I've thought about doing a blog for a number of years but who was I to be so conceited as to think I had anything to share with the world at large that would be of interest to those unknown faces out there.
Last year my brother encouraged me to share my experiences of fishing and kayaking. I considered this for a few days but while I knew I loved kayaking, I wasn't sure if fishing would 'stick'. After all, I only decided to give the fishing a try when it was suggested to me by my mother when she saw this big, fancy fishing kayak. I figured the fishing would give that extra excuse to get out in the kayak when the conditions were not conducive to photography or I just plain got tired of paddling the same old lake. Little did I know that the enjoyment from fishing would take precedence over the joy of kayaking.
I hadn't fished since I was a girl going with my Dad to Kahle Lake during the Bluegill spawn. What could beat catching my limit and more, culling for only the largest. Well maybe going to the pond, a mile through the woods, with my big brother and then cooking our catch over an open campfire-half burnt, half raw.
Somehow those memories faded and as an adult I didn't understand the pleasure, not to mention the stress relief, that fishing can bring. This changed from the first moment I went to the lake with the old rod and reels and the tackle box that my Uncle Bob gave me. The amazing thing is it didn't seem to matter that I wasn't catching any fish...I still had a great time. Each new skill- casting, casting without getting snarls in my reel, tying consistent, strong knots-brought its own reward. Of course, I really did want to catch an actual fish. And it was a really long time before I caught anything...like over a month.
Well, I did finally start to catch some fish...about the time the water actually warmed up enough for the fish to come out of their deep winter holes and in closer to the shoreline to start the spawning ritual. That first bluegill was awesome. From that time on I didn't come home without a collection of pictures and/or panfish. Still as I paddled around or fished from shore I saw people catching crappies and even bass. Not so for me! Finally, about a week into June, I was fishing standing in the shallows (too windy for kayak fishing) and I hooked into something much stronger than the panfish I had been catching. I reeled it in and jeez...it was a nice 16" largemouth. But heck, just one more week and it would have been in season. It was several more weeks before I started learning what would work in catching these and after that a day didn't pass without a nice catch...sometimes catch and release, sometimes for the dinner table.
Closer to fall my big brother, who had been encouraging me to learn fly fishing, sent me a fly rod and I started to learn some basic skills with it. Fortunately he sent me some flies and the bass and panfish cooperated in throwing themselves on the hook. Later I even braved the local trout stream...away from any laughing eyes, and managed to catch a couple of (baby) trout and losing a really nice sized one. A trip to Texas and some personal lessons from same big brother greatly improved my casting skills and gave me the opportunity to try some of the surprisingly great urban fishing in the Dallas metroplex area.
Now fishing season is over...the lake is frozen over and I'm wishing I had recorded my experiences as they had occurred. One of the biggest things that struck me was the scarcity of women fishing, much less kayak fishing. Those that were fishing were there with their husband/boyfriend. One of my goals with this blog is to hopefully motivate other women to take up the sport of kayak fishing and find out how liberating and enjoyable it is.
Last year my brother encouraged me to share my experiences of fishing and kayaking. I considered this for a few days but while I knew I loved kayaking, I wasn't sure if fishing would 'stick'. After all, I only decided to give the fishing a try when it was suggested to me by my mother when she saw this big, fancy fishing kayak. I figured the fishing would give that extra excuse to get out in the kayak when the conditions were not conducive to photography or I just plain got tired of paddling the same old lake. Little did I know that the enjoyment from fishing would take precedence over the joy of kayaking.
I hadn't fished since I was a girl going with my Dad to Kahle Lake during the Bluegill spawn. What could beat catching my limit and more, culling for only the largest. Well maybe going to the pond, a mile through the woods, with my big brother and then cooking our catch over an open campfire-half burnt, half raw.
Somehow those memories faded and as an adult I didn't understand the pleasure, not to mention the stress relief, that fishing can bring. This changed from the first moment I went to the lake with the old rod and reels and the tackle box that my Uncle Bob gave me. The amazing thing is it didn't seem to matter that I wasn't catching any fish...I still had a great time. Each new skill- casting, casting without getting snarls in my reel, tying consistent, strong knots-brought its own reward. Of course, I really did want to catch an actual fish. And it was a really long time before I caught anything...like over a month.
Well, I did finally start to catch some fish...about the time the water actually warmed up enough for the fish to come out of their deep winter holes and in closer to the shoreline to start the spawning ritual. That first bluegill was awesome. From that time on I didn't come home without a collection of pictures and/or panfish. Still as I paddled around or fished from shore I saw people catching crappies and even bass. Not so for me! Finally, about a week into June, I was fishing standing in the shallows (too windy for kayak fishing) and I hooked into something much stronger than the panfish I had been catching. I reeled it in and jeez...it was a nice 16" largemouth. But heck, just one more week and it would have been in season. It was several more weeks before I started learning what would work in catching these and after that a day didn't pass without a nice catch...sometimes catch and release, sometimes for the dinner table.
Closer to fall my big brother, who had been encouraging me to learn fly fishing, sent me a fly rod and I started to learn some basic skills with it. Fortunately he sent me some flies and the bass and panfish cooperated in throwing themselves on the hook. Later I even braved the local trout stream...away from any laughing eyes, and managed to catch a couple of (baby) trout and losing a really nice sized one. A trip to Texas and some personal lessons from same big brother greatly improved my casting skills and gave me the opportunity to try some of the surprisingly great urban fishing in the Dallas metroplex area.
Now fishing season is over...the lake is frozen over and I'm wishing I had recorded my experiences as they had occurred. One of the biggest things that struck me was the scarcity of women fishing, much less kayak fishing. Those that were fishing were there with their husband/boyfriend. One of my goals with this blog is to hopefully motivate other women to take up the sport of kayak fishing and find out how liberating and enjoyable it is.
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