Wales trip May 2013

Myself and Mark headed over to Wales to meet up with a few lads from the North West we arrived on Thursday and had to be home by Sunday and the others were arriving Friday and staying until Monday the forecasts were all over the place apart from the Thursday so on arriving we headed straight out for an experimental session

Paddling out in scorching heat and the clearest sea I have ever seen it was great paddling over the rocks and even being able to see Bass as we passed over them.




Once anchored up in our chosen spot we both sent a big Tope bait down in the tide and fished a lighter rod with smaller baits for other species

I didnt have to wait long for the light rod to start nodding and soon had the first of many Dogfish aboard with Mark getting stuck into the Doggies also non stop action until the Tope rod screamed off I picked it up and waited for the second run which came with a real wrench on the rod so engaged the spool and the fish ran straight through the rocks slicing the braid gutted but at least Mr Tope was home! and gave me a small taste of the power of these fish.


I carried on catching the dog fish and the Tope rod would give the odd small tap and slow buzz on the baitrunner and then it wrenched and screamed again so I quickly wound the 2nd rod in and held the Tope rod and it tore off tightened into it but nothing there.

Getting low on bait for this short experimental session I only fished with the Tope rod still getting the odd Doggie on the big baits and still getting some very fickle pick ups from Huss or Tope and then it Happened a scorching run followed straight after by another as soon as I engaged the spool of the Baitrunner the rod arched over and I was into something with extreme speed and power I like fishing light and could get away with a 3 oz lead and light braid so was in my element battling with whatever was on the end after some long runs down tide it shot uptide under the kayak so I passed the rod around the bow (good reason to use longer rods IMHO) and as soon as I had done so it turned back down tide leaning the Kayak quite far over to say the least but at least it was heading away from my anchor line as the fish (and me) began to tire I saw it in the crystal clear water and the sight will stay with me forever I could see the Tope with my Mackerel bait in its mouth being shadowed by another Tope and a 3rd Tope circling the pair AWESOME! Pity my GoPro froze when I turned it on to record again!!!!! at this point Mark released from his anchor came alongside to get some pics so after it appeared to be ready I brought it along side and was determined to get it on board for some pics much to Marks looks of are you mad!! 



But soon had it aboard where it promptly went mad trying to bite my knee fishfinder mount kayak and Marks kayak  flipped it over on to its back to calm it down (it didn't) so just got on with the unhooking big circle in the corner of the mouth was a straight forward job and with hardly any reviving it was ready to go no worse for wear using 150lb mono trace so no damage caused by wire and so chuffed to see it swimming away strongly Target achieved






Mark anchored up again and after an hour or so I heard a good scream not a reel though just Mark  as he bent into a run I quickly ditched anchor and went to assist and take pics


after a hell of a fight Mark saw the fish and was gob smacked to see the Tope appearing from the depths cant remember the exact words but made me chuckle and after several more runs we could see why it was fighting so much it was hooked outside of the mouth so difficult to control after grabbing the trace I asked Mark if he was getting it on board which he was so rafted up with him but as the fish dived again the hook pulled free so no on board shots  of this one


unfortunately the weather turned for the worse after this very short session so when the other lads arrived we were limited to playing around in the building swell but Hopefully the other lads will get out fishing tomorrow or Monday I will be back again though a stunning place








A lot of pics and hope you enjoy the read I'm sure the other lads will add to it when they can
Andy

Today’s trip out 09/02/2013

I snook out for a quick Kayak trip today the sea had dropped away quite a bit overnight so decided to launch at Marske at around 11am into a nice sea a bit lumpy at times but perfectly do able
I managed a video of the launch for any new starters to have a look at see what they can expect once up and running
http://youtu.be/e92U257PG-U
Once out past the breakers I anchored up in quite a lumpy sea and the tide was running strong and coloured all looked good after a little while the rod tip started to rattle away with a steady stream of increasingly bigger whiting coming aboard




After bringing a dozen or so of these it went quiet and I contemplated heading in as my toes and fingers were a bit numb decided to reel in as I started to wind in I was locked solid over sand? then it thumped and stripped a few yards of line a Ray must have been laid on but the hook pulled shortly after so I quickly re-baited and sent it back to the same spot less than a minute later the rod gave the gentle rustle and tell tale taps of a ray bite I let it develop and hit into it this felt a very big fish but it was hard to tell with the tide pushing hard but sadly I lost this one before it broke the surface by this time it was getting very cold out there so called it a day and prepared for the landing.
I had to get the landing right as the many dog walkers and families out walking on the beach were looking at the mad man in the sea
Captured it on video
http://youtu.be/au6dx2ILXnc?t=3m43s
Safely back on the beach but need to get out more often my paddle fitness has all but disappeared

Andy

 

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A great start to the year thanks to Fi and the team at 1st wet & wild

We have great pleasure in naming Andy Money as our kayak angling representative for the 2013 season.
It has become obvious to us that Andy has done a great deal for kayak angling over the last year or so, his catch reports are first class, he's always one of the first to assist new members and his endless enthusiasm for the sport seems to have no bounds.
We here at 1stWet&Wild are delighted to have Andy aboard and endeavour to encourage and assist him to carry on as an ambassador to kayak angling on our coast.
Keep up the great work Andy
Fi and the team..

1st paddle of the year

Managed to get my first paddle of the year in today launched at Marske at 9:30 and was joined by Davo not the best forecast but still not bad for January.
Got out to my chosen mark and dropped anchor and we didn't have to wait long for the Dabs to come on the feed hard with Dave landing countless good sized Dabs
I struggled with just a few small rattles but eventually connected with my first fish of the year

at 4lb 14oz
Really strong fish these Rays and this one kept raising itself up on its wings when brought aboard

Then the Dabs found my bait and it was hard to keep a bait down longer than a few seconds but did manage a small Thornie on my light outfit fought well on a 10-30g rod


after a lot more jumbo Dabs I hooked into what felt like a really good Thornie but it was on the light outfit again but it spat the hook out and dont think it knew it was even hooked gutted.
A small part of Daves haul of Dabs

A really enjoyable short winter session

Stealth Supalite X

I have recently bought a Stealth Supalite X Fibre glass fishing Kayak this kayak is designed to deal with the big surf conditions in South Africa and as a lot of my fishing involves surf landings and launches I thought it would suit my needs and possibly enable me to get out or more importantly in when conditions rough up a bit.
The quick specifications are:
Perfect For Tough Surf Launches
Fast Gliding Abilities
International Standards Safety Buoyancy Complaint
(L) 4.3m x (W) 0.63m
Weight - 25KG
Angler Weight 120KG - Maximum Load 170KG  


On the first session paddling the Supalite X in some small surf it felt strange sitting high up compared to my Dorado but after a bit of practice I was surfing the waves right the way into the beach without any problems and climbing up over them paddling out was great as the bow has a pronounced curve to it which enables the kayak to ride up and over the breakers and not cut through them as much as a sharper bowed Kayak

Then it was time to paddle out into the deeper water to do some self rescues which was very easy and requires little effort to re board even with some rollers bearing down on me

The next session was to be a short fishing session to see how the kayak faired at anchor no problems here either there was a little bit of noise as the chop hit the squared off stern but that was to be expected and as I had not yet fit a cleat to prevent the trolley from sliding back towards me it kept creeping back which lead to me being side on to the tide for a short while now and again but no trouble and easily fixed
The kayak paddles a lot faster than I would have thought all be it in decent conditions but not a lot slower than my other Kayak could be different in a strong headwind though
After the first few outings I did some modifications to the foot pedals as they needed adjusting for me as my knees were much to high affecting balance and also interfering with my paddle stroke so a morning spent with a hacksaw,drill,tape measure and some heat shrink tubing and I managed to extend the legroom to suit my needs which transformed the kayak 100% and was a lot comfier and more controllable in the waves.
Also the kayak comes as standard with velcro foot straps which I think would be great in warmer climates where you paddle in bare feet but I felt it could become a potential foot trap when wearing neoprene boots so removed them from mine which was a simple job.
The storage on the Stealth Kayaks is massive allowing me to store my C-Tug,Spare paddle and all of my gear plus rods even my 7' 6" one piece without a problem and with room to spare plus a hatch behind the seat




The small hatch at the stern is for accessing the rudder assembly


I have fit a rear anchor trolley which was easily done and utilises some of the original fittings only needing to add one extra pad eye which is only there to guide the bungee and also one cleat the main strain on the trolley will be taken on the original reinforced fittings





The cleat to lock the anchor

Also mounted a compass, scotty mount and gps mount
The fish finder install requires a little bit of work and thought as the stealths are twin skinned so mounting a transducer means you need to gain access to the hull otherwise the transducer would just be firing into a void between the inner skin and the hull the best way to do this was to install a hatch inside the fish hatch and then a marine gland to feed the cable for the transducer through you could always put the battery between the two skins but I think mine will be going in the main hatch

Not the easiest job to do as its tricky working in the confines of the hatch but well worth it when its complete
Then the head unit I am mounting using velcro pads two benefits to this method no drilling and also easy to remove so you have a clear deck either once at anchor so a fish cant knock it off or when returning through the surf the deck is totally clear so no chance of snapping the mount if you get wiped out
The cables can just be trapped under the edge of the fish hatch might need to notch out a little bit to allow them space
I used a thick piece of plastic chopping board and cut a template of the fish finder base out and screwed the mount to this which made a nice surface to attach the velcro to


And then it just needed a second pad on the hatch lid for the base to stick to

Once I had modified the foot pedals I took it out to test it in the sort of conditions it is designed for and was filled with confidence with the way it performed superb riding up and over the breakers and also really good fun riding them back in again with the bow being broader and very buoyant it doesn't bury its nose on a steep wave it just pushes on and out rides the wave in and keeps a straighter line with a bit of practice

The Supalite has fixed skeg and rudder at the rear which I thought could be a problem as its not retractable but can honestly say its not been an issue either in the shallows or dragging the kayak out of the water

As the Kayaks are built to order in South Africa there is a wait from ordering to delivery but this does mean you can pick your own colour design and extra fittings hatches,rod holders for no extra cost and for the quality of Kayak the cost is very reasonable IMHO
I know after speaking with Chris who Imports the Stealth Kayaks the shipments should be getting more frequent by next year
Full details of the Stealth Kayaks can be found here:
http://www.stealthkayaks.co.uk/
Chris Really is a helpful bloke and knows his stuff about the kayaks in the range and also knows a thing or two about rigging them
Hope this is of help to some people when trying to decide on a kayak and anything I've missed I will add to this post at a later date

 

Andy