Lafayette 12-03-07. Confessions of a Kayak Virgin.

Hello 

I have been lurking for a long time, always with the intention of getting kayaked. Earlier in the year I had a near-thing with Pacifico where a last minute change of plans prevented me from going out with him at Bean Hollow on July 21st (that would be Shark Attack at Bean Hollow day).

Childhood exposure to Jaws has given my a lifelong fear of sharks, and the events of July 21st only compounded that. But I suffer from what my Mrs calls "Fishing Brain", where all sensible considerations of life and limb are placed below fishing when it comes to decision-making and priority forming. So I eventually bought an old Drifter. Here it is.



Looks a bit beat up huh? The previous owner tried to clean it with car polish so it’s a bit, erm, odd looking. I think it has character. Old and suffering from the results of poor cosmetic enhancement. Maybe I'll call it Kenny Rogers.

I went for a test run at Lafayette. Here is where it gets embarrassing. I’ll level with you folks, I have never paddled a Sit-on-Top. To be honest, until I bought this, I have never even really seen a Sit-on-top with my own eyes. The guy I bought it from mentioned it was a bit of a “wet ride”, but I didn’t really pay too much attention. I thought he was being dramatic. I thought you guys were all wearing waders in the pics because, well, I guess I didn’t really think about it. Fishing Brain doesn't care about that.

So I load up my yak and get in. And leap straight back out again. There’s a lot of water coming in! Sensible Brain figures out very quickly that this is supposed to happen but Primal-i-don’t-want-to-drown Brain takes two more goes before it is happy to remain sitting in a boat that has holes in the bottom while it fills up with water.

I was wearing jeans and t-shirt (and a PFD). This, I realise as I am sitting in a few inches of water, was not very smart. I guess I could have stopped right there and gone and bought some waders. Or just fished from the bank. Or rented a row boat. Or I could have paddled around in wet clothes for 5 hours. Fishing Brain took the last option. This, also, was not very smart. Especially when you have a dinner engagement later that evening.

I trolled around for a bit, and then went to the south end and tied up to buoys to drop bait. Both tactics were unsuccessful. So I switched to just drifting in the until I found life on the FF, and then dropping night crawlers to the appropriate depth. Lo and behold, I caught my first kayak fish: this midget trout. I also missed a couple more.



The one I landed was gut-hooked so he came home for dinner (today). For yesterday’s dinner engagement I really should have stopped fishing early and gone home to change my clothes. Or I could have gone to buy a new set of clothes en route to dinner, thereby saving me an extra freezing hour to fish in my soaked outfit. You can guess what Fishing Brain chose to do.

The trout was baked and served with cannelini bean puree, a winter root vegetable medley and broccoli, all drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction. And, erm, some scallops to make up for the midget status of the trout. I had absolutely nothing to do with the preparation, but made up for that by contributing extra effort to the eating.



I learned a great deal yesterday. In addition to learning the basic mechanics of a SOK, I learned that as a novice Kayak Fisherman I have enemies, their names are Wind, Overly Long Leaders and, erm…Ignorance. I also learned I am going to make a new friend, his name is Neoprene.

Old and suffering from the results of poor cosmetic enhancement. Maybe I'll call it Kenny Rogers.

      

Welcome to the board Northern Boy.  Enjoyed the read, keep em coming.

Michael

Hello NB
I know the feeling of being a first time kayak fisher.  first time out on a kayak was with a group doing an outing with city kayak of SF....paddling under the bay bridge...exciting and scary...Fishing always in my mind when i'm in the water, I began to wonder if anyone has ever fished with a kayak ...in came the WEB.  did some searching and of course people fished with kayaks... ...more search and in come NCKA   I am Hooooked...I posted a wanted on craigs  for a used scupper tw and the next day I had my own...Welcome 
allan

Welcome to the rereational sport we all call "the madness!" It will get addicting and you will always want to be out on the water. Great bunch of "addicts" here who are knowledgeable, great fun, and great friends. They'll always steer you in the right direction .

I just got into this sport early this year and love it. Better than sitting on the bank wishing you could just cast a bit farther. I've got a Hobie so I don't have to paddle; only when I have to go in reverse or when I chose to do so. It is a lead sled, but I'm a clutz and I need all the room to stay dry. Even with that, I fell out, just ask Mooch, thus my handle.

I too was going to be out a the Bean on that day, but opted for Capitla instead. Good thing I did cuz I had my wife with me (also and addict) and that would not have been nce seeing the Landlord, especially when he has a bad attitude!

Very entertaining report and I like the "urban camo" on your drifter. For freshwater, inexpensive waders will keep you dry. lafayette can be tough fishing this time of year. Welcome to NCKA! 

Scott

Thanks for the excellent first report and the memories I grew up on that lake. Now your Fishing Brain has a new friend Kayak Brain.
Welcome to the Maddness

Welcome to the dark side, Northern Boy!

Welcome NorthernBoy! Glad to see you've picked up a kayak. We've got quite the compliment of PFIC folks that have moved to kayak fishing. I made my conversion back in June and have been learning the same lessons as you, slowly but surely. Hope to see you out on the water!

-Fishin-Jay
(Hiking-Jay from PFIC)

Welcome NorthernBoy! Glad to see you've picked up a kayak. We've got quite the compliment of PFIC folks that have moved to kayak fishing. I made my conversion back in June and have been learning the same lessons as you, slowly but surely. Hope to see you out on the water!

-Fishin-Jay
(Hiking-Jay from PFIC)

Yeah, it's all PFIC's fault: Rock Hopper for posting all his Yak fish pictures and making me jealous, The Empty Bucket for telling me about this place, Pacifico for offering me a ride, Sin Coast for giving me loads of great Yak shopping advice.

I thank you all, although my wife wants to give you a heavy beating.

NB, Great story!  I'll have you know, my very first time in my very first kayak, my OB, I was in jeans and a tee shirt, but no pfd!  It was summer time and my avatar is the maiden voyage picture.  Wasn't fishing that day.
  Keeping completely dry while attempting to get into my new yak was a 50 50 proprosition! I almost went over the oposite side while dropping into the seat for the first time! It was a little scary and haliarious!  I managed to to stay dry!
  welcome to the site.

Troy

Welcome to a whole new world NB!! You've picked the right forum. Never have I met such a great community of fisherman.

That was an awesome first report. 3 gold stars!! I always need a little comic relief in the mornings 

I'm glad you got into a fish on your first outing. Gotta get some blood on your kayak the first time out right? WTG!! As people are so fond of saying around here, "Welcome to the madness". Hope to fish with you some day.

Oh and BTW I love the look of your kayak. Looks like it's been through a battle or attacked by a swarm of angry beavers or something. 

FF

NB.

I too an a PFIC convert. Now instead of being landlocked on a long stretch of wood, I can sit just beyond them and look at the fishies with my depth finder.

About your wife, get another yak and take her with you. I take my wife with me and we have a blast. Only thing I have to teach her is touch your own bait and take your own fish off!!!! Other than that, she loves it.

A nicely written tale, and pics too! The yak looks good, I think things like that are more interesting when they have a few miles on 'em.
Excellent first effort, you caught a fish your first time out dude!
Get a hold of an NRS catalog or something similar though, as you need some clothes for paddling. The nice thing is there are so many options nowadays we can be warm & dry and still look good (no more soggy wool or helly hansens). Check out a mysterioso shirt.
Next season join us on the ocean for a new adventure. Seriously, there are not that many sharks out there.

WTTM ,

  Just Keep doing what your doing, as said on this forum, it's a learning process that comes quick.

 I've never caught so many, different and LARGE fish as I have since I started KayakFishing.

 And about that learning curve, It's the folks on this Forum that have made that possible ..... Danglin

Jumped IN...then jumped OUT of the Madness?  Sacked it up!! got a trout off the FF!...  and now WELCOME!
getting a trout from that place in a yak is a feat in itself!     but has been nothin but DEFEAT for me.

i have ALL but given up on trolling for those things there!  i see many on the FF, but none on the line!
I too started there, it was 2yrs ago and have caught more fish in the two, then a lifetime on the shore!

....there are big trout from mt.lassen planted in there(clipped-tail) lots of small ones and LMB that hide in the tullies!
willseeuouthere,somewhere!
    
not to jack your thread but wanted to show you one of the tullie toads that reside there, and EAT small trout.