Eric

Thanks for the heads-up Mike. I took a ride out there during lunch today and brought the long lens. The sun and 'warmup' had the bald eagles active. Saw a few juveniles and a few adults, but all too far away or moving too fast to accurately capture. Did see one brave soul out slingin' for muskie. The sun was nice but the cold breeze was relentless. The Fox sure is iced-up in slower areas! Spotted a few dozen large gizzard shad milling about in sun-soaked open water.

It's really beautiful stuff. Loved the tarpon 'action shots!' Great photography throughout.

Wow. Someone put a lot of love into designing that issue. Some of the photography is downright gorgeous. Thanks for sharing Colt.

Welcome and there is good company here for you -- lots of knowledgeable smallmouth fishermen and fly casters.

I saw a cool In-Fisherman a few weeks ago where Doug Stange was demonstrating a neat tactic for finicky suspending smallmouth. (Think it was late autumn.) He used a small stick worm wacky-rigged with a circle hook on light line suspended about three feet below a hookless topwater popper lure. He'd use the popper for the "bloop" to draw the curious smallmouth in and then they'd see the suspended stick worm twitch and nail it. He said you can use rattling floats too -- the smallmouth is very curious by nature and will move in to investigate a sound. The whole thing made sense as a combination sound/sight finesse presentation.

The printer mailed them around August 26. Can you PM me your full name and I'll check to ensure you are in the member database?

They need to make one with a sweet graphic of a baitcaster on it!

Gary is a cool and humble dude. We both like high water conditions and also early spring and late fall -- glove weather. That's mostly when we cross paths. Sometimes we cat and mouse trying to beat eachother to the good spots! I spotted you in St. Chuck with the 'wonder pole' as the floodwaters of spring were receeding. You gotta figure out how to have your show screen at the Arcada with an after party at the Thirsty Fox. He he.

Thought that "River" was the Spongebob font at first. Kinda grew on me though -- a bit hokey and homemade. I agree on the soundtrack and great voiceover too!

Think "River Rats" started out as the "Brown Water Navy" -- patrol boats in Vietnam. (Gary Lange, where are you?) If you do a Google image search on River Rats you get some cool results from all over. The artwork created by the legendary Ed "Big Daddy" Roth for Vietnam is interesting to flip through: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coop666/2576328355/in/set-72157605594959854

I like the whiskey label look (#1) with some refinement. All caps typically wraps / kerns cleaner along a curve. Take the edge off the sophistication by adding a little grit. Make it slightly worn looking and not so perfect. Let's see it in reverse (white on black) like a JD label. Keep the Fox rusty. Great start. Dig the Fox. There's some flexibility in that design to swap it out with other stuff. Fly reel, flathead cat, turtle, lure, etc. Don't over-knit-pick your vid. The work is solid.

Sam that totally kicks ass! Great videography, editing, effects. Finally something that does the Fox justice. Great work!

I agree, great issue and thanks to all who submitted content! ;-)

Some interesting reading on tourneys. We're not a tourney-focused club, but for you DIY folks: http://www.rapidmedia.com/skills-kayak-fishing/item/1648-host-your-own-tournament.html

Good for you! ISA member?

My Jackson Kayak Cuda had left and right notches to hold the paddle and keep it from rolling. Was a nice feature and made it quick and easy to swap the paddle for the rod. Surprised more manufacturers don't pickup on it. You're right on the paddle leash. I could use one.

Sorry to hear that it has been kind of a bummer with the new boat Gordon. Yeah, the Diablo boats, etc. look nice too. It's all good as long as you use 'em and catch some fish!

You gotta throw that shirtless on at least a 7' Ugly Stik!

Good looking boat. Clean. Classic how you captured the little tyke tooling around in the background!

Removal is great if you have the manpower. Flow is a good thing. Undoubtedly any log jam is someone's favorite spot or catfish hole, so opinions may vary.

I'll be there at some point, whether early fishing solo or later with the kids.

To help curb kayak paddle roll as you're fishing (especially frustrating on windy days), pull the paddle's rubber drip guards in and synch them tight against both sides of the kayak. That will help a lot and you'll still have it handy to dip once in a while to maintain position. Put the drip guards back near the blades when not fishing and doing more paddling. It's not perfect, but can help to ease some of the frustration and keep you focused on the fish. Wish all manufacturers would get a clue and notch each side of the boat so the paddle can lay still, directly in front of the user.

The K3 tends to have a much higher flow (CFS) than our other local rivers. Those unfamiliar with it should be very careful drifting with a low anchor. You grab in the wrong spot, at a fast flow, and you just might get dumped. Just saying to those that are new, be careful.

The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 was established to preserve Canada geese. Interpretation and enforcement of that is a whole other issue.

If I'm in a slump while paddling, I try to look for areas that the typical angler cannot reach or may overlook. The beauty of floating is the ease of mobility and how quickly you can check different types of areas. Extremes like very shallow, deep, fast or snag-laden are fun to ply. Everyone fishes the textbook stuff. Often times an area that doesn't "look good" just might hold an active, unpressured fish or two. Look for the overlooked. On pressured waters, location and timing make all the difference. Try to get out on weekdays when there is less competition. If limited to weekends, go early and/or late. If you already go early, go earlier. My summer river kit contains a Sammy, a Zara Spook, a buzzbait, a shallow-running crayfish crankbait and some 5" hula grubs and slider heads. I don't carry the kitchen sink and often times you'll find me with only one or two of the lures mentioned above.