Growing up fishing with live bait for crappie, I only caught the occasional bass while casting out minnows under bobbers, or bumping the bottom along the Little River channel on Lake Weiss. Occasionally, I would get dropped off at a local pond and chuck Shad Raps and Texas rigged worms until I caught enough largemouth to know how much fun it could be. Perhaps that's the reason I gravitated to bass fishing when I bought my kayak.
Luckily, I know enough about fishing to know that fish, no matter the species, relate to certain features on a body of water. Usually, bass can be caught in the same places one could catch crappie, bluegill, catfish, perch, etc, etc... I just had to study the seasons and how a bass's habits relate to those changes.
I took my new Diablo Paddlesports Amigo out on a few local lakes including Allatoona, Hickory Log, Lanier, Carters, Carters Re-reg, and Acworth over the fall and winter of 2014. During that time, I went through the fun process of getting my boat rigged just the way I wanted - only to figure out after every trip there's always a way to build a better mousetrap. More GearTrac, more rod holders, more lanyards, more Ram mounts, more money. Only on my trips in the dead of winter did I come away empty-handed. I was able to catch fish, or at least get a few bites, on almost every trip, except Carters and Lanier. More on that later. At some point, I decided to search out kayak fishing tournaments and try my hand in 2015, and so it began - the the successes, the failures, and the lessons learned from each.
One of my favorite sports writers recaps his visits to different cities for games with a numerical chronology of events. I'm going to do something similar with my tournaments and the lessons learned.
Lesson #1: Carters Lake, 2/28/15. Don't forget you don't have a motor.
That island on the channel bend 2.25 miles from the launch may look great on Google Earth, but is it worth the hour-plus paddle? The first tournament of the year came on the tail end of an winter storm - a joint event on Carters Lake hosted by Reel Krazy and Chattanooga Bass Yakkers. The temps were in the 40's and the sun eventually peeked through the cloud cover, but the remnants of the snow and ice were all over the place at launch. The road down to Doll Mountain ramp was slick and so was the ramp. When I saw 30 other anglers were crazy enough to show up in this crap, I knew I was in the right place. These are my people. I had prefished this general area a month prior and got skunked, but I consulted with a buddy who fishes Carters quite a bit and got a lead on a really good spot about 0.8 miles from the ramp, and some other decent points and pockets close by. I went there first and fished for about an hour and a half, didn't get a bite and went to my Google Earth honey hole that I was convinced would put me in the winner's circle. You know...the one 2.25 miles from the ramp. That spot also did not pay off, and I was rewarded with an hour paddle into the wind to make it back to weigh-in just to tell the tournament director that I didn't catch a fish. Turns out, only two fish were caught that day among 31 anglers, which is pretty much unheard of even on the worst day. So, my skunk put me in a tie for third (that's optimism, folks). But, what would have happened if I had allowed myself an extra hour to fish instead of digging my paddle in the water? Maybe that 15.25" fish that would have won me the tournament. In the future I knew I would look for good spots closer to the launch.
Lesson #2: Lake Tobesofkee, 3/21/15. You can do this!
My second tournament was my first one on the River Bassin' trail, the brainchild of Georgia's own Drew Gregory. This particular stop in Perry, GA was one of the few that allowed a flatwater option, Lake Tobesofkee in Macon. Since I was relatively new to the sport and didn't have a shuttle partner, I opted to fish the lake. Also, even though I'm an experienced whitewater kayaker, I had never taken the Amigo out in current at that time. And the water is still darn cold in March. The lake was a no-brainer for me on this tournament, although now, I would opt for a river. I researched the lake as I normally would research, checking satellite imagery and marking spots. I managed my time wisely and lo and behold, I landed my first tournament fish! It was a nice 16.25" spotted bass caught on a square bill crankbait. I lost a smaller fish near the boat on a paddle tail fluke in the same spot. However, I finished 15th out of 32 anglers. Although I went home empty-handed, my confidence was up and I couldn't wait to do this again.
Lesson #3: Lake Lanier, 4/11/15. It could always be worse.
This was one of my worst days fishing of all time. It was GKF's Spring Shootout on Lake Lanier. We launched from Balus Creek Park, and I immediately went way back in the creek to some of the fishiest water I've ever seen. Bass were busting on bait everywhere I looked. I didn't bring a topwater lure. I both got skunked and lost a rod and reel that day. I lost my favorite spinnerbait. I got five bites and couldn't set the hook on a fish. At the weigh-in, I drank a beer, met some fellow anglers, and realized I just spent the day fishing while a lot of other people were digging ditches, roofing homes, and sitting in cubicles. It could always be worse. By the way, Fish Tales in Flowery Branch is a cool little spot for some post-lake grub and beverage.
Lesson #4: Lake Acworth, 4/18/15. Catching the fish is half the battle.
Getting it to sit still on the hawg trough long enough to take a photo is the other half. This was another stop on the Reel Krazy Kayak Fishing Tour. I only caught one fish that day, and it was not very big. I can't tell you exactly how big it was because it flopped off my hawg trough into the water before I could take a picture of it. My reaction could probably have been heard as far as Cartersville. I lost a nice one at the boat on a spinnerbait near the end of the tournament, too. Skunked.
Lesson #5: Nickajack Lake, 5/9/15. Don't be afraid to hold down the fort.
Here's a positive lesson. It's a new lake. It's a big tournament for the regular season - 4 club joint tournament with 42 anglers. Reel Krazy, Chattanooga Bass Yakkers, Southern Mid-TN Kayak Anglers, and Tennessee Kayak Anglers. You've done the research and made a plan. You get to the first spot and have a limit by 8:30. It's clearly a good spot, so pick it apart. Make a cast to every single feature. Anchor down. Stay there for 6 straight hours. Win big bass. Take home $200.
I actually finished 13th overall, but the big bass pot was almost as big as the first place pot since there were so many anglers in this one.
Lesson #6: Possum Creek (Chickamauga Lake), 6/27/15. Home, sweet home!
The lesson here is fish the tournaments held on your "home" water! It's comfortable and you'll be confident, which is huge. My folks own a house on Possum Creek, so I just went into this one confident. I knew where to find fish and had a good idea what they would bite. I finished 3rd and only missed winning by an inch. I even had a little fan club and personal photographer on Mom's dock for a bit!
Lesson #7: Soddy Creek (Chickamauga Lake), 7/18/15. Pay attention, wear a PFD, and stay visible.
I didn't do well in this tournament. The fish were biting but I could only catch small ones - just like it was during my pre-fishing. The lesson here is not so much about catching fish. Every once in a while, you'll hear kayak anglers' stories about some animosity, or just plain stupidity from bass boat fishermen or pleasure boaters. To this point, I had not witnessed such activity. Most people on the water are there to have a good time and usually mind their own business, and exercise common courtesy. However, sometimes, for reasons unknown, people find it hilarious to buzz by kayakers. It did not happen to me, but a fellow competitor that day. I was fishing a point just on the inside of the mouth of a cove, and another angler had just exited said cove and headed back to the main creek channel to move to another spot when a bass boat sped by and put him on a pretty big wake. It could be that they didn't see him. It could be they were ignorant about courtesy on the water. It could be they were just plain a-holes. Either way, it's a lesson in "defensive paddling." Pay attention, ALWAYS wear your PFD, and outfit your rig with a visibility flag/light when you're on a body of water where motorboats are present.
Lesson #8: Etowah River, 8/1/15. Travel light on the river - it's tiring enough already.
This was the Cartersville River Bassin' stop. The put-in and take-out is not always going to be as easy as a gentle-sloping ramp. You may be portaging low head dams, big rapids, or shallow rock gardens. You may be paddling upstream to get back to a spot into which you want to cast multiple times. River fishing is tiring, so travel light! You probably won't need your fish finder and battery. While I may carry five rods on a lake trip, I will only carry two on the river - one for soft plastics/jigs and one for moving baits like chatterbaits, cranks, and spinnerbaits. I can store these horizontally on the Amigo and not worry about snagging them on overhanging limbs. You won't need that heavy Yeti cooler seat - just use the regular one and lower that center of gravity for moving water. I love fishing rivers and did well in this tournament, finishing 7th out of 43 anglers.
Lesson #9: Terrapin Creek, 8/22/15. Fish everywhere!
Yes, there were a lot of fish caught, but they weren't everywhere. There was a certain pattern that it took me way too long to figure out that day. When I did, I starting catching much better quality fish. I had a nice limit, but just managed 6th out of 15. Fish both the moving water and the slack water to figure out where the big fish are.
Lesson #10: Tennessee River, 8/29/15. Plan your logistics in advance, and get some sleep!
Another River Bassin' stop, and I fished just below Chickamauga Dam on the Tennessee River. I had a good day, finishing 13th out of 37, but boy was I tired! I did a lot of last-minute decision making for this one. Try to have your plan in place several days before the event. Have a back-up plan. Have a Plan C. Rivers can have multiple personalities depending on weather, dam releases, etc. Rig your boat and rods on Thursday. All this prep won't take away all the anxiety of tourney-eve, but knowing your ducks are in a row will help you sleep better on Friday nights. Now all you have to do is go fishing.
Lesson #11: Savannah Bay (Chickamauga Lake), 9/12/15. If you make a long run and find fish, refer to Lesson #5.
After the Carters Lake debacle in the very first tournament, I put an cap of approximately one mile on the run that I'd be willing to make from the launch point at a tournament. One spot I had picked out for this event was about 1.2 miles away from the ramp, and I decided to go for it about 20 minutes into the tournament after I didn't pick up an early morning topwater bite along the shallow grass lines near the ramp. I got there and pulled my entire 3-fish limit within 500 yards of each other near a channel bend with deep water access, including an 18.5" toad in 20' of water. All within an hour and a half. Instead of holding down the fort (lesson #5), I slowly fished my way back to the ramp hoping to get a cull or two as I mosied my way back through lower-percentage water. In hindsight, I should have stuck it out in that area, then high-tailed it back to the ramp when the time came. Nevertheless, I finished 3rd in that tournament, the final event of the Reel Krazy season, and solidified a qualifying spot for the KBF National Championship next March!
Chickamauga Lake
Lesson #12: Elk River, 10/24/15. Be thankful for your opportunity, and remember your support system.
The River Bassin' National Championship was hosted by Caney Fork Outdoors in Silver Point, TN. From that "home base," the Tournament Directors created a boundary map of fishable waters all within an approximate 1.5-2 hour drive from Silver Point. The tournament is open to all anglers, but to qualify to win River Basser of the Year, you must fish at least three prior events. I had fished the Perry, Cartersville, and Chattanooga events, but didn't rack up nearly enough points to compete for RBOY. The local events were only paying out cash for the top two or three, and the host would raffle off a Jackson kayak, which was a big draw. However, the National Championship was paying out for the top 20 anglers, lots of sponsors were on board for places and additional raffle prizes, and I was really looking forward to the event.
However, there was a slight wrinkle. I had bought my wife and myself tickets to a Sturgill Simpson concert on the night of October 24th. The concert was in downtown Atlanta, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to fish that day in Central Time, attend the weigh-in, and make it back to Atlanta while losing an hour going back into Eastern time. So I thought the season was over for me, except for one last tournament benefitting Toys For Tots in mid-November.
Fast-forward to Friday, October 23rd. Sturgill is playing the first of his two Atlanta shows and loses his voice. He posts on his Facebook page at 11:30pm that he will replay his shows in December. My wife tells me, and says "I guess you can fish wherever you want tomorrow." My plans to fish locally suddenly turned into a mad dash to register for River Bassin', print my identifier and start planning. At 3am, I went to sleep. At 4:30, I got up. At 5:00 I left. I arrived at 6:50 central time for the 7:00 put-in at the Elk River in the headwaters of Woods Reservoir, just inside the southwestern boundary provided by River Bassin's directors.
Running on adrenaline alone, I made my way up a beautiful river lined with trees brilliantly hued with all the splendor of Autumn. It was flat, barely moving water, which was the plan since I couldn't throw together a shuttle at 12:30am. I had to do the upstream-and-back-downstream run, and the Elk was the closest drive from home. I fished some deeper bends and managed a small limit by 10:30, culled a couple of fish that afternoon, and made it to Caney Fork in time for the 3:30 weigh-in. I placed a respectable 29th out of 77 anglers with only 38.25". Caney Fork and the adjacent Big Rock Market did a nice job hosting the tournament. Big Rock has delicious BBQ, and locally-based Calfkiller Brewery was also there providing refreshments.
That morning before I left, I left my wife a note on the fridge thanking her for being so understanding, and being patient with what I know is an obsession. I enjoyed every moment of that day except for the drive back home, and didn't take a second for granted. Whether it's your wife, girlfriend, parents, sponsors, or whomever - be thankful for your support system and your ability to get out and enjoy fishing - whether it's competitive or not. And if you believe in God, thank Him for His many blessings and the ability to enjoy the fruit of His creation. This final lesson may just be the most important of all.
Looking ahead, November 14th will most likely be my final tournament of 2015. It's hosted by Southern Mid-TN Kayak Anglers and it's called Ketchin' For Kids. Woods, Normandy and Tims Ford Lakes are eligible waters, and it benefits Toys For Tots. It's a multi-species tournament, but my goal is to catch my first smallmouth. Maybe I'll put all these lessons to good use.
Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff.
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