Kayak Koz and the Lake Fork Adventure

[Susky River Rat]

@Koz keep that FFS in the truck! Kidding.  Also one thing pros will always tell you is don’t listen to boat ramp talk. It’s just that. Keep your head out and grind it out! 
 

 

ps told you that you should have gone to the susky instead. 

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

Day 2 Pre-fishing - a rough day

 

My plan was to fish the NW corner of the lake today, but when I got to that ramp it was a rutted mud hole. I didn’t want to risk getting stuck.

 

Headed to another ramp near my hotel and this time headed north. It was breezy but not bad. I fished shallow along the concrete causeway then hit a dock and a concrete seawall and caught an 18 incher and lost another one.

 

Then the wind really started picking up. My AP120 is stable and I don’t worry about flipping, but I was getting rocked around pretty good.

 

I headed to deeper water away from the thickets of timber and caught a small one but I was tired of bobbing around. I made a long run to a creek channel out of the wind. Tons of shad but no bass. I started to make another long run to where I fished yesterday and as it was warming up I decided to take off my heavier hoodie. But first I had to take off my PFD. While holding it and taking off my hoodie, I accidentally got my PFD in the water.

 

There was a loud pop and my vest inflated. It was then I remembered I did not bring a spare CO2 cartridge. 

 

Needless to say, I headed back to the ramp. The wind picked up again and I tied off to the dock. I backed my trailer down the ramp, then began pulling my kayak along the dock to the trailer. The wind caught the kayak, slammed it into the dock, and it sheared two nylon pins that hold my livescope mount. Luckily, I packed extras.

 

I also got lucky that the tackle shop at my hotel had the CO2 cartridge I needed so I didn’t have to drive an hour plus to get one.

 

The shop owner saw my rig and we talked for a while and he gave me two spots to fish later this week. Tomorrow I head out with a guide for a half day.

 

It’s not easy going to a new lake and trying to break it down. But talking to folks at the ramp, they say they’re catching 1-2 pounders as well.

 

Tomorrow should be a good day with the guide. then I’ll make the repairs to my FFS mount and my lighting.

 

An 18-incher is heavier than the "1-2 pounders" that others are catching, so you're slowly cracking the code.

[islandbass]

@Koz: That song never gets old. I was at the local Costco and they had a piano on display so I thought I’d tickle the keys. I played a variety/medley of tunes in Eb (completely random) Misty, Kissing a Fool, How Deep is Your Love, and lo and behold, Survivor’s The Search is Over. 😳😱😝 
 

I always appreciated bands that could rock it hard and still pull off decent ballads. 
 

The Eye of the Tiger mentality is a plus in Bass fishing for sure. 👍 

[Koz]

Day 3: Pre-fishing, a guide, and ten pounds of junk.

 

I was hoping that fishing with a guide would land a bunch of fish today, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

 

My guide was a great guy, but we were never on a good bite. He did catch a 6 pounder and a few little ones. Me? I caught a 10 pounder - but it was a bowfin. Other than that, I had a few weak bites in the 4 hours we were out there.

 

He did point out a lot of areas to me to check out, and the area where he caught the 6 pounder looked promising if explored more, especially with my livescope. Interestingly enough, the guide was not running livescope.

 

I fixed my FFS mounting plate and made a depth change with the mount. But I still can’t get the starboard nav light to work.

 

I’m super tired so I’m going to nap and call it an early night. 

 

It was interesting how the guide broke down the lake. I’m going to use that info studying the maps tonight.

[LrgmouthShad]

@Koz 6lber is a great fish and sounds like you gleaned some good experience from that trip. Sorry to hear it was a disappointment though 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Koz my bad man I thought you said you caught a 6, not the guide. Was reading too fast

[Koz]

5 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@Koz my bad man I thought you said you caught a 6, not the guide. Was reading too fast

Mine was the 10 pound bowfin.

 

It put up a great fight, but it wasn’t the target species.

 

Tomorrow should be a good day, but there is a small cold front moving in. It’s also going to be windy (7-14 mph) through tournament day. Above 10 mph makes for a lot of work on a kayak and slows down travel a lot. There’s one area I want to fish on Thursday, but it’s a 40 minute run from the closest ramp. It will take longer if it’s against the wind.

 

Thankfully, this is not a pleasure boat lake with wakes adding to the waves.

[Choporoz]

On 11/11/2024 at 5:49 PM, Koz said:

Day 2 Pre-fishing

 

 I made a long run to a creek channel out of the wind. Tons of shad but no bass.

 They are not far.  When prefishing, a creek with bait and no bass may well be better than a creek with bass, but little bait. 

[TnRiver46]

10 lb bowfin? You’re lucky to be alive after wrestling that ! 

[Koz]

Day 4: Nautical 

 

My first thought was, “I’m in trouble. I’m in serious, serious trouble.”

 

I hit the water about 8 this morning and made a run to a few creek channel points that I was told were promising. I caught a 15 incher off the second point when I noticed some lily pads.

 

I can’t resist throwing a frog over lily pads so I took off in that direction. The wind was behind me blowing a steady 10-14 mph, so I couldn’t set up where I wanted and had to loop around the other side.

 

But first I hit the narrow, hydrilla filed creek channel behind it. I got one hit on a spinnerbait but it didn’t hit the hook. The wind was pushing me all over the place and I briefly got stuck on a low point. It was a pain trying to fight the wind, find deeper water, actually cast and fish, and having my depth warning alarm go off every 30 seconds.

 

I headed over to fish the pads again, set my spot lock, and wasted far too much time casting at nothing.

 

So I headed back to the ramp, loaded up, and went to fish an area the guide told me about yesterday.

 

I launched and the wind really started picking up. now blowing closer to 20 mph. I’ve fished in winds like that before, and I know to be careful.

 

There’s a ton of flooded timber where I was headed, but if you follow the buoys there’s a clear shot most of the way. But it’s a circuitous route that would take me over an hour to get there. The other option is to cut across a minefield of flooded timber

 

I followed the buoys most of the way, then cut across the timber to a submerged road bed. I push deeper into this wide creek channel and as the water gets shallower (3-8 ft) the wind picks up even more, now blowing 25 mph. The waves are even bigger in these shallows.

 

I decide to head back, which means heading south. The wind is blowing south east, but heading directly south would put me into a thicket of even more timber.

 

Now the waves are coming in stacked, so if I head west to the buoys the waves are hitting me broadside. My only choice is to head northwest, taking me further away from the ramp.

 

I’m looking towards the sun, so it’s even harder spotting timber. I could use FFS to try and spot timber, but I also risk shearing off the mounting plate again. So I pull my FFS transducer pole out of the water.

 

Another problem is I can’t run the motor too slow because the wind and current would push me all over the place, so I run between 4 and 5 (out of 10). 

 

Next thing I know I’m hung up on some timber, but with the aid of the motor and my paddle I get free. 

 

I make it a few hundred more feet and BANG! The motor crashes into timber, pops up, and spins the head around. 

 

Now the wind and waves are hitting me broadside and pushing me fast. I have to get out of my seat to get to the trolling motor to reset it, but it’s jammed. So I have my short paddle in my left hand trying to make sure I don’t slam into more timber while trying to free the motor with my right hand. I’m on my knees near the bow with water crashing over me.

 

I finally get the motor freed and seated, fire it up again, and kind of idle and look around. That’s when I realize I’m in trouble.

 

I didn’t panic, but I knew things were not looking good. There were no boats around and I’m still far from the buoys and even farther from shore. I have no choice but to keep going.

 

The next thing I know a wave lifts me up and sets the stern down on a stump. So now the back of my kayak is in the air and the bow is in the water getting thrashed. That makes the kayak tip far from side to side, then spin so I’m no longer taking waves on the side. A bigger wave comes, lifts the stern a bit, and I paddle hard and get free. What seemed like an eternity later I made it to the buoys and the safe boat passage lane. Thirty minutes later I’m at the ramp.

 

So, a poor decision on my part to fish shallow, timber laden waters on a windy day put me in jeopardy. Lesson learned. As I said, I’ve fished windy days like this before, but in narrower creek channels with deeper water and no imminent hazards.

 

Thankfully, the forecast is calling for much less wind the next three days. My kayak is in one piece with no real damage. I have a few nicks in my prop that I need to sand down.

 

I think I’ll fish mostly open water tomorrow and avoid the timber if I can. 

 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Kozholy cow! Glad you are safe. Didn’t know it was that bad

[FryDog62]

Glad all is in working order and you're safe. Wind sucks in any boat... especially kayaks. Be safe, hope you have better luck tomorrow! 

[Swamp Girl]

My heart was pounding as I read your account, Koz. I've been in big wind on big water in small boats, but I've never also had to contend with stumps. 

 

[Fishingmickey]

Glad you made it back safely, Koz!  Having fished lake Fork more then a few times and in very breezy conditions you painted a very accurate picture of how dangerous that lake can be in a kayak. I really hope that the next few days are less eventful on the drama side.

Looking forward to hearing more of your fishing reports (hopefully with a Lake Fork monster pic.)

 

Best,

Fishingmickey

[JHoss]

I came close to sinking my NuCanoe Pursuit in Back Bay a few years ago trying to cross the main bay in similar conditions. In hindsight, I wish I had taken the longer route and stuck close to shore the whole way so that I could've gotten out in waist deep water if needed. Not sure if that's an option on Fork, but something to consider next time you're in a similar weather situation. 

[casts_by_fly]

good thing you got the CO2 cartridge sorted!

 

The AP is a big stable boat, but when the wind hits 20 and the waves start cresting you're looking at some troubles.  I've fished in it (standing up too) but it isn't nice.  I've done the 'just don't fight the wind' journey that takes you 180 degrees from where you want to be, but exactly where you need to be (a safer spot!).

 

And just think, if you were in a jon boat taking waves over the bow and stuck like that you'd have probably swamped.  At least the AP with scuppers just drains it out.  

 

Glad you're safe.  Keep us posted.

[TnRiver46]

32 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

good thing you got the CO2 cartridge sorted!

 

The AP is a big stable boat, but when the wind hits 20 and the waves start cresting you're looking at some troubles.  I've fished in it (standing up too) but it isn't nice.  I've done the 'just don't fight the wind' journey that takes you 180 degrees from where you want to be, but exactly where you need to be (a safer spot!).

 

And just think, if you were in a jon boat taking waves over the bow and stuck like that you'd have probably swamped.  At least the AP with scuppers just drains it out.  

 

Glad you're safe.  Keep us posted.

Jon boats come equipped with a large Taco Bell cup for water removal 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Jon boats come equipped with a large Taco Bell cup for water removal 

I used to fish out a very old Jon boat my Grandpa owned. It had a persistent leak I couldn’t quite fix. I would stop fishing every hour to bail out water using the battery box cover 

[JHoss]

2 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

And just think, if you were in a jon boat taking waves over the bow and stuck like that you'd have probably swamped.  At least the AP with scuppers just drains it out.  

Pull the plug and hit the throttle!

 

 

This thread reminds me that I should probably replace the CO2 cartridge I accidentally deployed 18 months ago. 

[TnRiver46]

55 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I used to fish out a very old Jon boat my Grandpa owned. It had a persistent leak I couldn’t quite fix. I would stop fishing every hour to bail out water using the battery box cover 

😂. I used to keep my papaws boat tied to the dock and it would just constantly fill up with rain. I could empty the whole thing out in 10-15 minutes with a big drink cup. Even faster with a 5 gallon bucket 

[Susky River Rat]

Glad you are safe buddy. Submerged obstacles come at you quick. I play the game with rocks all the time. Sounds like you aren’t having the best trip so far. Hopefully you turn around and get some money!

[Koz]

7 hours ago, JHoss said:

I came close to sinking my NuCanoe Pursuit in Back Bay a few years ago trying to cross the main bay in similar conditions. In hindsight, I wish I had taken the longer route and stuck close to shore the whole way so that I could've gotten out in waist deep water if needed. Not sure if that's an option on Fork, but something to consider next time you're in a similar weather situation. 

Flooded timber is very heavy near the shore on that route and the safe passage markers are nearer the middle.

 

I thought about making a run for shore, but my navigation maps showed that was not viable.

[GreenPig]

Wow! Never knew I lived so close to a daredevil. 😁 Be safe Koz.

[Koz]

Day 5: Instagram Fishing

 

II decided to take it easy today and didn’t get on the water until almost noon. There were no ramps near where I wanted to fish and it took me an hour just to get to my first waypoint.

 

It was windy again today, but not as nearly as windy as yesterday. I was also fishing areas with very little flooded timber. 

 

My plan was to first fish wind blown points and then fish small pockets on the way back to the ramp. But with the late start, the long run, and my starboard navigation light out I didn’t have time to fish the pockets with the sun going down.

 

I called today “Instagram fishing” because I had a ton of followers all day long. Some were pretty big, but they all peeled off at the boat and never hit the bait.

 

I did catch four on the day, but again nothing over 16” long. In the tournament, we can launch 30 minutes before lines in, but this long run would cut into fishing time and the payoff was not good enough to risk it. My other spots are near ramps, so if a spot is not productive I can get back to the ramp, load up, and hit another ramp.

 

I heading back to that heavy timber spot tomorrow, but winds will only be 6-12.

 

Despite the adventures, I’m having a good time out here. I really needed the break from work. Other than a few texts and calls, my team is trying to let me relax.

 

Tomorrow the lake should be packed with kayaks. It will be interesting to see where everyone is fishing.

[Swamp Girl]

We're all cheering for you guys.