Preparing for the 2013 Tournament Season

The new year is almost upon us, closing out the 2012 fishing year has been a lot of fun and has taken me to a new level of fishing. This will be the first year where tournaments do not include the loading of 30 fishing rods into lockers, hoarding up every lure I have ever purchased, and filling the outboard tank with a couple hundred bucks worth of fuel.

Preparing for a tournament season from a kayak is something totally new, that is why I am starting this task so far in advance. Looking forward to the schedules for the upcoming season, there are still a few tournament groups that are still working out the final details.
    
I plan to fish tournaments with a few groups this year, one being something I have never tried and that is a catfish tournament series held by HillJack Catfishing. This will be a totally new experience for myself as well as the first year they have offered a kayak division.  I have there schedule up on a previous post. Check it out, most tournaments are within an hour of the Columbus Ga. area and the kayak division is being sponsered by The Outside World in Columbus. www.hilljackcatfishing.com
 

 Southern Kayak Anglers has been known for putting on some of the best competitive kayak fishing in the country, the roster they boast are some top notch anglers. Its going to be fun to fish against and get to know these guys this season. Last year had some sweet locations backed up with a couple of online tournaments. A few locations they have posted for the 13 season are Stone Mtn., Chatuge, and Brush Creek. www.southernkayakanglers.com  www.facebook.com/southernkayakanglers

 
Another huge event this coming year will be the Kayak Bass Fishing Open. This event is going to be held on March 14 and 15th. The location is Santee Cooper near Monchs Corner South Carolina. Expected trunout is over 200 yaks, making this an event to be fished. They are putting up some sweet incentives to come and take part. The winner is qualified for the KBF Invitational where the 1st place is $50,000. Some awesome sponsors have also stepped up to bat for this one. www.kayakbassfishing.com

Kayak Wars will also be on the agenda this year. I think this will be an opportunity to grow as an all around angler, as the species for freshwater fish stretch beyond the bass. The immediate surrounding areas that I fish are full of opportunity to score well in this format. The 100% CPR tournament will include bass, catfish, gar, crappie and other freshwater game fish. The tournament last for the majority of the year and has team and individual rankings. www.kayakwars.com

Chasing the Night Bite

Kayak fishing after the sun goes down is some of the coolest fishing you can do. The "stealth mode" is amplified so many times over. You will have the opportunity to catch some large fish and see some of the waters you visit during the daylight hours in a totally new perspective.
This summer has presented ample opportunity to hit the waters during the night. Working a late shift at work, lack of free time in daylight hours, and the overall "itch" to feel the line peeling off the reel has made the night fishing a more common experience.

 

 

The first thing when planing on hitting the water after dark, please be safe. An all round white light is required and its totally necessary. It will have almost no effect on your fishing, but does help other boaters know you are there. You defiantly don't want to be hit by a passing boat. There are several companies that make these light for kayaks, they are battery powered so there is no need for hard wiring. http://kayakfishinggear.com/lightsandlighting.aspx

 

 

 

Some other items you will need that you would normally not pack on a daytime trip would be other forms of light. I have a headlampe that is made by energizer, I prefer this one because it has two settings red and white lights, the reason I choose this one is because you don't have to cycle through settings to turn the light on and off. I also pack a superbright compact flashlight, your sense of hearing will amplify when your vision is not as strong in the dark conditions, that being said you will hear other wildlife on the shore. Its nice to watch deer or be able to see beavers swim by.

 

Now on to the fishing techniques, I will fish the same areas that I fish in the daytime, because I am famalier with the area and know they usually hold fish. I will always have a texas rig with some sort of dark, usually black, worm. My choice as of lately has been a black and blue zoom paddle tail. A topwater bait is a good choice to have at night as well. You can't see the strike of a topwater lure, so the feeling through the rod and hearing the action is crazy exciting. My personal favorite is a black on black buzzbait called the cavitron, its a buzzbait that can be retrieved super slow and makes a squeaking noise that other lures don't.

 

 

 

Dock lights also hold fish really well. This can be a really sweet way to catch fish because when you set the hook you can acatually the silhouette of the bass turning to make a run. I like to use a 3/8 oz shakey head for this because it sinks slowly and most of the strikes will come on the fall. Find yourself a string of lights that come on everynight and you can have some solid fishing.

 

 

The fishing before and after dark have a lot in common, but are also extremly different. It can be the most serene and relaxing, but most exciting fishing all at the same time. It will definatly sharpen your sences and I think it has improved my ability for "feel" during the day.

 

Give it a shot. Post some photos on the Backwater Kayak Anglers Facebook Page.

 

 



HillJack Catfish Tournament Schedule 2013

I know the website says "Kayak Fishing for Trophy Bass," but hey who dosn't like catching some catfish everynow and then. This is the schedule for the HillJack Catfish Tournaments 2013. They have a newly added kayak division that will be CPR (Catch, Photo, Release) with digital scales and an identifier in the picture required. The Outside World in Columbus GA will be the main kayak sponser. The tournament layout is set up and looks like its going to be a ton of fun.