My first day of kayak fishing will go down as one of my most memorable days. I was getting ready to retire from a 20 year career in the U.S. Navy and decided I would need a hobby. A friend recommended I stop by Appomattox River Company (ARC) in Yorktown, VA. I learned a lot from Vic and the staff and decided to check out a website he recommended, the Williamsburg Kayak Fishing Association (wkfa.org). I quickly posted up, desperation in my voice like a man searching for the breath of life to save his dying weekends. (Cheesy I know.) John “Toast” Oast and the members of WKFA were quick to answer my call and after long discussions and several visits to ARC, I convinced my wife that this was exactly what I needed to ease me into the new phase of my life as a military retiree. I went home with a new Prowler Trident 13 this past August.

I had not really been freshwater fishing in about seven years and I had never been saltwater fishing. I met up with “Toast” and some of his friends just off the York River. We set out at around 11:00 AM. As soon as we hit the water I knew this would be a lifelong adventure for me. It was so peaceful; you could see and hear nature all around you. “Toast” put me on fish all day and into the night. It was so much fun I did not come off the water or out of my seat for about 12 hours. I would like to personally thank Ocean Kayak for designing such a comfortable seat.
The first highlight of the fishing trip was catching croaker, flounder, red drum, blue fish, sea bass and striped bass. There was never a dull moment and the scenery was breathtaking. The other highlight of the day was meeting the other kayak fisherman. It was not unlike some of my encounters overseas with local tribesman. All of them had warrior names like “ibboone”, “Hawk 308” and “MadKatter”. Willing to share their most prized possessions (in this case…Gulp!), impart ancient yakfishing wisdom and tell tales of monster stripers around the light line. Everyone welcomed you into the group and warned you of the impending addiction with a sinister smile.

Time flew by and we headed back. We paddled back to the launch site under cover of darkness only to be greeted by another kayak fisherman making preparations to get underway…he introduced himself as Forrest. Hmmm…launching at night to fish into the morning? Fish feeding at night? Who would have thought? Forrest’s night time exploits are legendary in these parts but I will have to save that story for another time. It was a great first day and since then I have been out every weekend weather permitting. A special thanks to my wife Boon for getting me on the water and understanding my incurable addiction.