My first kayak fishing trip of the season was excellent! The weather was perfect, it was a windless and beautiful 20°C evening on Star Lake. I usually reserve the first trip out as a shakedown trip. It’s an opportunity for me to knock the rust off my kayak skills and try out some new gear that found its way into my garage over the winter.
This season I decided to try out the kayak Anchor Wizard. For the last few years I’ve anchored with a traditional trolley system and I can’t say that I’ve ever liked using it. Managing 50 feet of paracord and an anchor on your deck and lap gets old real quickly. Tangles happen every time, the line gets caught in hooks, rod holders, as well as my PFD. I like to think I’m pretty efficient with my deck space while out on the water, but the anchor line proved to be too much for my patience.
The lake was very calm and deploying my anchor in 20 feet of water was as easy as twisting the handle. Anchor Wizard has definitely found a way to package up convenience! I won’t know how it handles rough or deep water until I start walleye fishing, but you can expect a full review near the end of the season.
Star Lake was recently stocked and the small rainbow trout were schooled up in the shallows feeding on midges like crazy. They proved to be difficult to catch though, likely because of the abundance of food. But more likely it was because I forgot a fly box and didn’t have a midge to imitate.
The second Thursday of each month is the traditional meetup time of our local kayak fishing group. We’re a loose bunch of kayak fishing enthusiasts – no rules, no membership, not much fishing either. It’s just an excuse for us to get together and go fishing every month!
I was happy to see the two newest Old Town Canoes Pro Staff Team members at the lake when I arrived. HuyFishin and ForFishSakes recently joined Old Town and I couldn’t be more excited to have some excellent Canadian anglers on the team!
I spent most of the evening cruising around the lake with the pedal drive, knocking the rust off my fly casting, and taking pictures with my new camera. It definitely wasn’t an honest fishing effort, but one of the best parts of pedal drives is pedaling around and sightseeing. I find pedal drive kayaks more fun than riding a bike or going for a hike. If you haven’t had a chance to try a pedal drive out, hit me up! I’d be happy to demo it the next time I’m out.
For my next trip, I have my sights set on the first WCKFT event – Trout on the Fly.
Hope to see you there!
Always a great write up mate, I always look forward to your next report.
Thanks bud, I’m glad you liked it! You’re probably just saying that because you made your photo debut!