After the success of their last Louisiana trip Jameson and Brooks with JK Media House made a return trip to Louisiana this past weekend for another round of fishing and filming.  This time they brought with them the all new Coosa FD, Jackson Kayak’s first pedal drive boat, for some pre-production testing in our Louisiana marsh.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out the new flex drive system and of course hang out with my good friends so I joined them for a day and a half worth of fishing down in Pointe-aux-Chenes.

I haven’t talked much about the FD here as I wanted to wait until this boat was actually in production before I got all excited about it, but after about a year’s worth of speculation the time has finally come. It’s no secret that the more time your bait spends in the water the better your chances are at catching fish and having a pedal drive system is a great way to keep that line in the water.  What sets the flex drive apart from other pedal drive systems is it’s flexibility – it’s right there in the name.  The flex drive moves up and over underwater obstructions, protecting the prop and other moving parts from damage.  I got to experience this firsthand the last couple of days and it works as advertised – oyster beds are no problem for the FD.

I met up with the guys at PAC Kayak Rental where Eddie and Lisa Mullen operate the finest kayak launch around.  They were incredibly gracious hosts to the Jackson team back in December and were a big reason that they decided to head back down to Louisiana again here in June.  The excellent fishing has a little something to do with it too, but excellent customer service goes a very long way – something the folks across the canal from Eddie and Lisa never learned.

We got on the water in the hottest part of the afternoon and I got my first taste of pedaling, rather than paddling, a kayak.

Jameson was very quick to point out that the boat I was in was still a pre-production model, meaning we were essentially beta testing the new boat and providing feedback before a production model is actually produced.  More specifically the flex drive system was still in pre-production and could still be tweaked before production models actually went out – I’m pretty sure the hull was already in production as change to that are a lot harder to make.

Regardless I was excited to be on the water in Jackson’s new pedal drive boat.  I’ve got to admit, my whole kayak fishing experience has been from a boat you paddle, the pedaling thing was very awkward at first for me.  It took me a little while to find the right distance to sit away from the pedals and comfortably pedal – luckily on the FD the seat trims fore and aft on a track system and it was very easy do while on the water.

Rudder controls are found on either side of you on the FD and these control how well you track in the boat.  While at speed it didn’t take much of an adjustment on the rudder control to steer the boat left or right.  It took me a while to get use to that as well.  I kept wanting to make big adjustments of the rudder and in doing so my track looked more S-shaped than it really should have been.  I’m chalking that up to user error since by the end of the trip I was pedaling straight and true.  Being in a new boat for the first time there is always an adjustment period and for me being in a pedal boat for the first time that adjustment period took a little longer.

The fishing was not on fire that afternoon for me, but eventually I found some redfish right as the weather was beginning to look scary.  I got into a natural bayou that connected the canal with a pond and began to hear redfish attacking fiddler crabs on the bank – one of my favorite sounds.  That’s why sight fishing is not just about seeing fish, but it’s also about hearing them and when that happens you’ve got to locate those fish as best you can based on where you hear them and then patiently wait until they surface again or you see them cruising.  Shrimp popping out of the water along the grass line are a dead giveaway and that’s how I caught my first red.  I pitched a Matrix Shad in front of the popping shrimp and it got hammered by a nice mid slot red.

I was able to catch that one and another before the thunderhead released it’s down draft and made us evacuate the area.  Jameson and I took shelter in “tetanus city” under an old dilapidated camp that may have had more metal on the ground than in the air.  We never actually got rained on, but the wind was enough to move us off the water, after it was all over we headed back to the launch – hunger overtaking the desire to catch fish.

On that pedal back I actually paddled, which gave me a chance to see how much of a bear the boat was to paddle.  Surprisingly it actually paddled pretty well.  With the drive system up it tracked well and paddled at a decent speed compared to Jameson’s pedaling.  Now I wouldn’t want to paddle it all day, but if I had to I could and that’s all that matters in an emergency situation.

The next morning we got to do a mothership trip which is offered by Eddie at PAC Kayak Rental.  He ferried our kayaks 8 miles south into pristine marsh that rarely sees a kayak or even a boat.

It was a very pleasant boat ride in protected water the whole way.  When we arrived at our destination we still had cell phone coverage so should we have needed anything from Eddie he was just a phone call away.  The marsh was beautiful in what Eddie called the “Promised Land”.

After spending a half day on the FD yesterday I was far more comfortable in the boat today.  One of the really nice things about the boat is it’s incredible stability.  Standing up and sightfishing from this boat is no problem – there is amazingly little rock from side to side.  It’s like fishing from a floating dock when you’re standing in it, reminds me of the Big Rig in that regard.  Another FD perk, while you’re standing and poling, the flex drive system makes a great rod rest!  It was a much shorter distance to grab my rod when I did see a fish than in my paddle boats.

It was a beautiful morning out on the water, winds were pretty calm and the sun was shining.  Conditions however weren’t perfect for sightfishing.  The water was a bit high in the marsh and had a slight stain to it so I opted to work the points and cuts with a topwater.  Trout were still in the marsh here and I found them mostly on those points and cuts where the water was moving.  No matter the size they were pretty aggressive striking at the She Dog.

Most of the trout were in the 14-16″ range but I did get one hammer.  I was in a natural bayou fishing a point, catching dinks on the She Dog, having a good time watching the trout blow up my topwater lure.  Jameson and Brooks soon joined me as they were trying to film some of the blow ups.  I could hear some commotion behind me in front of a cut where there was obviously something attacking some balled up bait.  I drifted back and worked my lure through the area and missed a huge strike.  It was a fish that was obviously bigger than the others and we all knew it.  I threw back in and thankfully connected this time, albeit a bit closer to the boat.  It was a nice trout, 21″ on the tape, I was really thrilled to get him in the net as it has been a while since I’ve caught a solid trout from the kayak.

I had done pretty well catching trout, but everyone else was fooling around with the black drum.  The oyster flats were littered with big black drum and every once in a while you’d catch a glimpse of one as he waved that big tail at you, then disappeared under the surface.  Brooks and Jameson both got on a couple stud drum and as Jameson was fighting his I hooked up with one of my own.  The funny thing was mine came on topwater!  I’ve never seen a black drum hit a topwater before, but I guess now I can say that I have.  He didn’t smash it like a redfish will do.  It was more like a cutthroat trout sipping a dry fly.  He came up and sipped my plug then gave me a few nice runs.

He wasn’t the biggest drum caught on the day, that distinction belonged to Eric, another Jackson teamer from North Carolina, but it was a fun catch.

Things kind of slowed down after that as the winds began to pick up.  It wasn’t until after we got off the water that we heard there was a Tropical Storm forming in the Gulf and making it’s way toward Louisiana.  We pressed on despite the wind and it gave me an opportunity to see just how effective pedaling into the wind was as compared to paddling.  My legs are undoubtedly stronger than my upper body thanks to a life of playing soccer and they definitely take longer to fatigue than my upper body.  That being said with paddling I have always found it to be more of a core workout than an upper body one and if done properly you rarely feel that fatigue in your arms, but tired paddling does lead to poor form which leads to more fatigue.

As things slowed down we spread out and I got lucky and made my way into a cut that was leading from the main bayou into a large lake.  It was super shallow, but protected from the wind and I began running into redfish that were cruising the shoreline, much like they were yesterday. I caught one little guy on a topwater plug on my way into the lake.  I threw that plug right on a point in some grass and he came after it and blasted it as I pulled it out.  Once I got to the lake I found a shell/sand bar where I could get out and stretch my legs and wade fish a bit.  These are usually pretty good places to fish and often times trout will stack up around them.  I didn’t find any trout this time, but I did catch a nice 27″ red while out there.

Another fish that hit the She Dog.  I saw her working the shoreline behind me in the pic and had to make a long cast over to get her.  I didn’t quite get it there, but it made enough noise to get her attention and she hit it on a beeline.

I worked the area over a bit more, but came up empty and headed back up the cut toward the others.  Of course on the way I got sidetracked by a couple more redfish that were cruising the shoreline.  They didn’t fall victim to the the She Dog, but rather the more subtle Matrix Shad.  That’s my go-to sightfishing bait, I can cast it with accuracy and I’ve got a lot of confidence in it, which is what matters more than trying pick out the perfect lure.  As I released the second redfish I could see Eddie pulling up in the skiff and figured that was a pretty good way to end the day.

One thing I forgot to touch on about the FD was the deck layout.  This boat is built for fishermen.  It is a lot like the Coosa HD, which is a boat I always liked, but never had a place for in my floatilla.  It is a great design with some pretty cool features.  Gear tracks in all the right places.  A cushioned foot pad for comfortable standing.  The new hatch system is very easy to use and a big improvement over previous hatches.  The integrated rod tube storage is a really cool feature too.  The tankwell is a bit smaller than I’m used to and I know my extra long milk crate won’t fit back there, a regular sized one will work just fine.  I used a JKrate for the first time the past two days and liked it, so I may go that direction with my tackle storage.

I was very impressed with the FD after using it the last day and a half.  The flex drive system is so easy to use too.  You can move it up or down with the flick of a toe while steering left or right can be controlled with either hand.  When launching and loading the boat the drive system doesn’t even have to come out, you just put it in the up position and treat the boat as if nothing is there which is a bonus for guys hard on gear or prone to forgetfulness – it’s a very well thought out design.  I’ve had one on pre-order for a while and am happy I made that decision.  I can’t wait for the production model to get here.