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Winter Trout/Gear
It's that time of year again when I have a big winter trout on my mind. Going into my third year of trying, I have yet to find the big fish of my dreams. Hopefully persistence will pay off one of these days. Unfortunately weather has kept me off the water on a few recent available weekends I had in my schedule but nevertheless I will press on.
Speaking on cold weather kayaking, I'd like to take a look at the gear adjustment necessary to make fishing as comfortable as possible. Note that this is as much me asking for your advice and tips as it is me bringing up what I do to prep for cold weather.
The first and most obvious gear change is wearing waders, no questions asked. Depending on the temperature, I will layer up underneath to keep warm. A lot of the fishing we are doing is posting up on reefs and wading, which as I am sure many of you know is cold on the legs if you aren't insulated. I always wear a jacket of some sort, sometimes two. I might have a light jacket under a thicker jacket, that way if the air temp warms up some, I have options.
Recently, after seeing my buddy Alex's nice Simms wading jacket, I have considered the upgrade to one. Y'all send me your opinions on these jackets (as well as good waders, and other cold weather gear). I don't like wearing gloves, even when it's really cold. I don't like losing the "feel" of the rod and paddle and such. On a similar note, I don't ever wear gloves bow hunting for the same reason.
On a recent day I wasn't able to hit the water, I took the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning if you will. I gave my kayak a bath and "treatment." I also re-geared my crate and worked on building a few rods.
After a thorough soap and water cleansing I let the kayak dry. I then broke out a bottle of WD40 and sprayed the kayak. As I sprayed, I wiped down the kayak with a dry cloth. This gave the kayak a like new look and shine. I also took some brass cleaner to the clasps of my seat. Though they don't rust, over time they get tarnished to the degree that they are hard to open. Furthermore I checked all the nuts bolts and screws on the kayak. I actually found a couple of screws for my foot pedal rails were loose.
I would love to see any photos of your big winter trout, preferably caught from a kayak. Send them to my email listed below. Until next time, good luck to all you kayakers in this new year.
Speaking on cold weather kayaking, I'd like to take a look at the gear adjustment necessary to make fishing as comfortable as possible. Note that this is as much me asking for your advice and tips as it is me bringing up what I do to prep for cold weather.
The first and most obvious gear change is wearing waders, no questions asked. Depending on the temperature, I will layer up underneath to keep warm. A lot of the fishing we are doing is posting up on reefs and wading, which as I am sure many of you know is cold on the legs if you aren't insulated. I always wear a jacket of some sort, sometimes two. I might have a light jacket under a thicker jacket, that way if the air temp warms up some, I have options.
Recently, after seeing my buddy Alex's nice Simms wading jacket, I have considered the upgrade to one. Y'all send me your opinions on these jackets (as well as good waders, and other cold weather gear). I don't like wearing gloves, even when it's really cold. I don't like losing the "feel" of the rod and paddle and such. On a similar note, I don't ever wear gloves bow hunting for the same reason.
On a recent day I wasn't able to hit the water, I took the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning if you will. I gave my kayak a bath and "treatment." I also re-geared my crate and worked on building a few rods.
After a thorough soap and water cleansing I let the kayak dry. I then broke out a bottle of WD40 and sprayed the kayak. As I sprayed, I wiped down the kayak with a dry cloth. This gave the kayak a like new look and shine. I also took some brass cleaner to the clasps of my seat. Though they don't rust, over time they get tarnished to the degree that they are hard to open. Furthermore I checked all the nuts bolts and screws on the kayak. I actually found a couple of screws for my foot pedal rails were loose.
I would love to see any photos of your big winter trout, preferably caught from a kayak. Send them to my email listed below. Until next time, good luck to all you kayakers in this new year.