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Oxbow

August 20, 2014
Exploring, Fishing, Freshwater, Kayak Fishing, Scouting, Warmwater
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Fished from the kayak this past weekend.  It was the first time I’ve been in one since Trout Challenge – which was in June, so it’s been a while.  Blake and I headed to a Mississippi River oxbow lake to do a little afternoon bass fishing.  Storms were on the horizon, which had me nervous, but we managed to avoid the rain and fish until sunset.  The bite wasn’t hot, in fact it was a little while before we landed a fish, but we caught a few and the average size was pretty good – no trophies, mind you.  It was a beautiful lake, I’d love to fish it when the bite was on, maybe later this Fall.  It was good to get back in the plastic pirogue, the feel of a paddle slicing through water is therapy for the soul.

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A day off in Monroe

August 8, 2014
Exploring, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Food and Drink, Freshwater, Hiking, Scouting, Warmwater
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I had to work up in Northeast Louisiana this past week.  This was the last part of our great state that I had never visited.  Monroe reminds me a bit of Alexandria, the two being of similar size, having similar populations and offering similar amenities.  The work I’m doing sometimes affords me a bit of free time, other times I work 12-13 hour days.  I had almost an entire day to myself yesterday and decided to make the drive over to Poverty Point.  Maybe not the first choice for many people, but I figured why not go check out the monumental earthworks while I was somewhat close.

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If you couldn’t tell I had the place to myself.  No one else is dumb enough to walk around outside in rural Louisiana in the dead of summer and at high noon.  It was hot as hell, but I enjoyed it. The earthworks were impressive.  The amount of artifacts that have been found at Poverty Point were impressive.  They weren’t all from the same area or tribe either.  Their trade network was huge.  There was a thriving civilization there way back when.  Kind of humbling to walk around the site alone, like I was in a Native American ghost town.

I left Poverty Point and decided it was time to go fishing.  It had been too long since my last outing (late June) and although this would be just a little afternoon bank fishing it was welcome.  I headed over to Kiroli Park in West Monroe.  While working I learned there was a fishing pond there and some trails so I had to go check it out.

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It was actually two ponds and they both held plenty of fish.  These little bass were a hoot.  They were ambushing minnows in the shallows causing all kinds of racket.  It was tough getting them to take a fly because they were in such a hurry.  Near a submerged log, in a shady part of the lake I saw a nice bluegill working a deep bed.  I had it hit the topwater a few times, but knew it would take a nymph so I tied one on and threw it back out there twitching the bomber ever so slightly. As the bomber started moving sideways I set the hook and it was a good fish – one of the biggest gills I’ve probably ever caught.  I then moved to the upper lake and found a nice school of bluegill under a tree, all smaller than the big one, but consistent action for a little while.

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Eventually that bite tapered off and I went on a walk on the trail, taking the long way back to the truck.  The trail crossed a sandy little creek (tiny enough to jump across) and curiosity got the better of me. I walked the bank of the creek tossing a fly in every likely lie.  Wouldn’t you know it that every likely lie was holding a fish? There were bluegill, bass, sunfish, goggle-eye and beyond the fish the creek was loaded with mussels and crawfish – this little creek was full of life.

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I was very impressed by Kiroli Park, what a great resource the city of West Monroe has.  They park was in great shape and it was obvious that it was a favorite of the locals – there were lots of people using the facilities.  Having not done any fishing since June, this was the perfect place to come fish.  To top it all off, I even stopped to pick up a few local brews from Shreveport – the Commotion is pretty darn good too.IMG_3198

Humble beginnings

June 26, 2014
Exploring, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Kayak Fishing, Kayaking, Scouting
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My first kayak was a Pelican Castaway I bought on Craigslist from a high school kid in Kenner for $250.  That was back in August of 2007.  I had just moved back to Louisiana from Alabama.  I had yet to find a job.  It wasn’t really an impulse buy as I had been wanting a kayak for quite some time, but that didn’t make it any less irresponsible.  I had to get one though, I had to have a way to get myself on the water.  After all I had lots of time on my hands while looking for employment.  Living in a second floor condo didn’t make it easy to store either.  I can’t even remember where I kept it, I’m sure it stayed down at the bottom of the stairs often.  This was the start of what has become an incredible journey.  Kayak fishing has been a wonderful getaway and has taken me places I never dreamed I’d go.  It all started with an unproductive first trip to Bayou Little Alabama which was followed three days later by a solo trip to Dularge and my first redfish from a kayak.

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It wasn’t a big red, but I was still under-equipped and landing the fish became a production.  I was throwing Gulp under a popping cork, on a rod that had maybe 8-10 lb test mono on it – I had not yet bought any saltwater equipment.  During the fight my line breaks above the cork and off goes the red swimming down the bayou, cork bobbing along the way.  I chased after the cork for awhile, doing my best Benny Hill impersonation, finally landing the fish.  It was gratifying.  Not only had I caught a redfish, but I had dinner to bring home too.  I was a provider!

Soon enough I landed a job and my time on the water was reduced.  Spending most of my time fishing around Baton Rouge, my next saltwater trip wouldn’t  be until January of 2008.  This was the one that really started the addiction though.  This was the first trip I made with some of the guys from BCKFC.  It was also the first trip I made with the fly rod in the salt.  It was pretty windy that day, but I was determined to use the fly rod and catch fish.  I ended up having a great day.  Blindcasting, I caught three reds on a clouser minnow.  They were all small, but I found out just how effective a fly could be for redfish.  I rounded out a limit using Gulp under a cork and ended with a pretty nice mid slot red.  Not to be outdone I caught my first flounder on this trip as well.

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It was a really successful day in the salt and was the catalyst for what has become a passion for me.  The kayak opened up water I had never known about and expanded where I could fish.  A motorboat will do the same thing, but there is little to no maintenance with the kayak.  It gets me outside and gives me exercise, without me thinking it is exercise – which is a big plus for someone with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.  I’ve become a much better fisherman because of the kayak too.

If you’re looking to get into kayak fishing and you can’t decide on what boat to get, don’t fret.  Get what you can afford and see what kayak fishing is like for yourself.  I later sold that $250 Pelican for $300.  The return on investment for kayaks both new and used is insane, so jump on a good deal and join the party!