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......

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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!

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                                                      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/

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                       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......

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                                            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!....

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