Some days you're the dog. And some you're the fire hydrant

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awesome guy
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Some days you're the dog. And some you're the fire hydrant

Post by awesome guy »

I was both this labor day weekend! I went out Saturday to the bay and absolutely killed the redfish. My buddy and I got like over 20, all 22-26 inches. Hammered them, an epic day. And that's a very fun class to catch. They're big enough to pull your kayak around in circles and take 5-15 minutes to land on the "lite" action rods we're using. I air quote "lite" because they could also be a very heavy bass rod or even a lite musky rod. But in saltwater fishing, this is what we consider lite tackle even though it's heavier than most freshwater stuff. Anyway, everything was hunky-doorie in AG town. I was the dog and I left a lot of fish with a free cheek piercing.

Went again today and my friend Squato was there. Nothing. The wind did shift and was blowing right in our faces. And it blew hard, gusts of 20+. That kind of wind is incredibly hard to paddle against in a kayak, especially with an outgoing tide working against you too. The fish just weren't there. The waves and chop were substantial for a kayak, in the 1-2+ foot range. Not much of an issue for a motor boat, but that was big enough to be coming over my bow. I typically plug my scrubber holes, but the kayak was filling up with water, so I had to release them from time to time. It filled to the top when I stopped in the surf zone. But I don't think that's why the fishing was so poor, the fish had just moved to another spot and we didn't locate them. Or they still had a headache from the last encounter. So I salvaged the trip a bit by practicing some moves I don't see too often in the kayak. Chiefly taking big water like that parallel to the boat. I typically turn the kayak into big waves or a boat wake because the yak is 13.5 feet long and so can handle it. I also have a high seat, making it great for fishing, but much less stable. So I also spent time taking the chop and waves sideways. Even took a bunch of boat wakes with the waves sideways. Anyway, I was the fire hydrant today. Totally dumped on with the wind, waves, and no fish to show for it.

I'm ready for a vacation from my vacation. It was pretty windy on Saturday too, but the wind and current were working opposite each other. So if I had a strong head wind, the current was either working with me or perpendicular to me, not slowing me down much. Today the wind and current were coming exactly the same direction, so I had the high winds and the current to fight. I probably paddled 10+ miles each day and most in harsh conditions. My hands were cramping. I typically have a light grip on the paddle, but the current and winds were so hard that I had to power stroke for every inch of water to make gains. Just for example, today I was setting up two different trolling rods. I takes about 1 minute to do this. By the time I had the 2nd rod out, the waves and wind had already pushed my back 20 feet. The line from the first rod was thrown directly to my side and was out in front by the time I paddled. I also put on a spinner bait, which just added to my challenge. It was brutal, but it paid off on Saturday, not so today.
Unvaccinated,. mask free, and still alive.
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