Old Federal November 17 2016

   My buddy Jim, from the LAKE group, contacted me about fishing this week on the G3 so we set up to meet Thursday. We were going to put in at East Bank but the ramp was closed for hunting. SO I followed him to a place so he could park his car and we transferred his gear to my truck and we drove up to Big Creek and launched.
    The water level has been way down due to the drought we are having. I had to beach the boat since the dock was out of water.

    Once we headed out we saw top water action right away so we gave it a try right near the ramp. I managed to catch one fairly quick.

    Then we moved on to Old Federal to met up with a fellow LAKE member (Dave) to say hi and check out his new kayak.

Dave and his kayak with Jim checking it out.

 The topwater action was crazy!

    Even though they were very active they did not seem to want to hit anything we offered them. Finally Jim snags one!

Then we met up with Dave again to say our goodbyes and headed back to the ramp.

    Since we both got one it was an awesome day on the water. The weather and company were outstanding.

Bear Island NC October 2016

    Another great time paddling over to Bear Island for a few days of fishing. This year there were only 4 of us. Steve, Kevin, Dan and myself. We stayed a little longer than the previous years and took a lot less stuff.


    Pre trip, I made a bunch of Redfish leaders to make sure everyone was covered. Then I packed up my gear.

    The pack contained all of my clothes, toiletries, tent and air mattress. I packed my mess kit, Jet Boil and food packs into a separate water tight bag.

    Here is how I hauled my kayak and Steve's canoe. It was not pretty but it survived the journey!

    We still had to pile a bunch of stuff in Steve's canoe, but we did not have to pull another canoe along as a mule.

    Got the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 mntGLO all set up. It was a breeze to set up and was very comfortable for the entire stay.

     The LEDs embedded in the seams of the tent were very handy at night.

     I think everyone caught some fish this year but Kevin did the best. He caught several reds and some flounder.

    Steve enjoying the beach

    Flounder bed....

    I did not take any video this year and limited my picture taking. I think next year I may scale back my electronics even more. Less is best!

Big Creek Park 10.13.2016

    My friend Jim from the LAKE group invited me out to paddle around Lanier on Thursday so I loaded up the truck. We put in at Big Creek.

    I decided to take the big trailer to test it out for my upcoming Bear Island trip. This turned out to be a good idea as upon arrival to Jim's house he pointed out my trailer plug was just hanging from the trailer. It turns out it is too short for my new truck and probably pulled loose on the first turn out of my driveway. Luckily Jim had an extension I could use to get home!

    I also learned that I can not see the trailer behind the truck and I could not lower the tailgate without the chance of damage. So it was fun to say the least backing down the ramp. I really had to watch for the post at the top of the ramp.

 
    The nice thing is the trailer has waterproof lights and sits low so I can just back right into the water and float the kayak off.


    We arrived around 9am and it turned out to be a great day as far as weather. I had my jacket off pretty much as soon as we hit the water. I managed to catch two small Black Bass (Spots). I caught the first one off the little island (see map) and as soon as I landed it in the boat my phone rang. The fish managed to get off the hook and flop under my seat. It was a challenge to retrieve it while on the phone. I finally got it back in the water but missed a photo opportunity. The other fish was caught off of a point a little further down and was just too small to bother taking a picture of.

The red triangles show where fish were caught

    I trolled and jigged with a Captain Mack 2oz Flex-It Spoon and threw and trolled a Rapala Silver Shad Jointed Shad Rap . But the fish I caught preferred a bone Super Spook. I tried a fluke and wacky rig but I did not have enough weight to sink them down. I went light this trip and was lucky I even found a hook LOL.

    The wind picked up a bit so we decided to head in. We finished up the day with a late lunch of Rubens and fries at Big Creek Tavern. Thanks Jim!

LAKE 2016 Fall Camp & Paddle

    My kayak group had another Camp and Paddle on Lake Lanier this past weekend audit was  a great time for everyone. It was a bit windy Friday evening but the rest of the time was awesome.

 Here are some pictures from the event....

Breakfast

   If you live near Lake Lanier and want to join us, the Club forum is Lanier Area Kayak-Fishing Enthusiast (L.A.K.E)    >>>LINK<<<   (opens a new window) You can also search for us on Facebook.