About

I have always been a person with too many hobbies. I am someone who always has to be on the go and it virtually impossible for me to sit at home and do nothing for long periods of time. Because of this my hobbies change with the seasons. Deer hunting in the fall, duck hunting in the winter, fishing in the spring, and golf over the summer. It was a never ending, and very expensive, cycle. I have finally found a way to fill my time with more centrally focused hobbies, but to my wife’s dismay they aren’t really any less expensive.

I got turned on to kayak fishing when a good friend of mine mentioned that it was something he had always wanted to try. To be honest the thought of paddling around in the ocean with a little plastic boat had never crossed my mind, nor did it seem logical. I decided I would try it anyway and that summer we headed to Aransas Pass with camper in tow for what was sure to be an exciting trip.

We fished Brown & Root Flats with our guide Dean Thomas. We spent the early morning hours looking for tails and even though we didn’t put any fish in the boat the blow-ups were enough to keep the blood pumping. The next day we just rented boats and went out on our own. I finally caught my first fish from a kayak, an 18″ trout. I understand that this is not a wall hanger by anyone’s standards, but it was a fish, and it was in the boat. Later that afternoon I got tangled up with a pretty good redfish while blind casting a Super Spook Jr. After nearly five minutes of fighting he came unbuttoned, but at that point it didn’t matter. I was already HOOKED!

The following winter at the boat show I received an offer I couldn’t refuse, laid out a down payment, and when my income tax check came in the mail that spring I became the proud owner of a Wilderness Systems Ride 135.

So about those hobbies I mentioned earlier. . .now I chase reds in the summer and fall and trout in the winter and spring. If it’s too cold or too wet I stay inside and build custom rods or try to determine what new modifications my kayak just can’t be without. I have a growing interest in fly tying, but I haven’t mustered up the courage to dive into that just yet. That will probably change after I build my first fly rod. If it has to do with saltwater kayak fishing I am probably either deeply involved, just getting started, or I have added it to my ever growing list of things to try.

Thanks for stopping in! I hope you find something on this site that either helps you inspires you, or maybe just gives you a good laugh. Feel free to look around and share any comments or concerns that you may have and I will address them as quickly and as completely as I can. Until then, tight lines, tall tales, and full stringers.

-Andy aka TexasFlatRat