Fishing Report, Really More of a Gear Review,
Per my usual luck, Saturday weather deteriorated to 20+ mph winds and Sunday was totally unfishable. It wasn't a total wash as I familiarized myself with the area and new gear.
Fishing- I attempted to fish Hopedale Lagoon but it was impossible. I paddled across the Lagoon in very choppy water to fish the opposite shoreline. Wind made it brutal so I got tired of fighting and paddled back across to the mouth of the canal and fished there for a minute with no luck. Very rough dirty water and no fish.
Launches- Even though the weather sucked, loved the layout at Pips in Hopedale. It's the least busy launch that way and a less than .5 mi paddle to the lagoon and surrounding marsh. With the wind cutting my fishing short, I used that time to check out where kayaks launch at Campo's in Shell Beach and the launch in Reggio. All are great options and close to each other. I think the best bet would be to decide which launch to use based on wind. 20+ you're screwed almost anywhere but a 10 mph east wind might make one launch make the most sense. That's something I'll look at a little closer to next time.
KC Kayak- First time in the boat and I have to say it's a very good fishing platform. Very stable and paddles 10x better than my old Ascend. I haven't internally wired my boat yet and that's a must. Gotta get that battery in the front. Yak is waaay too back loaded how I had it. I took it in rough water and although it was a brutal paddle, I didn't sink and never felt unsafe. Stood and fished the mouth of the canal and let's just say I can get used to that.
Trolling Motor- Dude, this is a game changer for me on the yak. The 30 lb thrust struggled in that open rough water but I should have never been out there. I have a new theory, if you're in a yak with wind so bad or current so strong you need a 50lb thrust, you probably shouldn't be out there.
13 fishing spinning reel- I had turned all my reels to the reel dr on wed and decided to fish on a fri. Long story short, all I had available was a baitcaster and an ultra light. Perfect excuse to buy the 13 fishing Creed Lte 3000 from Dicks for $59.99. I've been wanting to try 13 fishing so I did. I'm a little worried because of how cheap it was but out of the box it's smoother and feels better than a Shimano Shahara or an Okuma Trio. Cast great, smooth as silk. No issues in the high wind. Didn't get to test out that drag but I'm excited. If it holds up well all summer, I could see myself getting more 13 spinners.
I have a lot of kayak rigging and layout work to do to get it how I want but here is one thing I did that worked out well.
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