By Wade Nichols Here in the Northern regions spring is beginning to show itself with warming days and slightly climbing water temps. The urge to get the ol’ battle yak cleaned up, double check those reels, and make sure everything’s in just the right place inside your crate, is strong… and the growing NEED to get out on the water and start catching fish is just about unbearable! But before you do, I would like to remind you of 10 simple things that you can do to greatly impact your safety. 1. Always dress for the water temperature not the air temperature. Although water that is 50 degrees...
Five Ice Out Lures and Techniques that Catch Big Bass Drew Haerer As winter finally fades, many kayak anglers throughout New England and other regions are getting to see open water for the first time in months. The period between ice out and the spawn is short in many of these areas, so the fish do not take long to get active and start feeding. Largemouth bass generally use channels, troughs, and ditches to move toward shallow areas that warm quickly. Smallmouths tend to school up around deep to intermediate structure before the pre-spawn kicks into full gear. These fish can be targeted with...
Spearfishing from a Kayak By: Kris Cortez If you're a spearo, then you know that sometimes the best reefs are pretty far out and are usually past shore dive range. With a kayak, you are able to get to these “secret” spots faster and safer. I grew up in Hawaii on the island of Kauai and I started spearfishing when I was 6 years old. As I got better I wanted to venture further out and my dad bought me my first kayak when I was 11 years old. To get to some of the good reefs and drop offs on Kauai , you definitely need a kayak or a boat. I now live in California and about 90% of the spearfishing...
Kayak Fishing the Central California Coast- By Andy O’Brien California’s Central Coast is a place I have been fortunate to call home for the last 20 years and been able to Kayak fish for 13 of those. The Central Coast is a beautiful stretch of largely undeveloped coastline between Big Sur to the north and Point Conception to the south. This special area of California provides opportunities to hit the salt year round. Kayak anglers can target a wide array of species in a single trip during all four seasons. Rockfish, Lingcod, Cabezon, Halibut, White Seabass, Salmon, Saltwater Perch, Leopard...
Contact: Jim Emmons Water Sports Foundation, Inc. Division of WSIA Phone: 407-719-8062 1713 Cottonwood Creek Lake Mary, FL 32746 www.wsia.net WATER SPORTS FOUNDATION, INC. PRESS RELEASE Water Sports Foundation Creates New Paddle Responsibly Logo for the U.S. Coast Guard. Orlando, FL February 28, 2017: The non-profit Water Sports Foundation (WSF) announced today the release of a specialized paddle sports safety logo designed for, and approved by, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Boating Safety. The Coast Guard has promoted its popular Boat Responsibly logo for many years, but with an extra...
Radar 135: First Trip, Early Riggings & Favorite Features Rigging a kayak is seldom carried out in one shot. In the case of my most recent project, the Radar 135, I had it on the water with only the installation of a retractable anchor system (video below), two flush mount rod holders, and of course decals. I'm not sure why, but application of decals is a critical step in feeling ownership of the vessel. Although the boat hasn't yet received a depth finder, AirPro 3D seat, YakAttack camera mounts or the Helix Pedal Drive that the tri powered kayak was designed around, it's maiden voyage...
What Makes a Great Fly Fishing Kayak? By Juan Veruete I grew up fly fishing for a variety of species from native brook trout to smallmouth bass in central Pennsylvania. After leaving my fly fishing roots behind me for over 20 years in favor of “conventional” tackle, I picked up the long rod again about two years ago. Since then, I’ve had a lot of fun chasing smallmouth bass and panfish. There’s something special about making that perfectly eloquent cast to that perfect fish holding spot. Of course, there are plenty of “not so eloquent” casts along the road to perfection. I’m sure any fly...
Hi, my name is Adam Sauve and today I would like to talk about how I fish halibut from my Radar 135. I fish Northern California from San Francisco Bay to Tomales Bay and the surrounding parts of the Pacific Ocean. My favorite method for targeting...
Just offshore the coast of California living in the forests of kelp and cracks of the rocky outcroppings are around 70 different species of rockfish. If looking to get out fishing on the big blue for a day in the kayak and go home with some fine...
The Ways of the Weakfish By Frank Ruczynski It’s spring in the northeast and with it comes some of the best fishing opportunities of the year. While hefty striped bass and slammer bluefish grab the spotlight, it’s the trophy tiderunner weakfish that...
Big Sur Adventure- California’s Wild Coast By Andy O'Brien April first marks the opening of Rockfish season on the Central California Coast. Two days into the season I was lucky enough to get on the water off the coast of Big Sur for what turned out...
By Pat Gallagher Each spring, an intense fishing bite occurs after ice-out in the north east for cold water salmonoids. Kayak anglers experience some of the fastest action of the year for landlocked salmon at this time. In addition, lake trout...
By Thomas Watanapun Ah, choices and decisions. With so many options to choose from when looking at the weather and swell reports for my next diving/spearfishing adventure, it can be a battle of ultimate indecisiveness choosing how I want to spend my...
Three Spring Bass Spots in Central and Western Massachusetts By Drew Haerer The ice has thawed, and it is time to chase green fish. In New England, it doesn't take long for sluggish bass to shift from winter patterns to into full-blown gorging mode...
My Top 5 Favorite Fish From The Kayak By Tom Adams I enjoy catching just about any fish I can from my kayak in the coastal waters of Rhode Island. I have 5 favorite species I target from my Wilderness Systems RADAR135 with the Helix pedal drive. Of...
A 'Tall Tales' Story Geo Stevens Let me introduce you to my friend Arnoldo. Love my longtime friend, but ever since the first time I kayaked with him he always required at least one stop after I picked him up. That one stop always required the...
Tips for Getting Started as an Outdoor Writer by Drew Haerer I remember one day in grad school, I picked up an outdoor magazine, read through a few articles and thought "you know, I could do this." I'd been blogging for a while and had written a few...
Finding and Storing Live Bait By Eric Tebbets On the Central Coast of California we target a wide range of fish, all of which can be caught successfully on artificial baits. But, there are days when artificial baits just are not getting it done or...
By Carlos De La Villa, My name is Carlos DeLaVilla and am currently active duty serving in the U.S. Army, but when I'm not on duty I volunteer my time to Heroes on the Water every chance I get because of the amazing service it gives to our veterans...