Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:27 am Post subject: Millers Pond 11/29
TurtleKiss (aka Kira) agreed to join me for the maiden voyage of my new kayak, a Wilderness Systems Ride 135 with the angler package and rudder (aka, tentatively, My New Ride). Kira pedaled The Other Woman (aka my Hobie Pro Angler):
Neither of us had ever been to Millers Pond before, but it sounded interesting because it's a carry-in pond. Quite frankly, the carry-in part is fairly easy. It's advertised as 300 yards, but certainly didn't look or feel like it. There's only a gently sloping hill down to the pond. Having the newly repaired heavy duty wheeled cart for The Other Woman certainly didn't hurt. We just threw My New Ride on top of her and wheeled both boats down the fairly smooth, well-trodden path. We were on the water from 10:30 am to 3:45 pm. The air and water temperatures were identical at 41 degrees. The skies were clear and there was little to no wind. The water was clear down to at least six feet. There were some still green weeds on the bottom, but not many. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be out on the water. In honor of metalfish (aka Ian), here's my first ever posted video:
Yeah, it's not as exciting as one of Ian's, but it's a start. Here's a photo of Kira with her monster yellow perch:
And here's another one of her looking all smug about having caught it:
It was just a little perch, Kira, geez! Other than that huge bit of excitement, it was really peaceful out there. I think that I might have even fallen asleep a couple of times after staying up late to install a Bluetooth speakerphone in my little old recently repaired Saab. I was awakened by a couple of perchy tugs on my line and landed an even tinier yellow perch that was only about six inches long. I didn't get a photo because I wasn't able to lip it, not even with my little finger. But it was very vibrantly colored, like a Lucky Craft Aurora Green Perch swimbait, and about the same size, too!
So far, I like My New Ride. Unlike my sit inside kayaks, she confused me a little bit because of her similarity with The Other Woman (e.g., similar color, similar size, moving foot pegs). I had to constantly remind myself that I could operate the rudder with the foot pegs and also that I couldn't pedal with them. I've finally decided that between paddling and pedaling, I prefer pedaling. While I could stand up on her, she doesn't have the same rock solid lateral stability as The Other Woman. I'm going to have to get used to her. I can't wait to take her out on a warmer day, on warmer water and after having more than four hours of sleep. Sorry, ice fishing guys, but come on, Indian Summer! _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Last edited by PECo on Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 11:04 am Post subject:
Well, since she has a rudder, tracking is dead on. She's a little bit wide at 32 inches and I hit the side mounted carry handles with the shaft of my paddle from time to time. I found it weird to have the paddle on my lap, instead of on the coaming like it would be on a sit inside kayak. She's stable and comfortable enough that I fell asleep on her. Hopefully, Kira got some photos.
At half the weight of The Other Woman, I can car top her. Unfortunately, the straps that came with my Thule J-style racks are one to two feet too short to strap her down the normal way (i.e., with a doubled strap running over the kayak). I'll have to use only a single strap over the top, and bow and stern tie-downs, until I get longer straps. She fits into my garage while on top of the car with a couple of inches to spare, as long as I wait for the garage door to open completely. _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Congrats. Nice vid. _________________ I Love My Fishing And NASCAR. But When There Is ICE On The Pond Bet Your Britches I Will Be There.
Bassin In The Summer Perchin In The Winter Mr. Green
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:38 pm Post subject:
Hey, George,
If you'd like to give My New Ride a good paddle before you commit to a particular boat, just let me know.
I considered getting a Wilderness Systems Commander 140, which is similar to the Native Ultimate 14, but decided that a SOT would work better for me. If I didn't already have The Other Woman, I probably would have gotten the Commander. I especially love the "Captain's Chair" feature. Having the option to sit low and sit high, as well as to stand up, would be terrific.
Phil _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 454 Location: West Hartford
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:44 pm Post subject:
OK, Phil. Now I'm going to have to say that you have probably spent the same amount of jack and are taking as much space in your garage as it would have cost you to get a decent used aluminum bass boat with a 50HP motor. I think it's great, and I love your enthusiasm for fish-paddling/pedaling! How many kayaks is that now? 4? You better start clearing space for the Commander.
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:50 pm Post subject:
Hey, Jed. Who do you think you are, my wife?
Yeah, I think I'm done buying boats for now. Four is what I need for myself, my son and my two nephews during the Summer. Although my daughter said that she'd enjoy using a pink kayak like the Perceptions they sell at Dick's Sporting Goods. Hmmm. . . . _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 1200 Location: central CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:31 pm Post subject:
Phil summarized the trip perfectly, except he neglected to mention that he asked me to look smug before taking the 2nd perch photo. That's false pride in that photo. I had to use my index finger to lip the thing...pretty pathetic.
Nice looking pond. I was planning to catch smallies with jigs most of the day. The black worm and senko also made an appearance, as did the red rattletrap, which my perch inhaled in the most inconvenient way possible. The whole perimeter had a lot of 7-12 ft dropoffs, and the deepest spot I found was about 17 feet. Only perchy tugs all day.
I tried chumming with these crumbs...actually I tried to eat them, but the wind kept blowing them into my hair so I poured them in the water. Figured the bass might like it - coffee cakes are delicious.
_________________ Kira
*~ "Not everything about fishing is noble, reasonable and sane..." -Henry Middleton ~*
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: What?!?!
While I was starving, severely hypoglycemic and passing out, you were feeding coffee cake to the fish? Where was MY coffee cake and MY coffee? Gee, thanks, Kira. . . .
LOL! _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:13 pm Post subject:
Umm, Dawg? Kira took that photo of me standing on My New Ride after she launched in The Other Woman, but before I pushed off from the shore, which I did from the seated position. My New Ride is really stable when she's sitting on the floor of my garage, too.
I stood up on My New Ride out on the water when I took my coat off. But that ended up being a mistake. When a steady four to five mile per hour north wind rose at 2:00 pm, I got really, really cold. Brrrr! _________________ Don't forget to wear sunscreen and don't litter!
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Other than that huge bit of excitement, it was really peaceful out there. I think that I might have even fallen asleep a couple of times after staying up late to install a Bluetooth speakerphone in my little old recently repaired Saab. I was awakened by a couple of perchy tugs on my line and landed an even tinier yellow perch that was only about six inches long. I didn't get a photo because I wasn't able to lip it, not even with my little finger. But it was very vibrantly colored, like a Lucky Craft Aurora Green Perch swimbait, and about the same size, too! 
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Gee, thanks, Kira. . . .
