A couple of months ago, the Outdoor Blogger Network had a gear review giveaway opportunity for one pair each of men's and women's Bogs® Boots. I threw my name in the hat and crossed my fingers for a win, since I had been shopping for a good, warm pair of boots to use in my winter kayak fishing trips.

A while back, there was a thread in the Saltwater Kayak Fishing Section of the YakAngler Forum entitled Clearwater/Fort Desoto. Biding my time before I replied, I received an email from Mark saying “This is all you”. So I reached out to Chris Funk, aka Feral One, and made plans to meet near Fort Desoto this weekend. Greg Becker and I were running a little late to meet Chris, who was already on the water ready to go.

Mini-Doggle: Definition - Not quite a Boondoggle - almost, but not quite.

Kayak fishing for me is all about the adventure. Not knowing what’s around the next corner, the anticipation of an unknown area and what it could hold, the challenge of unlocking those hidden secrets - that’s what draws me to the sport. So it was a no-brainer when Chip Gibson called me and asked if I wanted to fish Mosquito Lagoon. Did I want to join him and Brad? ”Of course!"

Further down the Oregon Coast, just on the south edge of Coos Bay, you will find Sunset Bay State Park. Protected by rocks just off shore, this beach launch is usually very calm and easily navigated. Those weary of surf launches usually feel right at ease at Sunset Bay. This little-known location is a great launch with plenty of fishing to be found in the area.

For my last kayak fishing trip of 2011,I made the decision to go to a location that I hadn’t visited in quite some time. This New Year’s Eve trip would serve two purposes: finishing off a great year, and hopefully giving me some content for my next magazine article. I made the some calls and rounded up the usual suspects. Chris and Tom would be there, and I would pick Greg up along the way. As we drove over the Skyway Bridge enroute to Fort DeSoto, we could tell it was going to be a good morning. Flat calm conditions greeted us at the launch. We were soon on the water, casting Heddon “Super Spook, Jr.” topwaters into schools of mullet, looking for redfish.

Well, the chaos of another Christmas is behind me, and I decided to do something I rarely get to do... TAKE A WEEKDAY OFF TO GET IN THE KAYAK AND GO BASS FISHING!!!!

It was absolutely gorgeous here Christmas day and I drooled all day at the prospects of hitting the water. 58 degrees, bright sunshine, and no wind - perfect! Unfortunately, it wasn't as nice Monday. I wanted to try a new bait, however, and didn't have any loads booked to haul until Tuesday night. There was no way I was staying off the water. Another layer of fleece under the dry top and waders, and to the river I went.

As the year comes to a close, I decided to sit back and take a look at the year that was 2011.  The year really started in the last few months of 2010 for me when I really started to get involved in on-line fishing forums, especially YakAngler.com.   This led me to launch YakFish.net with the help of YakSushi Media in January. 

Man this company thinks of it all.  From the maker of the YakAttack visicarbon pro, Luther Ciffers is continuing to revolutionalize the kayak fishing industry with a whole new line of mounting accessories.  They are creating ways to incorporate multiple mounting systems that allow for a much more versitale approach to kayak rigging.  Check out some of their mounting accessories inside this this article.

The Tampa Bay Chapter of Heroes on the Water held its first event this past Saturday at beautiful Fort Desoto Park, St Petersburg Florida. Our honored guest for the day was Don Floyd and his wife Donna. Don retired from the US Army in 1999. He saw one of our flyers at the VA and decided to give us a call. I’m sure glad he did. While this fishing was not all that great, I do believe our guests had a great time out on the water.