Regional kayak fishing reports from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana by YakAngler.com Pro Staff members.
In the mad rush, a few very important items had been forgotten, as usual. My Heroes on the Water hat and Strike King sunglasses were on the kitchen table as I stepped out into the chilled night air. Not even four hours ago the girlfriend had left the house, giving me permission for the adventure I was about to embark on: to drive all the way to Pointe a la Hatche, LA and fish the marsh. My good friends Casey Brunning and Jason Austin were fishing the BCKFC’s Redfish Rumble tournament, while I was there to learn, watch, and fish for fun.
The night before was mostly a blur as I heard my bunkmates awakening around me. The confines of our quarters at Bobby Lynn’s Marina was a symphony of guys putting on clothes, discussing launch locales, and even a brewskie being cracked so early in the morning. It was the day we had waited for so long: Paddlepalooza X, and the members of the LSU Kayak Fishing Club were getting prepared to make a great showing. However, one person in that room couldn’t creak open his eyes for all the caffeine at the Coke bottling plant.
You can sometimes tell how a day will go by the way that the sun rises; when the morning is picturesque, with stratus clouds blanketing the crimson skies as Father Sun comes to bless the land with his warmth. As you can see from this snapshot from my trip down to Theo's in da PAC, it was going to be a great morn in the marshes of the Motherland: Louisiana!
I‘d had the day scheduled off from work for two weeks. I was supposed to be kayak fishing in Leeville the day before but as with everything I plan, it fell through thanks to my hard work life and dedication to my job. The kayak was packed, the reels respooled, and the bass speakers in the Explorer were shaking with the grooves of Helicopter Showdown.
Wake up this morning and it’s a cold 35 degrees. For the past couple week’s central Louisiana has been dealing with these cold temps at night but it is warming up into mid 70’s during the day; you know the yak is already loaded in the back of the truck. My eagerness always starts the night before a trip so in turn everything is already loaded. All I need to do is get in the truck and go.
It had just been too long since I’d been fishing seriously. Since I started kayak fishing in 2007, I’ve pretty much fished every weekend that it was nice. This past winter, I went ahead and got the gear required and tried to fish twice every weekend. Then in February, I had to deal with some things that kept me off the water. It was miserable. I really missed fishing - a lot - but I felt I needed to take care of other matters, both professionally and personally. I did get out a couple of times in February, but the trips were short and unproductive. I felt like I was fishing out of spite. I didn’t care for that too much at all. Kayak fishing has become a really big part of my life and who I am. I was really bummed that I wasn’t getting out.
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.
Therapeutic. That's what today's kayak fishing trip was. I didn't tear them up. I only caught five fish. I had a run in with a pair of inconsiderate jerks who decided to fish on top of me. I felt I needed to stay within sight of the launch. I only had an hour and a half to fish. No matter. I needed to get out today after a little bout with walking pneumonia.
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