Dana 5-9 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

steveooo · 05-10-2009, 09:49 PM

Went to Dana with Steve F. yesterday (5-9) to try out some stuff on the new yak. Bad wind, confused swell, and mixed chop was pretty nasty, but it was nice to be out on the water regardless of the conditions.
Bait receiver was busy, so we paddled out to make bait. A few Spanish mixed in with about a million of these. Any fish I.D. experts out there? Queenfish? White Croaker?

While making bait I also hooked up big time on the sabiki rig mid-column. It was an immediate hard hit and sleigh ride that towed me for about 30 seconds. Solid pull, one long run. Unfortunately it broke off on my sabiki’s 15 lb branch line, and Steve got to see me cuss like a sailor. I’d like to think bat ray, but mid column makes me think otherwise.

I HATE losing fish! This will go down as the 5th big fish I have lost. I use pictures to remember all of the fish that I actually do catch, but my memory is pretty vivid about the ones I lose. Lots of shoulda’s & coulda’s.

Other than that, fishing was steady and slow. 4 small sand bass on the paddle in/ out of the harbor on the fire tiger rapalla. No pics but you all know what a undersize sandy looks like.
1 Decent size sandy outside the harbor.

1 barely short Hali

1 Checkerboard

And the best one, I got to see Steve farm a really good bite

I consider days like today a technical skunk. Yes Steve and I caught fish, none of the right kind. Very choppy, cold, & wet, and pretty slow fishing. Boat will be perfect with a few more mods, and any day out on the water is a good day in my book.

Also, here’s a bonus report for last weekend. Sorry for the delay. I thought it would be smarter to post this a week late, so the rivers in ATL are not hammered with fish-dope lurkers that would kill the bite.

Last weekend I had to fly to Atlanta for business. In these times, I’m not going to complain about working, but I did sneak a pack rod on carry-on to make the trip a little better.
I found my own spot of an empty river and caught about 20 of these little guys and two 3” lmb in about an hour. Nice way to relax and wind down after a stressful day. New species for me (I think).

If you like fishing, or reading fishing reports, I highly recommend getting involved in the MLPA process. Send letters, attend meetings, pay attention & do whatever you can. All of our best yak accessible spots are on the chopping block. We can make a difference. Check out the threads by PAL & Holy Mack for how you can get involved. Thanks guys

Tight Lines,
Steve

P.S.- 5 days to go… The first rule of ----------- is that you do not talk about -----------!

05-10-2009, 09:49 PM	#1
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	Dana 5-9 Went to Dana with Steve F. yesterday (5-9) to try out some stuff on the new yak. Bad wind, confused swell, and mixed chop was pretty nasty, but it was nice to be out on the water regardless of the conditions. Bait receiver was busy, so we paddled out to make bait. A few Spanish mixed in with about a million of these. Any fish I.D. experts out there? Queenfish? White Croaker? While making bait I also hooked up big time on the sabiki rig mid-column. It was an immediate hard hit and sleigh ride that towed me for about 30 seconds. Solid pull, one long run. Unfortunately it broke off on my sabiki’s 15 lb branch line, and Steve got to see me cuss like a sailor. I’d like to think bat ray, but mid column makes me think otherwise. I HATE losing fish! This will go down as the 5th big fish I have lost. I use pictures to remember all of the fish that I actually do catch, but my memory is pretty vivid about the ones I lose. Lots of shoulda’s & coulda’s. Other than that, fishing was steady and slow. 4 small sand bass on the paddle in/ out of the harbor on the fire tiger rapalla. No pics but you all know what a undersize sandy looks like. 1 Decent size sandy outside the harbor. 1 barely short Hali 1 Checkerboard And the best one, I got to see Steve farm a really good bite I consider days like today a technical skunk. Yes Steve and I caught fish, none of the right kind. Very choppy, cold, & wet, and pretty slow fishing. Boat will be perfect with a few more mods, and any day out on the water is a good day in my book. Also, here’s a bonus report for last weekend. Sorry for the delay. I thought it would be smarter to post this a week late, so the rivers in ATL are not hammered with fish-dope lurkers that would kill the bite. Last weekend I had to fly to Atlanta for business. In these times, I’m not going to complain about working, but I did sneak a pack rod on carry-on to make the trip a little better. I found my own spot of an empty river and caught about 20 of these little guys and two 3” lmb in about an hour. Nice way to relax and wind down after a stressful day. New species for me (I think). If you like fishing, or reading fishing reports, I highly recommend getting involved in the MLPA process. Send letters, attend meetings, pay attention & do whatever you can. All of our best yak accessible spots are on the chopping block. We can make a difference. Check out the threads by PAL & Holy Mack for how you can get involved. Thanks guys Tight Lines, Steve P.S.- 5 days to go… The first rule of ----------- is that you do not talk about -----------!