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.  

No, they are not talking about Jim Halpert from the television series “The Office”.  The Jackson Kayak “Big Tuna” is the latest fishing kayak created by Jackson and their spokesman Drew Gregory.  This is the third (and quite possibly most unique) kayak released by Jackson since they teamed up with Drew.

Many kayak anglers won't even consider an inflatable kayak for fishing. Those folks are missing out on river fishing in those holes behind the Class III and higher rapids. They're also hauling around their hard-to-store-without-a-garage hard plastic kayaks in trucks that get gas mileage in the low teens. They're missing out on a kayak that can fit in a backpack and fit in the trunk of even some of the smallest cars - or even on the bus. It's called the NRS “Pike”.

I bought a pair of Sperry Topsider “Ebb Tide Low Water” shoes almost out of desperation. For years I have been buying cheap beach shoes from Wal-Mart for use on the kayak. They lasted about six months before I had to buy a new pair. They were fairly comfortable, but not great for walking distances on the beach or oyster bars.

 

Last weekend, 50 fly anglers from around the US and Canada converged on McMinnville, TN, for the Musky Fly Fishing World Championship. Competitors hit a couple local rivers from bass boats, drift boats, and even a few kayaks. Their goal - catch and release the largest muskellunge using fly tackle, and promote musky conservation efforts. Little did they know, a kayak angler was going to take the win.

The weather in the Northeast has been unseasonably warm this past week, with temperatures in the 70s and even breaking into the 80s. On Friday afternoon I got out of work a few hours early and took my new Jackson Kayak “Coosa” out to a local pond for its maiden voyage. I picked up the Coosa this winter specifically for this purpose. Last year I did not fish fresh water as much as I would have liked, since I rig my kayak very differently for stripers then for chasing bass in ponds. Couple this with the fact that my old kayak was quite large and cumbersome - it made quick trips for an hour or two more work than fun.

Now that the not-so-wintery winter is behind us here in central Florida, it's time to pack away the waders and the sweatshirts and look ahead to lighter clothing and warmer water. The spring fishing season is here rather early on the Space Coast. This time of year kicks off with the spring bait run that includes shrimp, finger mullet, pigfish, pilchards and pogies.

Scarcely a day goes by without someone asking me about pro staffs and sponsorship. Like many other kayak anglers, I display stickers and logos on my kayak that are designed to garner attention, and they do. As a result, I get asked these questions quite frequently, and I am always happy to share my knowledge on the subject.

Well the Chokoloskee Boondoggle is history, and documented in the fishing logs and videos. I’m sure that we will be seeing other reports from the Boondoggle in the form of product reviews. This is one on the kayak dolly that I purchased for this event.

 

I needed another way to get my kayaks off the ground.  I had already built a kayak rack with casters on it, which is my primary storage rack.  It isn’t, however, very portable beyond my garage, even with the casters. I needed something I could break down and set up easily, and make a good place to work on, clean, and display my kayaks for a couple upcoming kayak fishing clinics.