The one that got away.

Yesterday Ben was introduced to Kayak fishing and he loved it, it was no surprise, it is a great pastime. He didn't catch much but he seemed reluctant to give up. Pictured below is Ben with a small Bream. I did a bit better with a larger Bream and a story about the one that got away.
I  had left the rod in the holder whilst I smothered myself in suntan lotion to prevent getting the Lobster look that I achieved a while back when I notice movement on the rod tip. On picking up the rod the fish took off like a rocket, it was obviously something big, so I got the net ready. After playing the fish for a while and tiring it out I got the fish to the side of the yak ready to net but, it thrashed, the line broke and the fish, a BIG Smooth Hound, was gone. Unfortunately  I wasn't wearing my headcam so there is no video but I did have a witness.
I am beginning to lose faith in the braided line I was using as this has happened before, am I doing something wrong I wonder or does this stuff break easily?

Ben and his Bream

Back on the Outback

Today I took my new Outback out for a spot of fishing. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, well it's true, I missed the Outback enormously and I much prefer it to the Prowler. That is not saying the Prowler is a bad Kayak, the Prowler is very good but for me, I feel safer on the Outback. I don't know whether it was my imagination but the steering seemed a lot more sensitive than my last Outback, it took a bit of getting used to. Have Hobie made some subtle change I wonder?

I have no photos of this trip as I forgot my camera in all the excitement but I'll paint a picture for your imagination.
The rain was dripping off the end of my nose, there was no need for sunglasses and I went home stinking of fish.

 A good day, I caught a lot of Bass, one a keeper and, three very nice Mackerel.

The Reincarnation of my Hobie Outback

If anyone has been following this Blog they will know that I met with near disaster when I last ventured out on my Hobie Outback Kayak whilst on holiday in Scotland. The cause of this near disaster was a hole in the scupper hole in the Kayak which resulted in the kayak filling with water. I cannot be certain but I believe that the hole was made by the purpose made cart that is inserted into the scupper holes to enable  the user to move the Kayak around when out of the water. Over the course of a year, this has worn the inside of the scuppers and made a hole.

Hobie have been excellent in dealing with this problem and have now replaced my Kayak. I consider myself very lucky as I have read reports where Hobie have not been so sympathetic in similar cases and have blamed misuse of the plug in cart as the cause of the damage. I firmly believe there is a problem with this particular cart or there was a weakness inside the scuppers of that particular Kayak. Either way it renders the plug in cart unfit for purpose. There are now cart dome caps available which I believe will go a long way to resolving the problem.

So, if anyone from Hobie is reading this, thank you for being so understanding in my case but please do not dismiss this kind of damage as misuse of the cart, there is definitely an issue with the old type cart.

Moss Green Hobie Outback with C-Tug Cart.

Another outing from Lepe........

 ....but nothing but tiddlers this time. The day started well, a beautiful calm sea and lots of fresh ragworm for bait. Lots of bites but mainly small Bream and a few small Bass. Then the wind freshened and it got a bit uncomfortable so I called it a day. It has to be said, a bad days fishing is still SO much more fun than a good day at work.

Flat calm at Lepe

The best tiddler of the day.

New boat = Big Fish?

Ocean Prowler

I went fishing yesterday, in a new Kayak. It was an Ocean Prowler Trident 15 purchased from Brookbank Canoes. I had been thinking about getting another Kayak so that I could invite my kids or a friend to share this hobby. The problem with the Hobie has hastened that decision. The thought of missing weeks of the valuable English summer whilst Hobie offered a solution to my problem was too much to bear.
After digging some ragworm at Lepe, Tim and I set off to catch some fish. We were a bit limited as I hadn't set the new Kayak up for fishing and I had no means of anchoring, I had to tie on to Tims Kayak. We tried the mouth of Beaulieu river but holding anchor with the strong tide and increasing wind made this uncomfortable. We ended up a few hundred yards out from the Lepe Cafe in about 10 feet of water.
I landed my best ever Bass. Ok, it was 5lb 5oz but for me it was BIG. The day had started a little slow, Tim and I had a few small bass and lots of little bites that turned out to be Black Bream. Then it started to rain and I was feeling a bit cold. Tim, forever the optimist, said that it was good that it was raining and that the fish will bite when it rains. How the hell does a fish know when it's raining? Well, it appears the BIG Bass I caught knew as my line when screaming away. More larger Bream followed, ideal for the barbie.
The Prowler is a nice boat but it did make me appreciate the Hobie more than ever. The Hobie Outback is definitely a more solid and stable craft and the mirage drive was sorely missed. It would appear however, that you catch bigger fish from the Prowler
All in all a successful and very pleasant days fishing..
Oh, and by the way, I fell in again, got my feet tangled with the landing net getting off the Kayak, hence the wet shirt in fish photo.

A small but Beautiful Bass.

My best to date at 5lb 5oz

Tim in action

Kayakers view of Lepe

The FISH

The Prowler

Tims Bream and some cool Kayak dude in the background.

Thanks again to Tim for the photos.

Scotland Visit

On the 3rd of July I took my Kayak for a holiday, well I felt it needed a break. I went to a place called Ardmair Point on the West Coast of Scotland. It was at this place 3 years ago that I decided I would like a Kayak. It was, I thought, the ideal place to use one. Having spent a couple of weeks there with a Kayak I still think it's the ideal place but there is an if, it is, if you get the right weather. I was unlucky and had gales and a lot of rain but made the best of it and still enjoyed hours of pleasure catching Pollack and Mackeral.

  Using the Kayak in Scotland

Launching at Ardmair

River Mouth

Was that a spot of rain???

Unfortunately I was unable to use the Kayak for the last couple of days. I went out one morning with great expectations after a lull in the weather. I was hoping to catch myself a nice Sea Trout but alas, it wasn't to be. After being out on the water for about 5 minutes I was aware that something didn't feel quite right. I wasn't sure whether it was the Kayak or my sense of balance. Then, when I stopped it felt worse, as if I could capsize very easily. After that I noticed more water around my feet near the mirage drive than was normal. So, I opened the hatch in the hull and found it was half full of water.
I realised I had serious problem and made for the shore as quickly and as smoothly as I possibly could. After what seemed like 15 minutes (probably more like 10) I got to the shore and capsized. Once I found my feet I tried dragging the Kayak up the beach. I didn't get far because I could barely move it as it was so heavy. It was only after I opened up the hatch at the stern and allowed gallons of water to flow out that I was able to move it any further.
It didn't take long to find the cause of this near disaster, it was a hole inside one of the scuppers. This was caused but the use of the plug in cart made by Hobie. This cart plugs into the Hobie scuppers to enable the Kayak to be pulled up the beach. This, over the course of a year, has worn a hole through the plastic.
I am now waiting to see how Hobie and Bournemouth Canoes are going to respond to this problem. What ever happens I will not be using the plug in cart again.

So I'm a Jinx

The last couple of times I've been out I have been alone and not caught much. Tim on the other hand, and Chris his son, the new kid on block with regards to Kayak fishing, have done rather better. Bass to 3 and a half pounds and some bream. So, I gladly accepted the invite to fish with them and see whether I could learn something from the smug duo.

We set of early after digging some enormous ragworm and started fishing the mouth of the Beaulieu river. I got a few bites followed by a couple of Bream. We then decided to up anchore and follow a flock of diving birds in the hope of getting some Mackerel. It soon became clear there were no Mackerel , just small bass. So, we went back to the mouth of Beaulieu river and tried some more for the alleged 3 and a half pound Bass.

So what about the 3 and half pound Bass? I asked, it's you, was the reply, you are a jinx.

Our luck didn't improve so we called it a day. An enjoyable day apart from the lost of a rod holder that I was using as a club against the Bream pictured on the plate. I was trying to end it's suffering and hit my thumb as well as the fish which resulted in me dropping the rod holder. Another piece of my fishing equipment to end up at the bottom of Beaulieu river.

It looked better before it was cooked.