New Toy For Koke War Chest

[rgarbar]

56565657

Just bought this 12' fishing yak to add to my arsenal. I plan to mount a fishfinder and one downrigger on it. Hoping to catch at least one koke from her next spring. Will also use it to trout fish on some of the smaller local lakes instead of towing my my skiff on these steep, winding roads.

[trollmonkey]

Nice Ron, I think scotty has some nice yak gear.Just be careful a brute koke may take you for a ride. The Hiawassee below Chatuge has some good fishing ,I think it is a milder float than the Nantahala.Also there is some bassy looking water where the river runs in to Nantahala at full pool,hard to get in there with a big boat.You may open up all sorts of new possibilities.

[DJ EG]

Nice Boat. I'm curious about the downrigger. If you catch that on something, you'll be upside down pretty quick. Plus you'd think that it would make you tipsy to one side?

Be careful. Have fun.

[SuperD]

Nice Boat. I'm curious about the downrigger. If you catch that on something, you'll be upside down pretty quick. Plus you'd think that it would make you tipsy to one side?

Be careful. Have fun.
1) unlike with a motor, you simply stop paddling
2) downriggers have clutches for a reason, they are the safety device

[rgarbar]

Thanks for the input guys. I think a Scotty 1073 bracket mount unit might do the trick. There is a nice flat area behind the yak seat. I only plan to fish the 30 to 40' water column(thats where the kokes tend to be in May and June) and only use a 4lb. cannonball. And Mark I do worry that a fiesty koke or trout will tow that yak from Little Choga island to the Rocky Branch boat ramp. laugh hyst

[Trout Tracker]

Good luck and be safe out there. I have used a3lb. ball from my boat and fished down to 30' or so with no problem. Was trollin about 1mph or slower. I've watched guys catch 30-40" stripers from their yak. Talk about a sleigh ride!

[rgarbar]

Well I took the plunge and went out and bought a downrigger and a portable fish finder for that yak. Like any boat it just a bottomless money pit. Anyway when I die I hope my wife does not sell all my fishing stuff on Ebay for what I told her I paid for it! tongue2

[trollmonkey]

What sort of rigger did you get Ron?

[rgarbar]

Ended up with a Scotty 1073 bracket mount. It's compact and lightweight but has no linecounter and seems a tad flimsy but should work well on a yak. Got the portable PiranhaMax 160 fishfinder. Plan to catch one koke from it then use the yak to fish for trout Queens Creek, Cheola and Calderwood reservoirs. Also hope to chase the koke far up the Nantahala river next fall for the spawn run. And yes I will paddle faster if I hear banjo music.laugh hyst

[Bduck]

Ended up with a Scotty 1073 bracket mount. It's compact and lightweight but has no linecounter and seems a tad flimsy but should work well on a yak. Got the portable PiranhaMax 160 fishfinder. Plan to catch one koke from it then use the yak to fish for trout Queens Creek, Cheola and Calderwood reservoirs. Also hope to chase the koke far up the Nantahala river next fall for the spawn run. And yes I will paddle faster if I hear banjo music.laugh hyst

Isn't that why you carry a bow & arrow? 101ok101 If you hear the hogs squealing, be alert. 101shock1101

[SuperD]

rgabar, do you have a linecounter reel that you can use with that set up to work as a linecounter for the rigger?

[rgarbar]

I am considering getting a linecounter reel. However, the "old screech owl" is not going to be happy with me getting another toy. Hoping the new fishfinder will detect the 4lb cannonball and I can adjust from there.

[SuperD]

Being as you got the portable FF, you should have some flexibility of finding a transducer location that will do that. Also, turn the sensitivity up a bit and you should get a nice line on the screen.

[trollmonkey]

Hey Ron,A cheap alternative is to mark your rigger cable at 5' or 10' increments or see how much cable pays out with each turn of the rigger spool.This worked when I got my first economy rigger. Also remember us native hillbillys get squeamish at Deliverance references.t4luil

[rgarbar]

Mark
That movie gave me the "willies" too. Going to go up to Queens Creek Lake this weekend to test out the new fish finder and the best position for the downrigger. The wife(the old screech owl) is bringing up her yak and the grappling hooks in case this old walrus falls out of the yak playing with that stuff.golucky

[trollmonkey]

Good luck at Queens lake Ron. I'm going to hit some delayed harvest water in McDowell Co. for a few hours this weekend. I'm hoping the NCWRC stocks Bear and Cedar Cliff lakes next week,my brother and nephew are coming up from near Raleigh. We will fish Cedar Cliff if they stock it Bear if not.

[Dr. Oc]

Hey Ron, Neat setup. Nothing like the challenge of deep water fishing out of a yak. Looks like our family will be back up to the lake this summer. Unfortunately, it will be late July so the fishing may be tough but I'm still looking forward to it. Hope to see you up there. Keep the posts coming

[rgarbar]

I'm Back

Well boys I finally joined the annual great Eastern spring Geezer migration North. Happy to be back in the mountains again. Had a ball with that kayak fishing the local tidal and mangrove creeks back in Florida. Got to a lot of unaccessible holes loaded with snapper, reds, sheephead and snook. Found a lot of oyster beds as well. Most fish were throwbacks or out of season.
Nantahala lake took a beating this winter. Was up in January for a week. The lake was drawn down 30+ feet for dam and floodgate work. Heavy January rains filled that lake up to full pool in only couple of days. The normally crystal clear lake looked like one of the mudholes on the piedmont! Don't know how all the rain and the drawdown affected the fall koke spawn. Anyway a lot of nutrients were washed into the lake. Maybe we will get some of those 20+" kokes this season. The lake has cleared but there are some downed trees and other floating debris floating around. Got my skiff all ready to go and will put her in the water later this week. Will try to get a koke in that yak before all the power boats come up to swamp me. Will use that yak on Cheoah, Calderwood and Queens Creek reservoirs for trout as well. Did not get my first koke until May last year. Will let you know when the bite is on.

[rgarbar]

Mark

Tried to PM you but they tell me your mailbox is filled to capacity.
Hope all is well with you and your family. Guess we a both getting ready for another kokanee season on Nantahala. Hope to get out for them next week. Been doing some stream fishing to get that out my blood. Let me know if you want the koke and trout heads from any fish I catch at the lake. That map site seems only to have the larger NC lakes. It did have maps of those two lakes the guys in CT fish at.
Have a restful evening.

Ron

[trollmonkey]

Hey Ron. Didn't know the box was full, I just thought nobody liked me. The family is doing great, we've got three graduations in May ,a granddaughter on the way in July( Brittany and Carter) and Will wants to get in the fish room and play with fishing tackle. I'm wanting to hit Nantahala in mid May ,but it might not happen till June. Powell still wants the heads, it seems they are storing them to read one day. Like he told me if nothing else it shows that someone is fishing for kokes and trout in lakes. We are going to Cedar Cliff in the morning, I'll let you know how we do. take care Mark

[platypus]

--Torpedodivers....haven't tried them yet myself just ordered some. They are fairly light weight to get down deep with little drag so they should be prime for use with a kayak.