Finally got a full day pass to do some fishing and went out to the Catawba River (below MIL). Hooked up with Stewrat and Gwen (GOPC) for some fishing.
I have to send a special thanks to Gwen for letting me take the JK Cuda demo from GOPC for the day. Typically a "demo" trip is 30 minutes on the water like a quick test drive. But thanks to Gwen I got to use the Cuda demo for a full 9 hours on the water. Can't beat that. More on the Cuda later, but I will say that it more then confirmed that I made the right decision in ordering the Cuda. It was everything that I wanted in a kayak and more. Just got to wait a few weeks on the next shipment to come in.
Now back to the fishing, we launched around 7 am to cloudy skies and a steady drizzle and headed north. Picked up a couple of spots on weightless T-rigged Senko (watermelon with red/black flake). Both were caught letting the Senko fall without any other movement. Both fish were in the 14"-16" range. Lost a really nice spot that I hooked (not good enough) but he bent the rod and ran under the kayak and I could not turn him and the popped the hook. Would have been my best fish of the day but that is how it goes. Headed further North and hit the docks without luck so a cruised toward the dam in the Cuda (it's a lot faster than I thought it would be). Once I got closer toward the dam, I started to see a lot of fish in the clearer water now that the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Still working the Senko, I picked up 4 more healthy spots all in the 14"-16" range. The really cool part was that I actually got to see two spots slowly swim up and gently take the Senko worm. They did not attack it but gently swallow it and slowly turn. As soon as they swam enough to take the line slack out, I set the hook and the fight was on. What I did learn was that Senkos just need to be put in the right location and don't need a lot of action for the fish to take the bait. They sink and flutter like a dead or dying bait. Once I figured that out, I basically let them dead drift, kinda like trout fishing with a nymph and setting the hook when I felt the slightest tension on the line. Still got a lot to learn because I missed several more fish and lost a few that I thought were going to be a nice fish pic.
All in all, still a great day on the water boating 7 nice spots, getting 4 close to the boat and quite a few misses.
Can't beat a day on the water in a kayak, catching some fish with guys like Stew and Gwen. They caught fish too, as they always do.
Stew definitely caught the biggest fish of the day.
Here are a few pics.
101_0163.jpg101_0166.jpg101_0169.jpg101_0171.jpg101_0172.jpgIMG_0288.jpgIMG_0287.jpg
I have to send a special thanks to Gwen for letting me take the JK Cuda demo from GOPC for the day. Typically a "demo" trip is 30 minutes on the water like a quick test drive. But thanks to Gwen I got to use the Cuda demo for a full 9 hours on the water. Can't beat that. More on the Cuda later, but I will say that it more then confirmed that I made the right decision in ordering the Cuda. It was everything that I wanted in a kayak and more. Just got to wait a few weeks on the next shipment to come in.
Now back to the fishing, we launched around 7 am to cloudy skies and a steady drizzle and headed north. Picked up a couple of spots on weightless T-rigged Senko (watermelon with red/black flake). Both were caught letting the Senko fall without any other movement. Both fish were in the 14"-16" range. Lost a really nice spot that I hooked (not good enough) but he bent the rod and ran under the kayak and I could not turn him and the popped the hook. Would have been my best fish of the day but that is how it goes. Headed further North and hit the docks without luck so a cruised toward the dam in the Cuda (it's a lot faster than I thought it would be). Once I got closer toward the dam, I started to see a lot of fish in the clearer water now that the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Still working the Senko, I picked up 4 more healthy spots all in the 14"-16" range. The really cool part was that I actually got to see two spots slowly swim up and gently take the Senko worm. They did not attack it but gently swallow it and slowly turn. As soon as they swam enough to take the line slack out, I set the hook and the fight was on. What I did learn was that Senkos just need to be put in the right location and don't need a lot of action for the fish to take the bait. They sink and flutter like a dead or dying bait. Once I figured that out, I basically let them dead drift, kinda like trout fishing with a nymph and setting the hook when I felt the slightest tension on the line. Still got a lot to learn because I missed several more fish and lost a few that I thought were going to be a nice fish pic.
All in all, still a great day on the water boating 7 nice spots, getting 4 close to the boat and quite a few misses.
Can't beat a day on the water in a kayak, catching some fish with guys like Stew and Gwen. They caught fish too, as they always do.
Stew definitely caught the biggest fish of the day.
Here are a few pics.
101_0163.jpg101_0166.jpg101_0169.jpg101_0171.jpg101_0172.jpgIMG_0288.jpgIMG_0287.jpg