Kayak's Partner

Two Old Town Vapor 10 Angler kayaks fit nicely atop my car and are easy to load, opening an huge number of waterways to fishing/photo outings.

Last fall I got I got a fishing kayak, an Old Town Vapor 10 Angler, and I've been delighted with everything about it. It's stable, comfortable and well set up for fishing, and I can easily load it atop my car. In fact, it's simple enough to tote that I'll toss it atop my Outback for trips to other areas, "just in case," even if I don't know of a specific kayak need on that trip. Owning one has left me longing for a second one, though, and I fixed that when I was in Maine a couple of weeks ago.

Several times since I got the first boat, I've pondered outings to mountain lakes, cypress-filled backwaters, tidal creeks or other waters, but ultimately have decided to stay home. A productive outing to me is one where I get a lot of good photos, so I just can't justify going fishing alone. Selfies and fish close-ups certainly provide some value, but that value is miniscule compared to what can be done with a couple of boats and with both anglers carrying a camera, and it would only frustrate me to hit a good fishing day in a beautiful spot and not be equipped to make the most of it photo-wise.

Cool view, behind the scenes, at Old Town Canoe!

Because I like my first Vapor so much, I couldn't think of anything I would like better than another boat of the same model, and since Old Town, Maine and the Old Town Canoe headquarters are only a few miles from where I would be fishing with Northridge Outfitters, it only made since to plan a visit and pick up the new boat while I was so close. I had explored the retail store at Old Town before. In fact, it was the first stop Asher and I made when we fished in the same area a couple of years ago. This time, though, I got to tour the facilities with Old Town brand manager David Hadden, and I cannot begin to convey how cool it was getting to see all those canoes and kayaks being formed and prepared for shipping. I was super impressed by all the processes used to ensure that every boat a customer buys is exactly what it should be in appearance and performance and that it will remain that way for many years.

The Old Town visit and pick-up took place on the final morning of my trip, and plans were to begin my 1,260-mile trek home when I left. However, I couldn't resist the opportunity to get the new boat wet and run both kayaks together, so Doug Teel and I went straight from Old Town to a spot along the Penobscot River that David Hadden had suggested and slid the boats in the river. We didn't fish long, but we did both catch fish, so the second Vapor had been rightly initiated before I got more than about 5 miles from where it had been built. After catching a few, we re-loaded the boats and secured them atop my car, where they road nicely all the way home.

I left for Florida a few days after returning from Maine and just got back from that trip, so I haven't gotten the two boats out together around here yet. You know it won't be long, though!

The first fish caught from my new Old Town Vapor 10 Angler, caught by Doug Teel of Northridge Outfitters, illustrates perfectly the kind of photo I'm excited to be able to get far more of now that I have two kayaks that I can take out together!

Video Day

The final day of my most recent trip found me on the opposite side of a camera from what seems most normal for me. Dustin Elder and I fished from kayaks while Fred McClure followed in his boat with video equipment. We fished a small Forest Service lake in Oklahoma that has some big bass in it and was ideally suited for kayak fishing and filming. The bite was a little slow, but we managed a few, and I enjoyed the opportunity to offer a few tips for the camera. The first video to run is about a Cotton Cordell Super Spot, which is one of my absolute favorite lures for early-season bass fishing.

Fair Warning

Last week I spent a few hours kayak fishing in a small lake near Selma, Alabama. After I had finished fishing, had loaded the kayak back on top of my car and was about to drive away, a man approached my car somewhat hurriedly, motioning for me to roll down my window so he could talk to me.

"Are you from here?" he asked. When I answered that I was not, he asked where I was from. I told him that I was from Georgia, now curious about the obvious concern on his face.

"You're alright now," he said, pausing for a moment and looking more worried for me than ever. "But in a couple of weeks..." Another pause.  "There are alligators in this lake that are BIGGER than that boat!"

Kayak's First Rides

I can't imagine a finer place for any boat's inaugural ride than on the storied waters of the Santee Cooper lakes, and that's exactly where my new Old Town Vapor Angler 10 first found water. Trip logistics really only allowed my 13-year-old son Asher and I to do test rides during last week's trip to Black's Camp. However, we both spent enough time paddling and casting to get a solid feel for the ride, and we loaded and unloaded it a few different times and hauled it 250 miles each way, mostly at interstate speeds.

I gave the Vapor the first trial, going directly out of Blacks in backwaters along the edge of Lake Moultrie on the day we got to town while Asher fished from a boat we borrowed on site. That was a brief arrival day window, though, and our plan was to spend much more time doing similarly the final morning we were in town. Unfortunately, that morning a harsh wind swept directly into those backwaters, and we decided to steer toward home. We did opt to stop at Santee State Park, where Big Poplar Creek feeds Lake Marion, on the way home. The creek was protected from the wind, so we slipped the boat in the creek for Asher to give the kayak a brief try while I watched and took photos.

So far I'm delighted with this boat, and I suspect it will accompany me on a lot of my trips. I can load, unload and launch it alone easily enough, when needed, so it will open fishing access to many new areas, along with providing many new photo vantages.

Once Asher and I figured out the best set-up, the two of us could load the boat and strap it down for a secure ride in about five minutes. On the water. it glides nicely and is simple to control and quite stable and dry, despite its small size. The paddle rest works nicely putting the paddle right where it's needed, and the rod-holders get rods out of the way but in very easy reach.

Having given the new kayak a couple of very brief tests, I'm more eager than ever to get it out on a more significant fishing outing. Soon!

New Travel Companion

If you happen to see me during upcoming fishing travels, chances are good that I'll be toting extra equipment. My new Old Town Vapor 10 Angler fishing kayak is apt to top my Outback during a lot of future adventures because it will open so many opportunities for fishing and photos.

Weighing in at less than 50 pounds, this boat is easy to tote, and I can comfortably load it solo atop my little wagon. It's also only 10 feet long, which makes it a nice fit on the car and will make it easy to maneuver in tight places.

The new boat will accompany me on the road officially for the first time next week, when I'm Santee Cooper bound to spend a couple of days at Black's Camp. Beyond exploring the margins of Lake Moultrie or Marion, I might spend a little time in the Congaree Swamp. Seeing it atop the car, though (I tied it up there just to see how it would ride) I might not be able to stand waiting till next week! I might have to slide it into some local waters this week. Either way, I'll report back on the inaugural run.

Surprise Carp

While bass fishing in a small Alabama lake last week, I was certainly surprised to catch a big carp on a crankbait, with the fish hooked in its rubbery lips. Adding even greater surprise, I caught another carp, the very next day, in a totally different lake, with a Pop-R. The second carp, with probably weighed 5 or 6 pounds, absolutely annihilated my little popper on the surface, hitting it with as much vigor as any striper or redfish I've ever caught.

I've only caught a few carp in my life, so to catch two on back to back days in different waters, and both on artificial lures, was pretty odd. In both cases, I was astounded by the fish's strength, speed and stamina. Considering that carp live fairly slow-moving lifestyles (from my understanding anyway), not doing any hunting, they seem to be amazingly fit. I actually don't know when or if I would have gained enough control of the bigger first-day carp to unhook it without "gripper" help from another angler.

Carp was species 13 on my 2015 species list. The first of a couple of spotted bass I caught the next day on the Coosa River was No. 15. To be more specific about the carp listing, I'm guessing grass carp, simply based on the fish having been stocked in small private lakes for grass control. However, if you know the carp species, based on the photo, please let me know (jeff.samsel.fishing@gmail.com).

Ready to Roll

Junk is in the Fiesta hatch, and I'm just about ready to get on the road for my first April trip of 2015. Assuming thunderstorms don't keep us off the water, I should be fishing by early afternoon. Largemouth fishing tops the agenda today and tomorrow. Spots may come into play more on Wednesday, when we'll float a stretch of the Coosa River.

I'll be fishing from a Hobie-Fishing kayak with folks from Hobie, including fishing legend Hank Parker and NFL hall-of-famer Jackie Smith.  The Hobie boats are super efficient and a load of fun to fish from, so I'm looking forward to that approach.

Watch for updates here, and I'll do my best to do a better job of keeping things current than I have of late. A new phone that isn't bogged down and is better suited for blogging takes away one excuse, so we'll see!

Heads or Tails?

Same legendary river. Same part of Arkansas and Ozark topography. But that's where the similarities end. The Beaver Lake tailwater, where Nathaniel and I fished yesterday with Brad Wiegmann, stays 51 degrees and super clear, and most fish you'll lock horns with will be rainbow or brown trout. The headwaters, where we launched Wiegmann's kayaks this morning, was more then 15 degrees warmer than the lake's tailwater and sort of a dark green with modest visibility. White bass are the main attraction in this section during the spring, but the walleyes are also up the river, and in truth any given cast could produce a variety of species, including stripers, smallmouths, spots and more.

One other thing these two sections of the upper White River have in common is that they are really fun to fish out of kayaks and by wading. If fact, it's hard for me to imagine a more fun way to fish on a beautiful spring day.

The highlight of the fish catching was a big walleye that took Brad's YUM F2 Walleye Grub in the uppermost pool that we fished this morning. Nathaniel had the hot hand when it came to catching white bass. He tied on an XCalibur Xcs Square Lip before we launched this morning and never had reason to change lures.