There's a Kayak in My Future Present (Part 4)

Be Happy...



Ahhh... if that's not a picture of happiness I don't know what is. No sooner did I bolt the unpainted rack to the trailer did Clif and I hit Banner Marsh after work. We put in about 5 PM. I brought both fly and spinning tackle. Clif went solely on fly. I started the evening with a plastic worm on the spinner but quickly lost interest. There's something about casting line that tickles my fishing fancy.

Clif was first to hook a nice largemouth. I raced over to snap a couple of pics. After he weighed in we decided to do a fly-by. I started the sprint with an easy peddle to avoid cavitaion. After I reached a good speed I turned it up to 11 about 30 ft from the frame. If you listen closely you can hear the fins slapping the bottom of the kayak. I'll have to work on that in the future to avoid scaring the fish. Don't blink!



(Note: The next day at work we ran some calculations, as engineers tend to do, and estimated a top speed of 3 1/2 mph.)

About an hour later on the water I hooked the specimen in the first pic on a chartreuse popper. I doubt it reached 3 lbs, maybe 2 1/2, but it still put up quite a fight on my 6 wt. Clif paddled over to capture the moment. And what a moment. First fish in the kayak on the first time out and on the fly. Thanks Clif! It was the only fish of the night for me. It didn't mater. I was just happy to be out there in the new toy.

There's a Kayak in My Future (Part 3)

Buy Kayak...



There she is in Ivory Dune as received from St. Louis Sailing Center via the UPS stork, although much dryer than the day received. Included are: standard Mirage Drive peddles, two piece adjustable paddle, high back deluxe seat with lumbar support, dry bag, one liter water bottle, bungee cord for rear deck storage (not shown), and an 8 inch drop in tackle tray with cover. Other items integral to the kayak are two 8 inch round sealed mid and rear storage ports, large sealed front hatch, two mesh pockets, two scupper plugs to keep the rear deck dry, two molded-in rod holders, flip-up rudder, and something the boys at Honda forgot to include in their S2000 two seat'r sports car offering... a molded-in cup holder. She's 13 ft 5 in long, 28.5 in wide, weighs 58 lbs empty, and costs the full 1,749 US dollars (oak leaf not included). You can search the world over and never find a cheaper price for a new Revolution. Believe me, I've tried.

Clif was on site during the delivery. I thought he was going to faint but he stayed tough. My wife arrived from work a few minutes later and just rolled her eyes at the two kids with a brand new toy.

Happiness is just around the corner.

There's a Kayak in My Future (Part 1)

Last year I spoke with Bill during a family gathering. I hadn't seen Bill for a over year. Among other subjects we talked of fly fishing. "Dave, you gotta get yourself a kayak. It's the new, hottest thing. You can get right up in the reeds, sneak up on `em real quite." Later when we were saying our goodbye's he rings in again, "I'm tellin' ya, kayaks are the way to go." The seed was planted and over the next few months I was obsessed with canoes and kayaks. I eventually narrowed my desire to the Hobie Mirage kayak line. In an earlier post a wrote about test driving one in Florida. So, yesterday I drove downtown and ordered a hitch for my Toyota Camry. I know what you're asking. Hitch. Kayak. What's the connection? Well, it's like this...

Buy car rack. Buy kayak. Be happy.

I was scoping out Yakima's car top rack system last month, but the `05 Camry limits the rack spread to only 30 inches, which limits the haul length to approximately 10 feet. And since I'm seriously considering the Hobie Revolution, which is over 13 feet long, the rack system would require the extender kit. Being an engineer I realized that the extender kit doesn't increase the foot print on the roof of the car. Lots of questions arose. Plus, I miss my truck. (That's a story for a different blog.) So I got to thinking, Maybe a trailer would be a better option. I can mount a storage box for all the "stuff" and add a rack for the kayak. I can also use the trailer to haul "other stuff" from Home Lowes-enards. I even have the boss's approval. It's all coming together

Next, a small flat-bed trailer. Stay tuned...

Colder than a Witches Teet

Last Wednesday Clif and I hit Banner Marsh after work to chill the toes to the bone, and maybe catch a fish or two. It's one thing to cast from a boat, but it's another thing entirely to get into the elements. Scott may never understand.

Clif fished one of the ponds a few days earlier and was gracious to ask for company the next time. Banner Marsh is a series of coal strip pits that are ever popular in Central Illinois, so you're never quite sure where the drop is unless you're equipped with a fish finder. To date I know of no apparatus for wading, line casters. The quip "walk softly and carry a big stick" was the theme for the day.

The night before I tied a Barr's Meat Whistle, and it's now wondering Banner Marsh in the company of "Walter". If you happen to hook Walter at Banner and you notice two lures in his mouth, kindly return the other to your's truly. If you prefer throwing line instead of lures then consider it yours and enjoy. The day ended with Clif netting a nice 19 inch large mouth among the floating logs. It's weight is currently in resolution mode. Clif's mechanical scale read three pounds but we're both sure his catch was closer to four. Stay tuned.

Fishing this particular pool was the second closest thing I got to what I consider the pinnacle of fly fishing. Nipple deep in cold water, ankle deep in mud, frozen knee caps, casting to the reeds, and a *ping* after 15 seconds of something big at the other end of the line is not considered waisted time. It was a great evening. I plan to return when the weather suits my clothes.