What a great day to be on the water. The weather started out chilly and windy, but then the wind died down and gave us a awesome day of Fishing. On this Trip we were joined by Joe and Jeff visiting from the Headwaters Adventure Company up in Redding. Donna and Ron joined for the day which was a great surprise these two are usually found in their sea kayaks. The gang met at the shop at 8:00 and we all headed towards the hatchery.
Right at the start of the trip Dan hooked up with a nice size trout while standing up on the Native Ultimate. This kayak is great for standing in, and it showed while Dan brought in his catch. Shortly after Joe caught a trout as well the day was getting off to a grand start. Joe and Jeff were paddling the Jackson Coosa and it was amazing to see how fast they could turn with minimal effort. Both of them were helpful in spotting fish from their high positioned seats.
We arrived at Cow Beach where Dan and Donna would be departing the fishing trip for the day. Someone had to get back and run the shop. At this point I was thinking is the Moke going to skunk me again? Dan wished me luck and headed on his way back to the store. I told the guys we could shore fish for a bit and when they were ready we would head back down the river. Shortly after without catching anything we decided it was time to hit the river again.
We floated down the river, hoping things would pick up when all of a sudden my line starts coming out and I think "oh no not a snag". Well this snag came loose and put up a small fight and at that moment I knew it was fish on. I screamed out loud "fish on", I was so excited that I was able to get the skunk off. The fish made a small jump and I was able to bring it to the kayak and net it with no problems. The fish was a small native trout, but it sure felt good to have a fish on board. I had Joe snap a couple pics and it was time to let the little guy go.
On the way Down the river Jeff was able to find a nice little pocket where he was able to get his first fish, a little guy also, but he decided to hit the spot again and had a feeling that this was the spot. After giving it a few shots he has a fish on and brought to the boat a nice Native Steelhead about 16-17", the color on the fish was amazing. We were so excited that we didn't even look at the time to see if it was a native or not, we later confirmed with photo of the fish.
At this time Jeff decided that we should start paddling so that they could get going, they still had the ride back to Redding. I decided that I wanted to try the pocket myself and see if I could get a bite. Not even 10 seconds went by and it was fish on again. Got the fish to the kayak and it was another little guy but was still entertaining bringing it to the kayak while the current kept trying to turn me in circles. After this fish I caught up to the rest of the group hanging out by an area that backed up by some houses. Joe, Jeff and myself caught three small native trout at this spot. We fished about 15 minutes hoping to catch a nice steelhead. We were getting bites every now and then so we knew that this was a good spot. All of sudden I feel a big tug on the line and I am thinking this is going to be a nice fish. Its got some weight to it and the rod is bending, Ron even states that it must be big. We all thought that I was going to bring a big steelhead up to the kayak. As fast as my face lit up when I felt the bite it turned sour. The fish surfaced and it was a giant Sacramento Sucker fish. It was still fun bringing it to the kayak, even though it wasn't a steelhead. After this we all called it a day and headed to the takeout.
It was such a beautiful day and the weather was pretty favorable to us. It was great to be able to fish with the group and it was great to see Ron on a Sit on Top kayak. I am looking forward to hitting the river again soon. The season ends at the end of the month, so I will try and get out there a few more times. If you are interested in making this float down call Dan at the Headwaters for information. Even if he can't make it out with you he can give you some great pointers.
Here are some more photos:
For those that don't know this about me, I tend to have a soft spot for old kayaks and canoes. There have been so many incredible designs over the years that went out of production and fallen by the wayside. Kayaks like the Necky Looksha Sport, Mariner Coaster, Perception Super Sport, Scupper Pro, etc have always held a place in my heart. So when a guy came in with an old beat up Necky Dolphin to sell at the swap, the kayak geek in me jumped at the opportunity to buy it. $150 for a kayak like this was to good to pass up. I have always thought of the Dolphin as a real paddlers Kayak. It responds well to edging, it surfs like a dream, has good capacity for touring, and in the right hands and with leg straps it can even be rolled. I thought fixing up and rigging an old kayak like this would be a fun project and something fun to blog about, but more than that I thought it would help pay tribute to the angers, and the kayaks that came before us. So fallow along as I revamp my Dolphin into my version of the ultimate coastal exploration/ fishing craft! 
