YOU CAN BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER!

For the Kayak Angler the spring is what we live for. The spring season is loaded with tournaments, clinics, shows and, oh yes, the opportunity to catch that pre-spawn monster bass. You can see that it is easy to get caught up in the business of “The Spring.” I am the worlds worst about getting caught up in this side of fishing. Where’s the next tournament? Did I pick up the latest addition of Bassmaster?  Did I reline and oil the reels? Did I organize the tackle? Is there room for another sticker? The sad thing is I could keep going on and, and, on.  I often ponder this question. What is my role in the sport? I found the answer I was looking for with this last weekend trip.

I had the great honor to fish with the Dallas / Fort Worth chapter of Heroes on the Water. The outing was located on a private lake within the Frito Lay corporate campus. The day was outstanding and ranks as one of the most powerful days in my life. I want to thank George Chrisman and Dave Potts for letting me and my family hangout with all the Heroes.

I met a lot of new friends on Saturday and will look forward to helping this outstanding organization wherever possible.

For those of you that are not familiar with Heroes on the Water, their goal is to help veterans heal physical and mental wounds thru kayak angling. The motto is: Paddle, Fish, Heal and I see that it works. Fishing became secondary to me on this day. I was caught up in the stories between the guys and watching first timers get their feet wet in our sport.  The whole day was just outstanding!

Looking for a way to give back to those who have given so much for you and our freedoms? Take a few minutes and visit www.heroesonthewater.org and see how you might be able to become a part of this awesome organization. Kayak Bass Adventures is working on a couple of things that will, hopefully, create additional awareness and raise funds for these guys.I challenge you to make Heroes on the Water a part of your daily conversations you have with people in your life. Take the time to share their Facebook page and video with your friends.

We are all ambassadors and in my opinion there is no greater cause to represent.
The spring brings new changes and opportunities to the landscape. The grass is greener, the days get longer and the fish come alive. Help make positive changes in people’s lives by becoming a supporter of Heroes on the Water. I know my family is hooked.  I am striving not to fulfill my personal needs, but to help others reach were they want to go.  Heroes on the Water do just that!

 

 

 

 

 

KEEP LIVING THE DREAM!

Do You Have The Power?

For those of you that know me, you know that fitness is a big part of my life. I wrote an earlier piece on how the guys at Cross Fit EST have changed my life. As kayak anglers we love challenges thus the kayak. We are always battling wind, cold, heat, powerboats, jet skis and anything else that is thrown at us on area creeks, rivers and lakes. I know that thru my daily fitness routine it has given me advantages in flexibility, strength and overall conditioning. Kayak angling is hard work! With the distances we paddle, or pedal, to reach the out of the way spots in search of the trophy fish. I decided that I was tired of getting to my designated spot only to find myself having to take time to recover instead of probing the water for that fish of a lifetime! As we enter into the spring fishing season I would like to encourage you to take a look at your physical condition and if you’re not happy with it do something to change it. I guarantee that you will have a better time on the water if you take time to prepare yourself before you get there.

Kayak Bass Adventures is proud to announce a fitness program for the Kayak Angler. We will be adding a tab to the blog so you can click it and see what’s up for the week. Hopefully by next week we will have the tab fully operational. The program will concentrate on the large muscle groups that are used in our sport. I realize that fitness, most often times, comes with a price; however, this program will introduce kayak anglers to a Cross Fit style of work out that will require no memberships and no equipment. These simple work outs will focus on flexibility, core strength and mobility. The work outs will focus on using your body as the weight. These exercises will be designed to give you all the strength you need to further enjoy your time on the water. I have realized that the better prepared, both physically and mentally, the more enjoyment I get from time outside and on the water. Who knows you may get so hooked that you would want to check out a place to work out where people are focused on results and not just being seen at the gym. When you reach that place feel free to contact me; I have the right people to help you.

I know fitness is touchy subject, but it’s one that needs to be talked about. We search out the best equipment for our yaks, whether it’s new fish finders, rods, reels, all the cool toys from Yak Attack and Mariner Sails. We as people have been given the greatest equipment and that is our body. We need to take care of ourselves like we take of our equipment. You can’t go out and purchase good health and physical condition; think about it!

We hope this 2013 fishing seasons brings your dreams to reality! We encourage all readers, anglers or not, to take your health seriously and do what you need to do to take the next steps in your fitness. What’s wrong with feeling better, looking better and having the energy and strength to pursue your passion?

Sample Workout:

3 Rounds For Time:

15 Push Ups

20 Air Squats

15 Sit Ups

 

KEEP LIVING THE DREAM!

New Gear!

In this sport you never get anywhere on your own. It takes a dedicated team of people who share the same passion for the sport. Many of these people are here in the Dallas / Fort Worth Area. Without people pushing it to the limits and bringing new technologies to the market it would be difficult for me to enjoy the sport at the level I currently do. Many thanks go out to the folks that have great imagination and vision. Great companies such as Mariner-Sails, Yak-Attack, Hobie, Hook One and the list goes on. Thanks to you guys for making it easy for the non DIY guys.

This last week has been a great week for the Kayak Bass Adventures team. We had the opportunity to visit with an outstanding company that makes great, affordable, products for the bass fishing community. I am speaking of the TFO Tactical Series of rods. I look at rods like a golfer would look at clubs. Having the options to choose the right rod for the right presentation; let me tell you there are plenty of options. From the 7’9” Pitch & Crank Rod that assist you in pulling your trophy from heavy cover to the 6’-3” Drop Shot Spinning Rod with an extremely soft tip allowing you to detect the softest of bites. TFO has a full line up of Tactical Bass gear and they come in all lengths and actions.

How many times have you been on the water and reached for your favorite rod only to find out the guide was jacked up? It’s happened to me more than once. With the new TFO Tactical Series Guides, you should no longer have that problem. These guides are high performance and designed to withstand a beating. The guide features a super hard-chrome anodized, stainless steel insert pressed into a machined, hard anodized, chromium impregnated stainless steel frame. This makes it durable for both fresh and salt water action. All I can say is that it’s lighter, stronger and will withstand me beating it around the kayak. There are so many features that make these rods outstanding and I look forward to bringing them to you over several posts.

Bottom line, if you’re looking for a rod that can withstand the rigors of Kayak Bass Fishing and are extremely affordable look no further than the TFO Tactical Series of rods. For me these are just like my American Express Card. I never leave home without them. I look forward to seeing you out on the water and on the tournament trails. Feel free to track me down and experience the greatness for yourself! TFO has blended together the perfect amount of power and finesse in this new line of rods and Kayak Bass Adventures is proud to be associated with them!

Check them out online: www.TFORODS.COM

KEEP LIVING THE DREAM.

Everyone Loves Options!

Last Monday I received a call from my wife about the time when she is looking at debit card statement and I feared I’d have to own up to all the gear that I purchased over the last week. Luckily for me this call had nothing to do with how I spent $100 on tackle when I already have so much. No, this conversation was to present me with options for the weekend.

Option number 1: She and a friend would be taking the daughters to Canton for First Monday Trade Days and wanted to know if I would like to attend and help entertain her friend’s husband.

Option 2: Stay home and organize the garage as she had outlined.

Well, I love options and it didn’t take me long to spin option 1 to my advantage. I responded that I would love to come out to Canton and I had the perfect way to entertain the friend’s husband and it didn’t involve walking around and looking at jewelry, clothes, furniture or any type of shopping. I suggested Kayak Bass Fishing on Mill Creek. My presentation skills were flawless and believe it or not all parties were on board.

To plan a Kayak Bass Adventure for someone who has limited fishing knowledge and even less kayak knowledge started with an email to Mill Creek is an awesome lake, with some outstanding fish. The weather that preceded our trip was warming so I new the action wouldmy good friends at Mariner Sails. I explained the situation and let them know that I would need a Pro Angler 12, for demo purposes, over the weekend. I chose the Pro Angler 12 due to its ability to offer hands free fishing and a being sturdy in the wind. As always the guys were at the ready to help me out. I fought the Friday traffic from Fort Worth to Dallas and was able to load the Pro Angler 12 inside the Pro Angler 14, no trailer necessary.  From Mariner Sails I headed to DFW Airport to pick up my fishing partner for the weekend and when he saw the Hobie’s he was pumped.  We made the drive to the hotel and enjoyed beverages with our wives. We both retired looking forward to what the next day would bring.

Mill Creek is an awesome lake, with some outstanding fish. The weather that preceded our trip was warming so I new the action would be hot. We arrived, unloaded the Kayaks and I performed a brief demo of how the boat operated while making sure his PFD was snug and that he was ready to hit the water. All was great and we shoved off, except I forgot to leash down his rod and within 2 minutes of leaving the ramp the rod went over. What a great start. Luckily the ramp area was shallow enough to retrieve the gear; it only took fifteen minutes of probing with the paddle. Lesson learned, buy PFD’s for gear. That was the only mishap of the day. He enjoyed himself and was able to relax and put his mind away from his day to day to work; he even was able to get a picture with a fish. All was right with the world.

Moral to the story is take the time to educate, have patience when things don’t go as planned and just enjoy the water with new friends. I love the competitive tournament environment but this trip was just plain old relaxation. Leave it to a dedicated Kayak Bass Angler to spin a shopping trip for the girls into another first class Kayak Bass Fishing Adventure.

Loaded To Ride

I know that we are in the heart of the winter months, however, in North Texas, with each passing day it feels more like spring. The spring weather has brought an upswing of traffic on areas lakes along with area fishing forums. New blood is outstanding for our sport, which continues to grow leaps and bounds. The growth not only comes from new anglers but from the kayak and gear manufacturers that are bringing new gear to the market in record fashion. In this week’s addition I want to spotlight the Hobie Pro Angler 14 and the gear that I use for a quality Kayak Bass Adventure!

Let’s start with the Hobie Pro Angler 14. This boat simply rocks, as a solid fishing platform. The Hobie design enables the boat to be safe and sturdy on open water, in windy conditions. The Pro Angler 14 has an overall length of 13’8” and is 38” in width. This design enables anglers to easily move around the cockpit, reach behind and 

Every Pro Angler 14 is designed to carry a capacity load of six hundred pounds. I am not a minimalist! I carry everything and the kitchen sink on my Hobie every time I go out.  The rear deck storage area has enough room for me to carry almost every after market accessory know to man. Did I mention hands free fishing? The most outstanding part of this Hobie, for me, is the Mirage Drive System. The Mirage Drive allows me to hold my position, without corrective paddling, and gives me the advantage to have my line in the water more than my paddle. This one feature alone will give you an almost 2-1 advantage of fishing time compared to other kayaks on the market.ease to stand up and make that quality presentation to a waiting fish. The boat comes loaded with features, in the standard package. These features include an outstanding tackle management system with three Plano boxes. Two of these boxes are stored in a below deck hatch which is located right at your feet. The Pro Angler 14 has the capacity to hold six rods in the horizontal position. This is an outstanding feature and allows you to know your equipment is stored safely and within a hands distance of you picking it up and using it. I need to mention the seat. This is the most comfortable kayak seat on the market today. The seat has a front and back tilt and offers a high and low position. I can’t describe the comfort of this seat; you’ll just have to try it! These features alone are worth the price of admission, but there are tons more that make the Hobie PA 14 invaluable to the kayak bass angler.

 Many people ask me about the overall rigged weight of the boat and I say it’s the lightest one hundred and thirty eight pounds you will ever lift. I fish on my own most of the time and load and unload my boat solo. I do not have a trailer, but with a bed extender on a truck and proper balancing techniques the Hobie PA 14 gets in and out of the truck with great ease.    

The aftermarket options that I felt necessary for me where all purchased from Mariner-Sails and produced by Yak Attack, Scotty and Ram. I like to have the options of quick disconnect of my fish finder and camera mounts, therefore I chose the Gear Track 175. This track is easy to install and comes with all the parts you need, from screws to a pilot drill bit. I like the 1.75” Gear Track at 12” in length so that I can stack multiple accessories on both sides of the Pro Angler 14. I also endorse the Pan Fish Portrait both large and small additions. When purchasing the large Pan Fish I used the Mighty Mount and secured it to the Kayak on the left hand side behind my seat. I use the large Pan Fish to mount my Drift HD camera so that I can capture all the action. The small Pan Fish fits snug in my Gear Track, holding my digital camera. My digital camera is easily removed from the Gear Track and allows me to take quick photos of the fish before release.  Finally, a new piece of equipment for me, the Black Pac. This tackle management system is outstanding. In short it has all you need to keep your tackle organized and at you beckon call. The Black Pac system is capable of holding digital cameras, rod holders, Hawg Troughs and any other possible thing you would need when you’re out on the water. There are plenty of reviews and guides to this product; all you need to do is simply Google “BlackPac”. 

I always carry my Yeti Cooler on the back as well as my twoday survival and first aid pack from Zippmo Survival Gear. The Yeti speaks for itself and I consider this cooler to be at the top of the cooler food chain. The Zippmo Survival pack has been reviewed in a previous blog.

There you have it; that is my boat in a nutshell. Before you by a kayak paddle as many boats as you can so that you know what you are getting. Make sure you know the type of fishing you are going to do and research the boat fully before making a final decision. Please take the time to go into local dealers, such as Mariner-Sails and visit with the staff. They will be happy to answer any questions you have, to ensure you are making the right call. I have found the Hobie Pro Angler 14, along with all the above mentioned accessories work for me and do what I need them to do. I hope everyone has an excellent spring season. I look forward to seeing you out on the water.

 

Keep Living The Dream!