Small Water Surprises

One of the major advantages of kayaking is the minimum amount of water it takes to maximize your fun. Spots that are not readily accessible for larger water craft are, for physical limitations off limits to big water boats. Untouched, little fishing pressure these gems exist in every part of the world. Bank fishing doesn’t allow for the thorough coverage available to the kayaker. The mini lakes, streams and rivers also may require off road entrances which again is facilitated by boats that can literally be transported with or without a trailer, push, pulled or dragged to the water’s edge and launched with a healthy push and possibly wet shoes. The Big Rig or Coosa HD are perfect for these places. The silence of the paddle and the ability to use the paddle as a push pole gives you all the propulsion you might need in a farm pond, small lake or flowing fishy creeks, streams or rivers.

Often snubbed as too tiny to hold fish of any size, a quick review of current and past state records for many fish including largemouth bass show ponds, and small water location have yielded trophy size fish. Having all the qualities of larger waters, many of these locations receive a minimum of fishing pressure and have a delicate balance between predator and prey, but a strong population supplied by the natural selection which occurs naturally and is undisturbed by the human factor. With this in mind it is prudent to mention that removing fish from these locations can drastically alter the natural balance. If your goal is fishing and a fish fry, you should consider taking enough for one meal and applying the ten to one rule. For every bass you take removing ten bluegill or “panfish” from the waters. The logic for this is the spawning habits and number of successful and survival rate of the offspring provided by the species.

In considering bait choices, no need to downsize because of the relative amount of surface waters. The same artificial baits that you use in other fishing holes are appropriate for these places. I do recommend using the quietest lures first as to not alert or spook the wary fish residents of any size to your presence. With each pass or progression of working the waters graduate up to the more noisy bait. All this adds up to a serene visit to mini magical places that could produce a small water surprise.