I can Smell the Change in the Air

 Finally the best part of the year has arrived. The weather is nice and more importantly, the crowds have left the beautiful lakes and rivers for the season. Yeaaaaa. There are still a few out, but nothing like it is during the summer. Usually after Labor Day it clears out. What was once elbow to elbow on the water has now gone back to vast expanses of open water without the fear of getting run over by a rogue party boater.
 We had a few hours Sunday between Church duties and decided this would be a great opportunity to get some paddling done. After three weeks of no days off, this was a welcome opportunity. We also brought along the rods and setup since we have been just getting used to the new yak and not fishing much. Today we would fish. So we loaded up the Prowlers and away we went.
 We hung close around the docks as we made our way towards the bridge. It was an easy 2 mile trip. Calm winds and very few boats. As we rounded one corner I started casting at a good looking dock with a 6 inch texas rigged lizard. Boom. Fish on. I got him up and weighed just under 3 pounds. During the fight I didn't notice the crowd on the dock near us that had gathered to watch the catch. I waved and gave my "I do this all the time, but please no autographs" look. lol.
Suddenly we noticed the time had gotten away from us and it was time to haul back to the truck. We got back to the house and unloaded with just enough time to change clothes, comb hair, and race to Church. About half way through the sermon, I scratched the ol nose and caught the unmistakable wiff of bass still on my hand. I chuckled and thanked the Lord for another great day to be alive.

 

 

 

 Tight Lines,

Scott

Pic of the Day

 

Doing a little evening fishing at Kirby Lake in Abilene.

Hows about...NO!

 I ran across these pics from a fishing trip a while back. The minute I saw them, I felt the same I did the day it happened.
 

 I had been fishing the South Concho most of the day, and I got out of the kayak to stretch my legs. About the time I was about to get back in, I noticed this fella hanging out. My crate with poles is directly behind my seat....just a few inches behind my seat. There's no telling how long it had been there, or if it was playing on the back of my collar before it got on may lines. I did the typical heebie jeebie shiver dance and proceeded to move him to a safer spot away from my yak with my paddle. I'm pretty sure those dudes are harmless....but I don't care. Not on my yak, not on my back, no way no sir. I just did a heebie jeebie shiver dance again. :)

Scott

Pic of the Day

Another sunset paddle out on Lake Nasworthy. September 2013.

Shot with Sony Cybershot

Pic of the Day

Sunset on Lake Nasworthy. September 2013

Shot with Sony Cybershot

My Boy is becoming a Man

When the kids were real little, I used to say, "I can't wait until they get older so they can get out there with me and hold their own."
My wife said, "careful what you wish for."
 It was just four short years ago my son, 8 at the time, got his first kayak for his birthday, an Ocean Kayak Frenzy. A great solid and stable boat that was the perfect size for him. We put a lot of miles on that yellow banana.

 Now at age 12, he's ready to take that step forward, whether I want it or not. It is time for his first real fishing kayak. I've been so excited for this day, yet have been dreading the fact my boy is growing up....and too stinkin' fast. Through the past year when we go out, he's struggled with keeping up. That thing is a bathtub. If there was any wind, it made it even worse. Short runs were fine, but anymore than a mile it was rough for him. So the day has come....an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13.

There are so many great yaks out there, but since he has been in my Prowler many times, he really was leaning towards one, and I was all for it. It's not one of those kayaks that's really great at one thing. It's just good at a lot of things, a very well rounded boat.

He was soooo excited. The minute he got in, he was off. He can match me paddle for paddle. No more waiting for him to catch up. If I was in the lead, I kept catching myself looking back to see how far back he was. He would be a few feet behind me and say, "better move before you get run over."

 

Of course, this is our busiest season at work. I'm not getting home until way after dark. So we have been plotting, or planning, I mean, to find time at least once a week if not more, to paddle. Fishing or not, doesn't matter.

He learned fast on how to move and turn. It's four feet longer than the frenzy and quite a bit narrower. In the above photo was when we first got there. I threw him his PFD and turned to put mine on. He was out on the water already. I yelled to get his rear back here and get that thing on. He got so excited he forgot. We had a quick "saftey meeting" i.e. "come to Jesus meeting" and things were back on track. lol

 

 

It was a beautiful day on the water. The sun was setting as we headed back to the truck. We talked, we laughed, we made memories that will stay with us forever.

What a day. I'm truly blessed to have this time with him. And very lucky to have this family.

Scott

Pic of the Day

Taken on the first of August at Woodward Ranch, south of Alpine, Tx. You can always count on beautiful sunsets that never disappoint. 

Taken with Nikon D7000.

Trailer Modification

I have this old boat trailer that would make a great kayak trailer, but I ran into a problem. I forgot to learn to weld. So I am trying to figure out a different way to do it. Well, nothing I came up with had the strength that welding would give. Plan B, ask my buddy if he could, and he said sure, no problem. But I know how busy he is. Family, work, side jobs, and of course all the "good pal" stuff. Way too busy for a freebie, but we dropped it off at his house to get in line with all the other "i'll get to when I can" projects. That was a few months ago. Then I had an idea. What about my flatbed trailer? Wait, where is my flatbed trailer? Oh yeah, my brothers house. Off I went. I bought it in 2000, but stopped using for my side job about 5 years ago. He needed it for a weekend and there it has sat for all these years. It needs some minor work and new tires, but overall ready to go.
 I thought of many ideas but settled with a simple design. The kayaks are too long to leave on the floor, so I built it level with the top rail. Kayaks slide on, no bending of the back, and are tied up to straps front and back. There is an eye bolt running through the bottom to attach the straps, and eye bolts on the sides through the frame. Finished project and 20 bucks later. We used it about 6 times so far and it works great. There are some things i'm going to do to it to make it better, like add foam to the boards and paint it, but for now it's perfect.....and simple.

I'll update the photos when I get a shot of it in action.

Scott

*updated photo*