Jackson Kayak MayFly Review (with video)

I can’t explain the excitement of hearing my new Jackson Kayak MayFly had been delivered.  It was like winning the lottery and the fish god’s blessing you with windless fishing days for life.  I had plans for the next day but those were suddenly replaced with a new one.  

The new agenda was to pick up my kayak the next morning and go fly fishing with a buddy in Hot Springs, AR.  Sleeping about an hour that night, I was awake and on the road before 5 am.  Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters (OOO) is a 3-hour drive from my home in Southeast Arkansas.  I arrived before the store opened and had to wait an agonizing 15 more minutes.  About 8 minutes later, Jake from the kayak shop arrived.  I loaded the kayak and departed with an Irish goodbye.  He understood!

The lake we fished was full of submerged vegetation that housed a healthy population of southern pike (pickerel) and bass.  With an 8wt and 6wt loaded, I paddled out in search of anything that would eat a fly.  The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to paddle.  It took little effort to get started and maintained speed very well.  It's not the fastest boat but certainly not slow.  My buddy was paddling a JK Kilroy and I was able to keep up with him without any effort.  It's not Cuda 12 fast but it only seemed a little slower.

The hull has a slight keel, which helps keep the kayak tracking true.  I found that it started to veer to the port or starboard after about 2-3 kayak lengths.  That gave me enough time to make a good presentation before having to correct.  

The stability is excellent.  Compared to my Cuda 12, which I would never turn around in, I can turn completely around in the MayFly.  It's 35"s wide (Cuda 12 is 31") and offers stand and forget fly fishing.  When the water warms, I'm going to test using my Orion cooler as a standing platform.  I'm almost confident enough in the stability to attempt it now.  Fishing was good but fly fishing from the MayFly was better.  

We each caught several pickerel and a couple bass that afternoon.  Ripping streamers through the grass has never been so much fun.  The MayFly was super easy to fly fish from with its stability and large clean casting area.  The most frustrating part of kayak fly fishing are the snags.  It was advertised to be a fly fishing friendly, snag free kayak and it lived up to the hype.  In 8-hours of fly fishing, I  didn't snag my fly line once.  That's the best thing since fermentation.  Enough with the written review.  Here's a short edit I made from the trip.  Watch it in action and decide for yourself.  (Open the link in YouTube and watch in HD for best results)

I’m not sure if it was fishing with a friend, the 3-hour drive home, or fly fishing from a kayak for 8-hours without a snag but I was disappointed to see the sun dropping.  The day had been a great one, leaving me excited about my future fly fishing trips in my Jackson Kayak MayFly!  

If you have any questions feel free to post them in the comments below and I'll answer them best I can.

Who said it was easy?

If you've been following my Facebook Page or the blog over the last few weeks you know I've gotten a bad case of gar fever.  Over the years, I've caught gar by accident or just happen to cross one and get lucky.  I say "lucky" because I never knew how hard it would be to actually seek them out and target only the largest gar.  I've found a new respect for these dinosaurs.

I had made two other trips to the refuge searching for that big bite.  The first trip I caught a few small ones but I couldn't get the big ones to chase.  The second trip, I had a few follows and moved a few larger ones.  The only really good hook up came loose after a moment.  In all the commotion, I missed the clouds forming and got caught in a storm.  Not a great experience!

Landed on my shoulder at the launch on the last day...I felt it was a sign!

On the third trip, I decided to bring a secret weapon, a rope fly.  I know it's somewhat controversial for the purist but let's be honest.  I'm in a kayak, it was another 6 mile round trip paddle in temps reaching the upper 90's, I was only taking shots at gar 4' or larger, and really...a "gar fly purist?"

Finally a big rise and a quick shot

When I arrived, the gar were in the same area popping on top.  The water clarity was 1-1.5 feet, so you only get a second to get a fly in front of your target.  Most of the action I saw was from small gar.  I knew I would only get a shot at a few really large gar over the next few hours.  I could see them working the area but it's like that kids game where you try to hit the prairie dog on the head before he dives back in his hole.  There's no way to predict where they'll come up next.  Just stay ready...

About to lift off

My patience finally paid off and I saw a big gar within my range.  A quick shot and it worked.  The gar had eaten the rope, no way it actually WORKED!  So here's where it gets interesting.  Big fish with teeth and limited working space make for a tense situation.  These guys like to lunge and jump, waving their sharps all around the side of the kayak.  I eventually got the toothy critter in the kayak.  I didn't have gloves or a way to open its mouth.  I had to cut the rope out, effectively ruining my only rope fly.  I was skeptical and only tied one.

The kayak is 12 ft.

Going back to my traditional flies for the rest of the trip.  Another 2 hours passed before I saw a huge gar circling some bait about 30 feet from me.  In the water it looked massive.  It ate and on its first run came right to the kayak and confirmed my suspicions, it was massive!  Then it dove down and just pulled me for 50 yards.  When it came back up it had a friend.

Sharp teeth will cut you

I played the game for 10 minutes and felt like I might be able to get it in the kayak.  The first attempt failed.  It was way too heavy and when it started thrashing I felt like the kayak was going to flip.  I went for it again and got burned!  No hero shot with this dude, he took the fly and a piece of me with him.

The Flash - The Fly Roadtrip part 3

Part 1 here: http://looknfishy.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-fly-roadtrip.html
Part 2 here: http://looknfishy.blogspot.com/2016/07/timing-fly-roadtrip-part-2-ozarks.html

Strip, strip, pause...yep that looks sexy.  The musky/pike fly my buddy handed me just before we left the Ozarks had some moves.  With the right twitch the streamer would dart from side to side.  The nose would swing back and nearly touch the toes.  That's enough practice, time to swim it for real.  Strip it back in real fast, BAM!  From the tanic colored water a dark flash of gold explodes right at the side of the kayak.  My heart almost stopped cold...

What had I gotten myself into?  A few hours before I was waking up to rain in the back of my truck.  I had driven 13 hours to the "Driftless" area in Northeast Iowa.  It was 2 am when I stopped at the Yellow River State Forest park and made a cot camp in the bed of my truck.  The rain started shortly after.

As long as there wasn't any lightening I was fishing.  Only problem was you can't see or get cell service in the ravines.  I could hear the faint rumble in the distance.  It seemed like a storm was moving in on me.  I kept fishing.  Then suddenly the distant rumble became a huge crackling and booming right on top of me.  The "Driftless" had hidden it from me until the last minute.  I'm out!  It wasn't my fastest mile but I feel like it was a respectable time.

      

How does a fish that big move in that fast without being seen?  That was the thought I had as the 30 inch pike vanished beside the kayak.  My next thought was, remember to breath or you'll pass out and be eaten by one of those toothy critters.

Hit the point.  Hit the island.  Hit the downed tree.  Strip, strip, pause, nothing.  Too fast, too slow, not enough movement?   Let it get some depth first.  I should have read more.  I have no idea what I'm doing.  Pick it up, put it down over a point with deep pocket on the back side.  Wait, 7 inches of feathers and fluff can barely be seen swimming across the top of the grass.  Yeah, that looks good.  Jerk the rod tip right, give it a 2 count and do it again.  Nose to toes, pause, the head pulsed.  A flash of gold interrupts the dance.  

I didn't sleep much the first night.  Partly due to the white flashes that lit up the night outside my tent.  Mostly because of the gold flashes that lit up my afternoon.  I guess it was 4 am when a 40 mph wind dropped the left side of my tent.  Thankfully it wasn't raining anymore.

My body was moving slower than usual the next morning.  My mind was on overdrive.  My cell phone tried, unsuccessfully, to distract me.  At some point it was locked by my carrier.  It would take a day to get fixed, but I kept fishing.  I worked it out when I was forced off the water by the numerous lines of storms that would pass throughout the day.  It was both, frustrating and exciting, all at once.

Even now I can't stop thinking about what I'd seen.  How pike suddenly appear from the shadows and attack with a vengeance.  It became hard to look away.  The flash is a rush.  It's addicting.  It's unlike any type of fishing I have done.  You don't see them but you know they're close.  Often appearing right beside the kayak as you pick up.  Then the flash that was unlike the others.  More copper with a hint of red.  It had been a musky and it was a short strike.  My time was over, time to start heading home.  I completely get why musky have such a masochistic following...one more cast, one more hour, one more anything for a chance at a musky!

I had rolled the dice on this part of the trip.  At some point during the chaos I became willing to deal with just about anything.  For 3 days, I dodged storms, paddled out only to return an hour later, threw the Recon 10 wt until my arms burned, got lost on and off the water and sheltered in my truck.  Nothing I owned was dry anymore.  In every sense of the word it, sucked!  Yet, it didn't suck...it was awesome!   I'd do it again tomorrow...or maybe next year if I'm lucky!

 

Stick around...it's about to get fun!

We're having some great weather around here.  I've been able to get out several times each week and catch a few fish.  

Headed to Florida next month with some guys from JK for my first big trip of the year.  I hope I can get something on video for y'all.  Probably won't but maybe a few of them will.  I'm excited about the chance at permit and bonefish.  Here are a few crab flies I'm sure will scare away anything on the flats. 

In 2 weeks, February 26-28th, I'll be at the Hot Springs, AR boat/RV/tackle show with Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters http://ouachitaoutdoors.com/.  If you like to talk about fishing, come on out.  I'll do my best to find someone with some knowledge on the topic.  Link:  http://www.hotsprings.org/events/event/1583/

Latest video.  Much shorter than the last:

Side Effects

I have a love/hate relationship with winter fishing.  I pretty much hate winter and love fishing.  However, this year I’m loving winter.  Mostly because winter thinks it’s spring.  Instead of freezing cold temperatures and sluggish bites, it’s been warm and the bite has been insane.  Some days the big bass are biting and on other days the numbers are out to play.  It’s been awesome but there are some side effects I wasn’t expecting.

Instead of sitting around in my kayak with popsicles for fingers I’m seriously wondering if I’ll have a sun burn at the end of the day.  That’s my kind of winter fishing.  Also frozen digits have been replaced with bass arm and bass hand.  I explain these conditions for those not familiar. 

Bass arm is the pain associated with the handling of large bass.  It’s an overuse injury resulting from the stress placed on the arm.  Bass arm can have some pain associated but is usually not life threatening.  It can happen to anyone but usually found in those that normally only catch small bass…this guy!   Other than these few symptoms, not much is known about bass arm because no one ever complains about the pain caused from handling large bass. 

Warm enough for these guys to come out

Bass hand, on the other hand, is much more common.  It’s the scaring that happens to the hand from lip gripping large quantities of bass.  Common signs of bass hand include, minor scraping near the thump, slight pain, bragging and showing off of the scared hand to anyone that will make eye contact with the angler.  It’s generally the result of a great day of catching and prized among the angling community.

The remainder of winter I hope to continue experiencing bass arm and bass hand on a regular basis.   I’m sure it’ll get back to normal and I’ll have to hate it again.  Until then, I’m fishing hard and dealing with the side effects of winter fishing

Gear Review - Orvis Clearwater 9'/6wt/4pc

Short story:

I'm very impressed with my new Orvis Clearwater 9'/6wt/4pc.  Its been a workhorse for me the last few months.  In some rather unsavory conditions.   

Long Story:

I purchased the Clearwater from the Ozark Angler in September 2015.  I'm not quick to buy new gear without testing it first.  Fortunately, I have a buddy who owns several Orvis fly rods.  Any time I have a question he's quick to offer up his collections.  I first borrowed the Clearwater Janurary 2015.  I kept it for a month using it as a streamer rod.  See post from Jan 2015: 

http://looknfishy.blogspot.com/2015/01/infected-with-fever.html.

I liked it so much I immediately asked my wife if I could buy one.  She quickly replied, "which trip are you not going to take this year?"  Say what!  I'm not sure she understood.  I wanted to buy a new fly rod, not trade a trip for one.  SO...my trips included, Southeast Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, including a few return trips to those areas.  If you would like to read more about those trip.  I posted some highlights on the Jackson Kayak page:
http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/2016/01/10/year-fly/.  

I wanted a light weight fly rod with the action to deliver small dry flies to grass carp and also small articulated to streamers on a sink tip.  It does both very well.  I can throw the Clearwater all day from my kayak without feeling like I just completed a Crossfit workout.  Throwing my 8wt all day is a workout.  Its got the backbone to fight trout, largemouth bass and some pretty large grass carp.

What I've been most impressed with is how its performed in the conditions I have used it.  For the most part when I'm targeting trout the water is clean and free of mud or silt.  Dropping it in a trout stream doesn't worry me.  Those conditions aren't found in my Southeast Arkansas cypress swamps.  Instead of telling you why I'm impressed with the Clearwater.  Let me show you with an example.

On one occasion I was fighting a 40" grass carp from my kayak.  I thought it was ready to be landed.  I got in the water and sank to my calves in the mud.  Guess what happened when I was ready to CPR the carp?  It was NOT ready and ran between my legs...still hooked!  I did my best Russell Wilson side-step and spin trying to avoid JJ Watt.  I'll be 39 in two weeks so I move like Peyton Manning hobbled by a torn planter fascia. 

I went to avoid the collision but couldn't move because I'm not athletic.  I lost my balance and started to fall backwards as the carp was splitting the double team.  I couldn't get my feet unstuck and drug the tip of the rod through the mud...seriously all 9ft passed between my legs and through the mud.  I fell backwards landing hard on my a$$ and drove the reel deep into the mud.  

My local water

I was certain I would be testing out the Orvis warranty and the customer service I've heard so many great things about.  However, after closer examination everything looked good.  That's tough and something I need in a fly rod.  I have limited space in my kayak and I'm hard on gear (see above).  There's a real possibility I'm going to bang it off a overhanging tree branch, sink it in mud, or skewer a cypress tree.  I need gear that can stand up to that kind of abuse.  The Orvis Clearwater has met all my expectations and more.  I have zero complaints.

See it in action here:

Check out my other fly fishing videos on my YouTube channel:  Looknfishy on YouTube

Other gear reviews:
Orvis Encounter 9'/8wt/4pc
Orvis Recon and Hydros SL review

Orvis Silver Sonic wader review

What a week

It was a crazy fun week.  The girls were out of school for the week of Thanksgiving so I wasn't able to fish much.  Instead, I took them to the "Refuge" a few times in the canoe.

I started the trip explaining to them if they saw something that can fly, swim, run, or magically disappear and they wanted to see it for more than 1 second.  The best strategy was to whisper and point it out slowly.  I further mentioned that the creatures in the "Refuge" are terribly afraid of children...aren't we all!

Play time in the swamp. I checked the area before I let them out of the canoe.

 As we're paddling?  Not really, what we were doing was slapping the water and banging the sides of the canoe with our paddles.   But were covering water and sure enough, I see a beaver sitting on top of its floating fortress.  Surprised to see anything, I didn't react quickly enough.  Just as I was about to whisper and point it out.  The silence was broken by the excited voices of my 2 little girls, "dad, it's a beaver."  The beaver, startled and confused, freaked at the sight of a 17' canoe that was bearing down on it and went away real fast.

Astonishingly, we didn't have any more close encounters as we explored the backwaters.  From a distance we saw lots water fowl, turtles, and whatever else brave enough to not run for cover as the kids screamed in delight at every natural wonder that spotted.  It really was fun.

In the middle of the week I got the invite to fish the Little Red and travel to Grand Isle, LA.  The Grand Isle trip got dismissed really quickly as my wife said something like, if you don't understand why you can't be in Grand Isle on Thanksgiving day, then we don't have anything to talk about.  I lost my decoder ring (wedding ring) like 3 years ago, so I wasn't exactly sure what she meant.  What I heard was..."I'll cut you if you're not home on Thanksgiving."

I thought about it for a few days (seriously-I'm not that bright) and eventually decided fishing the LRR during a flash flood warning was a safer alternative.  In spite of the constant rain and cool temperatures it was a stellar day...perfect streamer weather!  Not many pictures taken b/c I was busy throwing streamers to hungry trees and a few browns.  Of course my cousin sends me this picture on Friday with the caption, "Sunny and 80."

It wasn't sunny and 80 in Heber Springs but I wouldn't have traded the day.  I was with good friends and the fishing didn't suck.  I even enjoyed the weather but that's just me.  

I ended my last post mentioning some good news I wanted to share.  I'm excited to announce I teamed up with FROSCH Outdoor Travel (FOT) to develop a network of kayak related travel destinations.  Being on the water (canoes, boats, kayaks, the Navy, etc) has been a passion since I was a boy and I'm thrilled to be part of the FROSCH team.

FOT, “FROSCH sees kayak fishing and competitive tournaments in the kayak area growing rapidly, and we wanted to address the interest of our travelers and fan base. Drew was the perfect choice to help us design a program that would tick all of the boxes in the kayak world. We couldn’t do it without Ross organizing and assisting with logistics. He has been instrumental in picking the right waters, destinations and seasons for our 2016 launch calendar”.  

Orvis SS Wader review

As I promised a month ago, it's time to provide a quick review of the silver sonic waders I purchased from Ozark Angler in Little Rock, AR.  When I was deciding, I immediately appreciated the welded seam technology.  I compare it to my 25 yr old riveted aluminum boat...no matter what I do it's always going to leak.  If I were purchasing a new aluminum boat I would only look at welded models.  So that thinking led me to just a few options.  Nothing against the others but I chose the Orvis brand b/c they were slightly less expensive and were in stock at my favorite fly shop (trying to support local small business).

The review:  Keep in mind I've only used these on 4 outings but I'm very satisfied with them. Besides the welded seams, I wanted something I could wear while paddling my kayak.  So the quick release convertible-top feature was what really sold me on the purchase.  Being able to drop the top when paddling, but easily raise when I want to wade was key!!

Top up

Great fit - stocking foot is only about 1 size bigger than my foot.  With thick socks, liner and size 13 boots they fit perfect.  I can stand in my kayak and fish all day w/o any discomfort.  Actually, they are more comfortable than standing barefoot or wearing my Brooks running shoes (I wear the same shoes I run marathon's in when sight fishing reds in LA marsh for comfort).

Seat in Low position...needed to move pegs back to paddle effectively.  Or just hang'em over the side!!

Something unique to kayaking is the seated position and how your legs extend straight out.  So depending on the seated position High/Low, I must adjust the pegs closer to me.  No big deal.  Sitting in a kayak and wearing these waders is easy to do and very comfortable.  Never feel like my movement is restricted...even when using the stand assist strap to pull myself up to a standing position or lowering back to a seated position (that's a tricky endeavor).

In my experience exiting a yak is easier than exiting a drift boat

My favorite performance feature is the convertible top.  I drop it when paddling to keep from getting too hot or sweating.  And when I'm ready to wade it's easy to raise back to chest high.  I love this feature.  Only bad part is I can't re-attach the back snap it's placed between the shoulder blades and unless you have 3 arms or double jointed it's not going to happen w/o taking the straps off the shoulder and re-attaching.  As it is, I don't disconnect the back.  I disconnect the front 2 and lower.  No biggie!

Drop Top action - if wearing in NOLA be sure to yell throw me some beads Mr.!!

Durability - The fun times!!!  I have never fallen out of my kayak in almost 5 years of standing and kayak fishing (native ultimate 145 and cuda 12) not to mention 25 yrs in canoes/bass/ski boats and 6 yrs in the Navy.  However, my only exit from a drift boat...I went down hard.  Yep, few trips ago, we were beaching the boat for some wading and I did the...nah, I don't need a hand getting out, jump from the boat in 2 foot of water.  Both feet decided to mutiny and left me falling on my a$$.  Luckily, years of experience conditioned me to hold my fly rod up and I feel against the side of the boat...my back and back side softened the landing.  Only my ego needed further attention. The waders, didn't help me stay up, but they didn't show any signs of failure either...no pinch or wear mark from sliding down the side of a drift boat.  A fish brought to hand and my fragile ego was all good also.  Big thumbs up!!

Wet exit from the craft

Conclusion:
These are great for active anglers.  Not to mention, the unmentionable, but when you got to go...it's a snap!!

Other gear reviews:
Orvis Encounter 9'/8wt/4pc
Orvis Clearwater 9'/6wt/4pc
Orvis Recon and Hydros SL review