Where Do You Stay?? Fishing On The Road....

  Lets face it. The thing that brings most of us to the sport of kayak fishing is the need for adventure! We are for the most roamers at heart and have a hard time staying in one place for very long. In my adventures, I find the one thing that keeps me from traveling more than I do is the expense of it all. Fuel, the occasional decent meal, a place to rest your head for a few hours.....all of these things add up and tend to take the joy out of a great trip when you start adding it all up in your head. It can become a bit overwhelming! Over the years, I have tried to find ways to cut every penny from a trip that is possible.
 The price of fuel is something you just can't do much about. It is going to cost you x amount of dollars to get from point A to point B every time. Other than buying a Prius, there is not much you can do to change that. Food is easy, bring your own. Simple and quick meals are best for life on the road. Don't over complicate this and you will be just fine. Besides, I'm out here to fish not to eat a gourmet meal 3 times a day! A place to sleep and call home for a few days is where I have bounced back and forth between all of the options but I think I have it figured out.....for now.
 

2000 Capri Ranchero

 

   Now I have spent many a night in a tent. I'm sure that is where most of our thoughts would go when

discussing cheap options for lodging. It's not the heat in the summer or the cold in the winter that turned me away from tent camping. It was the set up and break down of camp, a place where I may only be for a few hours anyways. Breaking down camp at 4am in the dark is something that I am no fan of. From there I went to hammock camping. This worked very well. I can break down or set up a hammock in just a few minutes. They are fairly comfortable and easy to pack. I doubt I will ever fully give up the hammock but at times it can be tricky to find a place to hang one. For a short period of time, I started staying in motel rooms. The down side of this is the obvious of the expense but also the feeling that your kayak and fishing gear could all be nowhere to be found when you wake up in the morning! Motel parking lots are like a WalMart shopping center for thieves!

 

 

What's a fishing blog post without a fish pic!

 

 

 

   After spending way to much of my hard earned funds on motel rooms for a few trips, I started pondering on other options. I do own a 32' travel trailer and that was a thought but the fuel cost to haul that thing alone outweighed the cost of a cheap motel room for a couple of nights. This is when I started considering a truck camper. After looking at pricing of new units, I quickly discovered that was not an option. They build some nice ones and they are very proud of them! I decided that I really didn't need all of the bells and whistles but just a place to rest my head at night. Weeks of searching for just what I was looking for made me realize that people just do not sell these things after they buy them! It was no easy task but after nearly giving up, I ran across a Craigslist add for a Capri camper for an 8' bed. Perfect! Exactly what I needed. Purchased it on the cheap too at a price of $800.

 

  The great thing about the truck camper is that there is zero setting up or breaking down camp. I can be gone in a flash. It provides me with a comfortable and secure place to sleep anywhere I find myself after a day on the water. The Capri Ranchero that I purchased only weighs 600lbs and is barely wider than the bed of my truck. Most times while driving down the highway I hardly know its even there. It does effect my fuel mileage ever so slightly but the trade off is well worth it! I hope one day to upgrade to one of the larger Capris with a bathroom and kitchen. Maybe all of those creature comforts wouldn't be so bad.....

 

Included below is a link to the Capri Camper web page so that you can go check out their new models. I will also be posting a short review of my camper with more pics of the interior in the near future!

 

 

 

lonestarkayakguide.com

nucanoe.com

https://www.facebook.com/lonestarkayakguide/

http://capricamper.com/

 

 

 











KBF-Lake Whitney

   3am....that's what time I started this rainy day. Even with the early start and wet forecast, I was excited to be fishing the first bass tournament I had fished in a very long time. Walking up to the registration table I recognized a few familiar faces under their rain hoods that I had fished many tournaments with in the past but noticed more that I did not recognize. It just goes to show that kayak fishing is continuing to grow as a sport. Knowing that there would be some serious competition, I had no serious thought of winning this thing even though it was being held on a lake that I was very familiar with. In fact, I started fishing Lake Whitney at a very young age with my father. I would guess I was 4 or 5 the first time I pulled a bass from its deep blue green water. What I was hoping to do was finish somewhere in the top ten and if all went well possibly the top 5.
  Driving through the lightning storm to the launch, I couldn't help but wonder how many other kayakers would be hitting the same spot I had decided to fish just the day before. What I didn't expect were  the 15 bass boats lined up at the gate waiting to get in when I arrived at the park. Turns out there was a power boat tournament launching out of the same location. The day was already looking rough with the early start and the weather and now I would have to share a ramp with all of these glitter rockets! About then is when I noticed the vehicle in front of me with a NuCanoe Pursuit on its rack. None other than fellow NuCanoe pro staffer Raymond Martinez! I had seen Ray at the captains meeting earlier but never dreamed we would end up at the same launch. Ray is a great guy to share some time on the water with so I knocked on his window and let him in on another launch we could use in the park to avoid the ramp full of bass boats.
  After waiting out the lightning as long as an eager angler can possibly wait, we both launched and rounded the bend only to find most of those previously mentioned glitter rockets posted up on the flat I had intentions of slaying 5lbers on for most of the day. I focused on a wind blown point that for some strange reason was vacant of anything made of fiberglass. I hook up almost immediately with what in no doubt in my mind must be at least an 18" to 20" fine specimen of a large mouth bass. In fact, it was a 13" undersized specimen of a large mouth bass that was scored but later culled with a 14" bass. That was about how the day went. I caught fish all day. They were hungry fish. They needed to grow. They were destroying my baits. What they were not doing is cashing me any checks!
  I had a limit of 14"- 15" fish and knew I had to get on the move to find some bigger fish. I started heading south down the flat thinking that later in the day when the south wind picked up I could just drift back to the launch. I flipped willows. I flipped stumps. I flipped flooded brush piles. I flipped every piece of cover I can see above the water line and everything I could see on my graph. More dinky bass. If I had to make a guess I would say I caught close to 30 fish that day and only one that would bump me up in the standings. That fish was starving and probably would have eaten a chicken nugget if I had one tied on! Seriously, I think a couple of the 14" fish I caught out weighed this skinny little 19" fish! Good thing its a game of inches.
  So there I am, two miles down the flat when I start to see a fog coming across the lake. Only I quickly realize that its not fog as the north wind picks up. A steady rain set in along with a strong wind out of the north and here I am on the south end of the flat. Now those who know Whitney know how quickly calm waters can become anything but in a hurry! It was going to be a fun and sporty paddle back to the launch. Luckily, I was in a NuCanoe Pursuit which handles these conditions very well. At no point did I feel unsafe about the situation I had put myself in.
  After a long paddle back in the wind and rain I was happy to find out that pizza and a frosty cold one would be provided at the weigh in thanks to a great tournament director Duc Tran. I really enjoyed fishing my first KBF tournament and hope to fish another in the near future. Oh, and I finished a respectable 9th place. Congrats to the first place winner, Jason Delfraisse , second place, Chris Anglin and third place, one of the new faces I mentioned before, Santos Zepeda. Congratulations go out to the other 32 anglers in the event for surviving the storms....

And here are the dinky, skinny fish that didn't award me any monetary gains......

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https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/

If Only For A Little While...

 I begin my journey through the dark down a scarcely traveled trail but the rising sun soon greets me as a narrow sliver of purple light appears at the horizon and slowly becomes shades of orange and red. I take it all in as I know this moment will last only for a little while.

The sun breaches the horizon and brings life to all that calls this patch of trees along a remote river bank home. Birds sing as the morning dew weighs down the few blades of grass that have managed to sprout to life under a protective canopy of cedars and oaks. Squirrels play tag among their limbs and only stop for a moment to chatter in showing that they are aware of my presence. Even the smallest visible living things seem to greet the new day as tiny flowers begin to bloom from the  damp earth below the trees. I take it all in as I know this moment will last only for a little while.

Slowly I creep into a clear shallow stream that runs over smooth round river rock beneath my feet. The gentle ripple of the slow moving river is the only sound to be heard. Sunfish jolt from the stones they have been using as ambush points for their prey of small minnows and bugs floating on the surface of the water as my steps spook them. I can just make out the silhouette of a bass who is no doubt making the frightened sunfish her meal. This is my prey. Gently I place a cast just in front of her nose and the fish cautiously approaches my fly. A sniff and a turn of the head and she is gone ignoring my presentation. This task is repeated hundreds of times through the day. Some are fooled by the bits of plastic, feathers and fur I have prepared for them, most are not. I take it all in as I know this moment will last only for a little while.
 
   As I exit the cool clear water of the gently flowing river I reflect on how fortunate I am to have spent these precious hours taking in all that is in this moment. Back through the trees I wonder finding perhaps the same squirrels that had been so active that morning now moving a little slower with the sun beginning to set. The setting sun is near blinding as I pass the tree line and find my truck just where and how I had left it many hours ago. I stop for a moment and turn back to see the path I had just hiked wondering when I may be fortunate enough to return. I take it all in as I know this moment will last only for a little while....

Gear Review....C-Tug Kayak Cart

  I have used several different kayak carts in the search for one that would actually hold up to the abuse that I put on them while launching in some seriously remote locations where the terrain can be hard enough to walk on much less drag a fully loaded NuCanoe Pursuit behind you without losing my sanity! The ones I have built myself always had the most promise but it became apparently clear that I am no engineer as my designs would eventually break under the load after just a few uses. Carts available that were not so hard on the wallet did great on flat terrain or pavement. Take these on rough terrain however and they just wouldn't work. The biggest problem I would have is keeping the kayak centered on the cart or have it slide completely off from tipping over. No matter how tight I would get the straps it would always slide to a point where they would come loose and I would lose my load. You can imagine the headache of this happening 2-3 times before reaching the water only 50-100 yards away!
  Well no more! Problem solved! After all of the advice I ignored due to the high price compared to other carts, I broke down and purchased the C-Tug from Railblaza, At the price of $189.95 with the Sandtrakz wheels, it was a bit more than I really wanted to dish out but after using it a couple of times I realized what a small price it was to pay to maintain my sanity! Im telling you right now....THIS IS THE CART! If you have had the same problems I have described, stop looking. Whip that credit card out of your wallet and order one now! I'm telling you....Put down that burrito, step away from the computer and run down to your local paddle shop and pick one up! If they don't carry them there, start shopping somewhere else that carries the best of the best. The next best thing is not good enough for you my friend!

  Ok lets start with assembly. I'm sure it came with instructions but I didn't need them. It's simple, stupid simple. The whole thing snaps together in a matter of seconds. The only thing that took a little time to figure out was the strap. I was concerned about there being only one but that would turnout to be a non issue. I have heard negative reviews about the strap and people changing them out after purchase but I'm thinking maybe C-Tug has changed them. That would have to be confirmed but I believe this is the case.
  The Sandtrakz wheels on this thing are amazing! Rolling over rock, sand, limbs, roots you name it. I have yet to find anything they will not make it over. The cheaper wheels that the cart can be purchased with at a lower price, $140.00, maybe better on hard flat terrain but when is that the case? The upgraded wheels are worth the extra $50.00 in my opinion.
  Now to what keeps your boat from sliding all over this cart. The rubber padding on this cart almost sticks to the hull of the kayak. One strap that is included is plenty to keep the C-Tug under your kayak where it belongs. No more will you have to stop half way to your launch to reposition your boat on the cart or pick up all of its contents after dumping it because the cart slid out of position. No more headaches! Be sure to check out a video review of how this cart handles rough terrain coming soon on my You Tube channel link below.

  If you are local to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you can pick yours up at Angler's Pro Tackle or Mariner Sails who are both NuCanoe dealers as well. Links below....

http://www.nucanoe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lonestarkayakguide/
https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSwAkif1uNvkD3oOJhW6nA
http://anglersprotackle.com/
http://www.mariner-sails.com/



 

Gear Review....NuCanoe Black Pack

  There were lots of new and really great accessories from NuCanoe in 2016! My favorite, the NuCanoe Black Pack. In a collaboration from NuCanoe and Yak Attack, we have the Nucanoe Black Pack. It is a slightly smaller size than the original for a great fit in the NuCanoe Frontier but still plenty of room for all that you need for a day on the water. It comes to you broke down with assembly required. I think it took me all of 15 minutes to put it together.

 

The kit includes one set of rod holders for three rods (I added a second set to mine), two hinges for the lid, two mighty mounts and all of the panels and hardware for the crate. What makes this crate so great are the hinges. They allow the lid to stay open in any position without falling down behind the box or closing on you but still open easily. They are just stiff enough to function perfectly!

 

 Now you do not have to own a NuCanoe to enjoy the use of this great piece of gear but it certainly does help! You can pick one up locally in the DFW area at one of the two NuCanoe dealers, Angler's Pro Tackle in North Richland Hills or Mariner Sails in Dallas. (links below) They can certainly be purchased online from NuCanoe or purchased at your local Nucanoe dealer as well.

A look at these great hinges!

Storage in the NuCanoe Black Pack

http://www.nucanoe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lonestarkayakguide/
https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/
http://anglersprotackle.com/

http://www.mariner-sails.com/

 

The Path Less Traveled

  With the daily grind of working a 9-5 job and guiding on my days off, I stay extremely busy! Trying to balance work, fishing and family can become a full time job in its self. From time to time I have the need to escape it all to recharge my batteries just a bit. This could involve a full weekend alone on a slow flowing river or just a few hours on a small stream with a fly rod in hand. Whatever the case, you can bet that those trips tend to have me following an unbeaten path. It's a must to get away from it all. These locations are often more remote and the access can be challenging at best! From time to time, you have to do something just for you....

 

https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/
http://www.nucanoe.com/

"Hey, That's My Spot!"

     I hear this time and time again and it drives me completely insane! "That's my spot!", as if I am doing someone an injustice just by the physical presence of my being! With that said, I do have places that I consider "My spot" but that doesn't mean that I view it as wrong for anyone else to stumble across it and sore lip a few hungry fish while they are there. Fact is, to consider a patch of water "my spot" a ton of work goes into it. It doesn't take hours or even days to do this. It takes YEARS! I don't think it can truly be considered your spot until you can be successful in patterning its local finned inhabitants in any weather condition and any month of the year. This takes some true dedication to the sport. You have to be out there in the most horrible conditions as well as the most pleasant. The satisfaction that comes with gaining this knowledge is unmatched as an angler. It is what IT is all about. This is the reason I don't give up all of its secrets (my spot) when questioned by another angler. Some think you are just being rude but the fact is, I wouldn't want to be responsible for taking that satisfaction away from anyone. So next time you cross my path while out paddling and I say "Hey, that's my spot!" know where that's coming from, take notes and fish on!

https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/
http://anglersprotackle.com/
http://www.nucanoe.com/

Product Review.....Tackle Webs

    I am absolutely guilty as charged when it comes to packing entirely to much gear for what should be a simple day of fishing from my NuCanoe Pursuit fishing kayak! Loose bags of soft plastics, sun glasses, hand towels, cameras and a slough of other necessities always find their way around my feet or somewhere on the deck of the boat. I am completely shocked that I have not surrendered more gear to the bottom of the depths then I have. So in steps Tackle Webs to help clean things up a bit and add a little bit of organization to my often cluttered deck....
   I had seen these before in my local tackle shop (http://anglersprotackle.com/) but have yet to see them out on the water. Looked like a quality made product so I figured what the heck! The 16x12 looked as if it would fit perfectly to the back of the seat of my Pursuit so I picked that up. After looking at all of the different sizes and styles, I found the Vantage Holster Set that looked perfect for the sides of the seat. These ran $25 for the 16x12 and $50 for the Vantage Holster Set.
   The install was super simple and took all of 15 minutes. All of the required bungees are included.
The velcro closures are elastic so that they will close themselves after you are done digging through the bag to get to your things. Seem to be a well made product and as useful as a pocket on a shirt! My only concern his hooks being caught in the netting that they are made of so I will have to do my best to avoid that situation....
  

 Can't wait to get on the water with my new and improved seat! Maybe I can keep a little organization in my day on the water with the help of Tackle Webs....Be on the lookout for a full on water review...

http://anglersprotackle.com/
https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/
http://www.nucanoe.com/

Galveston Fishing Report 11/19-11/21.......

  Unusually high tides and an approaching cold front had us really searching for the reds and trying to get in all of the fishing that we could before the front passed through on Saturday. The tides were very high and gave up the first clue as to where those marsh donkeys would be hiding out at, the backs of the backs of the marsh! The mullet and the red fish making a meal of them were as far back in the marsh as they could get. Small schools of reds were gathered in the middle of the back lakes and would occasionally give chase to the schools of mullet circling the pools. Water clarity was vary good but the wind made it difficult to spot the fish who were constantly on the move. Gulp under a popping cork was the ticket to hooking up. 
  After doing battle with the reds in the marsh, we hooked up with my fishing bud, Gerardo Olmos, and headed to a spot that he suggested we try at night under the lights. Speckled trout was the targeted species but as we found out, plans do not always go the way they are intended to. It was near every cast. Sand trout after sand trout were shaken from hooks to avoid bringing them in the kayak along with their slimy coats. We did manage a few keeper sized speckled trout but I would guess the ratio to be about 25 sand trout to every 1 speckled trout. All great fun regardless!
  Waking up to heavy rain and thunderstorms Saturday morning, we decided to cut our trip short and head home. There is no doubt that this last front will change things on the coast so I guess it will be a hunt for the fish on the next trip down. That's half of the fun anyways! Give us a shout on the website below or hit us up on Face Book to come join us on our next adventure......

https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/                        <<<<< BOOK YOUR TRIP HERE!!
http://anglersprotackle.com/
http://www.nucanoe.com/

Galveston Fishing Report 10/2-10/3

  Had the chance to get down to Galveston to fish the final event of the 2015 LSKS red fish series. I hit the water early Friday morning to see if I could figure out what the fish were doing in one of my go to spots. The morning started at a high tide that would be falling steadily through the day. Reds were scattered in the marsh drains and feeding on shrimp. I had a limit by before 7am but it was a small one. These fish wouldn't be earning me a paycheck! I was not concerned as I had located an area holding lots of upper slot reds just a few weeks before.
  Arrived at the launch the next morning with friend and fishing partner, Gerardo Olmos, with plenty of time to rig boats and gear. This is the way I prefer things. I absolutely hate rushing through things getting on the water! I headed directly to the back of the marsh where I had left them biting just a few weeks before. As I approached the area, I could tell that my gut feeling was right and these fish had no reason to have moved on over the past few weeks. I could hear the feeding frenzy long before I reached the action. I spotted the pod crushing shrimp as they tried to escape from the flooded grass along the shoreline. The first cast produced a vicious strike! From the drag screaming off the reel, I could tell this was going to be either in the upper slot or busting it! Just under 27"....PERFECT! This spooked the pod and they moved into the middle of the small back lake they had been feeding in. The first cast with a popping cork and I was hooked up again. Another just under 27" and it wasn't even 7am yet. I finished off my limit of reds with a 21" fish site casted off of the edge of the shoreline grass. All in all it was a great weekend of fishing even though I missed the weigh in by 3 minutes......

http://anglersprotackle.com/
https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/

Lesson Learned....Again!

   As a guide, there are times when you must be very versatile to get clients on fish. Finding the fish is no problem. Getting them to bite is typically the same. There are times though when they just aren't where they should be and or very selective to what they will hit when you do find them. Its in these times that you may have to resort to using....uhhhuumm...live bait.
  I learned this lesson again a couple of weeks ago while on a trip with some long time friends and clients while hunting red fish in the marshes around Galveston, TX. When the fish were found, you had to hit them right in the mouth to get them to commit to eating. I knew that live mullet or shrimp would have done the trick but I was just to convinced that we could do without it. We did manage several nice reds and flounder but the day could have been so much better if I had taken the time to net some bait. Even though they were all happy with the trip, I think I owe these guys another trip to the marsh! I guess the lesson is to not be so proud of your skill as an angler that you fail to give a client the best opportunity to catch fish over something like live bait......

Book your own kayak fishing adventure...HERE!

http://anglersprotackle.com/

My You Tube Channel...

Kayak Review....NuCanoe Pursuit

                         

        

   So I had spent some time paddling and uuhmm not paddling the NuCanoe Frontier 12. I loved the open deck layout and the stability of that boat! It was the perfect fishing platform....until it came to getting from point A to point B. Put a trolling motor on it and it was indeed a great boat! I do prefer to leave the motor at home along with all of the headaches and backaches that can come with it.

   When I first saw the prototype Pursuit I was excited to say the least! This could be the perfect boat for me. It took a bit of persuading but I convinced Rick Wallace over at Angler's Pro Tackle to let me take one of the three he had in stock out for a paddle and added to the demo fleet.

   My first impressions of the boat after only looking at the layout were very optimistic. This thing had all that you needed but nothing in the way. It is simple but loaded with features, if that makes any sense at all! The one thing that seemed useless at first sight was the paddle holders on either side. Sitting on the showroom floor, they just didn't look as though they would have much function. I could see a paddle falling out of them and having to retrieve it in the middle of trying to land the big fish of the day...

   The first thing I noticed on the water was the wobble when I climbed in the boat. I didn't expect this for such a wide boat and after being in the Frontier that has none. I quickly adjusted and it was no concern after only a few minutes on the water. The next thing I noticed was the comfort of the seat. It was very nice to say the least but I think it is becoming to be expected with most of the newer kayaks that are designed with fishing in mind. It was easy to move from low to high position while on the water. I guess that brings us in to stability. This boat is very stable. I have been in more stable boats but they were barges to paddle compared to the Pursuit. I am 6'3" 260lbs and was completely comfortable standing to fish and accessing the front hatch of the boat. The front hatch has a plastic tub in it that is molded to shape for a good fit in the front hatch. I can see this being very handy in cooler months to keep drinks or fish. Other storage features on the boat are the horizontal rod holders. These are very handy although I do not see putting two rods in each side as it is designed for. You can get them in there to store but I had issues getting one out while another was stored on the same side of the boat. I will probably only store one rod in each side while on the water. This is still more then most boats offer. The two flush mount rod holders are absolutely perfect! They are angled so that your rods lean slightly towards the center of the boat rather then away from the boat. This keeps them from getting snagged as easily in tree limbs and such. The freedom track that runs basically the length of the boat on each side, the rear tank well storage and the storage towards the bow of the boat that will fit a crate or small cooler are all well thought out. I could go on but this was intended to be a short review and has turned into anything but!

   In short, the Pursuit paddles fairly well. I would give hull speed a 3 out of 5 and stability a 4 out of 5. Maneuverability gets a 4 out of 5 as this boat is very easy to turn. The most important thing I grade on is fishability and the Pursuit gets 5 out 5 for me!

 

.......Oh...and those paddle holders....held a paddle like a champ!

http://anglersprotackle.com/
https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/ 

                                                      Fishing Report
                                  Galveston Area 8/14/2015-8/16/2015
  I'm sure by now that several of you reading this have seen the great video that Matt posted of him fighting and landing a huge black drum! Well, it was a good weekend of fishing and here is how the rest of it went.....
  It started off with the hunt to find out where the reds were holding out at. Typically I would find them in the backs of the marshes during a high tide this time of year but they were not there to be found. Lots and lots of mullet in the back lakes and mud flats of the marsh but nothing eating them. When we did find the reds, and we certainly did, they were scattered on shell feeding during a falling tide. They were gourging themselves on shrimp. There was little difference in the high and low tides but a falling tide was the ticket. So....falling tide, shell bottom, down current from major marsh drains and find the shrimp. Put all of this together and it was a recipe for success! If you want to experience a great weekend of fishing on the coast or in North Texas for yourself, give myself or Matt Scotch a shout!      https://www.lonestarkayakguide.com/

http://anglersprotackle.com/

MY YOU TUBE CHANNEL!

                       Google Earth....What A Wonderful Tool!
                                           
                                               Part #3

#3- Vegetation

  Vegetation is another important thing that I look for when gathering information on that next fishing spot on Google Earth. This comes in very handy when searching for grass beds on a body of water that you have yet to try your luck or test your skills on. It can eliminate a ton of paddling if you already know that grass is what you want to fish. It is important to keep in mind the time of year of the imagery date. Something that shows up as a barely visible patch of grass in March could be a sea of grass in June!

#4- Water Clarity

 This can be very difficult to determine but still useful. Conditions change everyday and so can the clarity of the water you are fishing depending on wind, rainfall and current changes. It is a good idea however to keep in mind what the water clarity looked like on satellite images when you hit the water. Now, your not going to be able to tell that you have 2' of visibility or 10' but you can certainly determine if the water is muddy or fairly clear.

#5- Accessibility

 This is it, the most important thing as a kayak fisherman that I use Google Earth to determine. Lets face it, you do not want to make a 15 mile paddle to that next honey hole. Is there somewhere to launch that is in paddling distance? Google Earth can certainly help you there! Ideally, I like to find launches within 2 miles of my targeted area but I will go up to 5 miles if I know it will produce and the weather cooperates. Finding out if the location you have chosen is on public property can be a challenge but with enough research and phone calls, maybe you can save yourself a sore shoulder!

 Just some simple tips and info that I hope you find useful. Now, go find that next honey hole!

                           Google Earth....What A Wonderful Tool!
                                              Part #2
#1- Current
 The first thing I look for when scanning Google Earth for that new honey hole is current. Current brings dinner to predators! Looking for obvious signs of current is fairly simple. It may be a marsh drain that has obviously been eroded by water moving through it during tidal changes or as simple as a mud line developing coming out of a feeder creek and into a larger body of water. Wind current can also be a factor but a bit more difficult to discover on GE unless you want to get into researching weather patterns and the history of which is something else to get into. Current is the second most important thing that, in my opinion, can make or break a fishing trip.

#2- Structure
 The second thing I start looking for is structure. Now I'm not necessarily talking about the visible above surface structure that everyone can see. I'm talking more about the things you can find on Google Earth that may look like nothing more then a dark spot in the water. These spots may be a brush pile just below the surface or perhaps an oyster bed that can't be seen other then by aerial footage. Deeper channels that may hold fish can also often be found. To go along with all of this, a good GPS unit comes in very handy. Just take the coordinates off of GE and plug them into your graph and bingo!......

(Here you can easily see the two submerged humps just above the exposed hump in the photo.)

My #3-#5 things to look for are coming up in my next post including the most important thing that I look for!......

                                Google Earth...What A Wonderful Tool!
                                                         Part #1

  We have all been there. That awkward moment just after you have posted your latest catch on Face Book or one of the many great forums we have. "Where?" After a successful day on the water there are always a few folks that want that information spoon fed to them so that they don't have to put in the work to locate spots that produce. To these anglers I only have to say this, it is so much more rewarding when you put in the time and work it takes to find these places on your own. Now sure, occasionally I will offer a bit of information to someone who is really struggling to find fish or maybe someone who is trying to put their kids on fish but for the most part I leave it alone. I will offer to take anyone who wants to put in the time though. It really is work and it starts for me here, at home, on the computer.

 That brings me to Google Earth. If you are not already using it to locate those prime fishing holes,
YOU SHOULD BE! It does away with most of the endless miles I use to have to drive to locate new spots. I can sit behind the PC at home and locate my next target from hundreds of miles away! Now then, what am I looking for? That can change with location and species but I have it tuned to five specific things that help me consistently find fish......

Want to book your own kayak fishing adventure?
http://anglersprotackle.com/
My YouTube Page!

                                            Advantages
                                      Micro Power Pole Review
                                             Joe Davis
 The number one question I get when other kayak anglers see me using the Micro Power Pole shallow water anchor is "Does it give you the advantage over other anglers doing without?" You would think the questions would revolve around the expensive price tag or the weight of the unit or maybe battery life but no. Todays kayak anglers, especially those that tournament fish, want to know how to get one up on the next guy!
 I can tell you this, it absolutely does give you the advantage. The Micro Power Pole really shines when fishing in any kind of current like you would see fishing rivers. The ability to stop with the push of a button and maintain your position is priceless if you ask me. Just being able to stop to target a school of fish is enough but being able to stop in your position after you have landed a fish is a wonderful thing. Think about it, here you are fishing a tournament on a moving river when you land a toad! Now you have to pull out your camera and your measuring device to score the fish. If you wanted to stay on your spot, you also had to find that anchor somewhere in the back. Now you are 50 yds down river and Bob is catching your fish on your spot! With the Micro Power Pole, you stopped before the fish was even landed with the push of a button......
 Now, you do still have to know how to fish. Its not going to catch them for you. This isn't going to push you from finishing 35th to 1st place but it could get you from 3rd to 1st!...or..uuhmm...2nd maybe. So, its your money but I think it's worth every penny. Battery life ain't bad either. Durability is not an issue as I have found. I have dropped the unit and submerged it. Still works fine! More on submerging the unit on another day!....

Micro Power Pole
http://anglersprotackle.com/
Interested in a guided kayak fishing adventure?

                                            Early Dawn...Late Night
                                                        Joe Davis

  There I am standing in line at the service station where I had stood so many early mornings before when in walks a trio of teens, probably 16-18 years old. I could tell by the half conscious look on their faces that they still had the idea in their heads that it was Friday night. It was in fact 5am Saturday morning and I was in line for what I would like to call an amazing breakfast but was in reality a 16 oz can of Red Bull and a sausage biscuit that was just good enough that I could choke it down before beginning my 8-10 hr journey down the Brazos River. My suspicions were confirmed when one said to the two others "don't let me forget, I have to pick up my sister in the morning." "Dude, it is the morning!" was the reply from his pal. I couldn't help but giggle a little knowing how many times I had been in a similar situation as a teen and young adult.
  This got me to thinking about how drastically my life had changed in recent years. I had gone from seeing the sunrise in a drunken haze to seeing it greet the world with a clear mind and the ability to actually enjoy the coming of a new day. Not that I regret any of those not so clear mornings. It was just a wilder time in my life I suppose. I had rediscovered something now that I had once dearly loved but somehow I had drifted away from it over the years. I had always loved fishing and the outdoors as a child but had forgotten just how important it was to me. Now that I have found it again, it drives me!
I could only hope that one day these three young men would awaken from their own drunken slumber and discover what drives them. I guess that is their path and story to tell so I left it at that and didn't bother to share any of my wisdom with them...
   Paddling down the river that morning, watching the sun break the horizon, I couldn't help but think that I too had an awakening that morning.

                                                        The Conversion
           
   My Transition From A Power Boat Bass Angler To Chasing Red Fish From A Kayak
                                    
                                                            Joe Davis

  Growing up, we didn't have a lot of material things. The video games and electronics that kids have today were only dreams in a designers head at the time. What we had to occupy our time was the great outdoors. Any given Saturday morning I could be found running the creek beds with one or many of the local neighborhood kids in search of craw fish, turtles or anything else that lived in that muddy water.
 
  Sundays however were a bit different. Though my family wasn't wealthy by any means, we did have one   thing in the drive way that the other families in the neighborhood survived without. Dad had a bass boat. Come 5am on most Sunday mornings, we had already filled our stomachs with scrambled egg sandwiches, had a lunch packed along with some cold sodas and were headed toward one of our local water holes to test our skills at tempting a few of the resident bucket mouths to take a ride back home with us in the live well. This was well before the idea of catch and release had caught on and we ate our catch.
 
  So the outdoor lifestyle was instilled in me at a very young age. I however had not yet really been hooked. I had yet to catch that bug that would cause me to spend hours upon hours researching the next fishing hole and paycheck after paycheck chasing the next big bite. That had not hit me yet but it was coming. That moment when I realized that this fishing thing was something more then just spending quality time with Dad on Sundays, that moment when I realized that this would be my life ambition was just around the corner...
  The tug on my line was a bit different then what I had been use to. I had caught lots of crappie, white bass, catfish and small large mouth but this was something different all together. This thing on the end of my line wanted to live! She was not giving up on this fight! I eventually landed what I could exaggerate to be an 8-10lb bass but was more then likely 4-5lbs. They all look bigger in the eyes of a twelve year old boy I'm sure. That was it. That was the moment I caught the bug. I wanted that next bite! It had to be bigger though. HAD TO BE!
  I will not bore you with the next 15-20 years of bass fishing. I had a couple of different bass boats through this period of time and caught lots of very nice fish. I introduced  my son to the sport much the same way my father introduced me. As a family, we were more into camping then fishing so the bass boat was sold and we picked up our first of many travel trailers. This first one was a pop up camper though which is a whole different story in its own....
  There I was. A fisherman without a boat. Though I was thoroughly enjoying not camping in a tent and making all of those now memories with campfires and camping trips, I so badly wanted to feel that tug again! Now sure, I fished from the bank on these trips but it was just not the same. I had heard from a fellow employee about his fishing trips from a kayak. This just sounded insane to me at the time but the more I walked those banks, the more reasonable of an idea it would become.
  That search for the piece of plastic that would get me off the bank and into the freedom of open water had begun. This was well before all of the wonderful kayaks designed specifically for fishing that we have today existed. Man have they come a long way! I did find a gently used Wilderness Systems Ride. This was one of the original style Rides with the one big scupper hole in the middle of the deck. Such a great model that it has been improved on many times over and is still in production today. I have one in my fleet now in fact.
  The next few years I spent finding new water that I would never dream of fishing before. It was just not accessible from a bass boat or even on foot. Bass lived in places that I would never dream of finding them! The best part about it was nobody else would put in the effort to find them there! Though times had changed and I could have gone out and purchased the bass boat of my dreams, I had no need for it. I was absolutely satisfied chasing these fish from my little plastic boat in places that I never knew existed before although they were in my own backyard all of these years.
  Fishing forums on the Internet began to flood with talk about kayak fishing. Then topic sections based solely on kayak fishing along with sites dedicated to the sport emerged. With all of this talk would come competition. I guess if you put enough men in a room together that all have a common interest, they will eventually have to decide who among them is the best at it! I'm sure that it has been this way since the first Neanderthals gathered around a campfire and started throwing rocks. I would guess that there is still a bit of that caveman blood still running through all of our veins!
  Not being completely sure that it was what I wanted to do, I entered my first kayak fishing tournament. I was after all completely satisfied with fishing in solitude at any of the locations I had recently discovered that were full of hungry fish yet void of competing anglers. This first of many tournaments was where it happened again. I hung into a brute of a bass that was by far bigger then any I had caught since starting my time in the plastic navy. It was for lack of better words to describe the moment, exciting! I was at eyeball level with my scaled opponent. She would pull drag and it seemed there was no hope in slowing her down when she finally gave in. That was the same feeling I had at twelve when I caught the bug. I thought I had felt it in the recent past but I was wrong. This was the thrill I had been missing!
  Now I had brought competition into the fold which brought more expense then reward by far. I greatly enjoyed it however and was happy to pay the price. I had noticed a few other anglers, though it was very few, picking up sponsors to help feed their addiction to the competition when I discovered an opportunity on one of the local forums. I applied for a pro staff position with Anglers Pro Tackle and was shortly there after accepted to the team. They were new to the scene at the time and had just started carrying some of the top brands in the sport. With their generosity and help, I was now able to expand my opportunities as a kayak angler. As a member of their pro staff, I was approached by Andrew Chidlow from KC Kayaks out of Baton Rouge, LA. about possibly joining their pro staff team. This is where things would get interesting for me as I would discover a whole new aspect and love for the sport.
  Being from southern Louisiana, this group of LSU graduates that started up KC Kayaks, were more into the salt water side of the sport. More specifically, red drum. I had caught them before in the surf or from piers on heavy tackle on the Texas coast but never had I battled with these aggressive fish under the conditions I was about to experience. It was an invite from Andrew to fish the Ride the Bull tournament in Grand Isle, LA that would put that opportunity on my plate.
  I picked up, fishing partner and fellow KC Kayaks pro staffer, Rex DelRey at his home just north of Houston on a Thursday afternoon and we drove....and drove....Until 4 in the morning we drove! I thought that for sure we had passed up our destination in southern Louisiana and were nearing Cuba! Finally we arrive in Grand Isle. Not at our residence for the weekend however. We were at our first launch site for the weekend! After a short nap in the truck we were greeted by two other KC staffers to begin what would be one of the greatest weekends of fishing I had yet to experience. These cajuns are serious about their fishing after all.
  We waited out some passing storms and we were on the water at day light. I hook up almost immediately with my first close quarters combat with a red fish. Brought him in on a top water plug which he selfishly took with him as he broke my line and flopped out of the boat. I knew then that I was dealing with a whole different animal then I was use to tangoing with back home in North Texas. Then it happened. I got that feeling again. A 20" red fish had blown up on my top water plug and the fight was on! This was it. This is the feeling I wanted running through my soul. I can honestly not compare it to any other feeling I have had as an angler. The fight in this fish was unmatched by any of my former foes. I was completely hooked again. It brought back the memories I had as a twelve year old boy landing his first trophy bass, and this was only a small one.....
  This started it all, my endless pursuit of the brutes that destroy anything swimming in a marsh. Hunting them in their environment, where they thrive is my passion in life. I still enjoy fishing my local rivers and lakes here in North Texas but that only gets me through until I can make my next trip to the marsh...