I recently purchased something that I have wanted for a few years, a fishing kayak. It is a 12 foot Field and Stream and the model name has the word "eagle" in it but the entire name escapes me. I bought it second hand and got a great deal on it. I have always appreciated the simplicity of kayaks and found them to be a useful tool in the pursuit of more and hard-to-reach fish. I also like that kayaks can get to places that other boats can't and can be picked up and slipped into water without the need of boat ramps or even paved roads. Finally, I appreciate the fact that I can get a little exercise while fishing, and that makes working out a whole lot easier than going for a jog.
On my maiden voyage, I didn't do much fishing. I was more concerned with tipping the sucker over and possible hypothermia that would ensue than catching a mess of bluegill. Things went well (well = I didn't tip over) and I was shocked at how little effort it took to propel myself forward. I was also surprised by the fact that when I really "dug in" I could get to moving pretty fast. I won't be pulling any tubers anytime soon, but still, I was cruising faster than I thought I would. Here's the one drawback that I found; this thing DOES NOT stay still or in one place. It either continues moving forward, shifts with the wind, or twists while I am fly casting as a result of the inertia. I am working on devising a small anchor system, but even then I expect some twisting and turning. In another observation, I saw that Lake Rememberance in Blue Springs, Missouri, just off of I-70 is FULL of bluegill. There were so many eating bugs on the surface and making ripples that it looked like a light breeze was putting waves on the water.
Voyage number two was more of the same, but this time on bigger water. I slipped the kayak into Blue Springs Lake last weekend and wind speed was around 15 miles per hour. I tied on a brave (which can be found on the "Flies" page) because I caught a wiper on it before and it has caught bass and catfish for me so far this spring. My confidence in this fly is growing and growing quickly! I had the hopes of catching something along the dam but the wind either kept pushing me into the rocks or out into open water. This only reinforced the belief that I need an anchor system of some sort. I finally decided to quit fighting the wind and let it take me where it wished. I was blind casting to all sides of the kayak in the hopes that I might just get lucky. It's funny how when you sometimes let go of control, your life ends up taking an expected twist.
I was about ready to call it quits and paddle back into shore when I felt a thump on my line. I set the hook out of instinct and was certain that I had snagged a log or something because I didn't feel any movement on the other end for a while. After a moment, I felt a head shake and to my surprise I had a fish on the end of the line. It fought fairly hard and I was very ginger in terms of how aggressively I engaged the fish. I didn't want to lose him and didn't know what I had hooked either. I thought that if it were a big fish then it could come to life at any time and decide to put all of its effort into the fight. No such battle or run ensued and I was able to land the fish. At first I didn't know if it was a young wiper (we will call it a baby wipe) or a large white bass. Upon further inspection, I determined that it was a baby wipe due to the distinct and broken lines on its side.
That was how my day ended and while it seems rather insignificant, I was very appreciative of a few small benchmarks I was able to achieve. I caught my first fish out of my new kayak which was a species I don't catch very often. I also caught this fish on a fly that is working its way into a steady rotation when I fish for larger fish. Best of all, I didn't tip over and drown. I guess I should have led with that as being the top but catching fish seemed more important.
Update
Prior to posting this story I fished the dam again four days later. I had a thirty minute window to fish after work and before picking up my son from daycare. I didn't have my kayak or other means of aquatic conveyance so I just fished off the dam. The wind was blowing towards the dam so I decided to fish the westt side. I chose to fish the spot where the smaller boulders of the bank near the boat ramp turn into the larger boulders of the actual dam. I have had some success fishing off the dam in the past, but only enough to keep me coming back with hope of even more success. I get skunked most of the time but every once in a while, there is a brief moment of success. It isn't easy to fish Blue Spring Lake from the bank either, so the dam is one of the logical and accessible points.
My dad always told me to fish windswept banks of lakes and ponds because the current blows baitfish towards the banks. I found out a few years ago that this is partially true. The wind blows plankton towards the banks and the small fish follow the plankton, and the big fish follow the smaller fish. So in a way, he was right and most of the time, things work out with a few fish being caught as a result.
So following the directions of my dad, I fished the windswept dam. To my shock (not because my dad was right, but because I caught something off the dam) I landed a small largemouth bass. It wasn't photo worthy so you will ust have to take my word for it. A few casts later and to my shock and amazement, I landed my first white bass on a fly rod and on The Brave nonetheless. While a part of me wanted to bask in the glory that accompanies a "first" but the fishing was good and I just went back to casting. On my very next "half-cast" I felt another thump while my fly while it was on the drop. I set the hook and a small common carp eventually found its way to the rocks of the dam. Ten casts later and I landed my second white bass on a fly rod with this one being larger than the last. Large enough that I had to look carefully to make sure that it wasn't a baby wipe. Three fish in about twenty minutes felt like a heck of an accomplishment so I headed to pick up my youngest son with a smile on my face.
And finally, if anyone is still reading this long-winded odyssey, and thinking that you are tired of me tooting my own horn, well here is the yin to the yang. I went back to the dam two days later on my kayak in essentially the same conditions and didn't catch a dog gone thing over the course of 2-3 hours. The fishing gods giveth and the fishing gods taketh away. However, you had better believe that I will keep fishing the dam regardless. Fish by faith, not by sight!
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