- IF4, International Fly Fishing Film Tour, a special Saltwater Cut for us here in Florida.
- Very Cool trick try this it works awesome.
- Dragon Fly paddle boards in South Carolina Show this weekend.
- Real truth about SOPA
- Natural Laws
- Clay Dyer, can’t help but to be inspired by this guy
- Invisible to the Naked eye water proofing you iphone
- Tuna gets over $700,000 at the fish market
- Real Cyclops Shark found
- White Pelican eating a pigeon
Adrian Correa
His first Love.. a new Kayak Angler Addicts Report and my quick Vid review of The Adios Kayak
My good friend Kapers has been a wade fisherman since growing up here in St.Petersburg, FL. He recently starting getting into kayak angling and through the HCKAClub, he has learned a wealth of kayak angling knowledge.
Kapers has been hiring kayak guides to learn how to fish different areas and target fish other than redfish. Well a few weeks back he called me to join him on a trip with PhatFish Kayak Charters Guide Derik Burgos to catch what he had never seen in person….The Linesider aka Snook.
We also had the chance to paddle the “Adios” by Diablo Paddlesports
here is a quick review ( 1st part)I did, to give you my insight about this Kayak.
Also here is a report as a virgin who had his snook cherry popped would write 
My First by: Kapers
My First. I’m sure you all remember your 1st. Your 1st Kiss your 1st love, your 1st car, your 1st Kayak. The list could go on and on. But I’m here to talk about my 1st. I haven’t had alot of time to fish lately this thing called life has kept me off of the water and from doing what most of us here love to do and that’s fish. Yet again I found myself contemplating on where to go. I knew where to go if i wanted to get on red fish or trout. But my heart longed for the young lady that’s affectionately known as a line sider aka Snook.
In my 25 plus years of fishing all across Florida I have yet to have 1 of those young ladies grace me with a bite. I knew if I wanted to have a close encounter I 1st needed to learn how to woo , tempt and catch the eye of young lady that so many are after. I knew i needed to bring my A game. Which apparently I did not possess. So I reached out to Derick Burgos of Phatfish Kayak Charters with the hopes of learning the skills to lure the prize that I have sought after for so many years. I heard he knew what it took to lure such a beauty our way. He agreed to take me out and teach me his ways.
We arrived out our destination around 7am on April 17th. It was an out going tide the water temps and weather were perfect. We launched the Diablo kayaks and swiftly arrived at the spot that may be holding fish. After some brief coaching As instructed i cast my line with excitement towards the mangroves. As the lure hit the water all i heard was “nope” reel it in and try again. Cast to the mangroves I was instructed to do…And i simply replied if I cast any closer Im going to get hung up on the branches. “If you’ve never gotten hung up before then you’ve never fished the mangroves” I was told. I mumbled underneath breath and let out a sigh and cast towards the mangroves. Just like i predicted in the bush my lure went. I retrieved the lure back and was instructed to do it again. This occurred 3 more times and each time I got the same response “ again” .
I felt like the karate kid and Derick was Mr. Miagi. On the 4th cast the lure gently landed in the water just under the mangroves. “Now you’ve learned how to control casting distance and lure placement” . Thank God for polarized shades because if he couldve seen the look in my eyes , lol.. Cast after cast my lure hit the so called “sweet spot” and i worked it as instructed. Still mumbling under my breath “I know how to fish “ Then out of nowhere zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Yup just that long. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz lol. My heart started racing with excitement with the hopes that this was the prize I’ve so longed for. As the fish exited the water shaking her head leap after leap , I wanted to scream with excitement. But i opted to giggle like a little girl. Within minutes she was landed and safely in my hands. This was repeated a few more times but I just couldn’t manage to get them to the Diablo, but it was still an amazing trip.
I learned 2 things that day. 1) how to fish for snook in the mangroves 2) instruction is needed sometimes in life whether we like it or not there is always something to be learned from another. To some of you catching snook on a regular basis is the norm. But for me she was my 1st and i will never forget that. I end this by Thanking an amazing guide Derick Burgos and to the members of the Hardcore Kayak Anglers Club for allowing me the opportunity to learn from you.
Here are a few photos taken by Adrian (Dayumson):
You’ll have to stay tuned to see this…………..
Kayak angling from another Kingdom
I thought I would share this report by a fellow Hardcore Kayak Anglers Club member. His name is Robert and is known as “Scrumpy” and he hails from the United Kingdom. He always posts some interesting reports with great scenic photography and some interesting species of fish that is caught. It’s nice to see how people from around the world spend there time fishing. This is one to check out:
Another day on the Channel
by Scrumpy
I’d managed to book a pound of fresh lworm from the tackle shop. High water was 5pm and I was running a little late… Nigel Mansell has nothing on me 
I was on the beach ready to launch shortly after 1pm. The tides had off the neaps and the forecast movement was 10.1m
Conditions were just about ideal, not too far from millpond conditions, though these were actually achieved later in the day. I paddled straight out into deeper water until I found a good run of tide before turning and paddling eastwards for almost two miles. I was anchored up about a mile offshore with baits in the water by 2pm. Baits for the day were either lugworm and squid or mackerel and squid, both mounted on a 6/0 pennel rig.
I’d taken two 1lb boxes of squid out with me, the first one thawing in the footwell during the paddle out. It was still solid 30 minutes later, nothing to do with the air temperature being zero!. As I often do I dipped the box into the water for a second to aid the thawing process. The end of the box opened up and a cube of squid floated off downtide 
. I slipped anchor and made chase, it was almost in my grasp a couple of minutes later, though it slipped into the depths before I could make the final grab. I’m questioned my choice to take two boxes of squid… you see, there’s always method in my madness 
The first 20-30 minutes were fairly quiet with only the odd knock here and there. The codling finally started to appear, all a reasonable size, and with a running tide it was good sport.
The sport continued through the flood and the action was pretty much non-stop. At times there were bites on both rods which made for pretty exciting fishing !
The mackeral/squid combo was working well and resulted in four thornback rays coming being picked up during the flood tide. They were a decent size, the best fishing pushing double figures. They fought well in the running tide, at one point I was convinced I was into a double figure cod, though this hope was quashed when the fish surfaced 
It was pretty chilly despite the sun making a show from time to time. The prevailing wind eased off completely at times giving an oil slick appearance to the water surface. When I launched the air temperature was 1˚C and it never got above that throughout the session. In fact it dropped well below zero as the sun dropped behind the hills.
As high water neared the sport eased off, no real surprises there. I was still picking up the odd fish even at slack water which was a little surprising, though I was hardly complaining.
As the sun set the tide turned, it was a time to enjoy the best that mother nature has to offer. I do love a good sunset.. it was also time to light up as dusk approached rapidly.
Once the tide tuned onto the ebb the fishing picked up once more, though the codling were taking a back seat as the whiting were hitting the baits hard. I took five fish within ten minutes, though as soon as they’d appeared they were gone.
I poured myself a steaming cup of coffee and chilled. Once finished I dipped my mug into the water to rinse it and the tide pulled it from my hand… it’d served me well, there’ll never be another like it. Have you ever tried drinking hot coffee from one of those button operating flasks that allow you to pour it?…. well don’t, trust me.
The tide was ebbing hard, for a time there was standing waves next to the kayak. On the flood I was using 8oz of weight to hold bottom, though the ebb saw me going to 12oz, though I was soon onto a 1lb of lead. The tide was quite fierce, debris on the surface of the water was taking roughly two seconds to pass by the length of the kayak. The anchor was holding and I was happy to stay put !.
The fishing didn’t amount to much on the ebb. I was getting the odd hard bite, though it rarely developed into anything. I did manage three codling post the whiting fest, though they was smaller fish than what I picked up on the flood tide.
I fished three hours of the ebb tide, finally raising anchor at 8pm, paddled back with the tide. Despite a very leisurely paddle I was still averaging over 5mph. I hit the beach around 8:30pm and cleaned my catch. The codling contained small edible crab which seems to be the norm for these parts, though one codling was stuffed with whitebait. When I reached the car it was showing –3˚C… and it felt it !. I’d forgoteen my military issue artic socks and made do with some thick’ish wooly socks. My feet had chilled of within three hours and were positively frozen solid when I reached shore. It was halfway through de-rigging when the heat returned… did it hurt?, you betcha. I drove barefoot for the first 30 mins with the heater max’d out, it was like put your feet into a scalding bath, though I gritted my teeth and pressed on. I’ll not forgot my socks next time 
It really was a cracking session, one of the most enjoyable in a long time. The fishing was excellent, I managed around twenty codling from 2-5lb, four rays and a few whiting. Though it wasn’t the fishing, it was the weather, the time of day and the atmosphere out there that made the session so enjoyable. I’d like to hit the water again tomorrow, perhaps I will, though the weather is due to pick up.. I’ll have to wait and see what the morning brings.
This is How We Roll…..
Just couldn’t describe the HCKAclub, so put this together with video and photos contributed by members. This should say it all…… 2011 we are going to step it up a knot!..notch… 
What a HardCore year in 2010, Now bring it on 2011!
Happy New Year’s to all!.. I haven’t had the most stellar year in fishing, but this year I met new fellow anglers with the same addiction!!. Thanks in part to being part of the HardCore Kayak Anglers Club and Saltyshores!
2010 was a phenomenal year for some quality fish being caught. Camaraderie was the biggest thing I learned and being part of a group that shares the same passion is best to none.
Well to finish off the year a few of the crew and I headed out for some “Slobber Knockers.” What we like to refer Bull reds as. It was bitter cold, but we managed a few. I’m not going to write much, but just let the photos of fish say it all and I also did a VLOG of our excursion.
Thank you Sam and Saltyshores!. 2011 ……. FISH ON!!!!!!
Here is the VLOG… some language may not be suitable. This is Raw, nothing fancy.
Quick edit here. Nik made this Video as well..Freaking Awesome!… Thanks Brotha!
http://vimeo.com/18353679
H.C.K.A. Member Mark Knowles wins KayakFishing National Classic Championship
This was back about two weeks ago and I have to give a HUGE PROPS to Mark Knowles for taking Grand Prize. 2nd place going to Jose Chavez, 3rd place going to Derick Burgos, 4th to Chuck (The Legend) Statham, and 5th going to Chris Ravelo. Please read what Cash/Prizes these guys won…IT IS INSANE!
Below is an article by No Bananas Fishing Reviews:
The Kayak Fishing ClassicS National Championship Classic was held on November 20th & 21st in Florida and everyone had their game face on. There was plenty to be serious about in the two day event. How about over $8,000.00 in sponsor gear prizes and cash? How about some serious bragging rights for a year? How about the fun and joy of winning a big kayak fishing championship? Or how about $1,000.00 from Yuenling Beer or a Freedom Hawk Kayak? Sound Good? It should and in fact, it was great!
The anglers enjoyed a ‘fish where you like’ format for day one. Everyone had a chance to fish their favorite Florida waters for big redfish. Day two was spent vying for ‘Big Red’ on Tampa Bay. The anglers were ready and so was Mother Nature. The weather was near perfect and the fishing conditions were excellent and that made for some hot action and some surprises. The two series favorites placed well but did not win the kayak, the cash or the championship.
The 2 PM Weigh In on Sunday was hosted by the fantastic Whiskey Joes Bar & Grill of Tampa where the anglers shared fishing stories and high hopes. Tampa angler Mark Knowles slammed the event by winning the Freedom Hawk Kayak, the lion’s share of the cash and sponsor gear, the bragging rights and all of the fun of winning by turning in two nice redfish measuring 28.25” & 29.6” for his victory. The modest and ever smiling Knowles was surprised and elated to say the least. Mark can use the new Freedom Hawk Kayak and the $500.00 from Yuenling Beer. And we all know that an angler can never have enough gear but this may prove to the exception to that rule. Mark also won gear from Deep South Fishing Rods, Aqua Design, Steve Whitlock Game Fish Art, High Roller Lures, IceMule Coolers, Ocean Waves Sunglasses, Plano Tackle Systems, PrecisionPak, RiverBum Flies, Talic, Jim Teeny Fly Lines, Temple Fork Outfitters and Linsey EyeCare. Sounds like Christmas came early for Mark.
Second Place went to Jose Chavez who also won the PrecisionPak Big Fish Award. Jose won using his TFO fly rod and RiverBum Flies. Jose turned in a huge 33” monster redfish that looked like it ate a football for breakfast. Jose also had an early Christmas and received $300.00 from Yuenling Beer and a kayak full of sponsor gear. Jose is rapidly becoming and expert fly angler and has recently developed a passion for the art.
Third Place was hooked by Derick Burgos who turned in 22.75” & 28” redfish for his victory and won a cool $200.00 from Yuenling Beer and enough gear to outfit one of his kayaks. Burgos led the series year to the last event of the regular series year and was unable to attend the 10th and final series year event in October. It was nice to see him do so well in the Championship.
Fourth Place was captured by Series Champion, Chuck Statham by weighing in one redfish that was 31.5” and also looked big enough to pull a truck. Chuck received a bunch of sponsor gear to start his Holidays of right.
Fifth Place winner and also ever smiling went to Chris Ravelo with another big brute that measured a fat 31.25” to make it very close. Chris is an expert fly angler but went to his TFO/Gary Loomis Saltwater rod to capture his winning bruiser.
All of the Anglers in the National Championship Classic are excellent and have enjoyed the 2010 series. The Kayak Fishing ClassicS has awarded over $70,000.00 in sponsor gear and cash prizes in this their first Series Year. The ClassicS are looking for a great 2011 Series Year which begins in January. Visit them at http://www.KayakFishingClassicS.com to catch the fever of competitive kayak fishing, the fastest growing water sport in the world.
HARDCORE Representing for Sure!!
Fishing with the H.C.K.A. Crew
I FINALLY had the opportunity to get out and fish and what better way than to spend it, but with the HCKAClub crew. This past Saturday was the monthly FnM (Fish_N_Munch). It’s a monthly gathering that takes place in a chosen fishing area and members meet up and just have a great time fishing and afterward having a good time eating and talk fishing.
We met up at 6am to start off our journey. There were about 15 of us or so, and we chose the Upper Tampa Bay area to try our hand at catching fish. This is the time of year when the tides start receding to the negatives and the fish starting moving to there winter spots.
Seems like the lure of choice for most of the us is the topwater . We are Spook/ Spook Jr. fanatics at best. Most if not all fish caught were on topwater. The weather turned for the worse in the morning. we had steady 15knot winds from the NNW and the only thing keeping us somewhat hidden from the winds were the mangrove lines and cuts we could go into. The Tide was a High outgoing which was to our favor paddling into some nice quite areas. Plan was to be back at the launch by 11:30, so we could all have a good lunch together, but on the way back some of us got into a little trouble. Trouble was..WE FOUND FISH!
If there was a Kayak Tournament that day I can say for sure that it would have boiled down to the inches in Slams. An I’m talking 70 -90.” Some quality fish were caught and We all had a great time! That’s what it’s all about.
On a side note..We ate at the Kahunas Bar and Grill off St.Pete Side of Gandy. Nice mouth-watering burger I had and some of the other fellas had some MEATY looking sandwiches. 1st time I’ve been there and it was Gooooood!
Here is a short video I put together of HCKACLUB Pres Russ (Limecider) and Vice Pres Nik (SlikNik) in battles.
Going Fishin’
I had to share this Video Made By Russ ( LimeCIder) Caipen. His good friend and Tournament kayak partner Nik (SLickNik) do a lot of fishing and this is what they talk about before going fishin’
LoL!
Totally Topwater
This is a report by a fellow HCKACLUB member Rick AKA “IntimiGator.” He is a kayak angler that catches quality fish AND is always found to be wearing that good fishing mojo hat from Saltyshores!
By: IntimiGator
I’m hypnotizing myself, click, click, click, and swoosh. Made it out this morning loaded for bear as usual.
Launch at 0615 and took the arsenal of spoons, hardbaits, plastic and my spook jr. The area I was fishing
is prone to producing some nice fish although I have only fished it a few times. I got to my targeted
area about 0630 and it was still dark so I went for it just casting into the darkness listening for the
click,click,click and swoosh. Fish on! 18 inch trout followed by another and another and another.
About this time I’m thinking this is going to be a good day. So now the sun peaks above the horizon and
thinks go slack. Oh yeah, it’s low tide and now the tide has stopped and so did the bite.
I paddle around what seems to be mullet city for about an hour or so and about 0945 it happens again.
Click, click click and swoosh Fish on! 22 inch red and another and another and another until about
1145 I lost the school. So I paddled my way back to the ramp thinking about my day and realized I hadn’t
touched any of my other gear other than my spook jr… all day. It was a totally topwater bite for me. Nice!
Total for the day was 5 reds and many near misses/blowups and 5 trout mixed with a pasture of grass.
The topwater action is really hypnotizing and relaxing to me followed by a heart attack….I love it.
I know you can’t tell from the photos, but I’m smiling.
Not only are they getting smaller, They’re turning E.V.I.L.
In this day and age of Photography becoming every other persons “new hobby,” comes the ever so expanding technology for the next “best” DSLR, Point and shoot, and now forging its way through a device saturated market is the Micro four thirds “DSLR-style” digital compact cameras.
Yes, Micro cameras have been around for a few years now, just not talked about (as much, due to the popularity in DSLR’s) until the past several months coming into 2010 -2011. “Why?” do you ask. It’s simple; they are turning E.V.I.L. No, I do not mean the Mu hu ha ha ha ( Dr. Evil laugh). Many use the acronym D.I.L. or Digital Interchangeable Lens camera and now a newer acronym has hit the Micro four thirds industry like remoras on a fish; Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens (EVIL). Yup, you’re probably like me in rolling my eyes and shaking my head in that “now what” reaction.
But alas, this is a good thing. Picture your point and shoot camera being able to have the ability to exchange lenses.
If you keep up with the Digital camera tech industry this is nothing new to you, but too many this is new, so I will brief you in on what is out and coming. For those shopping for a mid $$$ range DSLR this could be the camera for you. For those who have a DSLR, like myself ( especially one that ways over 2lbs), and are looking for something smaller with a entry to intermediate level specs, than these could be in your market. Ugh! just more $$$ to drop
As I stated earlier, Micros have been around for sometime. Olympus PEN, Samsung NX10, the Panasonic GF1- G2, and Leica are ones that come to mind. Sony now has the Nex-3 and Nex-5 ( both alpha series) to rival those that have been around. Nikon and Canon have a few concepts in the works ( early 2011?), but that is hush hush for now.
The EVIL / DiL models are designed to occupy the market between the small, inexpensive point and shoot cameras and top-line DSLRs. These cameras are smaller than your typical DSLR, but bigger than your average point and shoot. They also weigh much less than a majority of DSLRs. I know I know, the term “Micro” would make it seem that these cameras are small in size, smaller than even a point and shoot, but Micro Four Thirds system is that the cameras can be created with less material ( trust me when I say this is my basic explanation because it has a lot to do with lack of reflex mirror and other factors that is rather boring for an average guy like me to care for). Here is a illustration from Panasonic site:
For many of us that lug around a 2lb+ Nikon or Canon during our fishing trips or outings, this could be a great backup for a long trip. Many of these EVIL micros have the specs that would make earlier ( Like last year) Dslrs look weak. Many boasting high mega pixels, high ISO levels, fast shutter speed rates, most offering high res HD movie capabilities, different shooting modes, RAW shooting, HDR options, and a sexy feature like sweep Panorama shots in 3D! ( Sony), to name a few of the features offered.
Two BIG factors ( in my observation) is that because the Micro bodies are so small ( compared to DSLR), the sensor is too close to the lens mount to allow DSLR lenses to attach directly. An adapter may allow you to use your SLR lenses, but adapters generally involve some form of compromise ( such as losing F/stop and or mm length). 2nd is that they lack view finders as DSLRs. You get constant live view. Why is this? well it’s because point and shoots and micros lack reflex mirrors for view which keeps them compact. The advantage of those “mirror less” designs is that the cameras can theoretically become smaller and almost silent in their operation (no mirror slap). The disadvantages are the loss of phase detection auto focus (mirror less cameras use the same contrast detection auto focus as point and shoot cameras) and of the optical viewfinder (replaced either by the back LCD or electronic viewfinders) see illustration above.
I have to state that I have not even had my hands on any of them, but I can tell you from my research that the Micro Four Thirds system is most likely the next big thing and has the potential to be a quality investment. For users who have invested in DLSR systems, the Micro Four Thirds system is probably less appealing — it requires purchasing new lenses and possibly changing brand systems altogether if you are loyal to Nikon or Canon, all of which will not work with the DSLR equipment you already own. This is why I am holding my breathe to see what Nikon comes up with. You Canon users may want to wait too.
In all this could be a great investment for those not needing a bulky DSLR, but looking for a smaller sized camera with all the bells and whistles. Cost is pretty much compared to your entry level DSLRs, so do your research before you commit.