Recently took my first fishing trip on my new Big Tuna from Jackson Kayaks. The first trip was of course with my beautiful wife. She is the reason I got the kayak with the ability to go tandem. According to her she wouldn't want to go out solo as much as tandem, and I didn't want to get her a cheap one if I was using a top of the line one because I KNOW she would never go. Also, wasn't sure what to expect in terms of being able to maneuver, fish, GET ALONG, deal with the heat, turtle the yak, swim to shore, give up on kayak fishing after one go round... Well you get the idea. But at this point there was no turning back since I had already made my purchase of a yak and all the necessary accessories.
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Prior to purchasing, I read everything I could about kayaks and kayak fishing. Anything I could get my hands on. I took 2 or 3 trips from Allen to Mountain Sports in Arlington to take a look at the Big Tuna and related kayak accessories and paddles. I read TKF and TFF for hours. Read stories about triumphs and also read stories about fails and falls. After reading and researching and talking with my wife and whether she was really going to be in on the new hobby/addition, I made my mind up that the Big Tuna was best suited for our needs. Tandem if she was into it and could go. Solo for if she didn't like it or was unable to go. After the first trip, I can honestly say it was a unanimous 4 thumbs up!!
We got up early, but not early enough for me (but hey, at least I had someone going with me). Packed up the Tuna in the back of the truck loaded the gear and off we went. We ended up at East Fork Park on Lake Lavon at about 7 in the morning. Unloaded the Tuna and loaded up all the gear we had and down to the water we went.
This was a learning experience for both of us and we have learned that you need to carefully choose where to put in and take out. We chose the bank next to a boat ramp and I cannot even explain how muddy and such a pain it was to get it ready for launch. Long story short, I will now use the boat ramp unless there is a sandy or clay bank to put the kayak in. Much cleaner and much easier. Not to mention that the muddy bank had a dead rotting fish hanging out about 3 feet away. Not a pretty sight for either of us.
But after we got onto the water it was smooth sailing. We got into a good rhythm with paddling, fishing, drifting, eating sunflower seeds. We thought we had a pretty good location and stuck around there for awhile. This part of the story I wish wasn't true, but my wife out fished me. She caught 2 sandies to my 1. But to my defense, mine was bigger! We were out on the water for probably over 3 hours before I even figured out I was getting hungry for lunch so we headed in.
It was a great first fishing trip in my new kayak and I know we both enjoyed our time out on the lake with good weather and good company. The only problem was that the time just flew by! I wish I would have brought a lunch so that I could have stayed out there till dinner. Oh well, the exciting part was that it was a total blast and now plan my weekends around taking the kayak out and doing a little fishing.
I want to mention one thing that caught me off guard a little bit. Once we got out on the water and got out of the particular arm of the lake that we launched from and rounded a corner I saw about 15 people fishing from the bank in this particular spot. Maybe I'm doing my part to help spread the yearning to go buy a kayak to fish from.
I heard on the radio today that the 2nd highest sport that is increasing in popularity is kayaking. And now I know why. It is a great feeling to be out on the water and relying on just a kayak, a paddle, and yourself to catch fish.
I'm completely hooked and am glad I am part of the growing sport.
Thanks! And tight lines!
