New (used) Kayak Maiden Voyage and a NEW PB!

[the reel ess]

I recently traded my FeelFree Lure 13.5 with GPS/Fish Finder to a guy for the same model kayak rigged with a trolling motor kit from Electric Kayak Company. It the 45 lb thrust model with variable speed. I'll report on that in the boats forum.

 

I had to get out of the way of some workers remodeling our living room. I had planned to be on the water at sunrise, but it was an overcast morning, so I made it there about 6:50. About 5 minutes into the trip, learning to steer and control the motor, I had a blowup on the Whopper Plopper 130. The fish missed it so I reeled in quickly and cast again beyond the same spot. This time the fish annihilated the bait. I knew from the bite that it was a good fish. But it made a run and peeled off about 15 yards. It was a good fight, but probably not as good as it would have been in spring water temp. I landed the fish by hand (because I never carry a net) and weighed it. My scale was stuck on KG! GRRR! Then it occurs to me I have a conversions app on my phone. I was praying it would be at least 8. It was 7.7, which beats my old PB from late last fall by a half pound. And I caught it on one of my late father's rods. I had a little moment afterward when I realized that. It also occurs to me that if that fish had not taken the bait on the second cast, I never would have any idea I had missed a PB. I went on to catch a few dinks and miss a few others.

 

I was able to cover a small lake in 2 hours that usually takes me 3 hours to paddle, with more bait-in-the-water time. All in all, it was a very successful trip. That's what keeps me going.

 

[Darren.]

Wow! No better way to christen a new kayak than with

a PB! Congrats!

[Dwight Hottle]

Congrats on the new PB especially on that memorable rod. 

[MIbassyaker]

Nice!!

[TnRiver46]

Beast!!

[Bankbeater]

Nice going! 

[Glenn]

[Largies4Life]

I'm sure you had plenty of adrenaline pumping after that catch! Way to go!

[the reel ess]

3 hours ago, Largies4Life said:

I'm sure you had plenty of adrenaline pumping after that catch! Way to go!

Normally, my hands would be shaking and my heart thumping with a big fish. And I was certainly excited. But I was so reminded of my dad, it was kind of more emotional. He died two years ago, but I talked out loud to him like he was there with me. I just know how excited he would be to see that bass. We rarely caught anything approaching 3 or 4 lbs when we fished Lake Wateree, SC all those years.

 

Someone asked me later that day why I didn't keep it to be mounted or give it to them to eat. Blasphemy!!! I told them because I want to catch it again and next time I want it to be 8 lbs and a 7.7 pounder won't reach 8 lbs in his deep fryer. People just don't get it. That would be like killing my spirit animal. Fishing is not the same thing as hunting to me. No way I'm going to give them my spirit animal to eat! I told him I'd bring him some dinks from my buddy's pond sometime.

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 8:18 AM, the reel ess said:

I recently traded my FeelFree Lure 13.5 with GPS/Fish Finder to a guy for the same model kayak rigged with a trolling motor kit from Electric Kayak Company. It the 45 lb thrust model with variable speed. I'll report on that in the boats forum.

 

I had to get out of the way of some workers remodeling our living room. I had planned to be on the water at sunrise, but it was an overcast morning, so I made it there about 6:50. About 5 minutes into the trip, learning to steer and control the motor, I had a blowup on the Whopper Plopper 130. The fish missed it so I reeled in quickly and cast again beyond the same spot. This time the fish annihilated the bait. I knew from the bite that it was a good fish. But it made a run and peeled off about 15 yards. It was a good fight, but probably not as good as it would have been in spring water temp. I landed the fish by hand (because I never carry a net) and weighed it. My scale was stuck on KG! GRRR! Then it occurs to me I have a conversions app on my phone. I was praying it would be at least 8. It was 7.7, which beats my old PB from late last fall by a half pound. And I caught it on one of my late father's rods. I had a little moment afterward when I realized that. It also occurs to me that if that fish had not taken the bait on the second cast, I never would have any idea I had missed a PB. I went on to catch a few dinks and miss a few others.

 

I was able to cover a small lake in 2 hours that usually takes me 3 hours to paddle, with more bait-in-the-water time. All in all, it was a very successful trip. That's what keeps me going.

 

That's a wall hanger! Frame that picture!

[Largies4Life]

53 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Normally, my hands would be shaking and my heart thumping with a big fish. And I was certainly excited. But I was so reminded of my dad, it was kind of more emotional. He dioed two years ago, but I talked out loud to him like he was there with me. I just know how excited he would be to see that bass. We rarely caught anything approaching 3 or 4 lbs when we fished Lake Wateree, SC all those years.

 

Someone asked me later that day why I didn't keep it to be mounted or give it to them to eat. Blasphemy!!! I told them because I want to catch it again and next time I want it to be 8 lbs and it .  a 7.7 pounder won't reach 8 lbs in his deep fryer. People just don't get it. That would be like killing my spirit animal. Fishing is not the same thing as hunting to me. No way I'm going to give them my spirit animal to eat! I told him I'd bring him some dinks from my buddy's pond sometime.

It's memories like those that will live on forever and never be forgotten! I'm sorry to hear about your father, but it sounds like he's out on the water with you every day still!

 

I had a very similar thing happen to me. Caught a nice 5 pounder out of a small private lake and one of the homeowners drove past in their pontoon and told me to keep it and fry it up. I was completely taken back by that comment, I would never keep a bass of that size or any other species that could be considered a "trophy" fish for the body of water you are fishing. I know where you're coming from, but at the same time, they probably don't fish often enough to understand the morals we have towards these fish. Tight lines, my friend!

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, Harold Scoggins said:

That's a wall hanger! Frame that picture!

Thanks. I need to get a selfie stick. My arm's not long enough to get the whole fish in the pic. Thus all my fish pics look like the same fish. But you know what they say? No pic, no fish. Especially for a PB.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, the reel ess said:

Thanks. I need to get a selfie stick. My arm's not long enough to get the whole fish in the pic. Thus all my fish pics look like the same fish. But you know what they say? No pic, no fish. Especially for a PB.

If you've got a tablet, you can use this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT3T8TV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have this clamped to my 'work table' with my tablet in it. Most of the time I have the I-Boating app running (like Navonics) but I also have the photo app in the background. 10 second timer on the photo app and I can take a pic 'at distance'. My profile pic was taken this way (look in 'Latest Catch' for the bigger version.

[YoTone]

having a net will save you a few fish a year. plus with treble hooks things can get tricky with out one.

[the reel ess]

11 hours ago, YoTone said:

having a net will save you a few fish a year. plus with treble hooks things can get tricky with out one.

No doubt. But I have lost way fewer in the kayak due to not having a net than I have in a big boat. I'm sure that's because I'm at the water level and not reaching down 2' from a boat deck. It's a personal choice. It's more clutter to store in a small space.

[roadwarrior]

[Yakalong]

very nice, it hard to beat a topwater bite!