TRAILER
BE VEWY, VEWY QUIET—I’M KAYAK FISHING BY RIC BURNLEY
Shhh… W
e’ve all savored the thrill of victory that is unique to kayak fishing. When
you pick the spot, figure the tides, prep the gear, choose the baits, launch the ‘yak, pad- dle out, rig up, make the cast, hook up and catch the fish of a lifetime. The first thought, “I can’t wait to tell everyone about this!” fol- lowed immediately by, “Wait, I can’t tell any- one about this.” The cruel irony. Score the winning touch-
down, throw a no-hitter, or sink a hole-in- one and the world celebrates with you. Do the equivalent in a kayak and you have to change your name and go into hiding. If not, every kayaker within a day’s drive will be on your spot, catching your fish and stealing your thunder. In the eight years that I’ve kayak fished, my
friends and I have discovered and developed countless fisheries in the mid-Atlantic. From trophy striper to bull red drum to dorado and tuna—we caught the first out of a kayak and shared our triumphs with the world. As kayak fishing exploded, the Internet
boomed. Blogs, message boards, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube make it easier than ever for an angler to blow his own horn—and blow his own spot.
54 …KAYAK ANGLER SPRING 2012 My first experience with that scenario
came early. My best buddy and I figured out how to catch big red drum on the shoals of Smith Island Inlet. On every available mes- sage board, we posted pictures and gave glo- rious details about our adventures. The next weekend a half-dozen hearty souls showed up to get in on the fun. We all paddled out, but only a few paddled back. One guy flipped in the surf. Two had to be towed back to the launch. Since then prospects have lost pad- dles, gotten sea sick and even been swept out to sea. Sometimes it’s safer to keep a secret. Some secrets are kept whether you want to
or not. Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is one of the hottest winter spots in Virginia. When I posted reports of fast action striper fishing on message boards around the country, I was actually trying to attract anglers to the area. Later, I noticed one moderator had removed the location from my post. When I asked that the location be reinstated, he refused. “Board policy,” he explained, “no blowing up spots.” Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong
with keeping a secret. When we first caught trophy striped bass off Kiptopeke, Virginia, we made sure that the news spread fast. To- day, kayak anglers come from all over the
world in hopes of scoring a monster striper. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many big ones as there used to be. We’ve kept a few spots top-secret. Just this
fall, my buddies discovered a new source for monster red drum right under our noses. The spot was so obvious and the action so epic, I made the mistake of mentioning the location in a blog. Before the information su- perhighway could carry the news around the world, my crew was chastising me for letting the cat out of the bag. I deleted the report in time to save the spot. “Whew!” one of them texted me. If no one shared information, we’d still be
cane-poling brim off the bank. But it takes a lot of energy, work, thought and money to catch a fish—why give it all away? Half the fun is figuring it out. Truth is, more often than not, it’s our own bravado that blows our cover. From the time of the caveman to the time of the wireless man—anglers can’t help but tell a fish tale.
Ric Burnley’s currently in protective custody— he let slip one too many secrets at his
www.FishCrazy.info blog.
ILLUSTRATION: LORENZO DEL BIANCO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56