South Arkansas bass fishing.

Kayak fly fishing isn't the same as fly fishing.  Loading, unloading, and paddling a 80lb kayak every day for most of the month can be exhausting  When that happens I go back to my old ways.  Here's a video of some fun bass fishing from last week.  Not complaining, I love kayak fly fishing...I just love fishing more.  Hope you enjoy...

It's April...time to fish fools!

Does anyone else hear B.A Baracus saying, "I pity the fool who isn't fishing".  Maybe I'm hearing voices or maybe I've got fish brain.  Whatever, it was April 1st...time to fish.  There's no disputing I'm a "fish fool" so guess what I did?

Only real decision was if I should see a Psychologist before or after I go fishing.   Not really, I know I'm not right.  I left the fly rod last trip but never saw any bedding activity so the thought entered my crowded mind...make room voices!  It's pre-spawn and the bass I caught were mostly chasing.  Good situation if you like throwing streamers.  That idea was quickly isolated and quarantined.  As a kayak angler, I always check the weather forecast before getting on the water....for obvious reasons...if it's not obvious...you probably need to take up golf or scrabble or something equally lame.  No storms today but the wind was predicted to be SSE @ 15 mph.

Casting can be done in 15 mph winds if you're walking a stream/river or if you're in a boat with trolling motor or oars.  But I don't have a trolling motor and w/o my extra arms to work the paddles...loaned those to Yhsifnkool (means fishnfool in German) standing and casting a fly from a kayak in high winds is reserved for people who like to visit Emergency Rooms or like taking long leisurely swims beside their kayak.  Not this guy!

Picked another location on the opposite side of the lake to launch.  That side offered some protection from the wind but meant a longer paddle from the launch.   Covered around 5 miles today (round trip) and caught a mixed bag of fish.

Thumped a soft plastic bass bait

Highlight of the trip.  Guy in a 40K bass boat drives up on me and starts fishing 30 yards ahead of me.  I paddle ahead of him.  Eventually, we're fishing the same water.  I'm on the inside of the cypress trees and he's fishing the outside of the trees.  Fish gods reward me....the guy in the kayak hooks into a fish while the guy in the fancy boat, with the fancy electronics, throwing fancy baits from fancy rod/reels...ok, we probably have the same baits...catches nothing.  A few minutes later he cranks up and leaves.  Have a good day, hope your motor blows up, and you're late to work!  If you get fired and have to sell that fancy gear, even better!  Dude I'm in a kayak and somewhat restricted on the water I can fish.  Yes...I suffer from boat rage sometimes.  Just something a kayak angler has to deal with but I'm getting better.  Well, I tell myself I'm getting better.

2 stayed but 3 dropped in the water as I got closer - I wanted to grab a few and toss in the 40K bass boat

It was another great day on the water, some fish, lots of sun, and I avoided court fees.  Planning an adventure down to SELA...I have redfish fever in a bad way.

Kayaking the Natural State - additional sources of information.

Jeff Malott at, Yak Fish Arkansas, contacted me over the weekend and asked if I minded providing some kayak launch locations in SE Arkansas. Jeff is building a comprehensive list of kayak launches for Arkansas to be included in a new website, http://arkansaskayakfisherman.com.  Be sure to check out both for some great information about yak fishing in the Natural State.

Here's a map of some launches I have posted on my blog.  It'll get lost in traffic over time, so it's paged at the top.  It's a work in progress so check back for new locations.  If you're traveling this way and want additional info just pm me and I'll help anyway I can.

PM - looknfishy@gmail.com

Fast and furious - shad it's whats for dinner!!

Planned a last minute trip after realizing I wasn't going to be able to fish this weekend, bummer.  So I did my normal stay-at-home dad routine...get the kids feed, dressed, and to school on time.  Being extra careful to not suffer from a fish brain moment.  Making sure they were wearing actual jackets and not life jacket's, I dropped them off and made my way to the refuge.  It's 8:30 am and I'm ready to start paddling out.  But before I get gone, I decided to try my gear, since it had been a few weeks since my last bass trek.  Standing at the ramp I made my first cast of the morning and wouldn't you know it....fish on, 8:24 am!!

Still at the ramp - gonna be a good day!!

I'm not superstitious, not worried about the first cast/fish stuff.  Actually it was the exact opposite, on the drive I had decided to try a shad type bait (crankbait, swimbait, or spinnerbait) and this bass made the decision easy - swimbait.  

Tree lined flat was looknfishy.  Not today.  Should have taken a selfie to show where the fish were hang'n.

Around 9 am, I was trying to decide if I should fish the tree line along the edge of some flooded flats or hit the timber towards the middle.  I made a cast towards the shallow flat with no success.  When I looked behind me I saw a gleaming spiderweb, and remembered a tip I read or heard somewhere, about breaking webs.  The idea is that no one has fished that spot or the web would be broken.  So I made a cast behind me, slightly awkward in a kayak, but I managed to stay in the kayak and hooked into my 2nd fish.  Broken web = 2nd fish of the day.

Decided to stay put and work the timber harder with the swimbait.  2 minutes later and fish number 3 was smiling for my camera phone!!  He absolutely killed the swimbait, if it wasn't for my kung fu grip I may have lost a rod/reel today.  But luck was on my side today and the bite continued and even got hotter.

Not the biggest but this little guy was a good example of how the bass were responding to swimbaits.  Choked it!!

Same fish just showing the choke hold

Kept hitting the timber with success.  The strategy was to keep moving and cover water while the fish were feeding. I knew it wasn't going to last all morning.   The biggest bass of the day, a solid 4lbr was caught at 9:21 am.

But his buddy wasn't far behind at 9:33 am.

3lb, choked again

It went like this from 10 - 11 am...but the average size went way down.  A few pics to represent how the bite ended.

Had lunch at 11:30 and started my paddle back.  Off the water at 1:30 pm.

Today's fish hang out!!

From 8:30-11 am, I caught 10-12 bass.  I packed 3 rod/reels but never reached for anything else.  It's that time of year when the bass are on the feed.  Any time is my favorite time to fish....but fall fish'n is my favorite'est!!!

Few hours to kill

Someday's you just got to get out.  Today was that day for me.  Lucky for me I keep my yak locked on the rack at all times...for all those last minute trips.  Didn't plan on being gone for very long so I took the 8wt and a few streamers.  But was surprised to catch a couple bass...only 1 was worth a picture...sort of.

I did notice that all kinds of creatures are on the move...some friendly some not so much.

He looks friendly ?

Not so much - unhappy cottonmouth!

There were 2 of them sitting on the log in the water.  He was just hang'n out.

One more reptile before I headed home.

Wild things are moving about...watch your step if you are on the move too!!  Another adventure is in the works, stay tuned!!

UPS be damned...I fish on!!

Let me start this off we a recap of the last 2 days.  After a slow trip on Wednesday, I made a plan to fish today.  Partly to fish just ahead of the cold front that is pushing south and partly to break in my new 5wt that I ordered from Cabela's...being delivered on Thursday.  Like most good plans, Thursday arrived and the plan deflated quickly when I arrived at my house and found the package that my new TFO was residing in completely destroyed...might as well have been a casket.   New TFO 4 piece, now a 5 piece and going on 6 piece's...nice try UPS, but I'm still going fishing.  My truth...it probably won't hurt my casting skillz!!

UPS delivered this..box rip completely in half and taped back together, C'mon man!

Big surpirse, the contents are damaged.

So after UPS tried to sabotage my fishing trip I had to make a new plan.  No problem, I have a brand new package of "Game Changers" still waiting from the last trip.  Got out to the refuge around 8:15 am and discovered the wind wasn't too bad.  Would have been a great day for a fly rod.  I decided to go north into the wind so that it would be at my back when I was leaving.

Making my way through the pads.

The bite was VERY slow and not what I was expecting.  It was the eve of the cold front, temp 68F, overcast and almost dark, perfect conditions...I thought anyway.  I caught 1 small bass around 11am.

Had a few more bumps but no hook ups.  It went like this until about 12:30pm....and then it went crazy.  I found a long wind swept tree line that was sitting in about 2 fow and fell into 5 fow and the bass were stacked up along the edge of the trees.  After 10, I stopped counting or taking pictures but I'm sure I caught over 20.  Just not enough time for pics today.  They weren't the biggest and almost looked identical...just a school of 13-15 inch bass.  Lost 2 that were probably 2.5 lbs...but no real giants today.  Just real fun catching.

This dude hasn't missed a meal..look at the belly.

Had to be home by 3 pm and I had a 2 mile paddle back...so I reluctantly put the tree line behind me and started paddling back to the launch.  It's tough to leave just when you think the pre-front bite is turning on.  But I know how fortunate I am to fish as often as I do...so at the school I must be by 3!!!  Hope this is the start to a fall feed up!!  Next adventure being planned...going to be fun!!


If interested here's the track from today's trip.  Forgot to turn it off..so the last mile is not on water, lol.
Sept 12 track

Hot weather, slow Bass bite - salvaging the day!

Got back out on the water again today.  When I checked the forecast last night, it said it would be hot, no surprise.  But when I checked it again this morning before leaving, the predicted winds had gone from 8-10 mph to a breezy 10-15 mph...SURPRISE!!  I had packed the 8wt but b/c of the winds never attempted a presentation (sustained at 10 gusting to 15).  Fishing from a kayak in windy conditions can be a challenge...but not impossible.  So plan "B" it is...umm...did someone, ME, tell plan "B" it was game on.  Nope..."Fish Brain" strikes again.  For those that aren't familiar w/ "Fish Brain"...imagine forgetting a VERY important item on fishing day b/c you're all-consumed with the thought of fishing.  Example, you could forget your paddle, or sun glasses, or today...it was my trusted artificial bait of choice.  I had a new package of "game changers" sitting in my truck, however, I was fishing from my prized Jackson Cuda...not helpful from the truck.  So I went with what I had...all chewed up, put away wet, and funky lookn left overs from previous trips.  I don't throw away my used soft plastics...I set them aside and store them.  Why? I know I suffer from "Fish Brain"...so I prepare to be unprepared..."1 is none, 2 is one!"

Not sure if it helps or hurts the flavor to store, Gulp, Zoom, Powerbait, Yum, and any other used plastics together but here is how it went today:

First fish hit an olive colored plastic.  Estimated time in flavor concoction, 2 weeks.  Drawback of old baits, they don't last long.  1 fish = 1 soft plastic retired permanently.  Next up, same colored soft plastic (time in juice, ~5 months).  Got a couple good hits but no connections.  It wasn't fishable after it was ripped in half.

Replaced with black/blue soft plastic (time in juice, ~1 week).  Fish seemed to like it and after a few casts, fish on and in my hand.  Not a huge fish but I'm no fish snob...I like'em all.

Decided to explore some new water so I paddled deeper into the refuge before I started fishing again.  I like the new area and the fish were there...managed 2 more on green/red flake soft plastic (time in juice, ~3 weeks).  Had to change b/c, I lost my last 2 black/blue plastics along with 2 tungsten weights after getting hung on the bottom...TWICE!!  That seems to happen more with recycled baits...big down side of my recycling program (tungsten isn't cheap).

It wasn't the most ferocious action and I didn't catch any monsters, but having a successful outing using only old chewed up, seen their better days, soft plastics was an exciting challenge.  One I hope to never repeat...but know I will.
  

Labor Day weekend - fishing around part 2 of 2

Alright, if you hung around after reading part 1 of this story then you deserve to hear how good the fishing was on Monday.  Woke up early, earlier than expected, about 1 am on Monday and started the drive south.  At this point I have had about 10 hours of sleep all weekend and I was scheduled to meet my brother at 4 am.  I wish I could rest the night before a fishing trip but it never happens.  I guess my non-fishing days are meant for resting.  He was waiting right where we agreed, along with his shiny new ascend kayak that still needed a good fish slimming.   So were off and headed to my neck of the woods...lily pads and timber.  No more of that crystal clear water that I had fished on Saturday.

So we arrived to find the ramp vacant again.  It's about 3 ft low so boat navigation isn't easy but no issues for a yak.  At times it can be like bumper cars, bouncing off all the unseen tree tops.  Or having them impale my scupper holes...that's a real joy!!! But its quickly becoming my favorite place to fish.

1st fish a nice 6lbr - time for a cold one, days a success.

As far as the fishing, it's still producing a good amount of bass and a few have some size.  This was my first bite and first fish of the morning.  When you get a 6lb bass that early in the morning, it takes the pressure off the rest of the day.  Fishing for fun from that point on.

2nd fish ~2.5lb way up in the pads

But the bass were active all day so I didn't have to convince myself I was having a great day.  We had to deal with some wind but it didn't slow the catching down.  We both ended up with 5.  I lost 3 in the pads b/c I couldn't get to them soon enough.  Missed a few more on lazy line management...too much slack.  But no complaints, the fishing was awesome.  Only wish I had my 5wt to try and catch a few of the giant bluegills that kept tearing my plastics all to pieces.  Thanks for the nice assortment of plastics with only 1 or 0 pinchers.   I'm com'n back for you gills...be warned.  Just got to pick out a new 5wt...with a lifetime warranty.

More adventures in the works.  Got to get back to SELA and stalk some reds, it's been almost a month since I saw a red that wasn't in my freezer.  It's getting close to Fall fishing...lookn forward to it!!!