The kayak has hit the water. I started the day with a trip to Yellow Creek Lake at Yellow Creek State Park to put the vessel in the water for the first time. Surprisingly, I got the kayak and gear loaded up, hauled out to the lake, and into the water without a single hiccup. I truly expected some challenges but I’m not disappointed they didn’t come.
I eased onto the lake and into a nearby cove where I could get acquainted with the new boat and its features. I was impressed with how easily it peddled and steered. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get up a decent amount of speed. Once I was comfortable I rigged up my fly rod and began casting to the shoreline trying to entice a bit from, well, anything. It was a bit awkward at first but I was getting a little better with each cast.
After fishing for a bit I decided to focus on doing some exploring. I worked the shoreline around the bend and then eventually crossed the lake where I wanted to check out a couple other small coves and a giant area of lilly pads. I fished here and there, but nothing too serious. By now I was feeling pretty good about things so I changed to a wooly bugger and started working the edge of the lilly pads. I could see the bottom and figured the water was only two to three feet in this area. I decided that a fish/depth finder is going to be a necessary piece of equipment.
After feeling a couple soft bites I temporarily hooked a small fish but didn’t land it. A little later I did eventually hook and land a small perch. That will forever be my first catch on the boat so in a sense, history was made today. After catching the fish I was satisfied with my few hours on the water and worked my way back to the boat launch. Without incident I got loaded up and headed for home.
This was a valuable trip to get my “sea” legs and gain experience with this type of fishing. I also figured out what additional equipment I would need and made a list. I have a lot of learning to do about fly fishing on a lake from a kayak. I look forward to the challenge.