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!