My first trip out in the yak this year was on Monday after some trout but without any success. It was a good shakedown cruise though, remembering where stuff was stored away for what was definitely a long Winter (our lakes were frozen by Thanksgiving) and also remembering where I like to keep stuff stashed on the boat.
Mark, my fishing buddy and fellow Hobie Fishing Teammate, and I got out on Eastman Lake last night after work. Hit the water about 5:30ish and fished till about 7:30. We managed about a dozen Smallies between us. Those thing, especially the jumpers, always bring a smile to my face. Bang for the pound they have to be one of the best little fighters. I can't imagine what a time you might have with a 20 pound Smally.....oh, yes I can. They are on the west coast and called Yellowtail.
The fish were doing a lot of grab, run, and drop episodes so in between fish we were still having fun but not having to take them off the hook. They seemed to be picking up on the drop or when working the unweighted plastic dead stick. I also managed one nice pickerel that put up a nice fight on my new light gear.
During a Spring Sale at Kittery Trading Post I picked up a nice little Shimano Sahara 1000 reel and matched that to a 6' Shimano Convergance graphite rod. Truthfully, over the years, I have never popped for any freshwater gear more expensive than a $30 K-Mart combo rod and reel. This new rig is a treat and I had a blast with it.
Here are a few pictures form the evening.