Native Watercraft's 14.5 is the Ultimate in fishing kayaks

The Ultimate 14.5 is roomy and the best fishing kayak on the market.



Brian Bourdages of Traverse City, Mich., tries to land a pompano.

 Choosing a kayak can be difficult because there are so many from which to chose.


And they come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

If you’re an angler, then you can eliminate most cruising kayaks and most sit inside vessels.

You’ll probably want to look at sit on-tops (SOT) and/or hybrids that are made with anglers in mind.

I started kayak fishing long before the craze reached Florida’s salt waters. And, as you might imagine, I’ve paddle quite a variety of kayaks. I started out in a 14-foot SOT, ventured into the word of 12-footers and then settled into Native Watercraft’s Ultimate 14.5.

The Ultimate is the ultimate for me and my fleet now numbers three of them.

The Ultimate is an anglers dream. It’s somewhat of a cross between a kayak and canoe. It’s spacious and its tunnel hull makes it so stable that you can stand and fish. That’s a big plus when it comes to sight-fishing or fly casting. I routinely pole along southern Tampa Bay’s sand bars in search of redfish, snook, sharks and gator spotted seatrout.

Since the kayak is wide open, you can carry all the gear you need. I’m a professional kayak fishing guide and I carry a 36-quart cooler filled with drinks and food on my all-day trips.

Of course, the biggest concern is paddling. If your vessel paddles like a tank, then you’re not going to venture too far off the beaten path. The Ultimate tracks extremely straight and rarely requires and paddle correction. For this reason, I’ve opted not to add rudders to my boats.

The Ultimate is also fairly fast for a kayak. I can maintain a speed of 3.5 miles per hour over great distances. I’ve had it up to more than 6 mph, but can’t sustain that very long.

The real Ultimate treat is its First Class Seat, the best in the industry. In other kayaks, I always needed some sort of cushion upon which to sit. I’ve never used a cushion in the Ultimate. The seat is extremely comfortable. And the best news is that it comes with the boat.

While the boat may seem heavy at 72 pounds, it has a natural balance point at mid-ship along the gunwale. Additional you can lighten the boat by seven by removing the seat. I routinely load and unload my three kayaks by myself with no trouble whatsoever.

Ultimates are made by Legacy Paddlesports in Greensboro, N.C. The company also produces Heritage and Liquid Logic kayaks.

The boats also have tracks on the port and starboard sides that allow you to attach things like bottle holders, paddle clips, tool bags and other items.

Accessories on my boats include anchor trollies and, bow sprayskirts.

I’ll be upgrading my fleet soon. I’m opting for Native’s new camouflage Ultimates. I’ll add their 9-foot paddle pole and rubberized , non-skid mats in the footwells and cockpit deck.

Unless Zimmerman, the mad scientist comes up with something better, my plans are to remain an Ultimate owner for a long time. I’ve loved the boat since the day I got it and don’t envision getting anything else.

The Ultimate meets every expectation I have. It looks good, paddles great and is very functional.



SPECIFICATIONS

Ultimate 14.5

Length: 14 feet, 7 inches

Weight: 65 pounds (without removable seat)

Beam: 30 inches

Capacity: 450 pounds

Price: $1,099

Latest Fish Report

PISCES FISH REPORT

OCTOBER 1st to 6th, 2010

Overall Catch Success Rate 100%

BILLFISH: We saw quite a drop on billfish catches this week, down to thirty three percent; that is not to say fishing is not good, because every boat out caught something but just that more small game were caught. That said, we did have several blue marlin this week, just not the impressive sizes seen over the past few weeks. First blue marlin of the week was caught aboard “Yahoo” for Denny Scott and Jeff Ham from Piqua, Ohio six miles before the 95 spot. The fish took pink and blue lure and weighed approximately 250 lbs, they also boated a dorado. “Valerie” did well for blue marlin releasing one for long time Pisces client Gary Allison, with the fish around 260 lbs that took a yellow tail; they also boated three dorado, fishing 22 miles offshore. The next blue marlin for “Valerie” was on October 3rd this time for Rob Denkewalter and friends from Chicago, fishing at the 95 spot on the Cortez side, they released a 270 lb blue marlin and boated seven dorado. An enviable day was that had by Marla and George Goodman from Los Angeles, Ca. aboard “La Brisa” on October 5th. They fished the Pacific between Gaspareño and Golden Gate and caught and released both a blue and striped marlin and caught eleven dorado (six released) - the striped marlin took a petrolero lure and the blue a yellowtail. Another notable catch was aboard the 61ft Viking “El Gallo” on October 1st, for Barry Satterfield and friends from Franklin, Tn for three striped marlin released all on live caballito twenty miles out, plus a couple of dorado. Our only sailfish of the week was caught aboard “Fearless”, just four miles out by David Fisher from Columbus, Ohio. The reason striped marlin catches may have dropped is the bait source, right now mackerel has not been readily available so ballyhoo and other baits are being used, such as caballito, which work but are not ideal. Pisces anglers caught a total of 17 striped marlin, 4 blue marlin and 1 sailfish this week, all but one fish were released.

OTHER SPECIES: This could almost be called the dorado report, as we caught so many this week. Ninety percent of boats caught between one and seventeen fish with weights ranging from 10 to 40 lbs. “Rebecca” caught the most in one day, with the seventeen fish caught on October 5th at Migriño on a combination of lures and ballyhoo for Nicole Shepherd, Brian Roberts, Jason & Tara Wakefield from Kansas City, Mo. Our total dorado count was 264 fish. Hope the yellowfin tuna catches continue like this a month from now, when we have the Jackpot tuna tournament as this week we had some very nice fish. First up was on October 2nd aboard “Bill Collector” ; Kari & Eric Wilson fishing with Haylee & Seth McGinnis from Dallas, Tx caught a 180 lb yellow fin on sardines 20 miles out from the Old Lighthouse as well as two dorado. We had some anglers visiting from Holland who did really well aboard “C Rod” with two large tuna at 120 and 180 lbs at the 180 spot the tuna took black and green lures; they also had a striped marlin released, for anglers Ron Veendaal, Kees de Bie, Piet Weldam, Louis Bakker Bary Silleman, Siemen & Theo Buddingh. “Falcon” also had two nice tuna on October 6th for Dave and Tanya Petrucci from New Albany, Ohio. Their fish were caught on flying fish seven miles out from the 120 spot and weighed 70 and 185 lbs respectively. The only other catches for us were three wahoo all around the 40 lb mark.

LOCATION: Golden Gate, Migriño, San Jaime, out from Old Lighthouse, Pozo de Cota, Los Arcos, 95 spot, Herradura, 180 spot.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear, sunny skies, seas mostly calm, some chop in the afternoons on the Pacific late in the week.

AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 85 F

BEST LURES: Ballyhoo, tigrillo, petrolero, green, red/black, blue/white.

Based on the catches of Pisces by Tracy Ehrenberg

L.L. Bean - Pro Shell Wading Jacket.

Recently took delivery of a new high end fishing jacket from the US. First impressions are very good and I have to say I'm not going to be biased by its cost. My slight concern was that it might be a little too warm for SW Ireland but on unwrapping I was immediately confident that it wont' be, other than on warm summer days when you probably won't need any jacket. LL Bean eluded to a fleece lining but its not the case, a tough mesh lining in places is how I would describe it which is apparently Gore Micro Grid. When putting it on it feels more like a piece of water sports wear, kayak or similar as the cuffs are neoprene and the removable neoprene skirt with separate zip immediately give you a feeling of being sealed in from the elements. All the pockets and stowage's are well thought out and all zips appear to be high quality and waterproof, as you would expect. The outer material is Gore Tex Pro shell which is the toughest Gore Tex fabric available. First outing was a rock fishing venture in the impact zone of breaking surf during which I was blasted by salt water from all directions and remained snug and warm in the jacket over chesties and only a shirt underneath. The hood is well designed and adjusts to give a perfect fit, the only minor negative is that the neck is a little open without a collar or scarf to fill it out but it is made of a very comfy material.

Bring It On !!

FALL MAKES IT'S APPEARANCE

The Fish Know It

fishers too

From Over The Divide . . . Fall Arrives !

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.. Fall weather boiled over the continental divide and let us know it with a 40° drop in temperature. We quickly dropped everything and headed to some of the worst holes on the Madison River - all the best ones were taken!

Visiting Wildlife.

.. We even took a few very gullible residents on some worn out caddis emergers until the fish decided that they wanted the the itty-bitty bugs on the surface.
.. Baetis are everywhere and it seems that the conventional wisdom was spot on this year. "Bluster = Bugs."
.. Increasingly we're hearing of runners both inside and outside of Yellowstone National Park. Visitors from near and nearer are enjoying the rapid up-tick in catching.

Peek-A-Boo . . . I See You !

.. After the last several years of Summer turning to Winter overnight, we just may be in for some wonderfully unsettled Fall weather.
.. The next two weeks, (should we choose to believe the weather folks,) contain words like overcast, showers, cooling, rain, 50°, evening thunderstorms, 25°, chance of snow, etc. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
.. Today will be gentle - just perfect for Wolverine Homecoming. But we may only get up to a high of 55° for the parade.
.. The game will be played in what we have come to know as "football weather." Raw winds should make it interesting.

Bluster On The Divide . . . Finally!

.. The fancy synthetics and the stodgy oilcloth raiment's are making their fashion statement in the hotel lobbies and restaurants.
.. Wet trails of mud and moss litter the floors of our favorite pubs, and some very wild arm gestures accompany exaggerated whispers over the rapidly quaffed brews, (often sprayed through runny nostrils for effect.)
.. It's hard to ignore the fishing frenzy that's pounding the pavement in town and along the west side rivers. Funny hats, waterproof long johns, muddy boots, implements of fish torture, and vests full of esoterica are visible at every turn.
.. The neighbors roll their eyes, dodge the unfamiliar cars parked in their driveway & on the sidewalk, smile at the crowds of baggy pantaloons and bent old men. It's kind of a ritual around here. And the Chamber of Commerce loves it - so too the feather merchants.

.. This Fall, at least, catching is living up to it's fabled reputation and all seems right with the universe. The correct bugs are here, the big fish have finally arrived, the weather is doing it's best, and the elk are beginning to move. 
.. The 15 year old, 375 pound grizzly bear that was camped out on the football field has been relocated to a place where he may survive; missing teeth, low body fat, poor weight and all. Now if we can just catch the momma black bear and her cub we'll breath a bit easier knowing that our toy poodles are eating the kibble we leave outside for them. Just where is 'Poopsie,' anyway?
.. Grab the fall fly box. Head to one of the fabled rivers. Today will be full of success and joy on the water.
.. We're headed to the homecoming parade to enjoy the accompanying traffic jam, and see who the homecoming queen is going to be. We'll even endure the game if the sun shows it's face for half-time.

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Autumn Predators

Autumn is well and truly here - virtually all the conkers have fallen from our tree, and the days are getting shorter. Since my last blog, our trips have been varied at many different types of venues, ranging from Fenland Drains and local rivers to gravel pits and large reservoirs. There was one outing we had on the drains but when we arrived we found the river was very coloured, not what we were expecting - so on went some Spinnerbaits which we find are good in these situations. We walked around 8 miles of riverbank, covering as many fishy looking spots as we could. It wasn't easy but we ended up with 8 Pike to about 7lb, and 11 small Perch. Whilst fishing, we had an audience of about 50 cows and bulls, which surrounded our swim! We were stuck there for about half an hour waiting for them to go - they were so curious about what we were doing and wouldn't go away - one even came behind me whilst I'd cast out and licked the rucksack I was wearing, before making a sudden dash as I turned round to see what was going on.


On October 1st, a local coarse fishing lake, which I can almost see from my bedroom window, opened for Predator fishing. Last year we fished the opening day with lures and had a great session, catching 15 Pike including 3 doubles to 16lb and a 3lb 2oz Perch. This year we hoped that we could repeat that success. Arriving before sunrise, we began fishing when the dawn was breaking, and by 9am I'd caught 6 Pike to 12lb 12oz, and my Dad had caught 2, and 3 nice Perch to 2lb 8oz, all on a variety of artificials. In such a short space of time we'd done well - but for me it was all about to end. I had to go to school as it was Friday, so my Mum came to pick me up from the lake and I was gone! My Dad however, stayed and continued to fish (lucky, eh?!), but he had to face the elements - it rained - and it was far from drizzle - it poured it down! Despite the weather, it didn't put him off and he carried on catching. Around 4pm, I returned with my mate, Will, to fish the last couple of hours after school. As we rushed back to the lake we found a soaking wet Dad, who had added another 7 Pike to his tally since I left in the morning. We all kept fishing in the pouring rain which seemed to be getting heavier by the minute and managed to land another three (one each). The fishing had got tougher as it had become busier during the day, which added to the pressure. In total we banked 19 Pike, 1 nice double and 3 Perch, all on lures - the weather was terrible but the fishing was great!

The next day's forecast looked much more promising and despite getting up at 4.30am the morning before, we were up again at 6am the very next, instead this time we were geared up with fly tackle, and made the most of our weekend by heading to a reservoir where we were to target more predators. We were hoping to catch some big Pike, but although we only landed one jack of around 6lb, we did boat 3 nice Zander to 9lb 11oz, and 4 2lb+ Perch, and at the very last knockings, I had one just shy of 3lbs.



As we packed the gear in to the car, the rain began to fall, but at least it hadn't caught us out this time after the previous day whilst we were fishing. As soon as we got home, tired and drained of energy, we were fast asleep, both whacked from our 2 day's fishing on the trot, as we'd given it our all - but it had been an enjoyable and productive couple of days, and well worth all the effort - if you're fishing mad!

During the following week, after school we also had another trip back to the lake where we'd done well on the predator opening day. On his third cast Dad landed a very lean fish of 17lb, and we also went on to bank another four before dark.


Until next time - Tightlines!

Easterly

It has not been a great week for fishing with all that wind we are getting and now its in the east and due to stay there for a while , which is certainly going to make things a lot more difficult . It is such a shame with such nice tides this week that the weather got the better of us but we can not complain too much as we have had some fantastic fishing so far this year . In my opinion we still have a good bit of time lure fishing left this year . The water temperature is up there has not been too much rain and all we need now is for that wind to swing around and settle a bit and we will be out again . This time of year right up to Christmas and after if the weather allows is probably my favorite time for lure fishing . Its time to get the plastics out slow it down and hopefully see a few big fish .The weed will start move on and make it possible to bounce plastics where it was impossible during the summer . If all that fails I will be sure to be getting out the light bait fishing gear a bucket of crab which I must admit I am looking forward to . It is another nice way to approach bass fishing and if it means getting fish when lures wont work I am quite happy .

Official Opening
We are having an official opening of the shop on Sun 24Th of October from 1pm to 4pm . There will be a raffle with loads of prizes and a top prize for lure fishermen of a Tenryu rod and a top prize for bait fishermen of a Daiwa 7HT Mag and lot more . Henry Gilbey will be here for the day doing the official opening so come along and pick his brain . Everyone is welcome and hopefully it will be a great day .
Just a quick thank you to everyone who is reading the blog its great I can not believe so many people are reading it , James and myself enjoy doing it so thanks to everyone .

Waves