This weekend was the Mountain State Kayak Angler's charity tournament hosted by Kayak Bass Fishing and TourneyX .  Excited for my first day-long, nationwide tournament, preparations began early in hopes to snag one of the 10 Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship qualifying spots.  The preparations began last week with a pre-fish on the Mississippi River.  I knew the Mississippi was my only chance of holding a candle to the southern competitors.  As documented in the article " Pregame ", the pre-fish went well.  My location was chosen. Preparations continued this week with a cleaning and application of UV protectant on my FeelFree Lure, which made it sparkle like new.  I also re-stocked my Lunkerhunt frog supply to have a few color options.  Lastly, I stripped my kayak down to tournament mode (removed my camera poles).  I wanted to minimize my accessories to maximize my fishing time.  I also knew some of the backwaters required a low profile navigating fallen trees.

After fishing my home water with some new success (read about it here:  http://www.smallcraftfisherman.com/2016/07/addicted-to-crank.html ), I text my wife to check the weather over by the Mississippi river.  Severe storms were rolling through the area and my data connection is limited.  She confirms a chance of rain-only forecast.  Though exhausted already, I make the paddle back to the launch, load my kayak and gear, and start the 1 hour drive west towards "Vikingland", as my daughter would say. The drive, though long is beautiful.  The river road follows the Wisconsin border along the St. Croix river until it meets with the Mississippi in Pepin, Wisconsin.  Large bluffs and scenic outlooks line the banks, making the drive enjoyable.  Staying on the Wisconsin side, I enter the sloughs of the Mississippi.  I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to fish.  With a kayak as my vessel, I drive slowly and look for the most inaccessible spots I can find.  I spot a gravel c

I had the itch, the craving, the shakes.  After taking a short hiatus from fishing after my week-long fishing adventure, I was itching to hit the water again and needed a fix.  The short hiatus weakened my muscle-memorized process of loading my kayak and gear.  So I took extra time the night before to ensure I didn't forget any critical gear.  Luckily, I noticed my Kayak Bass Fishing  regional tournament identifier was still for June.  In this "phwew" moment, I printed a fresh July identifier and slipped it into my TourneyTag .  I was ready for an early rise. My alarm woke me while it was still dark outside.  I roll out of bed, get my stuff together, and jump in the car.  I head to a local gas station to get the lunch of champions (Lunchable Pizza and pre-packaged Italian sandwich).  Upon exiting the building, I realized a fatal flaw in my planning activities.  In my excitement to hit the water, I hadn't checked the local weather report in 3 days.  It was raining.

I had just ended a fun week of fishing.  Though fun, it was tough.  My local waters only produced dinks.   Still fun, but no help to my standings in the Kayak Bass Fishing Regional Challenge hosted by TourneyX.com.  The sport of kayak fishing is quickly gaining popularity.  This is clear by the increased participation in the monthly regional tournament.  Given my dismal ranking, my goal was to get back into the top 10 in a final push. I fished the Mississippi down by LaCrosse, WI with family years ago.  Often hooking some monster Northern Pike, Sheepshead, Catfish, and Bass.  Bassmaster continuously puts the Mississippi pool 4 down to LaCrosse in the top 100 lakes noting the number of high-quality bass it offers.  Along with praise of the Mighty Mississip' from an angling family member, I decided it was the perfect place to up the ante. Morning-of I'm still recovering for the fishing/fatbiking marathon of the week. I expect fish to be catch-able any time of day on the Mis

I am relatively new to the community of kayak fishing.  This amazing community is gaining popularity and welcomed me with open arms with unbelievable support.  This community has shown their "stripes" at a new level.  This time, it isn't about likes, comments, followers, views, hits, shares, posts, ads, or mentions.  It is about people, kayakers and non-kayakers, anglers and non-anglers, and their lives. On June 23rd, West Virginia was hit was hit with massive flooding.  The amazing folks at Mountain State Kayak Anglers  immediately took action to help those impacted by this devastating event. They promptly collected donations and supplies to help those impacted by this terrible event.  They also started a raffle with an unbelievable list of prizes (which continues to grow).  They also collaborated with the amazing folks at Kayak Bass Fishing and TourneyX to start a benefit tournament from which all proceeds go to the victims. The prompt support of the kayak fishing

I took this week off my day job for the annual week-long fishing marathon with my brother-in-law.  It was a long, but fun, week with a tough bite and beautiful views. Pre-Game Prior to my brother-in-law's arrival, some preparatory work was required.  Historically we had fished tandom in a jon boat.  Since getting my FeelFree Lure, I haven't used it.  With personal back issues, the Lure is exponentially more comfortable.  He wanted to try kayak fishing, so I rented a kayak from a local university.  They have a great program called Stout Adventures that rents to students and community members.  This secured his ride for the week. After a successful pre-fish frogging at the end of last week , I was in need of a re-stock of key lures.  I made the short drive to meet Dakota at Bite-Me Bait and Sport Shop in Mondovi, Wisconsin.  He has the biggest selection of plastics I have ever seen, great prices on the mainstream lures, and an impressive selection of handmade lures.  A co

Those who have been reading my posts have read about my challenges this year on my home water.  Typically a great fishery, this year has been challenging.  It started out great but a Wisconsin cold snap during the spawn completely changed the fish patterns and preferences.  The slow Wisconsin thaw also left the water unusually clear (cow manure and the like did not runoff into creeks and streams that feed the lake).  That all changed this last week with a significant amount of rain.  The water has returned to its murky self and the weed mats have  returned to their usual positions.  I decided to hit the water this evening after work to kick off my whole-week-off-my-day-job fishing extravaganza hoping the normalized fishery would move me up in the KBF/TourneyX tournament I'm participating in. As I launch my FeelFree Lure, I smile at the murky water I'm used to.  After spending some time trying a buzz bait, crank baits, and a ned rig on the ledges, they prove unsuccessful.  S