Great Outdoor Blog

by Ashley Williams – GOPC Kayak Fishing Team

Recently I was able to go down to Fort Fisher for the 1st Annual Hook, Line, and Paddle TJM Celebrity Kayak Fishing Tournament. Not only was I competing but I also had the great fortune of being asked to participate as one of the celebrity kayak anglers.

Friday morning a handful of us had decided to pre fish the area to see how things might work out for the following day. Upon arriving at the Federal Point ramp we were welcomed by strong 20-25mph winds from the south. As each person arrived you could hear the groans as they stepped out of their car for the first time. At the edge of the water was a large collection of minnows that were unable to swim against the strong winds. Seeing something like this is highly unusual and makes you put your fishing “thinking cap” on. The thought was that with the bait being pushed against the beach like this it was highly likely that they would also be in the grass out in the flats we planned on fishing. So we all headed out and made our way across the Basin to fish an area commonly known as “Cribbins”.

As we came into the area we split up to divide and conquer. I made may way to the northern section of Cribbins and searched the grass for signs of action. This wind had blown the bait up into the grass similar to the way those were laying up at the ramp. As the sun came up over the beach I poled my Ocean Kayak Trident 13 around the flats searching for redfish and hoping to see some large wakes or rolling that was characteristic of this fish during feeding mode. Being able to stand up in a fishing kayak has its advantages and sight fishing is one of them. But this morning would be a bust as I was unable to find anything more than pinfish and lizardfish chasing bait in the grass.

After regrouping with the others, who had split off to search other areas, we found that no one had located any game fish in the area. Everyone reported the same feisty pinfish and lizardfish chewing up their lures. We checked out a few more areas before stowing our rods away and heading back in. As it was now low tide we were able to get a good idea of the bottom and its layout. We marked a few deep channels that we would return to in the morning. Maybe there would be fish hanging out in them away from the current and wind.

The day of the tournament was not much better than the pre fish. The wind had laid down some but was still gusting around 18mph from the SSW. Not everyone who entered fished at Fort Fisher because the approved fishing grounds stretched all the way up to the north of Wrightsville Beach. A few people launched at Snow’s Cut in Carolina Beach and a handful of others took the short trip to the backside of Masonboro Island from the Trail’s End ramp in Wilmington. The majority decided to stay at Fort Fisher instead of risking missing the weigh in because of a long drive.

6:00 am was the shotgun start for all the anglers. No one could be in the water or fishing before then. The mob at Fort Fisher jumped in for what was a wet trip across the Basin. Fighting the wind and swells wouldn’t have been so bad had the waves not been coming from the SSW. It was a constant barrage of waves over the front right of the kayak that challenged paddling technique, tracking, and clothing. About 20 minutes later I found my way across the Basin and into the fishing area. Out of the 40+ paddlers who left from the ramp I was the second person across. Thanks to the Rod Pod on my Trident 13 all my rods made the trip and stayed nice and dry. My Werner Ikelos helped me maintain my course across the Basin in the high winds.

For me the rest of the morning and early afternoon proved to be a bust. I managed to catch a small flounder which I immediately threw back. I had already gotten word that a 16” flounder had been caught and mine was well below that. After speaking to other anglers in the area it seemed that no one was going to be weighing a redfish in. No one had heard any reports of any being caught. Some had heard about two trout being caught nearby and one trout lost at the side of someone’s kayak earlier in the day. Every continued fishing with hopes of catching the first redfish but only succeeded in feeding lizard fish and croaker.

As I left later on I spoke with a few people and found one with a good size trout that was around 15”. On the return trip across the Basin this same angler managed a 25” redfish on his “one last cast”. Everyone began getting wondering what had been caught elsewhere by those who chose to fish away from Fort Fisher.

At weigh in we were treated to a catered lunch by Middle of the Island catering company. This was one of my favorite places to eat until they closed there doors a few years ago but I was happy to hear they had a catering business up and running. I wonder if they would consider catering for just one person but neglected to ask…

Everyone rushed to beat the 2:00pm deadline for weigh in and the line began to form. Kayak fishing weigh ins are different than the stadium filled, music blaring, and fireworks filled Bass Master type stuff on TV. In fact, there are no stadiums, fireworks, or music (exception being the radio in someone’s car nearby…). Weigh ins are done by catch, photo, and release. Ties are settled by who brought their camera in first. One 1st place prize was determined by a seven minute difference in weigh in times. As I had nothing to show I settled back and spoke to other anglers about their catch and how they caught them. A lot of folks said they had trouble with the lizard fish getting in the way and eating their lures.
The winning redfish came from the very southern bay of Fort Fisher called Buzzards Bay and the other two came from behind Masonboro Island. The flounder came from Fort Fisher and Snow’s Cut. The winning trout came from Fort Fisher (caught by the guy who had lost his first trout at the side of his kayak earlier in the day). Another trout was unable to be measured as something had taken a bite out of it while being reeled in.

After the grand prizes were awarded began the raffle prizes. Lots of good gear had been donated along with gym memberships, sightseeing tours, etc…

It was a good day and I look forward to participating (and doing better) next year. The next tournament for the GOPC KFT will be the TKAA Annual Tournament on September 26th in Virginia Beach. This will be a very large event and has drawn over 100 participants in the past. Hope to see some of you there.

A few weeks back, John Pugh paddled the Neuse River Canoe Trail in a Hurricane Kayaks Santee Expedition 128. On August 27, he will set out to paddle the Neuse River from Falls Lake Dam to New Bern.

Check out the list of the kayaking gear he’ll be taking on the Expedition. He’ll be doing video gear reviews while out on the river! Check out a planning map HERE.

From sourcetosea.net:

As North Carolina’s population continues to increase, the need for adequate protection of its water resources become more acute. Riparian zone restoration, land trusts, enforcement of environmental regulations, and sustainable development are all key components to providing clean water for generations to come. Elevated nitrogen and phosphorous loads from runoff and development and numerous Pfiesteria outbreaks helped put the Neuse on American River’s Ten Most Endangered Rivers List as recently as 2007.

I’ll be paddling the 193 miles from the Fall’s Lake Dam (Raleigh, NC) to New Bern to raise awareness of water quality issues within the Neuse River watershed. The trip will begin August 27, 2009, and I plan to take about 10 days to reach New Bern and the beginning of the Pamlico Sound. On September 6, I’ll also be working with the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation with a public paddling session in New Bern. Details will be posted to the website as they are finalized.

Along the way, I’ll be posting podcasts, photos, and journals to our website. To receive these up-to-the-minute updates of the trip, make sure to subscribe to our website by email or RSS.

Education and Outreach
A number of agencies and organizations will be involved in this effort. If your agency, group, media outlet would like more information, participate in the expedition, or schedule a slideshow after the trip,  please feel free to Contact Us.We are also available to talk to your school and organization about water quality issues, our expedition down the Mississippi River, or John’s thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Groups involved in this Effort

• Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation
• Moore Square Museums Magnet School
• Raleigh Parks and Recreation

by Amanda McGuire, Charlotte Shop

Every August, the sky gets lit up by the Perseid Meteor Shower. In hopes of getting a front row seat, Charlotte Staff members Amanda McGuire, Mike Thulin and Brian Miller joined friends Dre and McCoy, and Brian and Debbie from Tennessee to hike into the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. We traversed Tennent Mountain on the Art Loeb trail, a classic of North Carolina hiking, with plans to camp for the evening in Flower Gap under star-lit skies. Despite a short but soaking rainstorm just before reaching our intended campsite, we enjoyed a beautiful trek through rhododendron stands and grassy balds, and indulged in handfuls of ripe blueberries and blackberries along the trail.

The sky cleared enough to give us a nice evening and a great view of some shooting stars, but growing cloud cover over night blocked the peak of the meteor shower. The next morning brought showers of another kind, rain showers. We woke up to dense fog and the promise of rain, but hot oatmeal with freshly-picked blueberries was enough to keep us our spirits from getting dampened along with our gear. The persistent rain, however, convinced us to abandon plans to retrace our footsteps on the Art Loeb trail, and instead take the faster Ivestor Gap trail back to the trail head. We came back wet and tired and happy, already thinking and planning for the next trip. There is always the Leonid Meteor Shower in November!

View from Flower Gap

Today Trusty enjoyed a local lunch with paddlers Dan and Bethany (D & B). If you’re following their story (dbkayak.com) you are aware that they are now halfway to completing their Maine –Key West paddle trip. Needless to say we were thrilled to spend time with D & B and hear just a few of their tales of adventure. Stories of grueling headwinds, compassionate locals and selling the car seasoned our lunch.

Dan’s credentials stellar. (He is the youngest person ever certified as a ACA Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor.) Bethany, also a certified ACA Instructor is quite a photographer. Check out her photo of Crow Island at http://dbkayak.com/2008/10 and see if you don’t spring up from the desk, sell the car and go paddling. If you stop short of the door, as we had to do in order to pay the mortgage, consider bookmarking their site. You’ll find a world of adventure awaits you there.

You can also follow DBKayak on Facebook & Twitter.

Customer: Dac C.

Destination: Road Trip USA

Distance Traveled :13,661 Miles

Favorite Gear: Petzl Headlamp, MSR Dragonfly Stove, National Park Annual Pass

We’d love to hear your stories & see some pics! Email them or post on our Facebook Fan Page

by Gwen Crabtree

I’m up in Delaware for a short while and found some time this weekend to head to the coast for a kayak lesson and short trip. For the amount of water here I was surprised at the lack of outfitters, but after a bit of searching I settled on Coastal Kayak and signed up for a Bracing and Edging class. The folks there were super nice and very accomodating since I didn’t have any of my gear with me. I even had the privilege of taking the lesson with Mitch, the owner of Coastal Kayak. If anyone is in the area and wants a place to rent or take instruction from, I would highly recommend these folks.

After getting our gear together, we loaded up and went to an area that was a bit less windy. Our location for the morning was the Little Assawoman Bay on the Delaware coast. After a bit of stretching and on-shore instruction, Mitch took us out into some of the tidal creeks to show us the finer points of edging and bracing sea kayaks. I already had some practice with these techniques, but Mitch did a great job of expanding my knowledge and cleaning up some of the bad habits I had started to form. After the lesson was over, I thought we were simply going to load up the boats and head back to the shop, but Mitch generously offered to let us paddle back. He was even surprised when we showed back as quick as we did. This was a great offer considering we only paid $50 for the 2 hour lesson and this included all the gear.

Beautiful nature photos from North Carolina have inspired generations of people to be better stewards of our precious natural resources. Excellent wildlife photography taken in state parks and other conservation lands across the Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain has been the cornerstone of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine and of exhibits at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences for many decades

The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition aims to encourage people to participate in nature photography, thereby fostering greater understanding and appreciation of North Carolina’s wildlife and wild places. Winning photographs will be published in the January 2010 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina. Thanks to our exhibition sponsor, JW Photo Labs of Raleigh, the winners will also be exhibited at the Museum of Natural Sciences and at other science museums and wildlife education centers across the state in 2010.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. on June 1, 2009. Entries must be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.

Great Outdoor Provision Co. is proud to be the corporate sponsor of the competition.

Photos will be judged in 10 categories:

• Birds
• Mammals
• Reptiles and Amphibians
• Invertebrates
• Peaks, Valleys and Plains: Our landscape category.
• Wild Plants: Wild-growing plants only, including their flowers, leaves, fruits and other parts. Absolutely no cultivated plants will be accepted. Mushrooms and other fungi should be entered in this category.
• Outdoor Recreation: Show how people interact with North Carolina’s natural world through activities that are inextricably linked to nature, such as hunting, fishing, hiking, rock climbing or canoeing.
• Animal Behavior: Anything animals do, from everyday activities to interactions with other animals to unusual behavior.
• Youth Photographer, 13–17: Any of the above subjects, shot by photographers under 18.
• Youth Photographer, 12 and under: Any of the above subjects, shot by children 12 and younger.

Joe Miller (of N&O Fame) has a new blog. Here’s the scoop:

Hiking, biking, paddling, climbing – you can do it all in the Triangle and North Carolina. So the question isn’t “Can I do it?”, it’s “Where can I find out where I can do it?” TakeItOutsideNC.com will be your first stop when planning a North Carolina adventure. Click on a particular adventure and we’ll give you a snapshot of the opportunities available. If there’s a Web site that already does a great job of covering a topic, we’ll send you there directly. If not, we’ll tell you what you need to know. We’ll also keep you updated on the latest news and upcoming events. And we’ll share adventures from the field, both ours and yours, because there’s no better way to get a feel for an adventure than to hear from someone who’s done it.

by Gwen Crabtree, Charlotte Staff

Having kayaked Landsford Canal State Park, SC earlier this week, I decided to invite some more folks to share the experience with me. Every year, between late May and early June, this park draws people who come to view one of the largest colonies of rocky shoals spider lilies. This Memorial Day weekend was no different; the park was packed with hikers, picnickers, and boaters. After unloading the boats and shuttling vehicles around for the take-out, we geared up and discussed the planned route.

With everyone in their kayaks we put in and played around a bit to give everyone an opportunity to settle into their boats. Today I was in the new Jackson crossover kayak, the All Water 9; designed for flatwater and whitewater, Jackson touts the All Water as a “do-all” kayak. Initially I was a little concerned about fit in the kayak since I’m on the upper end of the weight range for the All Water 9. Whatever concerns I had quickly went away once I was in the boat and on the water.

Boasting Jackson’s Sweet Cheek seat and their simple, but effective backband system, this kayak is comfortable. It has enough of a whitewater feel for beginners to expand their whitewater skills and enough of a flatwater feel that it simply doesn’t suck on slow moving sections. The All Water 9 was just as fast on the slower sections as some of the 12 and 13 foot kayaks in our group. However, the AW was more nimble and less prone to hanging up on rocks in the shallower sections of the river.

If you are looking for a kayak that can handle a variety of kayaking situations then this kayak may be just your ticket.

by Gwen Crabtree, Charlotte Staff

I took the opportunity to kayak at Landsford Canal State Park this afternoon to check out the spider lillies and get in some time on moving water. I’m still new to the moving water side of kayaking and really enjoyed the trip because it gave me a chance to practice some whitewater skills. The lillies are in full bloom and the view is great from a kayak.

My ride today was the new Pyranah Fusion, their latest crossover kayak designed for Class III+ and flatwater paddling. The kayak was very forgiving and handled the trip quite well. I really dig the hatch, which stayed nice and dry when I managed to swim once after setting up very poorly on a rapid.