Interview with Kayak Angler Magazine

I've always enjoyed and admired the writing of Paul Lebowitz.  

So when I got an email from him wanting to post up something 

on Kayak Angler Magazine's website about my recent video, 

I was ecstatic.  

After the short Q&A session, I found this a few days later...

CHECK IT OUT!!!

Back in the Saddle

Itching with anticipation, Friday night couldn't come soon enough.  At 10:30pm, HRBT was the first stop where I met up with Justin.  I paddled out, keeping my eyes peeled for the welcome sight of a striper silhouette.  I was paddling over a small one when a voice greeted me out of the darkness...   "dude, there's a big one right in front of you".   I thought, what a nice way to greet a fishing buddy, as I caught a glimpse of the massive shape slowly sinking then fading.  We guestimated it to be in the upper 30" range and it was the only big one we saw.  Fish were scattered here and there and not wanting to commit.  They would follow the lure to the boat then take off.  I started twitching the lure once I got their attention and then they would strike.  Unfortuantely, I had several poor hook sets and the fish would get off.   It wasn't too long before the current stopped and I only landed one at 25" while Justin landed several.  We were off the water by 1am.

It wasn't the greatest night, but after an agonizing 31 days of kayak fishing deprivation, it felt great to finally  get back in the saddle.

I found myself at the Elizabeth river by 7am looking for big speckled trout.  I tried everything from topwater, soft plastics, to various MirrOlures, slow to fast and everything in-between, from deep drop offs to shallow flats, the infamous party cove area and a few oyster bars with little luck.  I managed one 20"er and called it the first kayak fishing trip of the year.

Addiction: Kayak Fishing (Video)

After compiling a years worth of footage from 2011, here's a visual cornucopia of kayak fishing delights from VA. It's not instructional, but perhaps motivational. I hope you enjoy and get pumped up for the new year.

Starting Off on a Boat

First trip of 2012 was with Bob Shepherd on the James River.  We launched his boat a little south of Hopewell and put out a spread of cut shad that we cast netted that morning.  The action wasn't hot, but we still had a good time with the few that we found.

51lb Blue Catfish

Not many people can say they had a good time fishing with their boss.

Maybe one day I'll get him to try it in a kayak.

Closing Remarks & Opening Statement

Without a doubt, 2011 was my best angling year thus far.  My wife's generosity seemed to know no bounds and I spent more time on the water than ever before.  I was lucky to have that much time and to say that I did pretty good would be an understatement.

Although I left a few goals still on the table, I accomplished more than I thought I would.  I beat my personal best Red Drum 3 times (40", 45" and 48.5").  I boosted my personal best Spadefish several times up to 15.5", and raised my tautog record (22.25" twice and a 23.5").  I caught my first cobia ever along with 3 others.  Even though it wasn't from a kayak, it still felt good to check that off the list.  I'll be looking for the brown clown from the yak in the coming year.

I caught 10 Virginia saltwater trophy citations in 2011 spread through 4 different species (Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Sheepshead, and Tautog).  In the freshwater world I had one Blue catfish citation and one flathead catfish citation.  The Flathead also happens to be my new personal best at 41".  I targeted and successfully caught carp for the first time as well. 

Relentless in my pursuit, I launched my kayak over 75 times, spent more than 470 hours on the water, and paddled roughly 315 miles.  My addiction also drove me to add almost 10,000 miles to my car.

My competitive nature was put to the test while participating in two different year-long online tournaments, one of which was a big national venue with different divisions based on what area you live in.  With over 300 registered anglers in over 100 teams, Kayak Wars is one of the biggest online kayak tournaments hosting some of the best kayak anglers around.  Virginia, being clumped together with the Northeast states made it very challenging to compete with the striper saturated northern states.  None the less, our team, Fish Junkies, came in a respectable 2nd place in the Northeast division and I placed 3rd in individual ranking for the Northeast (second year in a row).  With 279 registered fish, 5325 points spread through 15 different species, claiming 7 records, I'm pretty proud of my 3rd place.  I feel like I gave it my all and that's that.  I'm not sure that we'll get any actual prizes, but the bragging rights are pretty sweet.

The other tournament was with a smaller, more local, kayak fishing club called the Pirates of Lynnhaven. I won the Angler of the Year tournament along with a few of the smaller week long tournaments.  I accumulated a few excellent glass mounted FishDV8 plaques, several gift certificates, an offshore deep drop trip with Rudee Angler, and a brand new kayak (Moken 12 angler from Appomattox River Company).  The cherry on top is the fact that all the proceeds from that tournament went towards the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

My desire to promote the sport caught the eyes of some companies who had similar goals.  In 2011, I was asked to join some very respected names in the industry in helping to showcase some innovative and excellent quality products made by some of the leading companies of the sport.  YakAttack, Hook1/Kayak Bass Fishing and Werner paddles added me to their respective teams and I hope to keep contributing and helping to get their message out.  And much to my appreciation, Hook1 and YakAngler continue to publish my articles on their website/blog.  On top of that, I was also honored to be included in Kayak Kevin's 2nd fishing DVD.

Having said all that, with so much to be proud of, I think the thing I cherish the most is the couple of times I took my 3 year old daughter out.  There are few things more satisfying to me than when she says she wants to go fishing with daddy.  2012 will definitely bring more trips with the wee ones.

Also, I look forward to helping the Heroes on the Water again in the coming year.  My experience with the program left a supreme sense of satisfaction that mirrors the level of gratitude I have toward our service men and women.

I treasured the time I spent with some great fishing buddies and truly enjoyed making some new ones, too.  I savored my time on the water and maintained vigilance to keep learning as much as I can about the fisheries I explored.  But also, I remembered to simply enjoy the paddle and soak in what mother nature had to offer.

Although, some times mother nature wasn't so nice.  I found myself in some scary situations in 2011 which will serve as a reminder to myself, and hopefully you too, that safety is always priority number one.  Know your limits, wear your pfd, and please practice your self-recovery skills.

As far as goals for 2012 go, there are many.  I've shared some already, but others include more trips closer to home and trying for a broader range of species.  I plan on trying some new places for new species as well.  Also, I promised my wife that I wouldn't doing any long term tournaments in 2012.  So no Kayak Wars and no Angler of the Year tourneys.  Kayak Wars served as a good way of keeping track of how many fish I caught, so this year, I will have to try to keep a separate log.  I plan on creating more artwork as well as some entertaining videos.  But mostly, I hope to keep learning through time spent on the water and then sharing those experiences. 

I thank everyone who enjoys checking out my blog and hope you all have an excellent 2012.  Whether it's just getting out on the water simply for the joy of paddling and being out in nature or you're quest is for the next big fish, 
stay safe and best of luck.

Oh and watch out for deer on the road.

Not So Big Finale

I am very grateful to have such awesome fishing buddies.  After hearing about my fiasco with the deer, I had several offers to help me get back on the water quickly.  Everything from giving me a ride, to spare kayaks, and even places to stay were generously made available for me.  I genuinely appreciated it and can not thank you all for the great support.  Timing was difficult none the less and it made for a tough end-of-the-year for me.

  Between a crazy work schedule, holiday trials and tribulations, and dealing with the whole car thing, I wasn't able to hit the water as many times as I would have liked.  By the way, waiting in line for 3 hours, listening to other babies crying and whining, in a mall filled with angry/rude holiday shoppers, so my 3 year old can sit on some random bearded guy's lap... really sucks.  But the promise of a happy daughter filled with magic and laughter is very compelling.

And it would have been worth it to see that smile... but guess what... by the time she was sitting in Santa's lap she was so tired, out-of-it, and weirded out that everyone was staring at her, that we couldn't get her to smile.  I leaned over to the girl behind the camera and told her to just pick one so I can get the hell out of there.

Anyway, back to fishing... Justin and I got on some more topwater trout action on the Elizabeth River.  We almost couldn't believe that we were getting topwater blow ups in December.  Justin had some nice ones up to 23.5".

Various soft plastics, including one of my favorites, the Marshworks 3" Bayou Thumper, on a 1/4 ounce jighead also worked well. When I stopped getting hits on that I switched over to a MirrOlure.

After that we switched gears in search of the big stripers.  In total, I went eelin' 4 times and didn't catch a single one.  Ash Bishop caught a nice 49"er one night, then a 42"er the next night.

Ash's 42" Striper

Justin also got in on the action with a ridiculously fat 34"er.

Work schedule and having been kicked in the nuts will prevent me from getting another chance before the end of the year.

I would have loved to end the year with a trophy striper, but I really can't complain. I've had a fantastic year and perhaps it'll be the first to get checked off next year.

Togzilla vs. The Bastardly Buck

Yes.  This is the story about the one.  Finally.

But, there's a problem...

Over the past three years, I've learned a lot about the kayak tautog fishery in the lower Chesapeake Bay.  I've put in a good amount of time, and if I had to guess, I've probably caught nearly 200 togs during that time.  Though some were under 15" and not worth talking about, I've also had my fair share of near trophy togs and everything in between. Coming within less than an inch of citation twice this year made my desire to catch that 23"+ tog that much more insatiable.  My quest for Togzilla became an obsession.

The day started with my wife going to yoga.  By the time she got back, I was contemplating just staying at home since I wasn't going to have too much day light left by the time I got down to Virginia Beach.  Tautog are a daytime only species.  But the weather was so nice with the wind laying low, so I decided I had to give it one more try before switching gears for the big stripers.  My little girl wished me good luck and I made the long drive down.  After a tough time finding bait, I finally got on the water a little after 2pm.   

My trusty Werner paddle got me out to the spot by 3:00, leaving me about 2 hours of tog-able time left.  I had exactly one tog bite in those two hours.  But, it was just like the two other 22"+ togs from earlier in the year... a single solid thump, and I didn't hesitate. Setting the hook, I knew immediately it was a heavy fish.  After the first few cranks, the response came in the form of a violent jackhammering of the rod.  I loved it.  The bulldog of a beast put a nerve-racking bend in my rod that started from the handle and line started peeling off the super tight drag.  I really didn't want it getting back to it's hole, so I stayed confident that my tackle would withstand it, and I pumped the rod and cranked.  It fought hard the entire way up. When it got to the surface, before I could grab the leader, it slapped it's tail and went on another awe-inspiring run that had me praying that the hook stayed in.  It did and my second landing attempt went smoothly.  I grabbed the leader and as the head hit the gunwale, I used my leg to scoop it in.  I smiled but didn't let myself get too outwardly excited until I measured it.  Please, please, please be 23"...

23.5" RELEASE CITATION TAUTOG!

The emotions came pouring out.  My screaming "Yeah!  Woohoo!  $#%^ yeah!" turned into maniacal laughter that echoed under the bridge.  The lack of wind made it seem even louder.  I was on cloud 9.

I released it in hope of keeping this kayakable fishery strong.  Especially since it's a big female.  Not too long after, the sun started touching the horizon which marked the end of my tog season.  I laughed out loud and had yelling fits of joy during the entire paddle back.  It was the greatest ending I could have asked for.  

I should have stopped there.  Before I left the house, my wife said "if you catch 'the one' today, you should just come home right then".  And I agreed.  The thing is, I bought eels before I got on the water, just in case I didn't catch "the one".  But now I couldn't let the eels go to waste, right?  Plus, Johnnie Caldwell sent me a message telling me he caught a 51" 47lber a few days earlier.  I had to try.  

I paid the hefty toll and went across the bay to the Eastern Shore.  Still giddy as my thoughts lingered on how I wanted to tell this story, I was oblivious to the fact that I was driving through a deer crossing gauntlet.  Having seen so many deer on that stretch of highway before, I should have known better.  I was cruising a little over 55mph when the first one popped out.  I slammed the brakes, miss it, but the one chasing it was just too close.  All my equipment slid up and hit the back of my seat.  The buck got clobbered then airborne.  I wasn't scared or panicky.  I was immediately pissed.  I try not to use much profanity on my blog, but FUCK THAT DEER.

I checked the car.  Lots of damage, but it seemed drivable.  I checked the bastardly buck.  Dead.  If I knew how to field dress a deer, it's ass end would have gone in the cooler.  My thoughts went back to fishing since I was very close to where I was headed, Kiptopeke State Park.  I figured I was already so close, I might as well dunk those eels.  The car got there ok and I spent about 5 hours on the water.  My buddy Ash Bishop came out to join me and he had two nice runs, but no hook ups.  With no bites for me, I called it a night around 2:30 am and packed it up.  I got a little past the toll booths coming back when my car started overheating.  Crap.  The radiator fluid was all gone.  Lucky for me, Ash wasn't too far behind and picked me up.  By the time he dropped me off at my parents' house in Virginia Beach it was 5am.  The car was towed across the bridge-tunnel a few hours later.  

Needless to say, my emotions are torn at the moment.  I'm still smiling when I think of my long awaited trophy, but cursing under my breathe and damning the entire deer specie.  But as time goes on, I'm sure Togzilla will prevail as the dominant memory and my insurance will make the mess go away. 

I just hope it doesn't take too long so I can get back out on the water for my next adventure...