For all the aspects about fishing that you can analyze and tweak it always comes down to getting the fish to bite your bait. Whether you are throwing a hot dog out with a bobber on a Zebco 33 or tying a Wooly Bugger on your Sage it’s really all about that bite and the feeling that goes with it. At least for me that’s what it’s about. From a blue gill to a large mouth bass I’m in for whatever fish wants to bite!

So I spend some time thinking about what setup would serve best for what purpose. The usual combos of bait casters with different dear ratios, spinning real sizes with different rod length combos, and a couple of Zebco 33’s line my garage wall. There are plenty of times I pick the outings arsenal because I really, really want to land a good bass on the end of my line and end up with a crappie. Then I wish I’d brought an ultralight setup just to have a lot of fun crappie fishing. Then again, if I just used a Zebco 33 I’d be covered for everything! Also, for the record, it’s not about the gear.

Before I deviate too far out into philosophical field, I just really want to write about my kayak fishing trip where I was almost skunked. 2018 has marked a wonderful year for fishing. In terms of spots to fish we’re knocking out a lot of new places. Adding the kayak’s to the adventure gear mix also means that there are ton’s of new fishing location options available. For the most part the kayak fishing has produced a lot of quality time with the family and a ton of amazing views. However, the fishing hasn’t been great.

I’m not too concerned about it because it’s all part of the experience and I’m so thankful for being able to get off the bank! On this particular outing we launched our boats at the kayak/canoe launch at Burns Park. While I absolutely love the launch they have available, I’m not really a fan of the water or the fishing area. This distributary feeds from the Arkansas River, through a makeshift lake, and ends up feeling more like a swamp.  It’s a give and take relationship 🙂

That said there are several places where people obviously fish. Sadly, I am assuming this because of the usual water trash of fishing line and bobbers that can be seen along the way. As the Natural State we really should do better at cleaning up our natural resources, but that’s a different topic all together. The weather was slightly cool, but very enjoyable to paddle in. Most of the adventure from the dock to the lake gave water that was too shallow to register anything on the Deeper.

As we entered the Victory Lake area the temperature seemed to drop considerably and the wind picked up. Then a light rain shower popped up. Add all of this to no fish caught and the kayak trip was turning into a bit of a bummer. Around lunch time Hope & I decided that 3 hours of kayaking was a good mix for the day. As we returned to the dock I noticed a swirl/ripple/splash and just had to give it one more try. You know, that one case that you just “have to make!” Like all decent fishing tales, this one has some magic to it:

Catching an alligator gar from the kayak

When it first hit my rattle trap lure I thought I snagged a log. When it jumped out of the water I just knew I had a great bass on the line! When I finally reeled it close enough to the boat to see what it was I almost cut my line. I’ve never caught an alligator gar until this day. This fish pulled with the strength of a good catfish, but the power of a bass. The fish thrashed and thrashed to get the hooks thrown, but it manages to bite the middle of my rattle trap, so one treble hook was on each side of it’s mouth. The rod did it’s job and kept the line nice and tight. The drag on the reel performed amazingly well and the fish stayed on the line. I fought this gar for the better part of 5 minutes to get it close enough to the kayak to realize that I had no idea how to get the lure out of it’s mouth.

Thankfully, I was able to grab my lure with my fishing pliers and hold it up for this picture! With one good kick the gar said “Fine, you got a pic. I’m out of here.” With that single kick the gar was back in the river water and gone from my sight. I was ecstatic with joy at having caught a really big fish from the Adventure Galley and even more so for having a photo to prove it! Thankfully, my wife was able to paddle back over and get the shot.