Although it was the second event of the season, this weekend was my first entry in the GA Bass Nation Kayak series and nothing went as planned. The event was on Lake Seminole, a lake that I have never fished before. I had planned to pre-fish the event, but on the two prior weekends, wind gusts were 30mph - 40mph and that's way outside of my safety zone. So, no practice or even scouting locations for me.

My research told me my best option to catch a limit was to fish the Spring Creek area and work my way 2-3 miles south to some spawning flats. On the map that looked to be no problem. Not so in real life. Except for some channels, the entire lake in that area is flooded timber. The water was clear, but 18-23 mph winds made it difficult to see what was lurking just under the surface until it was almost two late.

My initial strategy was to fish areas 10-15 feet deep, near transitions to shallower water and then test the shallows. I'd setup and spot lock into the heavy winds, then use livescope to pinpoint targets. After 30 minutes or so I found a spot with bait and what looked to be bass. Some bigger, longer fish that looked to be catfish were also in the area. I started off with the basics, throwing a Texas rigged Senko. But then my day went south.

I have an Autopilot 120 and my remote kept losing connection to the motor. Sometimes just for a seco0nd, sometimes longer. And when it was longer I'd get pushed into the trees rising above the surface or knock into trees just under the water. If you've read my adventures before, you know I had a dangerous situation on Lake Fork where I got hung up on a tree in 25-35 mph winds with my kayak precariously leaning to one side. I don't like the combination of strong wind and submerged trees.

At one point when my motor quite for 5-10 seconds, I had a line out sitting on the bottom. When the motor started up again I started reeling in again and there was something on the line. In the midst of that, the motor quit again, then connected. As I reached for the remote to re-engage spot lock so I wouldn't drift into more danger I lost whatever was on the line.

A few minutes later I gut hung up on a submerged tree, and as I navigated towards it I lost connection again - but this time the motor kept turning and I couldn't stop it. By the time I realized it I had swung behind where I was hung up but the kayak kept going. I didn't release the bale in time, my St. Croix bent over hard and snapped.

So, I'm not a happy camper and I head back to shore and load up on my trailer so I can try and diagnose the problem. It appears the problem was the raggedy plug pins for my motor. This is a part many people change out once there warranty expires. I have two plugs sitting in my garage, but had not installed them yet.

I thought I had a temporary fix, so I drove off to another ramp by the flats, but sure enough I had the same problem. With the strong winds and a motor cutting in and out I just didn't feel safe about fishing in the midst of all of that timber so I packed it up for the 3 hour drive home.

In the end, I have only myself to blame. I had the parts on hand to put in better plugs, but I just never got around to doing that. So, you know what's at the top of my list before heading to Kissimmee next week.

Oh yeah - on the way home, one end of my rod box slid off my trailer (I saw that in the rear view mirror and stopped and fixed it) and my right turn signal on my trailer stopped working (probably a loose bulb). Sometimes I think I should just hang up fishing, but I'm too stubborn. I'm looking for better luck - and preparation - next time out.

But wouldn't you know it - a cold front is supposed to move into the Kissimmee area the week of the tournament and experience tells me those Florida bass just hate when that happens!

Sorry to hear you had a rough time, Koz. Sometimes they go like that. I hope Kissimmee is good to you!

Best,

Fishingmickey

That's a bummer! Hope you get it all figured out before your next event!

That stinks, and I certainly understand what you mean about the concerns with trees in a kayak. Getting lifted and dropped awkwardly on top of a stump in waves is one of my biggest fears in a kayak.

Hope you get your issues figured out with the motor. Those problems are one of the biggest reasons I wanted the PDL so I could have my motor and pedals in case something happens with the motor, I still have an option other than paddling. I still use my peddles quite a bit even with the motor. It's really nice to be able to peddle backwards away from cover when fighting a big fish.