April 2013 26
A nice stringer of trout
-Mike Gresham
within twenty-five yards of where I launched the kayak. I rowed fifty feet out in the water and dropped my small kayak anchor. I used the anchor this time because I guessed that I had the right distance and did not want to drift one way or another. I cast the line into the water with a popping cork just feet above the bait. After popping the line a couple of times, there was a “zing.” The huge redfish had grabbed the hook and gone running. The line was spooling off of my reel. Because I was anchored, the fish did not drag me, but the rod was bent in a sharp arch. I did not know if I could wear out the fish before I ran out of line. Finally I began to win the battle as I began to be able to pull back more line than he was pulling out. When I netted him, he was a just barely legal fish. I put my trophy on the stringer while my adrenalin was still flowing. within twenty-five yards of where I launched the kayak. I rowed fifty feet out in the water and dropped my small kayak anchor. I used the anchor this time because I guessed that I had the right distance and did not want to drift one way or another. I cast the line into the water with a popping cork just feet above the bait. After popping the line a couple of times, there was a “zing.” The huge redfish had grabbed the hook and gone running. The line was spooling off of my reel. Because I was anchored, the fish did not drag me, but the rod was bent in a sharp arch. I did not know if I could wear out the fish before I ran out of line. Finally I began to win the battle as I began to be able to pull back more line than he was pulling out. When I netted him, he was a just barely legal fish. I put my trophy on the stringer while my adrenalin was still flowing.
within twenty-five yards of where I launched the kayak. I rowed fifty feet bent in a sharp arch. I did not know if I could wear out the fish before I ran out of line. Finally I began to win the battle as I began to be able to pull back more line than he was pulling out. When I netted him, he was a just barely legal fish. I put my trophy on the stringer while my adrenalin was still flowing.