Friday, January 31, 2014
Video: 2013 Year in Review
After going through all of my footage I have finally put together my Year in Review. I used the GoPro software which my the video making process easier. I hope you enjoy the video!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Snow Day Fishing
With the snow storm that has blanketed Hampton Roads my
school was closed today. After I shoveled
the driveway I went down to the lake in hopes of maybe catching a fish.
I had a 1/4oz. Eco
Pro tungsten jig with a PowerTeam Lures 4.5 Conviction Craw as a trailer. The air temp was 24 degrees with a wind-chill
of 18 degrees. The lake had a good bit of ice on it and there was only one open
pier for me to fish from. It was so cold that my guides on my rod froze shut a
couple of times and my reel spool also froze.
I pitched my jig under the pier and after a few hops my rod doubled
over.
The fish made a short run out from under the pier and it was
game on. Once I could see the fish I realized that it was a nice catfish. He made another run but this time it was
under a different pier and under the ice.
I felt him wrap me
up around a piling and then felt the snap of my leader. Even thought I lost the fish I was still
surprised that I even hooked up. Once
this snow melts it is back out in the kayak for some more pickerel and bass.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Starting the Year Off Right
My
First Virginia Citation in 2014
The water temperature
was 39.3 degrees and the air was 35 degrees when I left the ramp in my Jackson
Cuda. I had been watching the local
reports and was confident I could find some nice bass and pickerel in spite of
the cold temperature. I started off the
day throwing a crankbait around isolated cover with no luck. I then switched to a football jig and started
pitching deep into cover. The jig got a few hits, but no hook ups. As the sun
rose and the surface temperature warmed a few degrees I started throwing a
suspending jerkbait, my confidence bait.
On the second cast it was nailed by a nice fish that shook the hook. I threw it back in the same spot and
connected with what I thought was a nice bass.
Once I got it close to the yak I realized it was a BIG pickerel. Once I landed it and put it on my Hawg Trough
I saw its tail over the magical 24in mark, which is the minimum length for a
Virginia State Trophy citation. Stoked
about landing my first citation of 2014, I snapped a few pictures and released her.
I kept throwing the jerkbait and after a
couple more cast I connected with another big fish. The fish rolled and it was clear that this
pickerel was even bigger than the first one! I carefully played the huge
pickerel to the yak and was amazed by the size of this fish. When I put this one on the trough its tail
was at 24.75, my second citation of the day! Not only was this fish longer, but
it was really thick. After releasing the
fish I threw my jerkbait for a couple more hours with no more luck. I called it
a day and went back to the ramp. 
Second Citation for the Day
Since
the water temperature was in the upper 30s to low 40s the conditions were
perfect for a suspending jerkbait. For
my gear, I like to use a light action rod with a good bait casting reel. My
favorite reel is the Daiwa Tatula. I can
cast anything with this reel. On the
Tatula I have 15lbs braid with a 6 foot piece of 8lbs fluorocarbon. As for colors, I like to match the bait to the
natural baitfish in the lake. If the
water is murky, however, I will use a brighter color like chartreuse. When I work a jerkbait in cold water I start
by making a long cast. Then I give the reel
4 or 5 cranks to get the bait down to the same depth as the fish. (A depth
finder is very helpful for this type of fishing.) Then I let the bait sit for anywhere from 5
to 15 seconds and then I start to twitch the bait, varying my retrieve. I repeat this all the way back to the boat. 
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