Bonnie’s true fish story

By Captain Larry Jarboe

Florida Fishing Kayaks

Bonnie is a serious angler.  She fishes from shore, kayak, party boat, lobster boat, any shore, any boat, anywhere.
And, when she flies down from New England to the Keys to get her fishing fix, she fishes with me.

The wind picked up, yesterday.  This weekend, the wind is blowing, again.  But, the Wavewalk warriors are bringing fish and true fish stories (oxymoron?) back to my docks.
Fishing in the formerly inaccessible creeks that pass though the mangrove forest can be most challenging:
The new short Ricky Rods are really proving their worth horsing fish from the Red Mangrove roots.  Also, I am gravitating toward Red Cajun 8 lb. test line for low visibility and abrasion resistance.
The fish are so thick in these creeks that they even get caught by casting into the trees.
The fish, literally, come flying out of the bushes.
Don’t believe me?  Watch the video.

 

 

Larry offers guided fishing and diving trips in the Key Largo and the areas that surround it »

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Beach cleaning mission – Wavewalk 700 as a service boat and pickup truck with lots of storage

By Captain Larry Jarboe

Florida Fishing Kayaks

 

Yesterday, I was joined by my wife, Carlene, and our local pirate queen, Calypso, to take a beach clean-up of the only naturally sandy beach in Key Largo.
We took the commercial fishing boat decked with W700’s to paddle and motor our way in.
Upon arrival offshore of Rattlesnake Key beach, I proceeded to anchor beyond casting range, upwind, and up current of a flats guide boat. Never, would I place my boat down current within the chum slick of a working fisherman. Nor, am I stupid enough to put my boat within casting range of an 8 ounce lead flung by a 6 foot Ugly Stik.
The most fashionably dressed guide proceeded to dress me out at the top of his lungs which I could barely hear as he was shouting into the breeze fifty yards downwind.
Somehow, I managed to gather that he thought I was blocking his fish from coming to him. to bite.
Rather than argue with ignorance, I moved my work boat further out to sea. The outboard motor on my Wavewalk more than compensates for increased distance to travel to shore.
My wife stayed on board as the “monitoring mate” of the Line Dancer while Calypso and I motored ashore to do our part to clean up the environment.
We all watched the guide and his two customers not catch fish as he spent most of his time flinging a fly line back and forth into the wind.
First rule of fishing: put your hook in the water.
However, that nasty tempered guide did look king of pretty in his fancy fishing outfit. But, my mates are a lot more foxy…

 

 

Carlene and Calypso on board the Line Dancer, which served as mother ship for our beach cleaning expedition

Larry also offers guided fishing and diving trips in the Key Largo and the areas that surround it »

More fishing adventures with Capn’ Larry »

First images of S4 hull and assembled test unit

Today our molders ‘broke in’ the Teflon of the S4 mold.
They molded a few hulls from low grade material, and assembled a mock S4 to see that everything works well.
And it does: The mold works perfectly, the S4 parts fit together nicely, and everything is cool. We did it!  🙂

We’ll start shipping S4 orders next week.

Here are some first images of the assembled test unit – Note that the molders didn’t bother to apply the W logo to this test part, or trim it along the parting line and cockpit opening, because next week they’ll send it the grinder.

Note that when mounted on an actual S4 boat, the mounting plate will be attached to the rear end of the cockpit by means of two 3/8″ bolts.

First S4 twin-hull (test unit) sits in Wavewalk’s assembly area. The actual S4 product will feature a W logo on each side of the stand-up casting platfrom
View from a rear angle. The rear carry handles and mounting plate are visible, and the front saddle bracket can be perceived too, with a little effort.
Front view with the casting platform and front carry handles. The rear saddle bracket is visible, and so is the mounting plate.
Rear view with the rear carry handles, the mounting plate that fits perfectly inside the molded-in mount, and the front saddle bracket that’s barely visible.

New fish for my “Caught in this Life” list

By Captain Larry Jarboe

Florida Fishing Kayaks

Following a busy Wavewalk weekend, my own refrigerator had no fresh fish fillets for the grill pan. Though I, personally, like grunt flesh, my wife has been clamoring for snapper. So, while she went dancing in Miami, I threw the last of Sunday’s bait in the W700 and motored to my consistent snapper hole. Yes, she is a most fortunate woman.

After limiting out on legal size Mangrove Snappers, something grabbed my bait and took off down the creek.
The 8 lb. test Cajun Red line proved its abrasive resistance as drag screamed and the line went round the bend rubbing on mangrove roots. I yanked up the stakeout pole, threw it in the bottom of my trusty Wavewalk steed, and went for a ride with the big fish in charge of towing.
Actually, I was not sure it was a fish. The brute fought more like a snapping turtle. Away went the Wavewalk, pulled by the tide and a little submarine.
I worked that critter out of those tangled roots with a kayak style Ricky Rod and skill that can only be obtained from years of chasing fish. (Truth is, a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while.)
Somewhere, between handling the line and my balance as I bumped like a pinball back and forth across the little creek, I did manage to pull a waterproof camera from the Harbor Freight ammo box. The picture is not great but it sure is colorful.
Well, a new fish got added to my “Caught in this Life” list: a big old honker Rainbow Parrotfish.
They eat them in the Bahamas. I let this one go. Plenty of snapper for Mama.
And a couple grunts for Papa.

 

 

 


 

Larry also offers guided fishing and diving trips in the Key Largo and the areas that surround it »

More fishing adventures with Capn’ Larry »