. I bought a Native there last year. If I recall correctly they had 3,000+ yaks/canoes on site.

    Awesome catch and best of luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks guys. Justin, you're probably right.

    Clif, I like Tom too. Definitely seems like a good guy.

    Billy, Thanks. We need to get up and fish SOON!

    Matt, I've always wanted to go check out the Farmville location. Maybe for my next one...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sweet ride! I've been lusting after a Hobie Pro Angler for a few years now. But my brother recently got me into float tubing, so I'm content... for now.

    Coming from a land-locked state, that ocean fishing seems crazy to me. But the rewards appear to be greater.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Only cause I'm family can I say this but I believe you were looking for customer not costumer. =P But I'm happy that you got yourself a new yak. Hopefully I can come over and take the old one off your hands. =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. MNAngler, I have a few friends that have Hobies and they like them a lot. About the ocean fishing, I'm love the salt!

    Charlie, thanks for catching that. I fixed it. And you can use my kayak anytime.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice plastic boat rob. I have the same one but without a rudder. The rod pod is awesome, currently I'm working on an internal trolly to make better use of the interior room. I'd love to see more pics as you rig her up, since I plan to steal ideas from you lol. Also major congrats on the tagged stripper, I hope it pays for your new vessel! Hope to run into you soon on the water, but now I will have to keep an eye out for a new boat. Tight lines friend.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.