Speckled Trout Bite is on fire!

Well as you can imagine its my time of year when the trout are stacked up and as I stated earlier in the year this is the best season in years. I have not fished a creek, sound or ocean that I have not found trout. The hot bit has been Mirrolures for me since that is mostly what I throw. I have been having luck with the new CMR17 in a Purple color along with the traditional MR 17's in every color I have thrown. The MR27 is producing some but the MR17's are producing more fish. I did catch a nice 20" fish weighing 2 lb 8 oz in early November on an MR19 in the 808 color.

Everyone seems to be picking up drum mixed with the trout bite on the same baits.

Lately the hot bite has been the easiest to get to in Atlantic Beach, NC at the public access near the Oceana pier. I stopped by Saturday at dusk and there must have been 50 people surf fishing for the Specks. There was a 7 lb trout reported caught from there on 11/23/12 according to the Chasing Tails Bait shop website. Live shrimp, live minnows and Mirrolures are all catching trout. If you toss jigs you will add some drum to your bag. If you fish the creeks stay in the backs since that is where the trout seem to be concentrated. I am catching a few in the river but they are larger back in the creeks. Good luck. This is my 5 year old with his first Mirrolure trout. He caught several this summer on jibs but I am most proud of this one!

NCKFA Oak Island Classic

Not a lot I can really say except this is a great event put on by some great people for a great cause. I got to Oak Island on Friday around noon and launched in an attempt to pre-fish and learn the local water. I went to a local creek and with a falling tide saw lots of exposed oyster beds. Caught 2 small redfish but nothing that would win a prize. So on Saturday the morning of the event arrives. I am the first kayak fisherman and the launch and then the official arrives. After I get setup and the official blows the whistle off we go. The wind is blowing 15-20 NNE. I hit a marsh bank with top water with about 3 cast. I get to a nice little point that everyone passed by and on the first cast a 16.5" Speck is locked on. I get back to the point, set anchor and take my photos. I continue throwing and catch 5 more speckle trout, which seemed odd since everyone stated there were none around they could locate. I figure I need to try for a slam and start jigging Gulp. Sure enough two small redfish around 14 inches. I wrap it up around 12 and head for some structure to try for the flounder. No luck. Once at checkout the trout sounds promising and I get the call to view my photos. Its confirmed and a nice trophy and some prizes for a 3rd place trout out of 168 anglers. Looking back I guess I should have packed up after that first fish. Not really I loved catching those specks that were stacked up. Thanks to the other anglers that passed them by!

Installing a Garmin Depth Finder on a Jackson Cuda Kayak

I wanted to have the ability to find depth contours when fishing deeper water for Old drum and if I ever do so freshwater lakes. So I bought a Garmin Echo 100 from West Marine for $69.95 after the did a price match from my phone. After I got it home I studied how to install it with the different arms and the Lowrance scupper mount and decided to just build my own. I grabbed a piece of 1" aluminum flat bar from Lowe's and with a few quick measurements started to bend and shape it. Once I got the right lengths I smoothed the edges with a file, drilled the hole for the bolt and another for the transducer bolt. Then I attached the transducer.

Next with a little bending I was able to get it through the front scupper hole on the right side of my Jackson Cuda to keep it out of my way and still have use of the scupper.

I routed the wire into the center hatch using a West Marine wire cap item 8717886. It was time to mount the unit. I wanted to be able to remove the unit when it was not needed so a 4" Yakattack Geartrac was added to the first slot on the hatch cover. A Yakattack screwball was added and a Ram Mount arm and mount were used.

Another West Marine wire cap was used to run the power and transducer cables from the hatch to the unit.

Next was the power. I orders a 12 volt 8 amp gel battery and installed it into a Ozark waterproof container from Walmart. A grommet was used an a disconnect to be able to remove the box so the battery can be charged.I tied a bungee cord between the scupper holes to hold it out of the way. Make sure to fuse it. I switched to a mini AVP type fuse.

I hope this has helped you see how I installed a depth finder onto my Jackson Cuda kayak.

Boomerang Tool Company "The Snip"

Let me start by saying I purchase every product I discuss and no manufacturer has sent me any items to endorce. I am telling you what I like and what I don't like up fron and honest. With that out of the way I recently orders a product called "The Snip" by Boomerang Tool Company. They offered a code on Facebook and I could not resist. I received "The Snip" a few days later which is impressive since it came from CA. I attached it to my life vest since I have it with me on the boat and kayak. It has a retractable line and you can lock the cutter so it doesn't snip by accident. I have always used a knife to cut braid since I have never found a product that would cut it easy. Those days are over thanks to Boomerang's "The Snip." This think slices through braid and mono like no ones business. They have added a client for life and I will be checking out there other products in the near future. I have only had them out for one trip so lets see how they last through the Winter and trout season.

Thule Xsporter transport rack

Purchase from Austin Kayak

Jackson Cuda Kayak Review

You may say this review comes a little late. I did not want to post a review until I put the Jackson Kayaks Cuda through a full test. First the likes: Jackson has the #1 sit on top seat in the world. The cool mesh, comfort and ability to go from the low paddle position to the high fishing position to moving it to the back so you can stand and fish makes it amazing. Even though the Native Ultimate and now the Native Slayer are close, Jackson Kayak nailed it. It looks like Hobie has taken notes and has incorperated the same style seats into the 2012 Hobie Pro Angler 12 and now the 2013 Pro Anger 12 and 14. Its a complement when the competition sees a winner and copies you. The number one complaint of kayak angers has been the seat is uncomfortable and wet. The solution is the Jackson Cuda and Jackson Coosa seats. Next fisherman want a kayak they can stand in to cast, sit fish and fly fish from. Again Jackson answered with the Coosa and the Cuda. Where does the Cuda pull away it is 30 inches wide and 14 feet long. Which gives it a great speed and stability ratio. This kayak gets going and you are almost making a wake as you paddle. Other items seem like a great idea on the surface but turn out to be impractical. The rod storage and tip protector only is useful when I am transporting the kayak on the truck. On the water the only thing I store in the rod keepers are the Yakattack Park and Pole and the Bending Branches Angler Ace paddle when not in use. The problem with placing rods here while paddling is they tend to get in the way and if you flip the reels outboard they get soaked (with saltwater in my case). Jackson has helped in 2013 on the rear rod holders with using Scotty tubes to get the reels away from the water. The center hatch is nice and a place I store alot of gear using the Jackson hatch insert. The fact that the Jackson Cuda has hatches in the front, middle and rear make it very easy from a rigging standpoint. I can access the inside of my entire Cuda from the front to the back for rigging like my Cuda anchor trolly install. These kayaks are proudly made in Tennessee, USA. Please support made in the USA no matter what you chose but do yourself a favor and paddle a Jackson before you buy a competitor.

Columbia Drainmaker Shoes Review

During a recent fishing outing in Morehead City, NC I was attempting to collect some bait and sliced my foot on some oyster shells. This was not the fist time so I felt I needed a show that not only offered full coverage of my foot but also ties so it would stay on my feet when I get in the sticky mud of the Carolina marshes. The solution was the Columbia Drainmaker shoes. I purchased them from the Columbia store . They were comfortable and were true to size. The test was to come during the Hook Line and Paddle TJM tournament. I stepped into the water unloading the kayak into the Fort Fisher marshed and they drained and wore like any normal shoe. I fished and wore them from 3am-9pm with no issues. All it takes to clean them is a water hose. I thought the mud and stained water would discolor them yet the whites have stayed bright.

If you have been looking for that watershoe that has it all consider the Columbia Drainmaker. For me it is worth the price and hopefully will save you a trip to the hospital getting oyster shell stitches.

DIY GoPro Kayak Mount

I must be the cheapest of the cheap and not willing to buy a camera pole for my GoPro and wanting to stay simple I took a 1/2" plumbing screw cap and added a 1/4" stainless bolt. This bolt goes right into the GoPro tripod mount ($7.99 retail). This screw cap is interchangeable with my DIY kayak light in a earlier post on my pole. The swivel mount is optional but allows for other angles.

DIY Kayak Baitwell Livewell

I wanted to get my livewell completed before the TJM Tournament at Hook, Line and Paddle in Wilmington but I did not have all the parts so I used a Flo-troll bucket. Don't get me wrong the Flo-troll served its purpose but putting the bucket in and out of the water to keep the bail alive was a chore and not my primary concern which should have been catching fish. The DIY baitwell is a solid solution with the only possible drawback that the pump could create some noise the fish might not like. I figured it was worth a shot. I purchased a 40 lb Gamma Vittle Vault at my local super pet supply store. I did see there is a similar model available online is 60 lbs which would add some capacity as a livewell but it would be too much weight in the back of your kayak..

First I drilled my holes for the inlet and outlet. I used a spray head that could be adjusted to turn the flow up or down. This hole was 1 inch. Next was the outlet with is standard at any marine store. This one is 1 1/2 inches and my though was I did not want the water backing up in the tank or tank well since my Jackson Cuda doesn't have scuppers in the tank well.

If your does you can run your intake through a scupper hole. You may want to consider adding a screen over the outlet to keep from losing baits but I have noticed I rarely loose baits.

Next I needed a way to carry this thing if I had to catch bait away from the kayak and why empty your cast net into your tank well and get it nasty. Just set it on the sandbar and load it there with bait. After you have it loaded haul it to you kayak and wash off the bottom before setting it in. Ask you can see I used a kayak handle available at Hook 1.

Why are lids so easy to lose? Even if they do float why deal with it so I attached it with a screw in the lid and some bungee to one of the nuts holding the handle on. problem solved.

Next was adding a waterproof box to house my battery and switch to turn on my pump. As you can see I just attached it with (4) 10-32 x 3/4 stainless steel machine screws, #10 SS washers and some SS lock nuts. The battery will be a 12volt gel cell battery and I will put some cutoff pool noodle on each side to keep it from shifting.

I have added a 2 wire disconnect on the pump wire so if I decide to use this as dry storage I can simply take off my hoses. As you can see the wire run is as follows. Positive to the switch. Positive from the pump to the other switch. The negative goes straight from the pump to the battery. For a pump use a Rule 360 model 24. The 500 pictured was great but draws so many amps the battery would be dead after 6 hours. I also will switch it on and off to conserve the battery but be careful as the water will drain back out the pump hose and leave your bait will very little water.

I have also added a rod holders from Hook 1 on each corner for rod storage so no Milk crate is needed. The semi-finished product. I need to get a rubber grommet to run the wires into the box and I will be attaching some pad eyes so bungee this to the Jackson Cuda tank well. I have the openning facing toward me so I can simply reach behind me an net some baits. It is quite and easy.

TJM Celebrity Charity Kayak Fishing Tournament

Well I fished the TJM Celebrity Charity Kayak Tournament hosted by Hook, Line and Paddle in Wilmington. This was my first kayak tournament and I didn't know what to expect. It was great with Hook Line and Paddle along with the help of NCKFA Mark Patterson a great time was had by everyone that participated. I met anglers from all over NC, SC and VA. I will start out with saying I have never wet a line in the waters in or around the cape fear. I bought a beach pass on Friday to allow me to drive on the beach Saturday. I was waiting for the ranger at 5:30am along with 7 other trucks and when the gate went up it was a mad dash down the beach and an amazing site it was.

Everyone off loaded and was in the water on their own way. I just started working a marsh line and with the tide out I knew it was going to be tough. Then I saw a site I have wanted to see for 30 years, tailing redfish. The drum where in 1 1/2 feet of water and aggressive on the bottom. I tossed in a Gulp! shrimp and when I tightened up I thought I had a strike. When I set the hook the group scattered and I pulled in my clump of grass. We will call this lesson 1 in tailing redfish. I worked the area but they were gone and I was heart broken. I moved down the marsh and saw another tail. I tossed in with no results. Another throw and fish on. He ran out and circled the kayak. What a ride! I saw him on the surface and I knew this was an upper slot fish. I had him worn down and 10 feet from my net and the hook pulled. I stopped and thought this was not going to be my day and I am paying the price on new water. I continued fishing the incoming tide and drifting some live baits for flounder but no luck. All in all I was rewarded with a perfect day of fishing with god allowing me to see the tailing drum that were on my bucket list. Next time I am a little wiser and understand the water a little better. Its hard to top the locals as I spoke with Joe Waple the winner in the redfish division with a 30 1/4" fish when I was pulling out. Joe said he was live baiting all morning and had caught the largest drum he had ever caught in the area. Sound like I was in the right area but I just missed my fish. The NCKFA host the next tournament at Oak Island and I am planning on attending. If you are there flag me down and say hello. I am sure I will be sporting a salty Sebile hat that I received at Hook, Line and Paddle. If you are in the market for a new kayak support the dealers that support your sport.

Pamlico Grand Slam on the Kayak

Got out about 7am with very little wind and not many people. I saw one other kayak angler and he was a few hunderd yards away. I paddled to the march near the main river and worked a top water plug and MR17 the entire way with no luck. I was thinking since the sun is coming higher I may need to try a little deeper. I tied on a Gulp shrimp with a 1/4 oz head and it didn't take long to connect with a small red. I kept on throwing the shrimp and next came a small flounder. Followed by a small trout. Its a good thing I like catch and release since everything was undersized. This continued and when the like got tight I knew this was going to be a nice red. To my surprise it is a small striper and man did he put up a fight. I had to wrap up the morning to meet the family at a pig picking that was only 10 miles away so I worked the shore line on the way back and got into a nice flounder hole where I was able to catch some supper. Nice 15 1/4 inch flounder. Once I got back to the ramp I did a survey with the NC DMR and he said he had been to Oriental and Aurora the two weekends before with little to show. I was happy as long as I was catching. The total on the morning: 4 flounder 3 speckled trout 2 stipers 1 puppy red drum 4-5 crockers (man they love Gulp) All but one stripers were caught on Gulp. I would still say that the bigger fish prefer a Mirrolure over the Gulp.

DIY Kayak Night Fishing Light

I am working on adding the Gopro Hero 2 and a Kayak light to the Jackson Cuda kayak. I wanted something where I could use one mount and switch between the two without dropping a load of money. Simple, use a section of 1/2" PVC pipe 4 ft long. Attach an end cap on the bottom and a threaded connector on top. Here are the pictures of the home built light using a flashlight.
Materials List:
1. PVC adapter with 1/2" male (threaded) on one side and 3/4" female (slip on) on the other;
2. Nightlight plastic globe cover
3. Electrical tape
4. Small LED flashlight small enough to fit in the 3/4" adapter (I picked mine up free at Harbor fright with a coupon avalible almost all the time online.)

Step 1- Place the flashlight into the adapter and wrap with electrical tape;

Step 2- File the opening of the night light globe to fit the flashlight and

Step 3- Put the flashlight into the globe slightly 1/4" should work and electrical tape it in place.

This is simple and effective. Just use something pointy like a rod tip, pliers, etc and turn the light own then screw it into your mount on the pole. You are now legal to kayak fish at night in NC.

Jackson Cuda

I took the Jackson Cuda out on the maiden voyage Saturday to see how it handles and I love it already. It was a great choice. This kayak tracks well, has plenty of room and can be fished with all your rods with no create needed. I put my son (5yrs old) in the tank well on a seat cushion and off we went out of Goose Creek near Washington, NC. It was a late start at around 9:30am but there was plenty of bait in the water. I had one hit onn an MR17 but could not connect. It was a demo day for us anyway. There were lots of reports of strippers coming from the boaters. I am hoping after these storms pass we will be back on them for the weekend. Keep watching since I will have several kayak DIY's coming soon.

Cobia bite

Went to Cape Lookout on 5/10/2012 and the hogfish were on a hot bite and it was a good thing since they were the main bait. I dropped two live ones down hoping for a cobia with no luck. The bite was slow and I only saw one boated of the 15 boats anchored. I did not see any other hook ups. Nice day at the cape but a little sloppy in the ocean.

Speckle Trout fishing preview 2012 in North Carolina

Well the Speckle trout bite has been hot an cold like the weather. With the mild winter we had this year we should see some large trout all year. I fully expect a large crop of 20"+ trout by the fall with record numbers of citation fish this year.