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(Hope this is the right spot for this - if it's not, mods please move it. Didn't see a general "introduce yourself" forum like some boards have.)
Greetings Snaggedline! Total kayak fishing newbie here. I've lived within a short walk of the Chesapeake my entire life. As a kid my dad always had boats and we would go out fishing - casting live bait or trolling. We had some luck here and there trolling, but it was hardly a scientific endeavor. I fished here and there through middle and high school as kids do, doing a whole lot of casting and very little catching. Once high school brought other interests, my fishing suffered greatly. I didn't fish much for about 15 years or so, but this summer/fall I've gotten back into it in a big way and am eager to learn from the community here.
I have a stand-up paddleboard that I was taking out when the water was warmer. I caught a bunch of white perch, some very small rock, and even a keeper or two. As the water got colder, I started to take out my old kayak. It's definitely not a fishing kayak - just a typical run-of-the-mill lake/pond kayak that I got used off Craigslist for $300 a few years ago to putt around in with my girlfriend (we got 2, not 1 double). The kinds of kayaks you guys use are absolutely amazing to me!
So I figured a good place to start (other than just browsing the forums here) was Yak Fish's book, which I received today and finished in one setting. Such awesome info, and I love the methodical, engineer's approach to mapping the water and finding the fish. Such a difference from the scattershot approach, which is honestly all I've ever really known. So I have some decisions to make about stepping up my kayak game for sure.
Here are some fish I've landed this fall - none are anything to write home about compared to fish you guys are used to, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?
Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 8.25.48 PM.jpg
20" caught on the SUP off a spoon. This one was caught in my "home water," in the Patapsco between the Key Bridge and Fort Smallwood Park. Between Stoney & Rock Creeks, for those of you familiar with the area. This is the one that really hooked me, if you'll pardon the pun. Reminded me how much fun reeling in a decent fish can be.
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24" Pickerel caught on the SUP right up near shore at Spa Creek in Annapolis. I had no idea there were Pickerel in the Magothy or Severn! Great fighters, as I'm sure you all know.
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I'd gotten mostly skunked on rockfish for the past month or so until this one, a 22" last night in the kayak. This one took a green 4" storm lure. I lost one that I think was larger that I hooked off a popper when my line broke. 100% my fault - as Alan says in his book, sometimes people just forget how to use the rod when a fish is on! I brainfarted on the drag, and it wasn't nearly loose enough. Lesson learned, the hard way!
It seems to me that, here anyway, the dinner bell has been ringing right at sundown. On the kayak that gives a window of just 20-30 minutes before I've had to pack it in for the night due to the darkness. I was hoping to go out again tonight, but these gale force winds kept me landlocked. I just read the book instead, so it was still a productive night in some respects.
Anyway, nice to meet you all, and I look forward to soaking up some knowledge and seeing some pictures of fish!
-Derek
Greetings Snaggedline! Total kayak fishing newbie here. I've lived within a short walk of the Chesapeake my entire life. As a kid my dad always had boats and we would go out fishing - casting live bait or trolling. We had some luck here and there trolling, but it was hardly a scientific endeavor. I fished here and there through middle and high school as kids do, doing a whole lot of casting and very little catching. Once high school brought other interests, my fishing suffered greatly. I didn't fish much for about 15 years or so, but this summer/fall I've gotten back into it in a big way and am eager to learn from the community here.
I have a stand-up paddleboard that I was taking out when the water was warmer. I caught a bunch of white perch, some very small rock, and even a keeper or two. As the water got colder, I started to take out my old kayak. It's definitely not a fishing kayak - just a typical run-of-the-mill lake/pond kayak that I got used off Craigslist for $300 a few years ago to putt around in with my girlfriend (we got 2, not 1 double). The kinds of kayaks you guys use are absolutely amazing to me!
So I figured a good place to start (other than just browsing the forums here) was Yak Fish's book, which I received today and finished in one setting. Such awesome info, and I love the methodical, engineer's approach to mapping the water and finding the fish. Such a difference from the scattershot approach, which is honestly all I've ever really known. So I have some decisions to make about stepping up my kayak game for sure.
Here are some fish I've landed this fall - none are anything to write home about compared to fish you guys are used to, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?
Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 8.25.48 PM.jpg
20" caught on the SUP off a spoon. This one was caught in my "home water," in the Patapsco between the Key Bridge and Fort Smallwood Park. Between Stoney & Rock Creeks, for those of you familiar with the area. This is the one that really hooked me, if you'll pardon the pun. Reminded me how much fun reeling in a decent fish can be.
Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 8.26.39 PM.jpg
24" Pickerel caught on the SUP right up near shore at Spa Creek in Annapolis. I had no idea there were Pickerel in the Magothy or Severn! Great fighters, as I'm sure you all know.
Screen Shot 2015-11-12 at 9.01.57 PM.jpg
I'd gotten mostly skunked on rockfish for the past month or so until this one, a 22" last night in the kayak. This one took a green 4" storm lure. I lost one that I think was larger that I hooked off a popper when my line broke. 100% my fault - as Alan says in his book, sometimes people just forget how to use the rod when a fish is on! I brainfarted on the drag, and it wasn't nearly loose enough. Lesson learned, the hard way!
It seems to me that, here anyway, the dinner bell has been ringing right at sundown. On the kayak that gives a window of just 20-30 minutes before I've had to pack it in for the night due to the darkness. I was hoping to go out again tonight, but these gale force winds kept me landlocked. I just read the book instead, so it was still a productive night in some respects.
Anyway, nice to meet you all, and I look forward to soaking up some knowledge and seeing some pictures of fish!
-Derek
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