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We joke here often about entering the “Dark Side”. That means owning a pedal kayak. I have reversed that trend. My first kayak 6 years ago was a Hobie pedal drive. I started on the “Dark Side”. I still have a Hobie, albeit newer. It’s my go-to boat when fishing big water, a wonderful fish catching machine.
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Along the way during my kayak fishing journey, I discovered Native’s paddle-driven Ultimate. Like my Hobie, the Ultimate is a fantastic fishing platform. I like it so much I now have two.
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I remember my first time in an Ultimate. I was on a guided fishing trip in FL and I was apprehensive. I had never paddled a kayak more than a few hundred feet and the guide told me we would be going about 8 miles! I wondered if I had the stamina for that outing. I did fine. That was the beginning of my enjoyment in paddling.
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Fast forward to now. After months of interest and research, I have purchased a sea kayak.
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It’s a Wilderness Systems Tempest 170. It looks nothing like a fishing kayak and that’s fine because I will not be fishing from it. It’s built for speed and distance. It has no pedals but I’d say my new boat means that I have gone far beyond the “Dark Side.” I’ll be on the water in a kayak for the pure enjoyment of paddling in our beautiful Chesapeake Bay, not for catching fish. Imagine that! I’m not sure I can grasp it myself yet.
I’ll still be fishing from my other boats. I’m not giving that up. I enjoy it far too much. I’m just expanding my kayaking experiences.
In preparation for this move I became a member of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association last January. http://www.cpakayaker.com/ Their forum, like Snaggedline, is a great resource to those interested in learning more about sea kayaking.
I joined them on my first excursion in the Tempest yesterday. I enjoyed it thoroughly. We launched into the Magothy from Spriggs Farm and paddled a good distance upriver, reaching areas I’ve never fished before.
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Now here’s an irony. For 6 years I have managed to keep my fishing kayaks right side up. I have never rolled a boat while fishing despite hundreds of hours on the water. My CPA friends changed that in a hurry. They made me deliberately roll the Tempest to make a “wet escape”. Then they showed me how to reenter, with great assistance on their part, I might add. Full emersion from a kayak was a new experience for me. Given the 22-inch beam of the Tempest, I imagine it will happen again. But I will be prepared.
Kayak fishing has provided me with more personal enrichment than I ever could have imagined. I’ve made great friendships via this forum. I like to write and I’ve published several articles and a book about kayak fishing. I’ve given presentations on the topic. No doubt I’ve traveled over a thousand miles on the water while fishing in kayaks, always enjoying the scenery in addition to catching fish. I’m really lucky to have become engaged in this great pastime and it continues to pay dividends by expanding my horizons. I hope it has done the same for each of you in a variety of ways.
So, if you see a long red kayak zipping past you one day, it may be me. (The Tempest is faster than my Revo.) I won’t be speed trolling but understand that we’ll both be doing something we enjoy and we can jointly thank the sport of kayak fishing for that.
Happy paddling and pedaling and catching to all.
Blue Revo (2).jpg
Along the way during my kayak fishing journey, I discovered Native’s paddle-driven Ultimate. Like my Hobie, the Ultimate is a fantastic fishing platform. I like it so much I now have two.
Ultimate 5.jpg P1030617.jpg
I remember my first time in an Ultimate. I was on a guided fishing trip in FL and I was apprehensive. I had never paddled a kayak more than a few hundred feet and the guide told me we would be going about 8 miles! I wondered if I had the stamina for that outing. I did fine. That was the beginning of my enjoyment in paddling.
P1010271.jpg
Fast forward to now. After months of interest and research, I have purchased a sea kayak.
P1040004.jpg
It’s a Wilderness Systems Tempest 170. It looks nothing like a fishing kayak and that’s fine because I will not be fishing from it. It’s built for speed and distance. It has no pedals but I’d say my new boat means that I have gone far beyond the “Dark Side.” I’ll be on the water in a kayak for the pure enjoyment of paddling in our beautiful Chesapeake Bay, not for catching fish. Imagine that! I’m not sure I can grasp it myself yet.
I’ll still be fishing from my other boats. I’m not giving that up. I enjoy it far too much. I’m just expanding my kayaking experiences.
In preparation for this move I became a member of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association last January. http://www.cpakayaker.com/ Their forum, like Snaggedline, is a great resource to those interested in learning more about sea kayaking.
I joined them on my first excursion in the Tempest yesterday. I enjoyed it thoroughly. We launched into the Magothy from Spriggs Farm and paddled a good distance upriver, reaching areas I’ve never fished before.
P1030980.jpg P1030994.jpg P1030995.jpg
Now here’s an irony. For 6 years I have managed to keep my fishing kayaks right side up. I have never rolled a boat while fishing despite hundreds of hours on the water. My CPA friends changed that in a hurry. They made me deliberately roll the Tempest to make a “wet escape”. Then they showed me how to reenter, with great assistance on their part, I might add. Full emersion from a kayak was a new experience for me. Given the 22-inch beam of the Tempest, I imagine it will happen again. But I will be prepared.
Kayak fishing has provided me with more personal enrichment than I ever could have imagined. I’ve made great friendships via this forum. I like to write and I’ve published several articles and a book about kayak fishing. I’ve given presentations on the topic. No doubt I’ve traveled over a thousand miles on the water while fishing in kayaks, always enjoying the scenery in addition to catching fish. I’m really lucky to have become engaged in this great pastime and it continues to pay dividends by expanding my horizons. I hope it has done the same for each of you in a variety of ways.
So, if you see a long red kayak zipping past you one day, it may be me. (The Tempest is faster than my Revo.) I won’t be speed trolling but understand that we’ll both be doing something we enjoy and we can jointly thank the sport of kayak fishing for that.
Happy paddling and pedaling and catching to all.
, but when things are slow I still enjoy it the same. Now that I've gone full blown dark side I'm not sure I will ever go back to the casual paddle, but as my kids get older and they develop interests different from my own perhaps that will change.
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