Well I found one of my fishes. I was out in my new kayak for the first time yesterday morning. I was testing my set up and bemoaning some of the choices of placement of my rod holder and paddle clips. I was casting and hoping to connect, but had no luck with one exception. That was this large bass, a Large Mouth Bass, a large, very large LMB by my standards anyway. I felt a light take and set the hook. At first I thought it was a snag. The hook did not move and in spite of all the pressure I put on it stayed stuck. Then the snag started to move a little and I realized it was not a snag, but something different. I started bringing in line and realized that this fish was bigger than most so I started putting all my line on the reel. All of a sudden something the size of cinder block splashed behind me. The 5x tppet was stressed to the max and after playing the fish or a while, avoiding one tangle with my anchor line and some back and forth I was able to bring this fish to the side of the boat. I made a major error and did not think of how I would land the fish. When he got along side the boat I held the leader to give me a chance to lip the fish and BAM he snapped the line like it was 8x and was gone. 5 minutes later my heart rate slowed enough to breath normally again and I paddled home. I estimate the fish to be well over 20 inches and consrvatively 4~5 lbs. That was the only bite of the day, but it was enough to make any other fish catching possibilities seem insignificant. If only I had taken a second and thought about how to land this beast with such a light tippet I would have been able to see her in all her beauty and gotten an acutal length.
Still, no complaints. Oh yeah, they kayak worked great. My back did not ache like it always did in my old kayak.
Jed,
I got 1 word to say to cure your problem.
NNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!
Rapala makes a cool folding landing net that ought to fight in your yak just fine. I bought one at Target for $20.00. The hoop part calapses which makes it easy to stow in the storage compartment.
Heck, I had a net in the bottom of my kayak. Having it and having it in hand are two different things. I should not have taken the stupid pills until I returned from fishing. It wasn’t that I wasn’t prepared it is that I wasn’t thining.
I hooked what I think was a very big largemouth also on a popping bug. Doubleovered my 8wt and broke my knot on my 8lb. tippet. In the lilly pads while I was in my yak. What a rush. He had to be well over 5 lbs. I wish I could have seen him.
I had a 12’ Wilderness Systems Pungo Classic with a basic seat. My old back did not like the seat much but the 'yak itself is great. It was a 49 lb. boat.
I replaced it with a 12’ Wilderness Systems Pungo Duralite. It is similar in shape to the old one, made with lighter, less rugged material and weights 40 lbs. The seat is the Phase3 adjustable back angle and height and adjustable seat angle as well.
I’ve taken it out once and it paddles nicely though seems to veer left a little bit, but that may just be my perception from the first trip. After a couple of hours in the boat my back felt great. An amazing difference from the old boat. It has a large cockpit which is great for storing gear and getting in and out and it has a large storage compartment in the back which helps when carrying a bunch of junk.
Tomorrow I have a date to go for a 3 hour paddle down the deerfield river with some friends. I’ll know then how well it works and I’m sure my paranoia about it beeing too flimsy will go away.
I mounted my rod holder and cam cleat on the front left and my paddle holder on the right. I may have to move the paddle holder as my arm hits it on occaision. I don’t think I ever owned a boat without some extra holes in it anyway. I guess its good for ventilation. :roll:
All in all I think the Pungo’s are a great water craft and do reccommend them highly. The 12’ model is a great boat for small waters to onshore ocean fishing.
Thanks for the info. Would you venture to say that the difference is in the seat? Or are there other factors involved as well that gave the relief in the back?
I have been known to have back pains from uncomfortable seating so this is a prime consideration in my shopping for watercraft.
Robin,
I spent 6 months trying to get an upgraded seat and it cound not be had. The dealer made me an offer on the new boat so I would be able to get the better seat. That was THE ONE FACTOR that drove the decision.
The seat is soooo nice that I am trying to see if I can get my office remodeled so I can sit in the Yak while I work.
If you are thinking of a new 'yak then I would certainly look at this. PS it is a SIK not a SOT. Up here I would not think of anything else, but down your way I can see merit to both types.
Good job, man! Don’t feel bad about losing that fish, because really you didn’t. If it took your fly and you are good enough that you brought it to within reaching distance, then you caught that fish.
Sure, it would have been great to lip it and lift it from the water to feel its weight. But wouldn’t you have released it immediately anyway?
You got to see its full size, which is something I’m often unable to do when Mr. Hog hits because the fish breaks me off before I catch a glimpse of its body. I’ve never come remotely close to bringing a LMB as big as yours as so close to hand as you brought that one.
Joe,
I said to my self I was feeling bad about loosing the fish. Then I realized a had a big smile on my face. I said I should go back and see if I could catch him or another one, but I did not bother. That was enough. I though I should be feeling bbad about it but the big grin told me that what I thought and what I felt were different. I felt great. I regretted the lack of technique on my part, but there is always some of that with every cast and every hookup, or there will be until I reach perfection LOL.
