I'm NOT liking winter!

Ok, so I'm ashamed that I haven't been able to blog in a while. Fact is, there has been nothing to report. I haven't been on the water since black friday (where I caught the nice red below) and have been working ridiculous hours - making sure my employees can spend time with their families.

There are a lot of kayak theories for winter. I've heard of the 50-50-50 (50 degree water, 50 minutes in the water, 50% chance of survival) rule, the 120 degree (water temp + air temp should equal 120 degrees) rule, and so on. In addition, it gets darker earlier, virtually no one will go out with me, and I'm limited on the amount of winter clothing for outdoors. One day (post-retirement), I'll be somewhere warm year-round... southern Florida anyone?
For now, my only problem is that I'm incredibly stubborn, sometimes overconfident, rarely give in to fear or anxiety, and really enjoy fishing from the kayak. I can't imagine letting it sit in the garage until April. The longer I wait, the worse the weather is going to be. So, here's hoping the next 4 days will bring at least some sunlight and mild temps. Hopefully, there will be some adventures to post about very soon. Stay tuned!

Best day yet on Wylie 11/20/11

Sunday after church I went out to Lake Wylie via Copperhead Island Boat landing. (Ramps closed again due to low water). Only this time, hauling the kayak & gear the extra hundred feet was totally worth it. About the time I left the boat ramp, it started to rain. Not really hard, but a light stinging rain. I wasn't going to let that ruin my day - even though some fishermen on the bank looked at me like I had an arm growing out of my head. I started paddling Southwest toward the Buster Boyd Bridge, got to the point and turned around. I threw out baits on both rods I took and let the current take me back toward the coves. The rain let up after half an hour or so and I drifted back North and had completely stopped by the time I turned Southeast into the large cove towards Culpepper Court.

A very nice gentleman named Jerry in a kayak stopped to talk for a few minutes. He gave me his number and suggested we meet up for a fishing trip sometime, and that he hadn't had much luck - but like me, still enjoyed paddling with bait in the water. Jerry soon paddled back out and I continued to fish.

As I neared the back of the cove, one rod bent. I leaned forward, removed it from the holder, reeled the fish in, and as I got him out of the water, the other rod almost jumped out of the holder behind me. I resecured the first, and began the battle on the second line.

I went out with 10 pieces of bait (feeder fish from Petsmart) and caught 6 channel cats (smallest about 3 pounds). Lost 2, and threw the other 2 off.

By 5pm, I was headed home without bait. A great day on the water!

Mountain Island Lake

I've been watching the weather closely lately - looking for unusually warm temps and yesterday was the day! The forecast was 70 degrees & partly cloudy. I arranged a short trip with my father in law to try our hand at striper fishing. Picked up some bait at Petsmart (cheaper than the bait shops) and headed out for the water. A good friend had told me about Mountain Island Lake (Thanks Tim) and tales of striper fishing - so we headed that way.
There were a lot of "firsts" on the trip. (1) I had made some bait tubes from PVC that I'd seen on several kayak fishing websites. They aren't as big and don't require as much space as a livewell. If you're thinking of dragging one of these along side your kayak, take it from me... MAKE IT AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE! 28" is way too long and will drag you to the side you have it drifting on. It did keep the bait alive and rather fresh - but I'll probably shorten mine by half or more. Smaller tube = less drag. (2) Trolling is different! We both added flush-mount holders directly behind the seat and you really can't tell if something is on - unless you happen to turn around and look. I prefer the Scotty rod holder on the slide-trax for trolling. It spreads a little better, it doesn't get in the way, and you can see any rod movement. I'll probably be adding another Scotty by next spring. (3) Mountain Island Lake (MIL) is gorgeous! I make it a point to bring a trash bag with me & remove at least 3 pieces of trash every time I leave. Broke my own rule - I couldn't FIND 3 pieces of trash! MIL is much cleaner than Wylie/Catawba. It's very peaceful once you get past the planes coming in towards Charlotte Douglas, not too many boats (it is November though), and although I didn't see as much wildlife, I assume it's there. (4) Striper fishing is a change too. With stripers, you get one shot! Should you fail to leave a hook barb exposed, the fish will hit once - and only once. He may bust your bait wide open, but a hook buried inside of the bait will keep him from hooking himself - and may leave you a little frustrated.
All in all, it was a great paddle, good fun, and enough reason to try again. Hope to see some fellow "yakkers" on the next trip!

Sunday Afternoon Float

Sunday October 23rd.

Went out for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. Didn't catch any fish, but was able to capture this sunset - which is almost as rewarding.
On the way out, I happened to see some things floating in the water. Tis' the season for falling leaves so I let it go at first. While paddling past some of the debris, I realized that these "floaters" were the result of careless human disposal. This has always bothered me, as I make a point to carry a bag for my own trash - so that it doesn't get blown around; especially into the water. Debris in and around our waters create a huge negative impact on animals, fish, and those who enjoy rivers and lakes.
The Catawba has occasional "River Sweeps" sponsored by various groups - who will eventually get MOST of the trash (The last Wylie sweep yielded over 20 tons of debris - and over 1000 pounds of that was trash & recyclables. Go to http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/ for more info).
Although the River Sweep makes a great impact and many volunteers come out to help, there is so much more we can do. Personally, I pledge to do the following EVERY time I visit the water...
(1) I will be responsible for my own trash and items
(2) I will leave the water with a minimum of 3 additional pieces of trash
(3) I will encourage others to do the same

Simple; right? Absolutely! But if everyone took the same pledge, our waters would be cleaner than ever, and our resources would be around for our children and our children's children to enjoy for years to come. Will you take the pledge?

The Catawba River Incident...

Took a (well-deserved) day off from work to decompress and spend some time on the water. It was a Thursday morning and I knew there wouldn't be many people on the water. Ahhh serenity!
I got up early, loaded the kayak in the truck, stopped for some bait at the local gas station and got to Copperhead Island at 07:33. Pulled down to the landing and the gates were closed. I found out later that due to low water levels and some damaged props, County parks & rec had to close access to the landings. In a kayak, there are no issues. Since the gates were closed, I had to carry the kayak a little further but I wasn't going to let that end my expedition before it started.
At 07:44 (after 3 trips to the truck) I made it into the water. I paddled deep into one of my favorite coves, baited my hook, and casted into the depths. As I was enjoying the peace & quiet, I leaned back and watched the tip of my rod - waiting for the all-familiar bounce. I guess it had been about 5 or 6 minutes when there was a tug at the line. I lifted the rod in expectation of the strike. Just as the rod started bouncing, it hit me. No, I mean it REALLY hit me. A strong "thud" in my left shoulder sent a shock wave through my entire body and I thought I had been shot! I quickly landed & released the fish, paddled out of the cove - looking for the culprit and checking my shoulder for blood. As I exited the cove (in reverse) I saw a few large splashes in the water and thought maybe someone was throwing rocks at me. It wasn't until I had gotten completely out of the cove that I realized where the shot came from. I had come to rest under a walnut tree and had made myself the target of playful squirrel bombardiers.
I only caught 2 fish that day, but a lifetime of laughs. Watch for squirrels in goggles and bomber jackets!
~H2~