Phil. W Kayak Fishing.: July is goin by fast.

Well me and BB have managed to get out on the water a few more times, and I even managed a few solo paddles out during some good weather. The flounder bite has been hit and miss for me and I havnt hooked a redfish since May. Unfortunately I havnt gotten BB on any decent fish but she has been sticking with the kayaking and learning fast, and the good news is we havnt been completely skunked yet.

The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel has been our primary paddling grounds due to the convenience of the location. Fishing around the pilings, over the tube, and around the rocks of the island. Joe Archer even managed to meet us out there now that he has one of them fancy hobie kayaks and it seems to be paying off for him since he has been out fishing me. I have tried out several different color and size combinations of the hand tied bucktail jigs Rene McComb made for me and came up with a nice little rig that was catching flounder from 9-18 inches. Ive also had success with PowerTeam Lures grubs, hammer shads, and swinging hammers, Egret Vudu Shrimp, and Wedge Tails.

Unfortunately last year I had a deep cycle lead acid battery in the back seat of the jeep that decided to explode in the heat of the summer. It sprayed battery acid all over the inside of the jeep and soaked into the seat and carpet. I had to replace the soft top and I cleaned the whole interior with baking soda and alot of water and I thought I had gotten rid of all the acid. Unfortunately while transporting my fishing rods in the back seat has proved otherwise. I lost my first fish about 10 seconds after the bite/hookset and the line just gave way on the reel. I use 30 lb powerpro braid so I know that shouldnt happen, the line was frayed at the end like it was pulled apart. I stripped 10 or so feet off, retied on a leader and went back to fishing. Then it happened again on a cast my lure just kept going. After two more lost fish I retired that reel and switched to another one and the same thing happened. So ive had to replace the line on all of my combos and I am working on finding a way to transport them on the roof rack of the jeep.|

A few trips out to the CBBT to search for spadefish and sheepshead have proved to be fruitless. I will continue to go out and try and hopefully find a few fish before the summer ends.