The Matt Truesdale Fishing Blog: July 2012

Fans,

Sorry for the lack of prompt articles I promised at the beginning of the creation of the Hook 'Em Fishing blog. I have been very busy the last couple weeks and have not had the adequate time set aside to author an article. (cough...cough... Pirates game.>>>>) But fear not! As Jim Levenstein stated in the original American Pie movie, "I’ve got reserves."

So check out this article I wrote for Collegiate Camo in March of 2011. An interview with Juan Veruete of Kayak Fish PA, LLC. Enjoy!
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Answer these questions to yourself.

Have you ever been fishing?
How bout kayaking?
Now, have you ever been kayak fishing?

If you answered “No” to question 3, or have never even heard of kayak fishing, do not be alarmed. And, yes, kayak fishing is a legitimate way to fish! I admit that kayak fishing is a little different then slamming down on the throttle of a tricked out bass boat. But utilizing a kayak to fish is an often more successful method and one that is overlooked by anglers! In fact, kayak fishing has been so successful that it is one of the fastest growing recreational sports to date.
As cabin fever begins to set in for outdoorsmen across the country and whether or not Punxsutawney Phil had seen his shadow, the spring season cannot get here soon enough. In the mean time there is no better opportunity to begin your spring fishing preparations. Dust off your chest waders, re-string your reels, and reorganize your tackle box. It is time to think FISH once again.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Juan Veruete, owner and operator of Kayak Fish PA, LLC. Among many topics, Juan discusses how his first fishing trip as a child was almost his last (literally), the advantages of kayak fishing, the future of the sport, and how he followed his interests to land a hook, line, and sinker of a dream job. Fishing pun intended!

Q. Juan, how did you get involved in fishing?
A. Well that is actually an interesting story, and one that almost ended my life believe it or not. The first time I had the opportunity to fish was when I was 6 years old. A bunch of older kids in my neighborhood were going fishing on the first day of trout season and they had asked me to go along. At this time, fishing was something that I never had the chance to try, but was something that appeared to be a lot of fun. It was very convenient because Wallace Run was only 200 yards from my house. We decided to try and cross the stream at one point by using a log that was lying overtop of the water like a bridge. On my way across the log, I accidentally fell into the water and was literally hanging on to the log for dear life. You can say that I almost nearly drowned, but one of the older kids was able to pull me out of the water. Now this was the first day of trout season as I mentioned, in Pennsylvania. So you know it was a cold and dreary spring day and the water was very cold as well. Regardless of my current soggy situation I was determined to catch a fish and continued on with the trip. I only caught one fish that day. It was the first fish I had ever caught. I was cold and tired, but it was the most fun thing in the world for me, catching that fish. I have been fishing ever since that day. I was hooked.

Q. How did you get involved with kayak fishing?
A. I got involved with kayak fishing several years ago. Prior to my use of a kayak to fish, I fished out of a Jon boat. I would put my Jon boat in any body of water that I could navigate for the most part, specifically on the Juniata River. One day I was looking at different fishing gear, browsing the internet, and I happened to stumbled across an internet forum discussing kayak fishing. Kayak fishing, at this point when I found the internet forum, was something I had never heard of before, but it sounded very interesting and fun. After researching a bit more bout kayak fishing and giving it some thought, I literally went out on day, tried some kayaks on the water, and made a purchase. What really lured me into kayak fishing was the fact that a kayak can get you into places on a stream or any body of water that most people cannot get to when shore fishing or fishing from a boat. Kayaks are so much smaller and more navigable than any other water craft, and can open up so many opportunities on the water. You can drag or paddle into holes that other anglers literally cannot get into. I caught 3 large mouth bass, all over 20 inches, my first month fishing out of a kayak. The fact is, while in a kayak you can go into spots and place lures in front of these fish that have never seen a lure or any presentation before. The initial success I had kept me wanting more and wanting to go out as much as possible in my kayak. It is very addictive when you get involved as a kayak fishing angler.

Q. What separates kayak fishing from other forms of fishing, such as from a boat, a canoe, or even from shore?
A. There are many positive tangents involved with kayak fishing. Kayak fishing is very affordable for the most part for people to get involved in. Some people may think that a kayak limits an angler with how they can fish or what they can use. The truth is that an angler can fish out of a kayak just like they can fish from a bass boat. You can flip the cover and sight fish in kayaks, just like in a boat. There are even kayaks on the market that are designed to stand up in as well. And again, kayak fishing is so much more affordable than people think. An angler can purchase a high quality used kayak for around $450, compared to what many boats cost, it’s definitely worth the money.
Along with affordability, kayak fishing is stealthy and gives an angler a great advantage. They (kayaks) are a lot less intrusive when moving on a body of water, moving into a hole, or to cover. On average, I catch more big fish while kayak fishing than I did back in the days of fishing out of my river Jon.

Q. What is the best time or season to kayak fish?
A. Late spring, summer, and early fall is the best time to get your kayak on the water and do some fishing. During this time, especially in the summer, the water level is fairly low and warm which makes paddling more enjoyable. The fish are also more active and aggressive when the water is warm. Any time your kayak fishing be sure to leave someone close to you with a float trip itinerary. The float itinerary should be complete with the time and place you are choosing to put in and the time and place you are expecting to take out. A float itinerary is important so that if something happens to you on the water and the person you left your float itinerary with does not hear from you after your expected take out time, they can call emergency services. I also urge everyone to wear a PFD at all times while on the water.

Q. What does your kayak fishing company offer to the public?
A. Kayak Fish PA, LLC provides new and experienced kayak anglers with the essentials to become a better kayak angler and to be safe on the water. Kayak Fish PA, LLC is more than a guiding service. I conduct what I like to call “Guided Kayak Fishing Classes”. My guided classes include a wide variety of topics. In the class I focus on what I call the 3 pillars of kayak fishing success: Paddling Technique and Position, Fish Behavior and Location, Lure Selection and Presentation Techniques.
I typically guide for river smallmouth bass since that’s my “specialty”. I usually take my clients on a float trip of about 5 miles. That length of float takes about 6-8 hours during which I cover a variety of specific topics like water safety, paddling technique, holding position, bass behavior and location, presentations, and strategies.
Teaching is my primary focus but I definitely want my guide clients to have fun on the water and catch fish. Honestly, how can you not enjoy a day on the water! The teaching aspect of the trip is really important to me because I want my guide clients to have the skills needed to enjoy success beyond the day of our trip. It is a well rounded class where I fully communicate, connect with, and educate the individual, rather than just tying on their lure and pointing out where to cast

Q. What do you hope people get out of a kayak fishing trip with you?
A. I hope that the anglers leave with a better understanding of their kayak, paddling techniques, water safety, fish location and behavior. I also like to have the anglers leave with some good solid strategies that they can use on their own when they kayak fish in the future. In other words, I try to have my participating anglers leave with a good base knowledge of kayak fishing and I try to get them hooked into the sport. I have a ton of fun with kayak fishing and I like to try and pass on the fun to them, so they can continue to do well and continue to have fun.

Q. Where do you see the sport of kayak fishing in the future?
A. I see kayak fishing continuing to grow, especially within fresh water. Kayak fishing in saltwater has been popular on the West and East coast for many years. Freshwater kayak fishing is still somewhat of a novel sport but growing in leaps and bounds. Here in Pennsylvania when I am preparing to put into the water, I look like an oddity to almost everyone around me. People are always curious when they see me with a kayak and all my fishing gear at the same time. Many people still have not heard of what kayak fishing is, let a lone see a guy with a kayak fishing rig. It is at these moments I have the perfect opportunity to educate them in what kayak fishing is, and the people always seem interested and amazed. In fact, the fastest growing sector of kayaking is the recreational kayaker and the fishermen are seeing how good angling can be from the use of a kayak. There are even tournaments today specifically for kayak fishing, and kayak companies are constructing kayaks for kayak fishing. The sport will continue to grow; I have no doubt at all. The bottom line is that it is fun, enhances the fishing possibilities, and is affordable. When you have a combination of those 3 aspects, you are destined to do well, no matter what it is.

Q. Where do you see your company in the future and where do you hope to see yourself in the future?
A. Right now Kayak Fish PA, LLC is growing better than I expected at this point when I first started the company. There is a lot of interested from anglers in booking classes and trips with me, and my time fills up very fast when the spring season weather starts to get to Pennsylvania. I even have people who want to book second trips with me so they can continue to learn more techniques and more about the sport.
I started the business because I honestly just love to fish, and I enjoy teaching people what I enjoy. For myself, I thoroughly have a lot of fun spreading the fun and knowledge to anglers who are interested in the sport. I see my business continuing to grow as the industry continues to grow. I have recently been invited to different sportsman shows and asked to provide short workshops on kayak fishing. My name and my company’s name is spreading fairly rapidly, but honestly it’s really still just grass roots right now. No matter what, I’m doing the coolest thing there is to do, and I believe that. I get to wake up everyday and do what I love to do. I am essentially getting paid to have fun. I mean how can it get any better? Offering a service people appreciate is great.