Thursday, July 11, 2013

Some random kayak photos.

Good Evenin' Folks,
  I was looking through the pictures on my iphone earlier today and came across this set from my first trips in the kayak.  These are all just kind of random.  The best part about the new kayak is that I can finally use my fly rods a bit more.  The stream and lake banks around this area tend to be so over grown that I end up just using my ultralight spinning rod.  I have a pair of waders, but they're sock foot and the boots are shot.  On top of that, even though it's been a pretty cool summer so far, neoprene chest waders are still too damn hot!  I'm hoping to put the kayak in the Chattahoochee soon, but that fast moving water makes me a bit nervous.  I've been looking into some kayak classes, so the river may have to wait until I get some swift water training.  I have really enjoyed the little bit of paddling I've been doing around some of the coves.  I've been watching lots of videos on YouTube to learn some of the techniques to get me going.  It's really way easier and way more stable than I ever expected it would be.  I don't think I'll be standing up on it any time soon, but I'm sure I'll have to try that at some point, too.   I'll do a good post on the kayak sometime soon and put up some pictures of it.  I picked up a few back issues of Kayak Angler while I was in The Outside World in Dawsonville over the weekend.  I'm amazed at the accessories and modifications available to kayaks to make them more conducive to fishing.  I feel like I'm doing pretty good with the built in rod holders and my old belt pack to hold my fly boxes.  I'm on a very, very limited budget, but I'll try to show the modifications I make as I make them.  An anchor trolley system will probably be my first big mod, along with a good milk-crate setup to stow my gear.  The hardest part is dealing with the fly rods.  The boat came with two built-in rod holders, but they are tubes that go into the deck to hold spinning or bait cast type rods.  Since fly rods don't have the long butt below the reel, the rod holders won't work.  I end up bungeeing the rods to the side of the boat, and I'm afraid that's just going to lead to a broken rod tip.  There is a kayak accessory company called Scotty that makes some really nice looking, and highly rated, fly rod holders, but at $30 a piece, it'll be a while before I get one.  But, I should save all that for another post.  This was supposed to be just a quick post to share some pictures!
  Hope you enjoy.  Tight lines and happy fishing!
               -Nick

The new kayak on the day I brought it home.  Still need to find a better way to haul it, it tends to rub on the roof!
One of the parks on Lake Lanier where I launched the kayak from.  This one has a sand beach, picnic areas and bathrooms.

An accidental photograph. I was trying to film a video for YouTube and pressed the wrong button!
First fish in the kayak!

Quite possibly the largest fish I've ever caught!

I found a rocky shoreline in the shade and these guys seemed to like my popper.

I love the mobility the kayak allows me.  I never could have fished the bank in this area.

Tried to take an artsy-fartsy picture.  The iphone isn't the greatest camera, but I still like the way this one came out.

Zooming with the iphone really ruins the resolution.  I wonder what the lake looks like from a hot air balloon's vantage point.

1 comment:

  1. Great idea! A kayak! Fishing. Glad to see you're taking time to enjoy what the area has to offer.

    ReplyDelete