New memeber here!

[sparky1423]

Glad to be aboard fellow anglers! So excited a site like this exists, rookie yaker here. Just purchased my first anglers kayak, a Tarpon 120...really excited (and nervous) to get this vessel in the water. Love to fish since I was young, now being older I have the oppurtunity to leave the shoreline and enjoy what fishing was meant to be like. It's amazing what you can learn on you tube, my yak is loaded and ready! Looking forward to all your advice and knowledge. I am hoping when the weather turns, I will find a experienced kayaker to show me the ropes on my first voyage and not get sucked into the atlantic!

[ComeOnFish]

Hi Sparky
I like your approach. There will be support. First of all can you add your city and state to your profile? That will help

joe

[sparky1423]

Alright...I am up and running.....working the bugs out

[moc]

Glad to be aboard fellow anglers! So excited a site like this exists, rookie yaker here. Just purchased my first anglers kayak, a Tarpon 120...really excited (and nervous) to get this vessel in the water. Love to fish since I was young, now being older I have the oppurtunity to leave the shoreline and enjoy what fishing was meant to be like. It's amazing what you can learn on you tube, my yak is loaded and ready! Looking forward to all your advice and knowledge. I am hoping when the weather turns, I will find a experienced kayaker to show me the ropes on my first voyage and not get sucked into the atlantic!

Welcome aboard Sparky1423! This is a great site. I was thankful that I found it too several years ago. You will learn a lot more about kayak fishing here, how to rigg your yak and you will meet new fishing buddies. Don't forget the meet and greets that we traditional have the second Sat of everymonth, as long as we have an organizer, known as the host, for that month. And do not forget the CBKA Tournament Sept 2013. It promises to be a good time for experienced and inexperienced kayakers alike.


My first kayak was a tarpon 120 also. I loved that yak and have done a lot of salt water fishing in it. I still have it as a spare now, since I graduated to a Hobie Revo two years ago. Like everyone said, welcome aboard.

[daddyg]

Welcome. You find a lot of MKF fish year round.

[sparky1423]

I think the hardest part for me was deciding which kayak to purchase. I must have read reviews for months, watched videos, and sat in a few kayaks at the stores. Tetra 12 was my first choice, but after reading it is for a small to medium sized angler and actually sitting the vessel..it wasn't for me.

I really like the foot pedal approach to the Hobie, but weight was a concern since I am usually alone. Loading and unloading might have been an issue, I was also afraid of the flaps underneath bottoming out. Money was never a deciding factor. I am happy with the tarpon, it's comfortable and handles the rough waters well on my garage floor well! Thanks for all the welcomes, I joined the Harford county group, but not much traffic there on the forum.

[frettr00]

Are you planning on starting out soon in cold water or will you wait for spring? I usually don't get out until May when the water is warmer. The Yellow Pearch spawning run is in Feb/March then the big Stripers come in May.

[sparky1423]

My goal is some time in march...perch seem awful tempting. I don't have much gear for the cold weather other than my trout waders. I have a feeling my first run will be ugly, trying to avoid hyperthermia.

[medicyaker]

Welcome aboard Sparky. You will find a lot more than fishing buddy's and info on rigging your yak. I found FRIENDS for a lifetime. I want to add what MOC posted... The CBKA Tourny is a BLAST!!!! I would invite you to check out all of what this site has too offer including all of the links. Please check out the Heroes on the Water site below as well. Question... Your handle might make me think that you may be a Firefighter???? Just curious... There are a few of us on here that are. Anyway, WELCOME. By the way, Trout waders are what most of us use here in cold water/weather. The idea is to NOT GET IN THE WATER!!!! LOL. I promise you'll have a good time with us here, unlike the Harford Co Group.

[frettr00]

My goal is some time in march...perch seem awful tempting. I don't have much gear for the cold weather other than my trout waders. I have a feeling my first run will be ugly, trying to avoid hyperthermia.

Yeah wait for the warm water then, especially if you're inexperienced. I fell out of my kayak my first year, everyone does at some point.

[chimo]

Welcome!

[ronaultmtd]

Congratulations on your selection of the tarpon- nice yak- The Hobie Turbo fins bottoming out in shallow water is an issue, but you can keep the fins up against the hull by pushing one pedal all the way down and then paddling out of the shallows- done this a lot in shallow creeks and in the flats- it is a compromise, but when a bunch of us get together and start out in the bay fishing like PLO, the Hobies get on the fishing grounds a lots sooner than any of the paddle kayaks- same story coming back to the launch- the sustained speed of the Hobies is unbeatable-

[sparky1423]

No firefighter, just an electrician. I appreciate all the links and information. My have to invest into some neoprene booties, my waders have the molded boots and they can wreak havoc on the ankles. I am realizing there is no other way of launching your kayak without stepping in the water.

[ronaultmtd]

Yep- I launch by wading out in about knee deep water- deep enough so I get the Mirage Drive locked in before I jump aboard- and I wear breathable stocking foot waders with slip on mesh water shoes a size larger than I normally wear- The boot type waders are way too stiff in the ankle for me-