Pick Six (not lottery related) Part: II

     When you have a goal you are striving for the World can somehow sense that and does everything it can to make you fail.  As you know, Tautog was my second species I was going to try for and in almost 6 weeks I was able to get 1 weather window in my schedule.  Due to so many birthdays in April and May I even completely missed some perfect weather days, but Family first.  Plus I wouldn't have missed my baby girls first birthday for the biggest fish in the world!

     While playing around with little reds to kill some time I heard of a few flounder being caught. I decided while I waited for conditions to be right for the annual Bull Red migration and the big Cow Stripers to return to their northern summer haunts I would target these bottom dwellers.  After searching a few places over a couple of days I finally found some spots that held good concentrations of these tasty flatfish.  I did this for 2 weeks and put in just under 40 hours and my biggest went 18 inches.   I was way off the mark still.  

 

     It was a chance encounter that made me change up my quarry immediately.  While paddling back to the ramp one night I saw a big tail sticking out of the water just slowly swimming along.  What made it weird was that it was in 15 feet of water.  I was able to paddle quietly up behind it and get a glance at the fish.  It was a giant Bluefish!!  I happened to have a topwater lure on and pitched it out way in front of the fish on its path so I didn't spook it.   As the beast got closer and closer I slowly began to make the lure work.  As soon as the giant Blue saw that lure he charged it with enough power and speed that it looked like someone just threw a cinderblock in the water where he was.  Before I knew what happened my 3000 size reel on my medium 7'6" rod was screaming like I've never heard before.   I was losing line fast.  I was about to be spooled, but no, I wasn't going to let the fish die like that.   I tightened down my drag enough to start being towed a little in my kayak, but I shouldn't have done that.  Hind sight is always 20/20.  In fear of being spooled I tightened down the drag just enough for the Blue to free itself by pulling the hook.  I knew right then, in that moment, that the game had just changed.

     Re-armed and re-focused with a new quarry it was time to come up with a game plan.  I first had to do some recon and find where these suckers were hiding.  I tried open water first since that is where I had my first real encounter with them.  Hours were spent casting and reeling with only a few follows from sub 30 inch fish.  These were not the fish I wanted.  I moved on from spot to spot until I finally had an epiphany.  They didn't want to chase anything yet!  Again, tactics changed and gear evolved with a different style of fishing.  Was it going to work, or would I have to change my plans again?

      Within the first hour I had my answer.  I moved to a new spot and made my first pitch.  Out of nowhere, with pure unadulterated aggression , my rod was nearly snatched out of my hand.  My drag was far too loose and I was broken off on something sharp.  Assess, learn, evolve, change your technique until it works.   Tighten the drag, move back some so you have more time to react to the situation as it changes second by second.  Become ready to face the challenges that are yet to be had.  Pitch number 2 yielded similar results, but this time I was not broken off.  I was able to get the fish close enough to see and I couldn't believe how big it was.  From a foot under the water I estimated this fish in the 38-40 inch range!  I panicked and lost my wits and this massive fish was able to use my panic against me.  It wrapped itself around something that I couldn't see and with no more drag or flexion of the rod this big, beautiful trophy was able to pull the hook.  Devastation.  I am a very passionate person and I wear my feelings on my sleeve and I felt like crying.  "How could I have let this happen? I had the right tactics, in the right place, with the right mindset.  What went wrong?  Figure it out Ryan and move on," I told myself.

     Evolution of gear and tactics aren't the only thing that has to be ever changing.  Your mindset and how you react in situations must change as well or you will be stuck in that same state that lost you the battle last time.  Prepare for loss.  Prepare for panic and fear. Prepare for the immeasurable ferocity of the quarry you are after. You will then be ready to face your foe again on your own terms and on your own battleground.  I was ready. Everything that had happened up to this point changed me.  It changed how I saw my opponent.  It changed how I would react and with what speed I would be able to see the changes happen.  I became ever-ready.

 

     It was just getting light out and I brought my fishing partner Mike with me this time.  We paddled to the battlefield with diligence.  Maybe even double-time but from a kayak.  I was ready.  Focused on the task at hand with a trance like state.  Pitch number one...  Nothing.  Number two... Nothing.  "Has everything I learned changed already?" I thought.   Think.  What was different now.  The cloud cover?  The tides?  Water clarity?  "Figure it out Ryan and move on."  Again, even with everything figured out, the situation had changed again.  Assess.  The surroundings were the same, yet the water was moving a different way.  Tactics.  Reposition yourself to take better advantage of the flow.   Pitch number three.  "Speed, Surprise and Violence of Action, you know this, you've done this your whole adult life."  The strike.  I was ready, braced for aggression, meeting force with greater force.  We both pulled against the other force as if our lives were truly on the line.  Taking line, taking it back, once again.  Over and over.  Being pulled into structure.  Assess, react.  Turn the kayak to pull a different way.  Kick off structure into open water.  The initial contact was over and I had the upper hand, now was the time to lighten up and win the battle.  I gave more and took less until my enemy had its will broken.  I screamed in victory because I knew this was the one.  This was the fish that would re-ignite a passion for using my mind against my opponent as well as my strength.  I pulled this massive swimming force of death into my lap and laid out the tape.  36 and a half inches!  This was it! Citation number 2 for the year.   Reconnaissance will begin on number 3 very soon.

    

Pick Six (not lottery related) Part:1

By: Ryan Clark


     Call me a copy cat, or a wannabe, but the way I see it is, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery."  "What am I copying?" you may ask.  Well, in short, Kayak Kevin and Rob Choi, both of whom I have met only a couple times between the two, but I know you are looking for specifics.  I am trying to be the third Virginia Saltwater Expert Angler solely from a kayak.  I know some of you just rolled your eyes or made some sound of disgust, but for those of you that didn't, "Thank You."

     Why am I doing this?  Because I want to.  It is not to prove anything to anyone other than a relative newcomer to the Chesapeake Bay can do what anyone else can do with the proper research, knowledge and the will and drive to do so.  I have had a kayak for 3 years now and spent all of last year honing my skills and learning the species that are available at certain times of the year.  I think this year I am ready to pursue this goal.

     So far this year, since I have decided to actually pursue this goal, I have caught my first citation species.  Two in the same trip actually. (which is a first for me)  I was stoked.  I am still stoked.  My first species was the Speckled Trout and one was just over 24" and the second was 24.5".  I recently made a video about that trip which should be just below this post, if you haven't seen it yet. I also want to thank Luke for keeping me positive after 50+ hours on the water and the loss of a monster at the boat. Since species number one is out of the way I am setting my sights on Tautog.

 

     The water seems to be hovering in between 41 and 44, but I am going to start now anyways.  I know I won't catch a citation now because of the temps, but I can use the time I have to learn the feel of the bite and the timing of the swing in preparation of the larger fish.  I have my rigs made up, I have my bait and I have my reels spooled with heavy braid.  Now I just wait for Mother Nature to calm the winds and the seas and let me have my window of opportunity.

Cast and Destroy (but release nicely!)

By: Ryan Clark

It just happened to be one of those epic days.  Epic fish call for epic tunes!

"From Bad to Worse" (aka man points)

   By: Jesse Ewing


     It promised to be a great day! The weather man was calling for 60 degrees, sunny, light wind, and I was hoping the bass would be ready to play.

     5:00am: Got the boat loaded up and out the door I went. After stopping at 7-11 to get some drinks, snacks, and gas I was on my way to the lake.

     5:45am: While driving on the interstate I hit an unseen pothole that somehow broke the fender on my trailer causing it to destroy a brand new trailer tire sending sparks, smoke, and burning rubber all over the place! After pulling over to the shoulder and assessing the situation I got out my jack, spare, tire iron and sawzall... yes I said sawzall! The trailer fender had broken loose from its mount and was hindering the tire from moving so it had to be cut off.

      6:20am: A successful yet unconventional tire change had been completed despite being pelted by rocks and debris from semi-trucks and other rude cars speeding by only a few feet away from me. I am now racing to get to the boat ramp before the 6:30 tournament launch time. Stressed out and angry for how my morning had started off I finally make it to the ramp just in time to catch the last boat before they left.

 

 

     6:45am: Boat is in the water and its time to start fishing! Its a beautiful day on the water and I am slowly shaking off my bad attitude and focusing on the job at hand... catching some bass! I tried a few good looking spots with nothing to show for and decided to head to a spot that has produced in the past. Luckily no one else was fishing there when I pulled up. Immediately I go to work with my jerk bait. A few twitches and pause... A few twitches and a pause... I felt a slight change in the line and BAM, hooked up to a nice fish! Reeling in the line I was hoping for a good hook set and praying it was a bass. With a big splash I got a glimpse of what I had on my line. To my disappointment it was an "inferior species" , a 24.5" citation chain pickerel. Not gonna win any money catching those but it helped boost my spirit and encouraged me that today was gonna be a good day.

     3:00pm: After 8 hours of solid fishing non stop and not even one bite after the pickerel that morning I decided to go home early and just call it a day. Several other boats had already left and after talking to the head of the tournament I discovered that it was not just me. He informed me that he only knew of two other boats that had one fish each! So I paid my entry fee, loaded the boat on the trailer, and headed home to lick my wounds.

     So my bad day is over right? WRONG! its now 11:00pm and after "licking my wounds" from the day its time for bed. I had been organizing my tackle and left a fishing lure hanging on my tackle cabinet. After a few well deserved adult beverages I headed to the bedroom. I guess I wasn't walking completely strait and must have stumbled a bit because the next thing I know I ran into the cabinet with the hanging fishing lure and instantly knew my day had just gotten so much better! I was hooked thru my shirt and into my arm with a treble hook deep past the barb. I called for my wife who had already gone to bed and told her to get the camera because I wanted pictures of this. After clipping the hook with a pair of dikes I was able to remove my shirt. I tried pulling the remaining piece of hook out of my arm with pliers but the barb was not letting go. I also tried to push the hook thru my skin but that wasn't happening either. My wife was insisting that we go to the hospital but I refused. I took one of my deer skinning knifes and began to perform my own surgery. It was a difficult process because I am right handed, but eventually using my left hand I was able to cut out the barb. What a great way to end what had promised to be such a great day.

"Iced out in Virginia Beach"

Hey guys! Here it is, our very first video!  Hope you like it and there will more to come!  All the editing credit goes to Luke Barton.  Follow him on instagram @luke12fish.  You can also follow the staff here at SFC @rhyno_nc and @fishninja25.  Let us know what you think!

Virginia Beach Ice Fishin'

By: Michael Manning

     This time of year is best spent inside by a warm fire and dreading going outside just to throw the trash out. Most anglers are sitting on the couch watching Bill Dance catch a 10lb bass on every cast, but a few of us are still layering on the cold weather gear and breaking ice off the kayaks in search for winter Bass and Pickerel.

 

     January 25th was our first chance to get out after the first snow fall and that morning was forecasted to be a cool 20 degrees and partly cloudy. The three of us loaded up the gear the night before and had plans of tearing up some winter crappie, bass and pickeral at one of our favorite spots. When we arrived at the honey hole we quickly unloaded all of our gear and headed into the woods for our next adventure.

     When we arrived at the entrance to the lake we all screamed out a few choice words at the sight of 4 inch thick ice covering every inch of water. We couldn't see the main lake from that spot so we hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be frozen because of the 10-15 mph winds that were making waves all night. Determined to catch a fish Luke ventured out onto the ice with his kayak holding him up to see if it was safe to walk on. After a few minutes discussing how stupid of an idea it was to go for it we all set out on the ice with our kayaks holding most of our weight.

     I was last to go after Ryan and Luke with their heavy kayaks carved a nice path of cracked ice for me. The only reason this was somewhat safe was because we were all wearing waterproof chest waders and if we did break through it was only 1-2 feet deep.

     After dragging and carving our way through the thick ice covered ditch we were finally approaching the lake and still praying for open fishable water. Once again we were hit in the face with disappointment at the sight of the entire lake being covered in 4 inches of ice, except for one hole that was about 20 yards wide and 75 yards long and we had come to far to not get out there and give it a shot.

      After throwing everything we had tied on in that little hole and watching our lures snap off while casting because our braided line was freezing on the spool, we decided to head back to the trucks. But it was still early... We packed up the gear and tried another lake but the ice was unforgiving. We found fishable water on the third lake of the day, but after 2 hours of no bites in the 15 mph winds we decided to call it a day. Even though we didn't have any luck we had an amazing adventure that we won't forget anytime soon and it was well worth it for the laughs.

This is what happens to 3 grown men when all the fish are frozen... don't judge us.

     This week was the same as last with a snow storm coming through on Tuesday to destroy any chance of catching winter bucket mouths, but we had to try anyway. This Saturday was set as a practice day for the Lake Prince bass tournament on February 8th. I headed out around 7am with my buddy Jesse and we were hoping Lake Prince wouldn't be frozen because the guys at Oceans East told us that Lake Smith was thawed out on Friday. When we got to the ramp it was covered in snow and the lake was almost completely frozen with no way of getting a jon boat through it. Still wanting to fish we knew we had to find a river with moving water, so we headed out to Blackwater River.

     The river was only frozen around the banks and we had another buddy with us that had a good day with bass a couple weeks before so we launched with hopes of catching anything that would bite a lure. We inched up and down the river for about 6 hours fishing at every depth and even seeing schools of fish on the fish finder but they decided to have lock jaw all day.

      It's been an interesting couple of weeks with the snow storms and single digit temps freezing up all of our winter fishing haunts. Even though we didn't have any luck with the fish its definitely been an adventure and it will make the "tough" days of fishing in the summer that much easier to handle because of what we've been through this winter. Spring is right around the corner so if your not out trying your luck in the cold then its the perfect time to organize all of your tackle and get ready for  the pre spawn bass bite.

"We've Got it Covered"

By: Ryan Clark


     It's that time of year again where the cabin fever starts to set in and feel like a permanent resident in our households (for some of you anyway).  Luckily there are still some fish biting and some preparations to make to create better fishing in your lake.   "What preparations," you may ask?  You have already cleaned all your reels, respooled all your line, changed out hooks and split rings, and even sorted out all your tackle trays.  What could be left?  Well, adding some cover elements to your lake in key locations, obviously.

 

     People often get cover and structure confused, and for those of you who fall into that category, I'm going to sort that out for you real fast.  Structure is the actual bottom contour of the lake itself.  Slopes, depressions, drop-offs, creek channels and ridges or points are all examples of structure.  These are what bass use to move from point A to point B and back again.   Now cover is completely different.  It is what is ON those structure elements that fish like to hide in or "cover" themselves with.  Like stumps, brush piles, lay downs, rock piles, grass beds, standing timber or even culvert pipes.

 

     Now that you understand what cover is you can use that information to place cover in key locations that will help your fishing.  Just placing cover anywhere isn't going to help and neither is placing cover in a lake already filled with it.  The particular lake we fish is practically barren so any cover we place is only going to help.  So by knowing this and by knowing the structure elements in our lake we can manage the cover placement efficiently, because cover placed in the wrong spot isn't going to help you.

     Before we get too much into placement of the  cover, let's talk about the things we used to create it.  Everybody knows that this time of year you can just drive along pretty much any street and see Christmas trees littering the roadside.  So we picked up a truck bed full and headed to our work area.  We also had been gathering up old broken cinder blocks that had at least one square still intact.  You can go to your local hardware store and ask if you can have the broken ones.  90% of the time they will just give them to you for free if you tell them what you need them for.   We also took a little walk through the woods and found some nice hardwood branches that had fallen.

     After everything was gathered and we felt like we had enough materials, we got to work.  First thing to do was to prep the Christmas trees so they would sink and also sit vertically in the water column.  We cleaned up the bottom of the trunk to about 9-12 inches so the trunk would fit into the hole in the cinder block.  We then wrapped wire around the trunk above the cinder block and wrapped the wire around the outside of the block to the bottom of the trunk and wrapped it again.  this would ensure the trunk wouldn't slip out of the block and the block would hold the tree upright.  We also would chop a few rings out of the middle of the tree so that the larger fish would have a place to hide and also to have less buoyancy in the tree. After prepping our trees we got to work on the branches.  These branches were perfect.  Each branch was about 15ft long and had a bunch of weird twists and some forks where the main branch split.

     Now it was time to place our newly made cover.  But again, you have to put the cover in the right spot or it wont do you any good.  Think about how you are going to be fishing that particular spot and place your cover accordingly.  You want to try to make funnels with the stuff your sinking.  For example, try putting a few trees in a row about 4-5 feet apart so that they are not touching underwater, but against something else, like a grass edge or along a sunken log.  Cover placement is all about making an easy ambush point for the fish.  We placed ours on submerged points in a row, under some docks, along a rock wall, and about 2 feet out from the shoreline trees and bushes that make a point in the water.  Again, it is all about making ambush locations.

 

     Since doing this last year we noticed a substantial increase in the numbers of sizeable fish we were able to catch out of the lake.  Now our cover didn't grow bigger fish, so don't think that, but just concentrated the fish in certain locations so it made them easier to catch.  Last winter we just put a few small pieces of cover in and it made a noticeable difference so this year we already tripled the amount and plan on adding more.  Here are a few of the fish we caught last year on the cover we placed.

 

     So go spend a little time collecting materials and then get your cold weather gear on and get to work.  Just remember, the work you put in now will pay off huge over the next year.  Not sure about you, but "we've got it covered!"