During the 1980’s I spent a lot of time fishing for bass on Lake Fork. I had a clone of a Skeeter boat with a Mercury 115HP motor that took me anywhere I wanted to go. We sold that boat to help fund my wife staying at home with our children in their early years. I down sized to a small two man bass boat and a 35 lb thrust trolling motor. It made me slow down and fish areas more thoroughly. Slipping the boat into the back of a cove and working my way to the mouth proved to be very effective.
We eventually sold that boat and moved to my home town on the Texas Gulf Coast. With more water to fish and the children going to college I began to look into purchasing a sit on top kayak. Surprisingly I found an intro level kayak at a very reasonable price. It was a bright red, 10 foot Perception Pescador for which I paid $400. The small kayak gave me access to a local marsh were I began to explore its possibilities. I took it under low bridges and through culverts to arrive at some very skinny water. The first fish I caught was a 28 inch redfish that took me for a sleigh ride in a narrow ditch. I think you could hear me hooting and hollering from miles away. Little did I realize that I now had an extra drag to work in my favor on big fish. Here are some trout, reds and flounder I caught in the marsh in my red kayak.
Soon I was eager to find other locations to fish that required a longer paddle. To make these journeys I saved up enough money to buy a longer better tracking kayak that I could actually stand up in to fish. After a lot of research, I decided on a 12 foot Jackson Cuda. A more streamlined design allowed for more glide and less sway without a rudder. This kayak has been a dream come true. It has plenty of storage, an adjustable more comfortable seat, rocket launcher rod holders to keep your reels high and dry, and it even has a mount for your Go Pro. The accessories and possibilities for rigging the kayak are endless. Surprisingly the first fish I caught from it was also a very large bull redfish. I was fortunate to have my son video the lengthy struggle on his iPhone from my old kayak.
I really love the stealth like approach a kayak offers when searching for tailing reds or bedding bass. Cutting through lily pads, thick brush or pulling across a sand bar can be managed to get you where the fish are. Here is a video I shot last spring on a local lake searching for bass in the thick stuff.
My best reason for fishing out of a kayak is solitude. I love the fact that I often do not see anyone fishing were I can paddle. That solitude is very relaxing and the areas I fish receive very little pressure. That old saying that you feel at one with nature really rings true in those situations. To me it really means to be at peace within God’s creation.
John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.”
On Christmas Eve in 1968, three astronauts circled the moon in solitude and shared the beauty of God’s creation from above. They recognized God’s mighty hand in creation and shared it with the world.
Clearly we are blessed to live in a world full of God’s majestic creations all around us. At this time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we are reminded that we were created by God and everyone is beautiful and worthy in his eyes. Take some time out from your holiday hustle and bustle to thank God for all he has given you and share it with others.
Thanks for reading and watching.
God Bless You and Merry Christmas!
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy Outdoors 