# Exspensive lesson



## Linda (Oct 2, 2007)

Well the morning started out normal, got up early, had some coffee, then loaded up the yaks. Got to the water, our last launch at the new pier(it opens Sat morning so I hear) The surf was a little rough but managed to enter with no issues. ernie headed one way I headed another. I hung outwith a big loggerhead for a while - he was cool!










I went to target flounder but the June grass was terrible. I did manage 1 keeper but lost him yakside. So I decide to venture out and fish for kings . I caught a few hardtails & started paddeling out. My rod goes off and I end up catching aKing.










While paddeling back in for a live bait I am looking down into the water and see a school of Tarpon right underneath me, I yell to Ernie & at that moment a Tarpon jumps 5 feet in front of me, I can only think my yak & my yelling startled him? That was an awesome sight! I get another live bait on and start paddeling, Ernie & I are sort of chilling talking about something when, I am not exaggeratng, a cuda w/ my bait in his mouth jumps 15ft into the air between the 2 of us. HOLY crap - I'm thinking this cuda may jump in the yak, so I finally bring him close in, he towed me out some, & get him next to my yak. I can't wrap my hand around his tail like a King but I've never caught a Cuda from the yak so I wanted a pic. I misjudged his size (he was FAT)and that's where it all went wrong I tried to lift him up and leaned just a little to far and yes ,over I go!! My first instinct is to grab my rods but then I remember I have a big ass cuda swimming around me and I don't want to flail my arms or legs and gash myself with his teeth, or worse get wrapped in the line. My yakak is turned over but Ernie manages to keep me calm. I flip my yak back over & then climb back in. It's amazing how fast you can do that when adrealine is pumping. I lost 3 rod & reel combos, cell phone (waterproof case was open cause we had the camera out to take a pic) a tackle box and a bunch of little stuff in my crate. So I hope all you yakkers read this and don't get complaceent like i did. Lash everything down, keep a knife in case you need to cut line or rope, & don't become over confident in your yak. Anything can happen, I will be taking much needed precautions from now on. So if any one sees a Cuda swiming around with a short spiral wrapped rod with a 320 gti hanging from him youll know what happened:banghead. I also lost 2 exspensive combos that I shouldn't have even had out there. LESSON Learned!

Fighting the cuda...


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## Kamo (Apr 20, 2009)

I am never amazed at the encounters you yak fishers have. Always eventful and fun to read about. :bowdown


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## naclh2oDave (Apr 8, 2008)

Way to go on the king, too bad you didn't get the flounder landed. Where did all this happen? You could probably get one of the local divers to go look for your stuff.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

If you know roughly where you were you can have a diver retrieve them for you, wouldn't brbe that hard.


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## need2fish (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks for the report/story. Sorry you lost your rods. Stuff like that happens so fast though - not much you can do about it. I've flipped my yak out deep once too and lost a rod - it is no fun. Great story and pics though.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

Sorry to hear about you losing your stuff, but that's kayak fishing I guess! Thanks for the report.


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## Snobbler (Jun 23, 2009)

Awsome report Linda, Ernie was pretty pumped up on the phone telling me a bout the cuda bite. Sucks about flippin the yak and losing your equipment. If yall come fish this way let me know if you need anything, a combo, net , gaff,anythingI'll get you something to work with.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice King and story...How many posts that you yakers post where they flipped and warned others to tie their equipment down???? I guess we just want lo learn the hard way....Hopefully a diver can go retrieve your possessions...Most can be salvaged but the phone:banghead:banghead


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## Pourman1 (Oct 4, 2007)

Sorry to hear that Lulu :doh ... great story on the Fish though :letsparty ... I flipped mine Monday on Perdido , but I was on my way into the Beach , and there was a waist high swell coming in that day ... I waited for a set wave , and a few peddles and I was Surfing !! ... rode from the 2nd sandbar past the 1st , then I went to turn away from the wave face and the rudder on the Hobie couldn't hold the edge , BAM , flipped me ... initially lost 2 rods , and my Gaff ... as I was swimming back out into the break after beaching the Yak , a guy from Louisiana finds my rods while body Surfing with his kids :angel ... two brand new Combos , one I hadn't even used yet :banghead ... I gave him some Florabama Free Drink cards for finding them for me , he was pleased :letsdrink ... it was MY fault , I know those things aren't designed for what I was trying , but it was FUN for the moment !! :letsparty


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## Sam Roberts (Oct 22, 2007)

I wish my Girlfriend was as badass as Linda! I've know her for awhile and damn can she fish! Just mark it to the Game Linda!


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## Stressless (Oct 2, 2007)

Great/Awful report.



I took my buddy out last Tusday off Destin adn he flipped my other WS 14 but THANKS to ReBootMe and Pam and lots of others I had everything lashed. Habving a knife on your person to slash a line is a great thing as well.



Great photos and maybe your homeowers will cover some of the loss depending on deductible/coverage. 



Where were you at? Some folks have fish finders to look watch the bottom.



We've all flipped and lost stuff out there, thankfully nobodies gotten hurt too bad!

:blush:

Stressless


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

I've got to stop being a puss and start getting up in the mornings. I hate getting up early. I'll do it if I have people waiting on me, but if it is just going to be me, I'm probably not getting up.

I hear you on the flippin and losing stuff. I went tuesday afternoon and the waves were pretty high. I flipped on the way back in. I rode the wave for about 4 seconds, before the yak turned sideways and the wave rolled me. Luckily, all I lost was a pair of pliers and some bait. They were the only thing that wasn't strapped down or didn't have a pool noodle tied to it.


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## Sgt SeaSick (Jun 1, 2009)

Linda, if you know where you were, I can dive down and get them for you. Do you know exactly where you were?


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## Linda (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the replys, ernie & I are going to go look for the stuff today. We were SE of the pier, I was towed around a bit but we know about where it happened.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

Man! Linda is a fishing FOX


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## gcrbama (May 3, 2008)

future yaker here. i have a 20' with twin 70's. its broken. cant wait to get a yak. thanks for the story. i will rig some velcro straps or button straps from the rod holder to the rods when i do get one. im a cluts so i will spill several times. im sure of that.


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## Jhoe (May 4, 2009)

i've NEVER turned over in my kayak. but seeing the stories of the people on here that are far more experienced than I am on a yak. It's about time i secure everything on my yak.


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## saltfisher1 (Oct 8, 2007)

Nice King!!!


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## illforwill (May 26, 2009)

yeah that does suck i have a sit in kayak and i got my girlfriends dad to get one to start fishing he doesnt even really know how to fish that well but he caught about a 20# king today close to opal beach and he lifts the fish up to show me and shifts his wieght in just the wrong way and over he goes with a sit in it fills with water and only managed to lose one small rod and reel and his gaff the didnt have a bouy attached to it and we are like a mile out i had to throw him a rope and drag him in it sucked


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

New story about losing stuff. I let a friend use my old yak yesterday and we went out to Navarre Beach and put in at about 1230Z.The waterwas rough and I probably wouldn't have gone out if he had not just drivin from the other side of destin.The water waspretty flat when he started heading for Navarre.Anyway, He didn't put the stopper into the yak. We were almost to the point where the water gets dark and deep and he flipped. 

He flipped the yak back over and his pole was gone. ThenI saw thatthe yakwas sitting pretty low in the water and the stopper hanging out.Plus, he was hanging onto the back of the kayak, so water is steadily pouring into the stopper hole. He finally put it in, but it was too late, the yak was so full of water that he couldn't get back into it without the back end completly submerging andthe front end was at least at a 45 degree angle when he would climb on.

The yakwas too heavy to pull, especially with the waves being up.I almost flipped trying topull it.The good thing was we were getting pushed back towards shore, so he just held on to the yak and I floated in with him. When we got about 50 yards from the sand bar, where he could touch bottom,a life guard jumps in the water and swims out. He had driven up on a 4 wheeler a while before he actually swam out. He had called the Fire and Rescue people also, so there was a big fire truck there in the parking lot,they had a jet ski on the way.Everyone on the beach is looking at us. It was embarassing. 

I wanted to give him hell today at work and tell everyone that worked with us, but I didn't.


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## Turbow (Mar 7, 2008)

Holy crap. Definitely take a noob out on FLAT water only.


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## Linda (Oct 2, 2007)

wow what a story! It's humiliating enough just to get flipped and loose your stuff but it sounds like yall had quite an audience. At least if you would have gotten into more trouble you had help if you needed it. Yes checking your plug is pretty critical...


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

My old yak has an outrigger / float on one side. I can lean pretty far and the yak will stay upright. He just leaned the wrong way. If he hadn't of lost the pole it wouldn't have been that bad. Nothing else was lost or damaged, other than pride. He was getting military type training / sink or swim. He did both.


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## Sgt SeaSick (Jun 1, 2009)

Herc...do you know exactly where you were, I can dive down and recover the pole if you need me to.


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

I have a round about idea of where it is, or was. I wasn't by the pier so I don't have a good land mark close by.


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## Sgt SeaSick (Jun 1, 2009)

how far offshore?


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