A "lurker" finally posts to the board...

[NY Fish Taco]

Okay... so I've been reading this board for a few months now, gleaning all I can from all of you experienced yak anglers and decided to finally step forward and introduce myself...

I'm a former San Diegan angler who still misses his hometown fishery from time to time, and lives vicariously through your posts...

I'm new to kayak fishing, but not new to fishing at all. I cut my teeth fishing suburban ponds in the San Fernando Valley catching catfish and bluegill, and then spent my major growing years learning to fish the saltwater from half-day boats out of Mission Bay and Pt. Loma in San Diego... it was all I could afford to do... scrounging and scraping the money together to get a ticket on a "cattleboat" for a chance at some hot action off La Jolla or Imperial Beach, or wherever. Later in High School a buddy & I fished his 16' Glasspar all over Mission Bay, SD Bay, LJ and wherever we could get it with the gas money we had...

Later in life, after I got married & moved back to L.A. - I spent a great many summers camping, backpacking, and fishing the streams and lakes of the Eastern Sierras. Wasn't until a short stint in Utah a decade later did I find myself plying the blue ribbon trout stream of the Provo River with a long rod in my hand. After catching my 1st trout on a fly rod, (an 18" German Brown no less), from that first guided trip on the Provo River my wife bought me as a gift for our 10 yr. anniversary... did I ever look back. The Fly Fishing bug was firmly planted and I was a fan. I still love all kinds of fishing however, but there is something special about fly fishing nonetheless.

Fast forward about 7 years and here I am in New York of all places... who would've thought this Southern California native would've ever ended up on the North Shore of Long Island after so many years in California? Well, I've been here nearly 10 years now, and am still getting to know the offerings of the area... from the Long Island Sound, the South shore of the Atlantic, the rivers here on Long Island, to the many rivers, streams, and lakes in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and neighboring states nearby... there is a lot of ground to cover and a lot to learn still... but it's a great place to explore something new. The nearby saltwater fishery is definitely an adjustment to what I grew up with, and here... the striped bass are king.

It wasn't until this Spring, when I met with a friend to fish Southwest Florida on a kayak did I realize how much kayak fishing has to offer, and what it can do for me here at home. After catching my first snook and redfish I came to realize just how "stealthy" kayak fishing can be. I immediately fell in love with this type of fishing and am learning all I can to apply it to my nearby home waters here on Manhasset Bay.

I've ordered a Malibu Stealth Fish & Dive 14' yak from the good folks at OEX Mission Bay in SD... and cannot wait to get my new boat all customized and tricked out the way I wanted it. I'm having it set-up for night fishing here as well, since the best striper bite happens in the cover of darkness.

So... even though I'm 3000 miles away from most of you... I still read this forum and listen to what a great many of you have to say... as So Cal was really at the forefront of kayak fishing and where it all began.

Best wishes and tight lines to all,

- Ken