Bam!!! It's a Bass!!!

I ran the SUP up on to a pile of lilypads and dropped a green beadhead scud through the pads. I pulled this guy out 20 seconds later. I also caught several bluegill and got to cast to one of the old carp that live in Lake Newport (spooked it though). First time I've been fishing on our lake in a little bit...

Surf Taco Mods

Besides the Bak Flip Tonneau cover, I got a few other things for the Taco. LED interior cabin lights - pretty easy to pop out the map lights if you use a small allen wrench as a hook to pull the bulbs down. I also got a hitch receiver rubber boot (just to help keep debris from getting in). And lastly - I'll spend the better part of today installing the tailgate locking mechanism. Wish me luck (and a clear wifi connection for the youtube instructions to play).

Keeping the Honest People Honest

The high up shot was from the window in our hotel room this past weekend. If you look in the lower right hand corner, you can just pick out the truck and see the stuff we figured most people wouldn't steal out of the back of the truck. The rest of the stuff is either in the cab or up in the room. Well, La and I were discussing how having to move stuff all the time is really negating the benefit of the truck bed. Well - I believe I have solved the problem by getting a Bak Flip for the Surf Taco. 30 minutes to install, no drilling and looks great!!! I also bought an electronic lock for the tail gate - but I'll install that this weekend (so I can take my time nad not jack the operation up). Now we need to go surfing again soon to test out the capability....

Sunday Paddling in the Chesapeake

La paddling her board around the inner part of the lower Chesapeake Bay (to the West of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel). The offshore wind kept the waves at bay (no pun intended), but took La and Amy out pretty quick. I got to cast some with the Helios and the Hatch Finatic - what a great combo!!! I'll post separately on that another time. The kids walked all over - mostly with just their noses poking out of the water. More fun - too bad we had to go back to DC... oh and an 7 hour drive back - SUCKED - too many people with the same idea (weekend escape from DC). Dwell on the good stuff (ah surfing....)

Zonked

The whole day at the beach surfing, soaking up the sun, catching sand crabs and having a blast - what's next you ask??? Showering and getting some rack time that's what - and thank goodness for our Rollee. We love Virginia Beach!!! Did I say we need to move down to here???

La and Amy SUP Surfing

One watersport event was not enough for La today - she decided to dominate the lineup and unleash her SUP Surfing skills on our unsuspecting, peace-loving planet... she almost stood up on one too! For now, we are all safe, but don't get relaxed and all couch-potatoee - she'll be back at it soon enough and just when you think "anybody can SUP surf", you'll have the wind taken from your sails and your waves sucked out from under your boards by La shooting by you and ripping some radical cutbacks around you!!!

No Beach Skunks to be Found Around Here

I dusted off my old 7' two piece Ugly Stick fishing rod and tried my luck at the beach between surf sessions. I was able to bring in this lone blue crab using sand crabs for bait (although I was really fishing for flounder). We ended up letting it go since steaming one crab is not that filling (I would have kept it if I was able to find a few more of its buddies). And for the record, I did catch more than my fair share of ribbon grass - made it hard to tell if I had a crab on the line or not. There is a big beach nourishment project going on in Sandbridge and the grass was drifting down current of that operation - I'll take it though because I didn't catch the Seaskunk!!!

Saltwater ULI Fat Ass Quad Fishing

This board never ceases to amaze me - it is one thing to do this on a lake - but in the same water I was just surfing I was able to cast a couple of lines and even get some detectable nibbles! I think the hooks were too big (3/8 ounce jig heads with gulp bait on - the hooks seemed to be 2/0 sized), and I forgot my anchor back at the truck (and being the lazy butt I was yesterday, I didn't make the long walk back and forth through the sandy trail to conserve paddling energy) - no anchor meant a lot of drifting in the wind = more paddling and less fishing = no fish. Made it back in through the surf as well!

More SUP Surfing at the Spot

The waves were small but fun and consistent. We need to move down here again...

Sighting of the Extinct Wifee Prone Surfer

La did in fact get on her longboard to catch a few waves! I would argue this sighting is rarer than seeing an ivory beaked woodpecker or the dugong - this photographic evidence will have to be analyzed to ensure it wasn't photoshopped or that sasquatch wasn't faking the photos to draw attention away from itself. We need to move down here...

Saturday at Southgate Beach

We spent most of the day at our secret surf spot - and we used just about every piece of gear we brought down with us. First up - the kiddos on their boogie boards!!! Marlon declared he much prefers surfing at low tide - and from the looks he and Noe gave while zooming around, I think that declaration will stick. I rode a few on my surf mat and then...

Alternative Surf Craft on a Rainy Day

We're down in Virginia Beach again (I wished we lived down here). Today's forecast did call for rain and we got it all while we were at our favorite surf spot. We also had some onshore breeze that chunked up the surf - but boy was it good to get in the salt water again! I brought down the mat, the paipo and the kickboard - but I had the most fun on the mat - most likely a function of how my left hip is hurting and I can't kick as hard while trying to catch the wave. The water was refreshing on initial entry, but you would quickly get accustomed to the cool temp. Fun day despite the rain and sloppy surf!!!

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH BAAAABBBBBBYYYYYYYY!!!!

Look what the fly fishing fairy delivered!!! For me???? You shouldn't have - but I'm sure glad you did (THANKS LA!)

Ultimate Fly Fishing DIY

$5 for the bucket at Giant Food Store. Pennies for the weed wacker line. $1 for the thick foam. I used my hot glue gun, an X-acto knife and a drill to finish it off. Bungee cord sized to your waist. Add 30 minutes of work and you've made yourself a pretty decent stripping basket! You can wear it in front, or off to the side. Next on the list of things to do to make the basket better - use a hot pipe to melt in rod holding slots. There are some good stripping baskets out there, but why pay upwards of $50 when you don't have to -

True Amphibians

We didn't see any fish to speak of during the hike, but we did see a few toads hopping around the trail. And where there are toads, there are tadpoles. We did see tadpoles in copious amounts and Noe proceeded to figure out a way to study them up close - empty Tic-Tac case! That coupled with our hardcore efforts to ensure we didn't pick up any ticks along the way, you could say we had a case of Tick-Tads! I know that was corny - sorry...

Father's Day Hiking

After I got back to the house, we jumped into the truck and drove over to Riverbend Park to hike along the Potomac. We took the Northern path this time to check it out as opposed to the Southern route which we have been on a few times now. By the end of the trip, we got the kids to hike 5 miles! La has some cool pictures up on her Facebook account - butterflies, lizards, cool trees. I was also keeping an eye out for some spots to flyfish from in future outings - I saw three accessible areas where a back cast could be managed with a short wade out. The river was swollen from all the rains we got recently, so the intel gathering was not as good as it could have been, but that's part of the game isn't it???...!!! Fun day and a tough accomplishment for the kids (they minimized the complaints since it was Father's Day)!

Father's Day 2013 - Not Skunked!!!

These aren't easy to see, but it's all I got as far as records of today's catch. I tied up replacements for the popper and sabiki flies I lost yesterday and brought a few more to boot. I brought the Uli FAQ back out this morning to try and redeem myself. I did intend to bring a bucket to keep anything that I would want to gyotaku alive until I was ready to go home, but I forgot it in my excitement to go fishing. I used a pink squirmy wormy fly on a size 14 hook and nailed several bluegill and a couple of bass before that fly got sent to fly heaven (I'm not sure where that is, but that's where my fly is). I paddled around after I finished fishing to scope out more hot spots. I saw some really good sized bass swimming around the part of the lake I normally stare at as I fish from the dock. The Nissin Fine Mode Japanese style flyfishing rod I have performed like a champ! Awesome morning of fishing!!!

Did I mention the Skunk I caught???

Saturday SUP fishing at Lake Newport. V3 - 0, Mudsucking Piscene Avengers - 17 surface slapping non-hook setting strikes and 3 stolen flies. Humiliating - frustrating - humbling. I did get to dial in the fishing basket a little bit more so I did have a silver lining. Marlon paddled the Element and was showing off by paddling on the tail with most of the board out of the water. We brought La's longboard out to test if Noe could use it for a SUP - wouldn't you guess she could... fast as La was on her flatwater SUP!!! Alas, the stigma and social pressure of not being on a real SUP caused a shortened water outing. Probably for the better as catching skunk stinks!!!