What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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gotmuddy
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What are your fishing goals for 2019??

Post by gotmuddy »

My goal is to float 100 miles of river next year.  Living where I do I have tons of floatable river within a 1hr drive of my house.  Intertwined I am going to get into kayak fishing, starting with buying a new kayak, a nucanoe classic.  It isnt flashy, but I will be able to customize it how I want, and it will be big enough to get my soon to be 7 year old son out on the water fishing.  I also want to get to some new places and fish, mainly marshes in Southern LA (hopedale, cocodrie, etc)  Its pretty lofty but hey...its a goal, it should not be easy to attain.  I am all for using my son as an excuse to go fishing lol

So have any of you set goals for next year?
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karstopo
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Rivers are nice, sounds like fun. Is this 100 miles at one time or broken out over several trips? Any specific rivers in mind? I think the longest float I’ve been part of and done in one day has been something like 15 miles.

I’ve done a number of river floats in kayaks and canoes. It’s been a while since I’ve done one that hasn’t been in the tidal zone.

I used to take my son along in the Commander kayak until he got too big. Mostly, I put my kids in their own kayaks. Sometimes when they were little, that meant tying a line to their kayak and pulling them along. My daughter has always been a strong paddler and enthusiastic about getting in the kayak. She still goes out from time to time in my old Tarpon 140.

Goals for 2019, maybe go after and catch a snook on a fly. Had a chance this year, but it didn’t pan out. Get a bull redfish in the surf with the fly set up, that’s something I’ve got on my horizon.
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JW FunGuy
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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This is good timing since I have just been thinking the same thing. My first thought was to come out of retirement and get a job to support my new habit! I have only been doing the Salt thing since May so that leaves a lot of goals open. My first one is to take the time to photograph some of the place I get to in my kayak. The other is to get to more places. I have been getting up at O:Duckthirty to get to someplace at the Quack-of-dawn, fish until whenever and drive the 3 hours back home. Needless to say I don’t get out very often. So to take care of all the above I want to find place I can get to, camp (in the back of my truck) and spend a couple of days kayaking, fishing and doing some photography. I’m looking at running down the beach some but still looking for ideas, so if y’all know of some nice spots and wouldn’t mind passing them on please drop me a note. And I’ve already lived in Colorado and New Mexico so don’t suggest anyplace but the gulf. :D
Thanks!
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gotmuddy
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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JW FunGuy wrote:This is good timing since I have just been thinking the same thing. My first thought was to come out of retirement and get a job to support my new habit! I have only been doing the Salt thing since May so that leaves a lot of goals open. My first one is to take the time to photograph some of the place I get to in my kayak. The other is to get to more places. I have been getting up at O:Duckthirty to get to someplace at the Quack-of-dawn, fish until whenever and drive the 3 hours back home. Needless to say I don’t get out very often. So to take care of all the above I want to find place I can get to, camp (in the back of my truck) and spend a couple of days kayaking, fishing and doing some photography. I’m looking at running down the beach some but still looking for ideas, so if y’all know of some nice spots and wouldn’t mind passing them on please drop me a note. And I’ve already lived in Colorado and New Mexico so don’t suggest anyplace but the gulf. :D
Thanks!
Where do you live? I can suggest a few places to do just that. In fact me and a friend are coming down to sargent and we are going to camp on the beach.
karstopo wrote:Rivers are nice, sounds like fun. Is this 100 miles at one time or broken out over several trips? Any specific rivers in mind? I think the longest float I’ve been part of and done in one day has been something like 15 miles.

I’ve done a number of river floats in kayaks and canoes. It’s been a while since I’ve done one that hasn’t been in the tidal zone.

I used to take my son along in the Commander kayak until he got too big. Mostly, I put my kids in their own kayaks. Sometimes when they were little, that meant tying a line to their kayak and pulling them along. My daughter has always been a strong paddler and enthusiastic about getting in the kayak. She still goes out from time to time in my old Tarpon 140.

Goals for 2019, maybe go after and catch a snook on a fly. Had a chance this year, but it didn’t pan out. Get a bull redfish in the surf with the fly set up, that’s something I’ve got on my horizon.
100 miles total, not one trip. Within just one hour drive of my house I have the Buffalo, white, north fork of the white, spring, south fork of the spring, strawberry, and the eleven point rivers. thats not even counting the larger creeks(crooked creek). I love flowing water.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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I live outside of New Braunfels
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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JW FunGuy wrote:This is good timing since I have just been thinking the same thing. My first thought was to come out of retirement and get a job to support my new habit! I have only been doing the Salt thing since May so that leaves a lot of goals open. My first one is to take the time to photograph some of the place I get to in my kayak. The other is to get to more places. I have been getting up at O:Duckthirty to get to someplace at the Quack-of-dawn, fish until whenever and drive the 3 hours back home. Needless to say I don’t get out very often. So to take care of all the above I want to find place I can get to, camp (in the back of my truck) and spend a couple of days kayaking, fishing and doing some photography. I’m looking at running down the beach some but still looking for ideas, so if y’all know of some nice spots and wouldn’t mind passing them on please drop me a note. And I’ve already lived in Colorado and New Mexico so don’t suggest anyplace but the gulf. :D
Thanks!
I've seen folks tent and truck camp on the Free beach at Surfside Beach. I haven't personally camped there (why would I since I live 25 minutes away), but there's Christmas and Drum Bay just on the other side of the blue water hwy and both are very kayak friendly. Then there's the surf to fish if the bay isn't what you want. People do the same at Quintana Beach just below Freeport and Surfside. There's a kayak able marsh over there close to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The beach below the mouth of the Brazos River used to see more campers. What changed was that a cut formed blocking 4wd able access up the beach from Sargent. And the mouth of the San Bernard opened up after Harvey further blocking drive down the beach access. I don't know the current status of those cuts. The one at the San Bernard was all but closed off this summer, but I still wouldn't try to drive it then.

I guess you could drive to the Cedar Lake cut and camp there. The beach at Sargent sees a lot of erosion and may be impassable at any time, even to more able 4wd vehicles. Matagorda going north on the beach offers the same thing with access to East Matagorda Bay, a premiere fishing area. There might be a beach permit involved there, I just don't know. The Matagorda Peninsula going south is all in Private hands, but the beach and tidal water is public, there's just no way onto the peninsula without a boat or an airplane. I think the Cullen family still owns about 2/3 of the Peninsula and about 100,000 folks own the lower part from about Greens bayou south. Those lakes around Greens bayou on the peninsula look like heaven on Earth to a kayak fisherman that likes to sight fish.

All the rivers, creeks and bayou south of the salt water/freshwater boundary offer good fishing opportunities, subject to fresh water run off. I just don't know where you can camp along them. There are RV parks galore, but I don't know the status of truck camping thereabout.
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karstopo
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.states ... ate=ampart

Powderhorn ranch going to be a state park on Matagorda bay.

Doesn't Goose Island State Park in Rockport offer camping?
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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My fishing goal for 2019 is to go fishing.
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gotmuddy
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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karstopo wrote: I guess you could drive to the Cedar Lake cut and camp there. The beach at Sargent sees a lot of erosion and may be impassable at any time, even to more able 4wd vehicles.
that is what we are going to do next weekend. if the weather holds it should be great
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Thanks for all the input y’all! I think this might be a good topic for another thread, I’ll try and start one tomorrow. My main goals are no RV parks, State Parks are OK as long as they are close to launch points, but remote dirt bag camping 4wd camping is better.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Exploration, Camaraderie & Catching fish!
Rivers, lakes, marsh, bay, btb - It don't matter to me -
Just need time - right now - Time is (not) on my side -
Last edited by YakRunabout on Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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trying to get my buddies into some cold weather gear
Even found a great ebay deal on NOS and very high quality goretex cloudveil pants for one buddy - don't know if he bought it.
I bought the kokatat goretex pants for myself and their comfort is amazing.
If he picks up those, I can loan good waders to our other buddy.

One buddy has a goal of getting his '74 GMC motor home up for weekend coast runs. My goal is to help him with that work as much as possible.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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I am ready for the cold.
Have been out in all months from freezing on up and managed to stay comfortable. When cold just layered up and best to have some sun and light wind. I guess, any of the Seasons in the sun!
For whatever season it is best to pick the best Time of the season.
If you are not prepared for the cold you may get chilled and be a bit of a Zombie once back to the launch!
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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I've been a cold water and cold weather fly fisherman for 4 decades, just never combined it with a kayak - also a cold weather cyclist, and even backpacked in snow (back when tech was beeswaxed jeans and coated nylon gaitors).
I could write a book on layering.
I have great waders, but the Kokatat dry pants are much better for sitting in a kayak.
And yes, if you suffer cold water exposure in the cold, hypothermia will knock you out - and at the very least give you a horrendous headache.

The morning we began filming TU On the Rise in the Guadalupe, it was 28, 20kt wind, and 3" of the first dry snow I've ever seen in s. Texas
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Also been out in 14 degrees (here's Danny that morning - it quickly warmed up with the sun),
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but few things are colder than 40 degrees and rain, which I've also done.
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if you're apt to dip your hands, synthetic fleece gloves lose all insulation when wet,
but merino wool will still keep wet hands warm.
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Last edited by Ron Mc on Fri Dec 21, 2018 8:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Ron I have always appreciated and welcomed your vast array of knowledge but I have to disagree with you on your last comment about Marino wool gloves. Marino wool is still a natural fiber, it absorbs moisture and takes forever to dry out. Synthetics were a boon to the outdoors, when mountaineers first started to wear fleece it changed everything and it hasn’t turned back. I have worn fleece bottoms and tops under dry suit bottoms and tops in freezing conditions so cold in Colorado that my kayak looked like a glazed donut with ice covering it at the takeout! And those weren’t even breathable tops, but the synthetics kept a dry layer next to our skin which kept us dry and warm.
I too could write a book. :) I spent my entire life working in the specialty outdoor industry from everything from retail to sales rep to manufacturing.
But in the case of hands and fishing that is the most difficult thing. I find most fleece to be too bulky so I rely on light weight fingerless (synthetic) gloves and pockets. I picked up a pair of the el cheapo Academy neoprene gloves to try but have yet to use them. The best thing for paddling is pogies .
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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try it - I dare you to dip your synthetic fleece gloves.
Actually, merino wool treated with tea tree oil doesn't get wet inside the fibers (only the weave space fills, but there's less weave space than synthetic fibers), and it's naturally antibiotic - sheep have been weathering wet weather longer than chemists.
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I've gone to nothing but merino base layers and wash it in kookaburra. Still have my capeline, just don't use it.

Synthetic fleece is perfect insulation as long as it doesn't get wet, but wool is still insulation even if it gets wet.

Even thin summer layers for athletic cycling - where high humidity and sweat becomes an insulating layer rather than evaporative cooling - something you never experienced in CO.
Thin merino tees show sweat, but the synthetics are holding just as much or more water in the weave space between fibers - and they're also growing bacteria, where the merino tees aren't - merino doesn't even stink after being heavily sweated in all day.

And if there's anything about Texas winters, 33 degrees and 100% humidity is just as physically cold as 40 below on the north slope, but it's more penetrating even than wind, and you really can't layer for it with tech layers. OK, you don't get frostbite, but you get exposure.
With no wind, I've walked between buildings in Prudoe December in just shirt sleeves at 40 below (an insulating film of warm air sticks to you), and the Inuit bus drivers wear short sleeves.
(Admitted, 10 below with a 50kt wind is the most brutal condition on the planet, and requires survival gear.)
Last edited by Ron Mc on Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:24 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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I have, pretty much tried it all. The pro cyclist gave up wool decades ago. And they are not just straight fleece but highly technical fabrics, bi-component fabrications designed to pull moisture away from the body.
Yes synthetics, if not treated with an antimicrobial, will stink if not washed. But also gone are the days of the original polypropylene (I had some that the only proper thing to do was give it a decent burial! ) But wool when wet, well, still smells like a wet dog! :)
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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pro cyclists are advertising billboards for their sponsors - they all ride Dugast tires, but glue their sponsor's logos over them.
Here - that first high-humidity day in May - everyone is breathing steam for the first time since last summer, and wondering how they got so out of shape.

I've fallen in most of the best fishing holes in NA, including Alaska. You're going to have a wet day - a merino base layer will protect you better than synthetic, and is also a wicking base layer. Ad copy never lists the negatives.
Goretex remains the best breathable shell layer, and none of the copycat breathable shell fabrics can perform with it.

While much of AK is a desert - similar to CO - all the coastlines facing west are rain forests - Anchorage is more like a winter here than CO - just add 25' of sea-effect snow.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Fish more. Only got 12 trips in for 2018. That's less than half my usual. Laziness and weather got me this year 8)
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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Like everything you do Ron I love your enthusiasm. And like most everything it is finding out what works best for you. You have to dress for your environment and plan for the worst. Even mountaineering trips start from low desert like environments and after days of carrying heavy loads end up in cold snow covered potentially hostile conditions where the Mantra is “you sweat, you die”. The only wool here (@20,000ft.) is our socks, and those got changed often.
Now who wants to go camp on the beach and find a marsh to fish!?
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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(of course everywhere's a desert at 20,000' - like the North Slope, precipitation is rare, but the snow blows back and forth, slowly evaporating over decades)
I can't play the week of Christmas, but let's watch the weather for the following week. I'm on your way if you come down 281, or can meet up south (almost certainly quicker).
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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JW FunGuy wrote: Now who wants to go camp on the beach and find a marsh to fish!?
we bumped our trip up a day, and we are leaving thursday. The yak's should be wet by 6am friday morning. We are going to start on the san bernard friday and the east side of cedar lake, then friday evening go to sargent and set up camp on the west side of cedar lake. we are pretty excited
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Help another 10,000 anglers catch fish more consistently AND faster.
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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gotmuddy wrote:
[we bumped our trip up a day, and we are leaving thursday. The yak's should be wet by 6am friday morning. We are going to start on the san bernard friday and the east side of cedar lake, then friday evening go to sargent and set up camp on the west side of cedar lake. we are pretty excited
I assume you are not paddling to your camp?
That looks like a great trip! I don’t think I will be going anywhere until after the first . :( Keep me posted on how it went. I definitely would like to do that!
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gotmuddy
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Re: What are your fishing goals for 2019??

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JW FunGuy wrote:I assume you are not paddling to your camp?
That looks like a great trip! I don’t think I will be going anywhere until after the first . :( Keep me posted on how it went. I definitely would like to do that!
This trip we will be camping from the 4-runner. shoot me a pm if your more interested in specifics
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