Bonefish on the Fly in Belize!

We are back from an incredible trip to Belize. Though we were itching to get our trip started, in the end we were glad we were delayed because even though the winds were still a challenge, at least we didn’t have to battle rain or hurricanes that battered Belize prior to our arrival!

When planning this trip, we knew we had to go back to one of our favorite places—Belize River Lodge.

Who wouldn’t want to come back here?

We have many great memories from past trips here, and this time around did not disappoint, as we were ferried out to the flats by their expert guides during the day, and then had the pleasure of listening to Mike, the lodge owner, tell stories each evening as we sat for cocktails and dinner.

 

Belize River Lodge owner, Mike.

Our expert guides ready to take us out to the flats

Accompanying us on this trip was Damon Bungard of Jackson Kayak and Orion Coolers. A professional fly fisherman, Damon designed the new Mayfly with fishing in Belize in mind. Damon hooked and landed a solid handful of bonefish our first day on the water.

Two Jackson Kayak Mayflys ready for their maiden voyage where they belong—fishing for bonefish in Belize!

On this trip, I got to try out the new Leviathan PFD from Kokatat…man is this thing loaded with POCKETS! So much space for all my little bits and pieces, and comfortable to boot.

So many pockets! You definitely need to try out the Leviathan

I decided to challenge myself on this trip and only brought fly gear along, which made for challenging but rewarding fishing. I was using the SEiGLER MF reel loaded up with Seaguar Premier Fluorocarbon leader 30 down to 12 pound test. With a lot of help and coaching by Damon, I got my first bonefish on the fly, which was quickly followed up with a chunky barracuda—the trip was off to a great start.

First bonefish on the fly!

Fly fishing and coach extraordinaire, Damon Bungard of Jackson Kayak/Orion Coolers

Damon releasing a nice bonefish

To round out the trip, our guides took us out to Long Cay Outpost, where we had a fantastic day fishing the flats far from the lodge. Both Jim and Damon caught a ton of mangrove snapper and Damon landed a few more epic bones—a perfect way to end the trip as well as our streak of bad weather!

What destinations are on your kayak fishing bucket list? We’d love to hear about it—and possibly even film there! Send us your leads by sending us a message on our Facebook page.

KAYAK FISHING POMPANO BEACH, FL

We are back from a difficult yet rewarding adventure near Pompano Beach in southern Florida.

As the crew and I prepared to board our planes, we received word that high winds would be beating up the coast and that our guest star, Patrick Sebile, was down with bronchitis. With boarding passes in hand, it was too late to postpone the shoot, but knowing that Florida always has something to offer we made the decision to push on.

We arrived in Fort Pierce and hooked up with our pal, Brooks Beatty, from Jackson Kayak. With the high winds in the forecast, Brooks had come prepared with a Kraken and a Mayfly rigged up with Power-Poles—it might be windy, but at least we had the tools to face the winds head-on.

Shortly after our arrival, we got word that the wind and surf was just too much and The Extreme Kayak Fishing Sailfish Smackdown we were slated to take part in had been cancelled. With this news, we knew that any chance of fishing offshore would be difficult at best, so we put our heads together and came up with a plan. We decided to stay mobile to maximize our time on the water. With a break in the winds, we managed to fish the channels near Fort Pierce with success—we smashed out a dozen or so blues, reds and snook. With a decent adventure under our belts, we were feeling positive and braced ourselves for the incoming winds.

‘Winds gusting 50 mph’ isn’t something you want to hear on a good day, let alone when you’re planning a fishing trip. Knowing that even protected lakes and channels were going to be rough, we put on a brave face and tried regardless. We met up with Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament founder, Joe Hector, for the day of fishing in the channels of Pompano, but a cold snap covering Florida had driven the exotics deep and Joe only managed a couple of largemouth.

The second day of high winds forced us inland, so we packed up and drove three hours north to fish with top angler, Jason Broach, in the world-famous Stick Marsh. A difficult paddle in was well worth the reward, as we were greeted by hungry largemouth and Jim landed his personal best bass—a 22.7 inch estimated at about 8lbs.

We got word that Patrick Sebile was feeling a bit better and was up to hitting the water. Even with an early start, the winds kicked up in full force again and we only managed a couple of ladyfish. With that, we called it wrapped the shoot. Once again, Florida tried to beat us but we were resilient and managed to pull off a good shoot. We’re already looking forward to our next shoot in Belize, where we’re meeting up with Damon Bungard from Jackson Kayak/Orion Coolers for an epic week of hooking into bonefish on the fly!

Kayak Fishing the Amazon River

Arriving in style at Peackcock Bass Expeditions Floating Lodge by float plane

THE KAYAK FISHING SHOW has just knocked a huge destination off our bucket list: Brazil—more specifically the Amazon Rainforest!

Long-time friend of the show, Esteban Gutierrez, joined us on this shoot and was instrumental in planning the trip. After a couple of very long days of travel, the team arrived in Manaus where we managed a few hours of sleep before being scooped
up by a float plane, which took us into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.

For over two hours we watched in amazement as the lush vegetation and massive rivers of the Amazon stretched out as far as we could see beneath our plane.

The view from our tiny plane as we flew into the Amazon

After a smooth water landing, we were dropped off at Peacock Bass Expeditions Floating Lodge—a houseboat turned mobile fishing lodge. The lodge was incredible; being based on the water meant that our kayaks were never far from the ability to launch at the drop of a hat, nor were we ever far from an amazing meal. Each day started at dawn, essentially rolling out of bed and into our kayaks from the lodge.

Our home while fishing in the Amazon, courtesy of Peacock Bass Expeditions

For our trip to the Amazon, we decided to bring two Jackson Kayak Coosa HD’s, as the Coosa was the perfect boat for this river trip—comfort, maneuverability and standability were key factors to our success in the Amazon.

On average, we spent about 16 hours a day in the scorching Brazilian heat and although no lunkers were caught, we caught plenty of great fish. Because we had to take very small planes to our destination, our luggage was restricted to a measly 35kg each! Even with the very tight restriction, there was no way I was leaving behind my Kokatat Sea02 PFD. Even though it’s tempting to leave the PFD behind on super hot days, it makes such a difference when your vest fits well and is designed specifically for kayaking—I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—wear your PFD!

Nice peacock bass

On this trip, we were targeting hungry peacock bass, which was the perfect opportunity with try out the new Werner Paddles Camano: Hooked series paddle in the new peacock bass pattern. I really enjoyed using the paddle for the long days we were putting in, and having such a lightweight paddle that can break down was crucial due to our luggage restrictions on this trip.

The new peacock bass pattern on the Werner Camano is spot on!

Same great paddle—awesome new design!

Myself and Esteban wracked up a few new species native to the Amazon, and I even managed to get some fish on the fly. By the end of the week, hundreds of fish were caught, and we have a couple amazing episodes in the works. The long journey to get to this amazing fishery was well worth it, and we are already looking forward to a return trip!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more updates as we head to our next location.

Here are some more photos from this incredible trip:

Mothershipping to a new part of the river

Esteban sneaking up on some hungry fish in his Coosa HD

The end of a long day of paddling!

Our amazing guides from Peacock Bass Fishing Expeditions

Swimming at the end of a very hot day…with PIRANHAS!

Esteban taking a very well-deserved nap on the side of the river

Kayak Fishing Campbell River, British Columbia

WE ARE BACK from Campbell River, British Columbia, where we were going after big salmon! Our good buddy James McBeath from Jackson Kayak and Orion Coolers joined us on this trip and we had a great shoot! I paddled my signature Kraken and James paddled the Coosa HD—both boats were perfect for fishing in this area.

 

Our first stop was Brown’s Bay Resort on Vancouver Island, an incredible location just a few minutes from town, but so far removed from it all we felt miles from anywhere—it’s no surprise that they claim it’s Vancouver Island’s best kept secret. Brent, our host and guide at Brown’s Bay, was an incredible resource and we can’t thank him enough for taking the time to show us his backyard!

Our first three days at Browns Bay provided a classic northern Canadian adventure, with tons of ling cod and rock fish on the line—big, toothy critters and not a single line break! THAT is why we use Seaguar Fluorocarbon and braided line on this show!

James with a toothy critter

The salmon we were targeting were very deep, which provided a challenge and the development of some new techniques. Jim cracked the code and landed our first salmon of the trip—a wild coho that we released.

Our next stop was Tyee Pool in Campbell River, one of North America’s oldest fishing clubs. In order to become a member, anglers must abide by a strict set of rules and regulations—as well as land a Chinook salmon (known as a tyee) over 30lbs. With our move to Tyee Pool came cooler temperatures—and the ocean in Canada is freezing! I was pretty happy to have my Kokatat paddling top and pants. I thought being a Canadian would make James immune to the cold, but apparently not as he brought his full drysuit for this trip!

Fishing Tyee Pool with hundreds of anglers in row boats

We had a great talk with the president of the club about the history of the club before hitting the water with the proper gear in hand courtesy of Tyee Marine. Tyee Pool was classic Canadiana—over 100 row boats covering a square mile section of water, all moving slowly due to a strict no motor policy. Even though we didn’t get the Tyee we wanted—meaning we didn’t become members of the club—it was still a very cool experience to be so warmly welcomed to the community.

Hoping to land some more fish, we loaded up on a mothership and headed to some deeper water where we caught a ton of small salmon and dogfish throughout the day, making up for our lack of fish at Tyee.

Our trip to Campbell River was nothing short of incredible; a great fishery surrounded by amazing scenery—along with amazing Canadian hospitality—made this trip one we aren’t soon to forget.

Kayak Fishing Venice, Louisiana

We have just returned from our latest shoot—an extremely successful trip to Louisiana. Jim and Jameson Redding of Jackson Kayak headed to the Gulf town of Venice in the southernmost part of the state to hook up with Brian from Seaguar and the folks at Mexican Gulf Fishing Company.

Day 1 success on The Pale Horse

High winds courtesy of Tropical Storm Emily threatened to end the trip before we could even get started. After examining the forecast and weighing our options, we decided to keep the kayaks on shore spend our first day on the water learning the fine art of yellowfin fishing from the safety of our charter boat, The Pale Horse. In the span of just a few hours, we beat up on nine monster tuna and the guys felt confident that even with high winds, they could handle the big fish in their kayaks the next day.

With Emily looming on the horizon, we hit the water early knowing that our window of opportunity to fish from the kayaks would be short. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect; within seconds of hitting the water Jameson was hooked up and Jim quickly followed suit. The guys spent the next hour dealing with their first two lunkers from their kayaks. As soon as they were landed, fresh bait was dropped and we hooked up a second time. Jameson, burnt out from two big battles with yellowfin, handed his paddle over to Brian. Unfortunately, he lost his first bite and before he could drop a second bait the thunderstorms hit and we were forced to make a run for the shore.

The rain didn’t stop for several hours and the forecast threatened two days of unrelenting storms. With the dismal forecast, Brian decided the best course of action was to call it a day and head home. With footage to capture and hope for another break in the weather, the rest of the crew geared up and waited for the storm to pass.

Within a few hours and with a little bit of luck, the storms shifted and we saw our window to hit the water without a guide or a camera boat. In the end, Jameson and Jim landed nine beauty slot redfish and the guys rocked a ton of awesome tips and banter.

Next up, we’re headed back to Belize and Belize River Lodge with our good buddy Damon, where we’re hoping to hook in to some permit, bonefish, and tarpon.

Kayak Fishing Alligator Gar in Texas

Our heart rates are only just beginning to slow down after a crazy weekend of fishing with Bubba Bedre’s Garzilla Guide Service in Palestine, Texas.

Long-time friend of the show, Damon Bungard, joined us on this shoot and both Damon and I landed our first alligator gar! It was incredibly rewarding reeling in these monsters from our kayaks. On this trip, I alternated between paddling the Coosa HD and the Coosa FD. It was different pedaling instead of paddling but I all got the hang of it after awhile (even if I did reach for my paddle every now and then).

Bubba taking a well deserved break on the Coosa FD

Damon was paddling the Mayfly throughout the shoot, and even managed to snag a gator gar on the fly, which was impressive! As an avid fly fisherman, Damon really enjoys the features of the Mayfly —especially because it makes for a great standing platform for sightcasting.

Damon enjoying the view from his Mayfly

Damon and I celebrating another monster from our kayaks

We rejigged our kayaks to accommodate these behemoth fish on arrival and began our hunt for gar under Bubba’s guidance. During our first long day in the sun, I managed to land a small 20lb alligator gar while Damon landed a couple of other species on the fly.

Getting our kayaks ready for another day on the water

Our second day on the water proved to be even hotter and a bit slower but in the final moments of the day I hooked a beast! A long fight ensued—which involved maneuvering the fish out from under a log—and with assistance from Bubba, I landed a respectable 140lb monster.

Bowed up!

Our third day on the water mirrored day two almost exactly, with high temps and a slow day. Just as we were about to head in to seek shade, I hooked into another beast, weighing in at a decent 130lbs.

Bubba and I with one of the many monsters caught on this trip!

…and another one!

This shoot was fantastic: With jumping prehistoric monsters, tons of laughs and wild characters—we can’t wait to get back down to Texas and get some more gar on the board!

Kayak Fishing Virginia

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS and it’s where we just wrapped up Season 8 of The Kayak Fishing Show doing what we love most–fishing!

On the hunt for big striped bass, heavy catfish, and even a little fly-fishing action, Richmond, Virginia has been on our destination list for quite some time.

To kick things off, we loaded up our Malone MicroSport trailer before we hit the water in the heart of downtown Richmond on the James River set against the backdrop of the city. Guided by Jackson Kayak angler, Josh Dolin, and Luther Cifers of YakAttack, we fished an incredibly scenic section of river known as a great spot for fly fishing.

We continued a mile downriver where we were shown a great section of that promised big catfish. For this type of fishing, I opted to use 80lb Threadlock with 50lb Fluorocarbon leader from Seaguar in the hopes of landing a monster.

Our initially positive weather forecast turned foul, and heavy rains caused the river to rise rapidly and turn muddy. With no shortage of wind and rain, I was very happy to have all of my Kokatat gear! I luckily packed my Sea02 PFD, Gore-Tex Paddling Jacket, Whirlpool bibs, and Gore-Tex Tempest paddling pants. The whole Kokatat system kept me toasty warm. Even with the poor conditions, we managed a few shad and some mid-sized catfish but the monsters remained elusive.

For the second half of the shoot, we ventured over to the other side of the city to meet up with Wes Seigler of SEiGLER Reels. This is where Jim was able to get his hands on his new Jim Sammons signature edition reel for the first time. Eager to test it out, we hit the saltwater where we targeted speckled trout and big stripers based on some local intel that folks were hooking up on 53lb stripers leading up to our arrival.

No big ones were landed but an impromptu fishing competition between the group made for great entertainment. In the end, we managed to hook up on some small stripers throughout the day. With great company, even the worst weather conditions can’t dampen the good times we had on the water!

With that, we wrap yet another awesome season of the show. We’re already planning for Season 9, which is shaping up to be another incredible season of searching for big fish on big water!

Kayak Fishing the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia

We are just back from our latest kayak fishing adventure—a shoot with friend and fellow Jackson Kayak teammate, Chris Funk. Chris and I both paddled Jackson Kayaks, with Chris in his signature DT, while I got to try out the Mayfly for the first time. The Mayfly is a fly fishing specific sit on top, and I really enjoyed paddling it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of my fly fishing equipment with me this time, so I couldn’t put it to the ultimate test, but I’ll definitely be paddling it again!

Paddling the new Mayfly from Jackson Kayak

Chris Funk fishing in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia.

For years, Chris has waxed on about a special spot that he has urged us to come and experience it firsthand. In the end, our curiosity got the better of us and we met up with Chris to explore the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia —a spot that may not sound like an exotic destination, but is truly out of this world. We stayed in a cozy cabin at the gateway to the swamp in Stephen C. Foster State Park, a 402,000 acre refuge chock full of herons, turtles, alligators, and—most importantly—bowfin!

Paddling below the Spanish Moss that was everywhere in the Okefenokee

Not a bad place to spend a day!

Throughout the week, both Chris and I landed numerous pike and bass, but the majority of   our time was spent chasing bowfin. We quickly learned that the trick with bowfin in these parts is to land them quickly to avoid getting the attention of the big gators also keen for a catch! With murky water and an abundance of toothy critters, we needed to straight tie our lures to something strong, and Seaguar Kanzen Braid was the ticket! The Kanzen casts really well, and it’s easy to dump the leader and straight tie when visibility is not an issue. Fishing among the hundreds of alligators and endless birdlife was definitely a highlight of this trip for us.

Fishing with the locals

Giving the gators right of way in the swamp

The water temperature was low due to a front that  had passed through the week before we arrived, which slowed the fishing down, but only marginally, so we still caught enough for our liking. The cold front also meant that there was a broad variety of temperatures and weather during the week, so that meant versatility was key. I was very happy that I brought along my Kokatat paddling top – it was perfect for the cool breeze in the mornings and easy to pack up and stow away when the weather got warmer in the afternoon.

The cold water also handily slowed the gators down, so they were not too aggressive and could be seen much of the day laying on the banks warming themselves in the sun. Paddling and fishing alongside gators does have an added element of danger, but it just made catching the local bowfin all the more exciting! This was also my first time catching bowfin, so I was pretty excited that I got to add a new species to the list on this trip.

Another species added to the list

My new otter friend. Photo: Chris Funk

Besides all the gators and birds we saw in the swamp we had a close encounter with a REALLY BIG otter. I was actually standing on shore at the time when he came running right up to me, he saw me and did a quick right turn back into the water.

Next week we are off to Virginia to meet up with friends Wes from SEiGLER Reels and Luther from YakAttack for a week-long kayak fishing road trip – stay tuned for more updates on that on our Instagram and Facebook page!

Kayak Fishing Vancouver Island, Canada

We are back from lovely Vancouver Island and are very happy to report on this amazing trip. The folks from Nootka Marine Adventures along with BC tourism did an amazing job at welcoming us, making us feel right at home and most importantly, putting us on some amazing fish.

We arrived late at night to a sky full of rain. When we rallied early the next morning there was a rare offshore calm begging us to add some excitement. The calm gave our kayaks a chance to drop in on some halibut and ling cod. We hooked a few ling and rock fish, but only landed the halibut which was hauled in on the support boat…but hey…at least we got to eat it!

Next we took part in the Moutcha Bay Annual Kayak Tournament. What a fantastic event! Myself and the crew were blown away by the remarkable attendance and the love the local anglers have for kayak fishing.

We had a wonderful few days after the tournament fishing the iconic, wild, BC rivers for salmon that had begun their move. Massive schools made shooting a breeze and we were able to catch and release about twenty gorgeous fish on film.

To close out our trip, we had one more day offshore. I managed to catch the elusive yellow eye rockfish that I have been hunting for and our friend, Kalani, hooked his first big ling.

With a fishery of world class proportions and the legendary scenery of ‘Beautiful British Columbia’, we are already planning our trip back!

Kayak Fishing in the Ottawa Valley

JUNE 22-30

For our most recent shoot, I headed back to the beautiful Ottawa Valley to fish on the mighty Ottawa River. ‘The Valley’ is home to Heliconia, the producers of our show, and it’s no wonder they’ve chosen this as home base – the fishing is unreal.

Exploring the many side channels on the Ottawa River

After many of our international trips being plagued by storms and wind, it was refreshing to see that the weather in the Ottawa Valley was going to be pretty consistent, if not incredibly hot. Most of the time, really hot days can really make for awesome evening bites, and this trip was no exception.

Nice largemouth!

Ken getting up close and personal with one of many fish caught on this trip

On this trip we switched things up a bit, with show producer Will Richardson playing guest host, while Ken Whiting joined us and took on the role of primary videographer for a few days. Will got to experience firsthand what it feels like to have bad luck in your home waters, as the topwater largemouth bite wasn’t on as much as we had hoped with the forecast.

Another nice largemouth

We then hooked up with the guys from Team Jackson Kayak, who were also shooting in the area. Having Brooks, Jameson, James and EJ along for this really helped logistically with shuttles, and for getting lots of different angled shots. We hit the water hard, running rapids and fishing for small mouth bass and pike. Our luck seemed to turn around, and needless to say, the Ottawa provided and we had a great time. I was paddling the Coosa HD on this trip, and loved every minute of it – it was really stable and comfortable, key for getting through some of the whitewater we encountered on this trip.

The man himself (Eric ‘EJ’ Jackson) ready to hit the water

Hanging out with the boys from Team Jackson Kayak

Scouting some of the bigger rapids on the Ottawa River

Following that, Jim joined up with local pros Dan and Manny in a secret location for some musky fishing. The boys put us on plenty of fish and we all came off the water with huge smiles.

Super secret location in the Ottawa Valley

Finally, we hooked up with musician and narrator for Kayak Bassin’ Brock Zeman for a last day of fishing for largemouth on a small back channel. If you like our theme song for the show, Brock is the evil genius behind it!  This was hands down one of the best days of fishing of our lives, as those bass were all over our topwater frogs.

Getting serenaded by Brock Zeman on the water…not sure what to think about that.

Brock with another nice bass

The Ottawa River always provides us sunny skies, warm water and awesome fishing. We’re already looking forward to our next trip back to the Ottawa Valley.