Mohawk 16 RX Test Run

 

I got my son up at 6 am to get out on a local flow for a 1/2 day in the recently modified Mohawk tandem.

The canoe performed well and is a very stable platform for the two of us. It's also not so heavy that I can't handle it myself. Bought used and slightly modified, it's also under 1/3 the cost of a new fishing kayak.  With superb stability and a few additional features, the Mohawk will also likely become my winter trawler.

We launched around 7:30 or so with clear skies and clear water. Things started a little slow. I was throwing a weightless super fluke in albino color and couldn't buy a bite in the first 30 min. We hit a little honey hole and I switched over to a Zoom clear/flake fat albert grub with a gammy jig head. I proceeded to land 4 crappie in 10 minutes and my son picked up a nice gill on an earth worm.



We made our way downstream and I landed several bass on the fluke, grub, and black buzzbait. I also caught 3 bullhead catfish on the Zoom grub, all within 100 yards or so on the same bank.

Got a few more crappie on the way back as well as a few more bass. My son brought in this small bass near the end of the day. I still have to cast for him to get it in the right place, but he does fairly well after that. I'm just stoked that he likes to go!





I think I missed 5 pickerel, one was absolutely huge, just missing my buzzbait about 10' from the canoe. I had another ~3 lber hooked with the buzzer and he came off near the boat. Landing a pickerel today just wasn't in the cards.

Lastly, nothing like a cool dip when the sun is high. He jumped in twice to cool off.


 4 nice crappie and 3 bullheads came home with us and the crappie have already been consumed

Mohawk 16 RX

I picked up a lightly used royalex Mohawk 16' tandem this spring in hopes of making it a good tandem fishing platform for my son and me.  This is how I bought it ...

Although this canoe appeared to be setup for whitewater, it has very little rocker and had cane seat back kits installed.  The cane on the backs is in great shape, but on the seats themselves the cane was brittle and cracking, in need of repair.  There are relatively minor scratches on the bottom, with light wear on the keel front and rear.  A previous owner had also glued in closed cell foam in front of each stock seat, I presume for comfortable kneeling. 

Well, the foam was separating from the bottom and harboring various pests, including roaches.  I've removed the front as it was in worse shape, but now I'm left with this sticky residue.  More on that later. 

My objectives:

1. Install a center seat, preferably with an integrated yoke so I can still comfortably carry it on my shoulders for short distances.
2. Remove the cane seat back kits and sell them, recouping some of my investment
3. Fix the stock seats
4. Add a rod rack and possibly some rod holders for trolling
5. Figure out a convenient anchor arrangement
6. Take my son fishing in it!

Today, I finished up the seat install/refurb with positive results.  My brother made a center seat frame out of reclaimed oak, but it was a little heavy.  I trimmed it down and cut in the carrying yoke.  After sanding and test fitting, I hit it with a coat of poly.  I intended to strap all the seats with nylon webbing.  I bought 50 yards of 1" webbing from an online store for $30 shipped, enough to do 4 seats.  Basically, you staple one side, pull tight, staple other end, trim, and melt the frays with a lighter.  I used a basic bostitch T50 stapler with 5/16" staples.  I also cut out the old cane, sanded, poly'd, and strapped up the stockers.  They all turned out well.

The front cross-member of the center seat is in the stock yoke location, dead center.  With me just aft of center, this arrangement gives me enough room to reach my son, yet he's still far enough forward to avoid snagging me when he casts.  Also, the stock width was 35" at the gunwales (pronounced "gunnels").  I pinched it together slightly to 33.5" to allow better clearance for paddling with a kayak paddle.

This configuration should also be fairly well balanced, I suppose trimmed is a better term, so paddling is efficient and we're not weather cocking in windy conditions, something I despise when trying to fish in a canoe.  The third seat will also allow taking my daughter when she's old enough to tag along. 

Next up will be installing a rod rack and holders.  I have a few ideas on how best to do that with limited weight.  Looking forward to getting out in this boat, particularly this winter to troll for crappie.

New Friends, Good Float

I met Ken at a meet and greet last spring and was enthralled by his knowledge of the upper Tar and Neuse basin flows as we chatted by a campfire.  We've been trading messages for weeks planning to fish a small flow just outside the triangle during a trip back to his native lands. However, the targeted river wasn't in such great shape due to recent rains. We began discussing a float I'd done several times, that Ken had never seen. I think I got him siked up with visions of striped bass on a fly rod, so he agreed to try my plan instead.

The target was largemouth and striper. Ken, his 11 yr old son, and I launched on this large flow around 8 am in very nice ambient temps. High pressure was moving in, as well as some decent winds, but we made the most of it. Even though I encouraged Ken to take a spinning rod, Ken stuck to his guns and fly fished all day.

My 2nd fish of the day was my personal best striper taken on a Bomber walkie talkie (low pitch) in a gold/black color. Not sure if Bomber makes these anymore, but you can get them online.  These spook type lures are intended for saltwater, large, and a tad heavy (1 oz). I can chuck them a mile with my abu 4600 baitcaster. This bruiser (8 lbs) exploded on the lure after just two twitches, and it was on! Great fight.



A little later, Ken's son hooked a nice largemouth on a torpedo, only to have the line come unraveled. 30 seconds later, that same bass jumped and shook the lure out of it's mouth! I'd never seen this before. Since the torpedo is a floater, I quickly scooped it up and tied it back on for him. Ken's son had a few other strikes here and there, but couldn't put one in the boat. He did, however, manage all the rapids with considerable skill and ease. You can definitely tell Ken has trained him well on the NC footfills flows surrounding his current hometown of Elkin.

Ken landed several nice redbreast and a few small largemouth on the long rod as we made our way into some nice shoals. I was burning a black buzzbait over the swift/shallow water and hooked up with this healthy 4 pounder. It also put up a great fight.



After lunch, I stuck with the buzzer and landed several scrappy river largemouth, mostly in swift water eddies and shoals. This river has a fair amount of thick heavy grass in the summer, creating current breaks and terrific hiding places for fish. With so many places to hide, you can virtually catch them all over the river. Here are a few, there's Ken in the background ...




Ken did let me give fly fishing a go. I quickly learned that fly fishing from a canoe/kayak, particularly in swift water, is very difficult. I did land this colorful redbreast on a popping bug. I was contemplating a fly rod purchase prior to this trip ... I think I'll put that on the back burner, at least for now.



The weather was exceptional on this trip.  Cooler nights have arrived and great fall fishing is just around the corner. 

2013 Summer Bassin'

My last post captured a few firsts for 2013.  This post picks up most of the other excursions, mostly focused on largemouth.  Considering all the rain we've gotten this summer in NC, the fishing has been pretty good for me.  I've been able to catch some of my favorite flows at just the right time.

I had a phenomenal day in late June on a local flow.  Spent all day on the water and landed ~25 bass mostly on a spook, and a few other species.  Here are a few highlights ...

I also got out on a very small flow just north of I-40 and caught a few small bass and very colorful sunfish, including a beautiful warmouth.

 

On my way home from Charlotte in early August, I stopped by a familiar flow, but a location I'd never explored.  Turned out well, with 6 fish in 1 hr of fishing near dusk, including these guys all caught on a plastic frog ...

 

A Few Firsts in 2013

I've been traveling for work a considerable amount in 2013.  In fact, I've spent more days in FL than I have in NC.  It's been a big strain on the family, but evenso, my loving and understanding wife has granted me the opportunity to get out on the river several times.  In addition to my local haunts, I've managed to make a few trips out in the salt both in FL and NC as you'll see below ... 

Early in the year, I hired a kayak fishing guide while working in FL to gain quick access to a kayak and learn a few tips on Tampa bay fishing opportunities.  It was a slow day, but I managed 1 small redfish.  This is the first redfish I've ever caught from a canoe/kayak, and only the 2nd of my life (that I remember).  In July, during our family beach trip to Pine Knoll Shores, NC, I hooked up with kayak guide Tim (NCPierman) Taramelli.  Tim is a fellow www.ncangler.com member and all around great guy.  He took me out in one of his yaks in Queens Creek, near Swansboro, NC.  Again, I caught 1 redfish, surprisingly on a very similar lure to what I used in FL (white/gold paddle tail jig).  I also caught a ladyfish and a shark on finger mullet. Overall, a good trip.  I highly recommend Tim if you're looking to do some kayak fishing near the crystal coast of NC. 

In addition to the salt water excursions, I also targeted and caught white bass for the first time this year.  In early April, I fished the Eno river near Durham during the annual white bass spawning run.  I caught most of my fish (including my first ever white bass) trolling 3" rapala xraps in green and blue in the river channel behind the canoe.  The water was stained, but the fishing was great.  I got into a few schools and took home 6 decent sized fish to fillet.  White bass isn't nearly as good to eat as crappie, but it still made a great meal and I enjoy sharing my catch with the family.

 

Last of my firsts came in early August, when I got out with my fishin' bud Mack.  He recommended fishing a section of a river I'd never seen.  He thought there may be a few Roanoke bass in this flow ... and he was right!  My first Roanoke bass ever was an NC citation size fish, measuring just over 11".  I caught 10 or so that day, including another citation, plus ~20 largemouth.  Between the two of us, the Roanokes were landed using a variety of lures (bettlespin, crankbait, spinnerbait, curly tail grub, rapalas, and mepps spinners).  These are hard fighting fish for their size and a joy to catch. 

 

Although, there weren't necessarily any firsts involved (except for our first ride in a new-to-me Mohawk tandem), I also got to take my son out a few times and show him some of my favorite flows.  Here are a few shots of our adventures so far in 2013.

I have a feeling there may be some great trips this fall, and I can't wait.

Happy 4th in MD

4th of July 2013 ... I've been working in FL for weeks at a time and the family is going to MD to visit my mother-in-law for the holiday.  The 4th is free fishing day in MD, no license required.  I usually take my canoe and smallie gear to float a flow in the upper Potomac basin. 

I was unable to get my canoe up to MD as I was forced to fly into Baltimore directly from FL.  Instead, I asked my wife to toss a few pieces of gear into the car in hopes I could do some wading.  I'd heard that Catoctin creek was a decent fishery, but I mostly read about trout fishing in the upper sections.  I decided to try the lower part of the creek, near the confluence with the Potomac, in hopes of finding a good smallmouth population. 

My decision paid off in spades.  I waded ~1 mile of river and landed 20 smallmouth on several lures: super fluke jr, rebel craw, and rapala x-rap. 

The creek was wide and shallow, easy to wade.  The banks were gradual and fairly free of overhanding trees, making this what I presume to be a fly fisherman's dream.  Well, I didn't see any other fly fisherman, or any fisherman for that matter.  As I reflected on the trip, I thought this type of flow could make me step into the fly fishing realm. 

I started the day hot, first cast was an ~8" smallmouth in a large slow eddy pool working my super fluke jr on the surface.  I walked upstream pitching to any areas I thought may harbor a predator and was rewarded routinely. 

A few highlights included this fish, which I saw cruising in ~12" of water about 40' away.  I pitched my rebel craw out 10' in front of the fish and starting it working it slow.  As soon as the fish passed some nearby rocks and spotted the lure, it immediately pounced and inhaled the lure ... fish on!

On my way back down river, I stopped to fish a small eddy pool next to swift water where the entire flow passed a big rock on the bank.  I'm thinking this is a great place for ambush, but it didn't produce on my way upstream.  I tossed my rapala x-rap x08 in olive green into the pool and it was bit before I could set the bail to retrieve.  Again, fish on!  This is my best smallmouth of 2013.

I had no idea a flow this small would be so productive and entertaining.  I'm sure I'll enjoy many more trips to the in-laws, and maybe one day it'll be with a fly rod.