Chatter COMMUNITY RE: BUY FIVE COPIES FOR MY MOTHER


I made the CPR page! Now I can check making it into Kayak Angler magazine off my bucket list. Just to prove the smallmouth catch wasn’t a fluke, I’ve attached a picture from my cell phone taken on the Huron River in Michigan with a 24-inch steelhead.


Trying to get this hard-fighting, acrobatic fish in a ‘yak while fighting a strong current was a challenge. EXCERPTED FROM AN EMAIL BY CRAIG HEFNER, DAVISBURG, MICHIGAN.


Congratulations Craig, you rolling stone. Readers, you could be next. Find a measure of kayak fishing fame by sending your Catch, Photograph, Release or Tales submission to editor@kayakanglermag.com. –eds.


and Kayak. “I love it. Insane! I’ve got my drill ready,” wrote Gabriel Elizabeth Domenech. This radical procedure isn’t new in West


CUT THROUGH THE BOTTOM? READERS


SAY, “HULL NO!” PHOTO: PAUL LEBOWITZ


In the App and Digital Editions this Issue


If you’re not reading this on your tablet or at www.


kayakanglermag.com/0025, here’s what you’re missing:


A video demonstration of the


Scotty Kayak Stabilizer. Make virtually any fishing kayak a stand-up model (Gear, page 18).


Learn how to pitch docks with Jeff Little (page 41).


Watch Kayak Kevin Whitley use a wreck anchor to fish the rough stuff (Skills Guide, page 43).


Watch for this icon throughout this issue of Kayak Angler to see additional photo and video content.


CUT UP In “The Craziest Cut,” Early Summer 2012, page 24 (www.kayakanglermag.com/0026), deep water angler Steve Orr provocatively de- clared that for the ultimate in fish finder per- formance, a two-inch hole in the bottom of the kayak is necessary to accommodate a superior powerboat-style through hull transducer. In anticipation of a coming storm of reader


outrage, editor Paul Lebowitz took the (so far, not literal) plunge. When he posted photos on the Kayak Angler Facebook page (www. facebook.com/KayakAngler) of a drill boring through the pristine bottom of his new kayak, the responses were immediate. “All it takes is one well-placed rock and you’re sunk,” said Cory Routh. Bill Bittman sarcastically sug- gested adding floatation foam in the hull “so you can cling to it while waiting for assistance. Thumbs down on this one due to the semi- flexible nature and difficulty of bonding our craft,” he wrote. Most comments expressed strong disap-


proval, but a few risk-takers were intrigued. “I have all the confidence in the world in this project,” wrote Ken Nowicki when he heard the work was done by one of the top pro rig- gers in the business, CJ Siebler of OEX Dive


Coast kayak fishing circles, but it is as far from the norm as bombing 50-foot waterfalls is in whitewater kayaking (if not as spectacular in its danger). Kayak Angler is using this op- portunity to examine every angle of the issue, good and bad.


MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH In March, an Australian kayak angler nar- rowly escaped death when he was mowed down by a 40-foot flybridge cruiser on auto- pilot. The impact literally shredded his kayak. Weeks later a speeding tin boat struck Michael Rischer’s kayak a glancing blow. Both men were wearing brightly colored PFDs and us- ing gear designed to improve their visibility. When Kayak Angler reported the close calls


in online-exclusive stories (www.kayakangler- mag.com/0027), readers weighed in on safety measures. “Flags are for sissies. There are very few boat / kayak collisions when you consider the number of kayaks,” poster Barrell wrote. “I suppose you think the same about helmets for motorbike riders. A flag doesn’t guarantee being seen but it does improve the odds,” Flag User countered. Ire aimed at the boaters was in plentiful


supply. “I think they ought to keel haul the skipper,” Jiim shouted. “No excuse for this negligence,” NW Angler chimed in. The level- headed Chip Clark pointed out that danger is sometimes unavoidable. “It goes to show you that no matter what precautions you take, you can’t always protect yourself from someone else’s carelessness,” he bottom-lined.


CATCH US: editor@kayakanglermag.com | www.kayakanglermag.com | www.facebook.com/KayakAngler | www.twitter.com/kayakanglermag | www.kayakanglertv.com 8 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2012


TWICE AS FAMOUS. HEFNER BACKS


HIS CPR CATCH. PHOTO: CRAIG HEFNER


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