Back in the Hobie Saddle Again

It has been a long journey to get here, but after almost six months, I am finally at the point to where I can tolerate pedaling my Hobie kayak again. Because it has taken so long to get back to feeling normal, I am slowly easing myself back into it. I took it out for two short trips earlier this week to do some anchor fishing for catfish.

I don't anchor very often anymore but I felt like it would be the best technique for me to do given my current situation. Anchoring allowed me to pedal for a little while and then take time to rest and stretch while I fished. On Monday, I hit a secondary channel where a couple creeks flow into the Tennessee River. I was fishing with four rods baited with cut skipjack and making my way down the channel by moving every 15-20 minutes. I ended up catching two dink blues and my first flathead of the year which is pictured below.

On Tuesday, I decided to fish a couple miles upstream from where I was at the previous day. The area I launched at put me a short pedaling distance from a few different anchoring spots. Unfortunately, the bite was even slower than the day before. I only caught two fish all afternoon. Both of them, a small blue cat and a striped bass, came off an old creek channel that run into the river back before the area was flooded to make the reservoir. The striper put up a good fight and reminded me how much fun it is to fish in my Hobie kayak. 

I took yesterday off just to give my body some rest. It has taken a lot of yoga and anti-inflammatories to get me back to where I am today.  As much as I want to make every day of my summer break count, I don't want overdo it and end up injuring myself again.

I will be heading out tonight for my first night fishing trip of the year. Water temps continue to climb and I am seeing more and more reports from locals who are catching big fish. It is just a matter of time before I hook into another beast. Hopefully tonight is the night.