The 2012 Columbia Sportswear Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic was another huge success, raising approximately $35,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association of Jacksonville and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.

The Southwest Florida Kayak Angler’s Association “Spring Snook and Redfish Challenge” is in the record books. On May 12, 2012, some of the area’s finest anglers competed in windy conditions for great prizes, including the first place Native Ultimate 12 kayak.

There were some big questions answered at the Peck’s Third Annual Ozello Classic on May 5, 2012. Who would win this all-important Classic at the halfway mark in the series year? Who would be the series leader after this event? Would the series still be nearly deadlocked at the top?  Could it be any closer? Oh, yeah – and who would catch the biggest fish at Ozello?

Jackson Kayak introduced the “Cuda” late last year as a follow-up to the popular “Coosa”.  The Cuda is a longer boat, ready for bigger water.  When my oldest son told me that he wanted to start kayak fishing – I was happy, because I’d have a new kayak fishing buddy.  

Some of you may have noticed discussions in the Forum about YakAngler 3.0 beta testers being needed, or my lack of participation in the forums and community. It’s because I’ve been hunkered down in front of my computer, rebuilding YakAngler.com from the ground up. Although not my first choice, our site’s architecture recently changed dramatically and a site migration or upgrade was not possible. This also gave me the opportunity to address several key issues I had with the current website.

Anchors are one of the first things people add to their fishing kayaks. There are many ways to do it, and there will be several YakAngler Workshop Episodes on the subject. In this episode, I add a dog leash type anchor setup to my Jackson “Coosa”.

Okuma Fishing is releasing a new spinning reel this spring. The "Raw-II" utilizes their newest aluminum alloy - T480. High corrosion resistance, extreme strength, and light weight make this new alloy a dream. Okuma’s first Carbonite-greased dual drag system on a spinning reel and their already proven effective elliptical oscillation technology make this a reel a must-have for those that want to go kayak fishing after big fish without busting the bank or their gear.

I regularly get asked about what my favorite lures are. I normally come up with a response like “It depends on the situation,” or “The one that they are biting on…”. Now I know these answers aren’t terribly helpful to people, and I normally expand on them. However, I have made it a point to not try to tie myself to one lure or technique over the years.