NorCal Kayak Anglers
General => Introductions => Topic started by: Grizz on November 04, 2007, 02:52:48 PM
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I guess this is as a good time and place for my first post on this forum. A few years ago, I was fly fishing on a Sierra lake. I started off with a sinking line, stripping a Woolly Bugger. After several hours, the bite was off so I changed line to a floating line and started drifting an Adams Parachute. I peddled my Hobie to the windward side of the lake for a slow drift to the other end. There was a very slight breeze, with an air temp of about 80º. I settled back in my seat and watched the tops of the pines and fir slowly drift bye. Next thing I know, I rolled out of the kayak to the right and face planted in the lake. A very rude awakening! I had drifted off to sleep. Several tube floaters floated over to me, suppressing their laughter, and helped me right my kayak and get back aboard. They helped me retrieve my gear, most of which was leashed to the kayak. That is when I realized by $500 Orvis T3 rod and reel that was setting in my lap was at the bottom of the lake. About ten yards off, I spotted a three foot length of fluorescent green line lying on the surface. I peddled over to it, and started pulling on the line. After stripping off all the line and backing, up came my rod and reel. The only thing that I lost was my hat with fishing license attached, but, by then, it was time to get off the water. Now, EVERYTHING is leashed down. As a side note, I always wear my PFD ‘cause you never know. Now I know!
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:smt006 Hey Grizz,
Welcome and great report. I'm new to this group too, and new to kayak fishing. Great group, probably because these folks actually know each other and fish together. So I'm taking it slow and careful. I've learned so much just reading posts here, and I will carefully gain experience. I've lived on the North Coast most of my life and know that the water is not only unforgiving, but that it is really not even slightly concerned with us.
Oh yes, PFDs are ALWAYS worn. I also always carry a VHF radio / cell phone too, depending on which can get an emergency signal through the best depending on the location, and as you say, EVERYTHING has a leash, including my hat.
I'm glad you didn't loose your rod and reel let alone your health. I also always go with a partner, besides the safety aspect, it's just a lot more fun. Safety first and all that.
Now then. Which Hobie do you pedal/paddle? I have a little Hobie Sport because I'm a lightweight guy and my GF and other smaller friends can quickly adjust it to fit. It's certainly not a fast boat but I can load it so easily alone and be ready to go in fifteen minutes. I find it so easy to pedal that I'm thinking of getting the turbo fins.
Anyways, You'll very likely be receiving some welcomes from the long term members here soon. I just wanted to say howdy and thanks for the good report.
-Matt
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Thanks HobieSport,
I have been lurking for a long time. I registered in February, but it wasn’t until this month that I figured how to bypass my email security so I could receive NCKA’s confirmation email. I have the Mirage Outback. Me and the gear make up about 300 lbs so the Outback is the one for me. I was a canoeist for several years, and for the last 10, I have been kayaking with paddle sit on tops and sit ins, and fishing for the for the last three with my Hobie. Until recently, my kayaking has been on Sierra lakes fly fishing for trout but I sold my cabin and bought a new home in the East Bay, so now I am learning how to troll for trout and cast for bass. I am researching downriggers for the kayak so I can get down 40’+. A new learning curve and a lot of new rods, reels and gear to buy, which is real fun. Mz. Grizz has a very expensive hobby so I get no grief, plus it keeps me busy while she works (I’m retired)
I just got new truck bed extender that fits in the trailer hitch, so I can just throw the kayak in the back of the pickup (6’ bed with a 12’ kayak). I hope to get out to Del Valle this week. Plans for last week were foiled.
Again, thanks for the welcome.
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Welcome to the Maddness :smt006
Great story there :smt005,
It's such a different kool way to fish,
It's across the board and the nation that when you start to fish from a Kayak...
Ya just Become Kool :smt004
Nice to have ya on board, now read up on the tutorial to post pics :smt002........ Danglin
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Welcome Grizz! I know the feeling of lurking for awhile. In fact I have you beat, I did it for almost a year. Not that I am proud of it, just took me awhile to get the yak as well as gather the courage.
As Matt pointed out and I'm sure you already know, the site is made up of a great bunch of men and women. Extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Whereabouts did you fish in the Sierra's? I love the wilderness. Gonna have to hook sometime.
Oh, and go team Hobie. I peddle/paddle an Adventure.
Michael
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Welcome, Grizz. Glad you "came out of the closet"! I don't pedal, but I'm a pretty good paddler who also is retired and loves camping and trolling Sierra lakes for trout. Actually, if there is water, I will paddle/fish it! So I look forward to your hook ups. NCKA is comprised of the best bunch of people I know--and by far the most knowledgeable about kayak fishing. Hope you're ready for the madness!
Janice aka "Big J"
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welcome to the madness :smt006
Get some
Sherm
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Grizz,
I tried to warn you that you are welcome. I sort of guessed that you had a Hobie Outback, but I didn't want to upset the Hobie Evolution or Adventure folks, let alone the people who prefer to paddle.
Now that your adventure it over and nobody died; I'm going to laugh because you went asleep and fell face first into the water. Did it make a sort of "plopping" sound? :smt002
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Welcome aboard, Grizz. Great falling-asleep story - glad you didn't lose too much stuff.
See you around~ :smt006
Eric
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Thank ya’ll for your welcomes.
Dilbeck,
I had a couple of cabins in Arnold for about 20 years so I fished and kayaked Highway 4: White Pines, Spicer, Union, Utica, Alpine, Highland, Mosquito and Kenny.
HobieSport,
Don’t know what it sounded like on top of the water, but under water it had that kind of muffled ringing sound as water filled my ears.
This was actually my second time rolling a Hobie Outback. I had a Wilderness Systems Ride which is very stable, with a cat type hull. I was interested in the Outback for fishing but wanted to try one out before I plunked down that kind of money. Sierra Nevada Adventure Company in Arnold loaned me one of their rentals (great people, but then I was probably considered a good customer having purchased a Necky, two Rides, two Pungos, a Sport and kayak trailer from them).
I took the Outback to White Pines Lake outside of Arnold and tried to climb in, like I did with the Ride, by kinda sitting down inside with legs over the edge, swinging a leg in, then swinging the other leg in. Well, the butt and one leg part worked fine, but with the rounded bottom (the kayak, not mine) when I swung the other leg up, I went completely over, right in front of everyone at the ramp. Lost my glasses and dignity on that one. But these weren’t my first experiences of being dumped. I used to roll my canoe when river running on a regular basis, and that’s why I went to a more stable (yeah, sure) kayak and started kayaking just lakes. I guess stability is in the mind of the stabilizer.
Hopefully, with a little more experience and age, that is all behind me. Hope to see some of you out there. I’m the big guy that looks like a bear, in an orange outback with a bunch of poles sticking up behind the seat. I’m going to Del Valle Wednesday morning to do a little trolling and plugging.
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I guess stability is in the mind of the stabilizer.
Well said Grizz. :smt045 The other thing to keep in mind too is that stability can be learned and become second nature after much time on the water :smt002 (unless,of course,you fall asleep :smt003)
Welcome to the jungle :smt006
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Awesome first post!!! Thanks for the laugh. Welcome to THE forum.
I got a little comfy in my yak on Sunday in the ocean and caught myself almost dazing off with the slow fishing. Quickly caught myself :smt009
FF
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loved the story,welcome to the hood.