Christmas 2012
Gift Guide
ClassicS Adds Division
East Coast Series
Changing It Up In 2013
Greater Competition
www.KayakFishingClassicS.com
Fall 2012
2
When Fishing Matters
Ocean Waves
The Best Sunglasses in the World
Technology is everything today. Ocean
Waves are the most technologically ad-
vanced sunglasses in the world. It takes
30 separate hand ground layers, each
with a specific job, to form a single lens
to enhance your vision and protect your
eyes like no others. Catch the wave and
see what you’ve been missing...
Top anglers all over the world know that they see
more fish with Ocean Waves and protect their
eyes better than any other sunglasses in the world.
You should do the same.
Protect your eyes… Catch the Wave!
Ocean Waves : RX
3
www.OceanWaves.com
What’s Inside
FEATURES 7 Gear Guide 2012
See the best gear in the world.
The Holidays are just around the
corner.
25 New for 2013
Making it more competitive
32 East Coast Reds
There’s Something about Reds
53 Series Champ
Series Champ Marty Meakin
64 National Champ
Joe Lineberry
78 ICAST
Show Time
DEPARTMENTS 6 Editors Letter
What I want for Christmas
29 Kayak Fly Line
Casting Tips for Fly Anglers
36 Wooden Navy
Fast, Light & Strong
42 Anglers Health
Avoiding the Slows
49 Anglers Corner
Fly MoJo
29
4
58 Yak Yak
75 KFCNC
88 YakAngler
89 Our Sponsors
90 Host Sponsors
42
On The Cover:
William Lusk
with 34 “ Snook
36 7
When you get out of your kayak it’s time for waders…
Redington makes a great deal of the fishing gear that you
need for any condition. When you are wade fishing you
owe it to yourself to use the best protection that is avail-
able. Add another dimension to your fishing with the
worlds best waders.
In 2011 the ClassicS introduced many anglers
to the new DELTA fly reel by Redington. Af-
ter nearly two series years on the water it has
proven to be one tough, economical, fish
thumping machine. Delta Fly Reels...It’s what
fish hate and you will love.
For that special gift visit
www.Redington.com
5
Editors Letter
Man, I got the same early Christmas gift this year as I did last year
and I could not be happier. Last year all of you gave to me your
overwhelming friendship and support and no one would ever mind
receiving that kindness every year...year after year.
Many of the faces are the same as many are of course new. Seeing
your excitement at each tournament award ceremony as you receive
your sponsor gear prizes will never grow old and will always give
me great joy. Watching you becoming better anglers, wiser conser-
vationists and your children growing a little taller reminds me what
this is really all about. I thank you from the bottom of my hart.
As for ‘a few other things’ I would like more free time to throw
some feathers, catch that crazy huge snook that has been laughing
at me for the past few winters and less wind on the water.
Oh well, you can’t have everything but it’s close...very close. All of
you make all of what we at the ClassicS and All of our Sponsors do
so very worthwhile.
Our Sponsors and all of us here at the ClassicS wish all of you and
yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Great New
Year filled with happiness, wellness, prosperity and kindness from
your fellow man.
Thank you for a great 2012 Series Year,
Captain Pat Horrigan
What I Really Want for Christmas
And a Few Other Things
6
Gear Guide 2012 Proven Gear that we know will stand up to the
punishment that you & the fish dish out.
The Best Gear is really what you want, not inflated prices. As many of our contest-
ants know, we harshly test a manufacturers gear before we ever extend an invitation to
become a ClassicS sponsor. Have you ever wondered why? It costs us plenty of money
and takes a lot of time on the water. And you know what? We’re glad to do it because it
assures us that you and others are being offered the very best fishing gear and affordable
prices. Hey, it’s cool too! So onward to the gear that we know you want. This should
help your friends and family to decide what to get their favorite angler for the Holidays
too! Hey we know that you have been Good!
To help you select an Under the Tree gift or a great Stocking Stuffer look for
It all starts with the kayak and Diablo Paddlesports offers
some of the finest kayaks ever made. The Adios is our fa-
vorite and perhaps it is yours. Made for inshore fishing
and sneaking up on spooky fish while affording Stand Up
Sight Fishing are features that separate Diablo form all of
the rest. Diablo also features a unique and rugged thermal construction method so your
new Diablo will be in service for many years. Team Diablo fishes in the ClassicS so if
you’ve seen them you know how cool they are. It won’t fit into a
stocking so this one goes under the
tree. Visit Diablo Paddlesports at
www.DiabloPaddleSports.com
7
Next on your anglers wish list
may be a new fishing rod or two.
Hey no problem, Deep South offers
great
multi situational rods at great prices that leave plenty of money
for other gifts. Many of our anglers have won in our tourna-
ments using a Deep South Fishing Rod and they just can’t seem
to get enough of them. Might be the fantastic action, super sen-
sitive tips or brutal fish stopping power. The champs can’t be
wrong so put a few under the tree this year for your
favorite anglers.
D.O.A. Lures and Big Fish just seem to go together. Top
anglers like Joe Komyati know this and feed big fish
D.O.A. Lures on a regular basis. He also wins tournaments
on a regular basis and your favorite angler can too!
D.O.A. offers a huge selection of baits. You won’t have any trouble getting your angler to tell you which
ones he would like to have. Just ask him and you’ll see what we mean.
Visit D.O.A. Lures at www.DOALURES.com
8
Tournament Champ; Otis Coblentz www.DeepSouthFishingRods.net
We know you are busy and time seems to
always be an issue. We have the solution
for you. We partnered with Yak-Gear a few
years ago to help make shopping for your
anglers kayak gear easier and it has.
Yak-Gear carry’s many of our sponsors
products and offers fantastic service. They
are very knowledgeable about kayaks,
kayak fishing and all the stuff in between.
Please visit Yak-Gear online for a great
shopping experience and help support our
sponsors who make the ClassicS series pos-
sible.
Talk about bake and shake! These
lures have the action all anglers crave.
High Roller Custom Wooden Lures
really turn on the strikes. Even when
fish just are not on the chew, the High
Rollers trigger the reaction strikes that
are as good as money in the bank.
Several of our tournaments have been won by anglers using High Roller Lures while other
anglers just couldn’t get the job done. Anglers never seem to have enough lures because
conditions vary, bait availability changes or the fish just won’t strike. High Roller is a great
solution for your angler and at their prices you can afford to stuff a big’ol stocking full of
them. High Roller Lures are carved from a special light weight wood, hand sanded and
tuned to perfection. The super tough finish is hand painted on every
single lure. The saltwater hooks hold up to the conditions that our an-
glers face time and time again and man do they stay sharp. That’s a
must have and so are High Roller Lures. You can order directly from
them but hurry and avoid the Christmas rush.
www.HighRollerLures.com
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www.Yak-Gear.com
Your angler is going to need plenty of flies
to around for that new fly rod and we can
tell you who has some great flies at fantas-
tic prices. Take a look at RiverBum Flies
and you will see what we mean. We
searched the world over for a company that
offered top quality flies at prices the average angler would smile about. Well we found them
right here in the USA. The elf’s at RiverBum stay up late at night to fill all the orders. No
worry, they get help from world class tiers from around the world. What you may spend for a
couple of flies elsewhere will get you more then a dozen RiverBum Flies. And here’s another
great piece of money saving info, their flies hold up to the punishment that saltwater fish dish
out. We’re super glad to have them involved with us and so are our anglers. Visit them and
order a mess of RiverBum Saltwater Flies today.
www.RiverBum.com
10
Lets face it, our playground is one of the harshest environments on the
planet and it’s not always easy to protect ourselves like we should. Ko-
katat has it covered for you with there Seeker kayak boots. Soft, com-
fortable, warm when it’s cold out, cool when it’s not. Kokatat Seeker’s
are easy to walk in and allow you to feel where you are walking all the
while protecting you from abrasions, rocks and more. Seekers are also
very quiet in your boat and we all know how important that is. Just ask
our champs!
The Seeker slips on and off easily and conveniently adjust to snug your foot. The mud won’t
suck these boots off of your feet and leave you
stranded. We found them to be one of the very best
kayak boots on the market and your angler will too.
Kokatat Seekers are a great gift idea and a must for
every angler.
Visit Kokatat at www.Kokatat.com
Eye protection and seeing through the water
are both imperatives for our anglers. We did a
lot of studying and research before we deter-
mined that Ocean Waves inventive technology
really are the world’s best sunglasses. When
you put on a pair on OW’s be ready for a shock. You are going to see
things that you just don’t see with any other brand of sun-
glasses. That’s a bold state- ment and that’s how impressed we
are with them. Take the time to read about their 30 layer light
filtering technology and then compare them to your shades.
Keeping up with the ‘Cool’ is no place when it comes to pro-
tecting your eyes, although OW’s are pretty cool anyway.
Ocean Waves also takes care of your vision prescriptions
with no hassles. Hey stop in and take a look at their new store
in the beach front district of Atlantic Beach, Florida the next time you’re on the East Coast
or visit their online store at: www.OceanWaves.com
Speaking of vision. When the sun
isn’t shinning anglers still need to
be able to see well and we have the
answer for you. Princeton Tec has
several lighting solutions for your
kayak angler. They specialize in
very high tech, low energy lights
that will brighten the night so you can see where you are going and be seen by others.
The Princeton Tec company offers multi light head gear with multiple lights in one neat
little and light weight system. Fully adjustable lighting technology to adapt to any need
from a broad beam, low brightness to up close intensity
and far reaching super bright spot light. All from one lit-
tle waterproof box that only uses 3 AAA batteries. Hey
don’t worry, you won’t be buying batteries all the time
like you do with other lights. The amazing little lights
yield over 200 hours of lighting form those little batter-
ies. That’s impressive and that’s why we chose them as our lighting solution and so
should you. Visit Princeton Tec today at:
www.PrincetonTec.com
11
Dr. Slick makes the finest fly tying and angler tools in the
world. He really is a surgeon and wanted to have surgical
quality fly tying and fishing instruments that just weren’t
available, so he started Dr. Slick Company and all of us
benefit from that desire. Thanks! I have been using them
for over a decade and Dr. Slick was an automatic choice
for us. I just had to share the news. Dr. Slick provides our
anglers with a very high
quality bullet nose pliers
that won’t let you down… ever. They come with a cool pair
of braided line scissors and a rugged holster to keep it all to-
gether.
If your angler is into tying flies then look no further then Dr.
Slick for what he needs. Buy him the best tying tools in the
world and they will last a lifetime. Hey the prices are great
too!
Take a look at the Dr. Slick collection of tools at
www.DrSlick.com
Plano Tackle Systems has a great solution for keeping your valuables
dry and secure while fishing. The Guide Series Waterproof Box will pro-
tect camera’s, cell phones, car keys, meds and more. If it fits, it stays
dry! We know you have a big investment in your daily electronics and
we want you to protect them from the harsh conditions of saltwater tour-
nament fishing. Plano makes a great selection of the Guide Series Boxes
and there is one that’s just right for you. Take a look at all of the
Plano Gear and if you bump into Hank Parker, tell him we say Hey!
www.PlanoMolding.com
12
NEW! The Kayak Fly Line by Jim Teeny and
designed by Capt. Pat Horrigan for kayak fly
anglers world wide. If you fish the ClassicS
you know about the new Kayak Fly Line. This
is the first and only fly line designed just for
kayak anglers. It shoots great distances with
just one back cast as many top fly anglers are
finding our all over North America. The hard
mono core holds up against the heat and the silky slick High Performance Coating lets
line slip through your fingers. Throw it while wade casting or
seated in your kayak. Throwing 90 feet is a snap and the de-
livery is clean and soft. This is the perfect fly line for any fly
angler and it makes a great stocking stuffer.
Purchase the Kayak Fly Line and other great fly fishing gear
from Jim Teeny and get it delivered in time for the Holidays.
www.JimTeeny.com
Purchasing a new high quality fly
reel can be a huge expense for any-
one. Tournament tested quality, large arbor reel that your angler will be proud to have.
Fully Machined from best aluminum stock, anodized finished, sealed drag, light weight,
large arbor, counter weight, solid foot and much more. We tried to blow it up on some
very large fish and couldn’t. Now for the best news off all, the price is fantastic at under
$260 in the US. It would be a good bargain at twice that.
The lucky anglers that have won them in our series can tell
you the same. They are now available for the public and
the new DELTA fly reel would make a great gift this year
for your fly angler. Check out the DELTA Large Arbor
reels and all of the great gear at Redington.
www.Redington.com
13
When ultra light weight, preci-
sion paddling is important turn
to Aqua-Bound Paddles. We
did and we’re more then glad
that we did. The technology
that goes into each Manta Ray
Carbon paddle delivers stiff horsepower and low swing weight, virtually eliminating arm
fatigue. That’s critical to our tournament anglers who cast around 1,000 times each time
they are on the water. At only 25.5 oz the two piece adjustable Manta Ray helps keep arm
energy in reserve for a busy day on the water. When it comes to critical centric equipment
chose Aqua-Bound Paddles. The First Choice in carbon technology.
www.AquaBound.com
Scotty Rod Holders will keep your rods at
the ready. Be it a fly rod or conventional,
Scotty has you covered with a wide variety
of solutions to your action rod storage. The
systems are simple to mount and they rotate
as well as ad-
just vertically
for that perfect position. Scotty quality is very well known and
for good reasons. Their gear will never let you down and they
will never rust in saltwater. There is no better solution when you
need both hands free or for landing
that monster tournament buster fish.
Scotty holders will never let you
down and you’ll like their prices too.
www.ScottyPaddleSports.com
&
www.Scotty.com
14
Here’s a company that will keep your angler dry,
organized and safe. PrecisionPak makes some of
the finest gear in the word and it certainly is very
will engineered with the kayak angler in mind.
Our anglers are crazy about PrecisionPak gear
and so are we. Once you take a look at them you
will see that they go way beyond making a jacket for kayaking or
a tackle storage box or a fish pack and on and on.
Quality is the game here and it resides in their name.
We are very proud to offer you such outstanding
products by PrecisionPak at such fantastic prices.
Want to put a smile on your kayakers face? Put a
couple of pieces of PrecisionPak gear under the tree
this year and have your camera ready. We look at a lot of gear
throughout the year and nothing compares to it. No other company pays so
much attention to the details that make for great products like PrecisionPak
does. Take a good look at all of great products that they make. You’ll be glad
you did. www.Precision-Pak.com
When it comes to protecting your kayak investment Suspenz
Kayak Storage Racks are the best. Prevent kayak hull warp and
distortion and add years of life to your kayak. Keep it tracking
true and up out of the way.
Suspenz offers a huge variety of storage solutions for your
kayak including suspending hoist systems, wall mount and free
standing racks. Suspenz makes it easy and affordable to keep
everything neat and protected.
Tournament tough, high quality affordability are just a few of
the features. Cradle your kayak with a Suspenz. Your kayak will thank you. Visit Suspenz to-
day for your complete solution at:
www.SuspenzKayakStorage.com
15
Bending Branches Paddles are world fa-
mous and used by many, many tournament
kayak anglers. Their aluminum shafted
Slice paddle is one of our all time light
weight favorites. The Slice Angler kayak
paddle is designed with you in mind. The
handy hook retrieval system is built into the
blade for removing snagged lures. This is
one super tough, rugged piece of gear that
no angler should be without.
Bending Branches is most widely known name in paddles and fulfills any paddling
need for any condition. Now that’s tough! When you’re in heavy seas or have a
long way to go you will be glad that you have a Slice Angler paddle. We know you
can’t go wrong here so take a look at the Bending Branches selection on their site.
By the way, the Slice Angler is adjustable and available with a tape measure right
on the shaft. Good Fishing…
River2Sea WIDEGLIDE is one the most unique and effective fish-
ing lures that we have ever encountered. Designed by the legendary
angler Larry Dahlberg for River2Sea and we all know how serious he
is about Big Fish. The WIDEGLIDE zigs and zags from side to side
in a high performance walk that drives fish crazy.
Cover more water with every cast and watch your fish catch rate sky-
rocket as the big tournament busting fish slam the WIDEGLIDE time and time again.
River2Sea offers a wide selection of lures for any style of fishing, be it saltwater or fresh.
Catch more bass, tarpon, reds, trout, snook, you name it and
the WIDEGLIDE will catch it. Visit River2Sea and be sure to
watch Larry’s video by clicking the link below.
www.River2SeaUSA.com
http://www.kayakfishingclassics.com/River2Sea-Lures.php
16
www.BendingBranches.com
Gyotaku is an ancient Japanese form of record keeping that vil-
lage angles used to track when, where and what they caught
throughout the year. Gyotaku has
evolved into a major art form largely to
the artistry of world famous artist Jim
Roberts. Visit his site to learn all about
Gyotaku Art and enjoy his many fa-
mous works. Jims artwork will make
for some great Christmas gifts for home
or office. You can purchase directly at:
www.ReelDreamsFishPrints.com
17
Ever angler likes marine art so we are pleased to bring
you one of the very best such artists around. Steve
Whitlock Game Fish Art is nothing short of amazing and
is one of our anglers favorites at every Awards Ceremony.
Steve has spent a lifetime perfecting his unique technique
and balance of game fish art upon nautical charts. Not
only is Steve Whitlock highly skilled with a brush, he also
brings fish to life with pencil in a photo like quality. Highly
skilled to say the least. We wanted to round out our sponsor
gear with a selection of fine art that everyone is sure to enjoy.
We know you and everyone that sees Steve Whitlock Game
Fish Art will agree.
You may purchase directly at:
www.SteveWhitlock.com
Looking for another unusual gift idea? Look no father then.
Artist Jeanie Beline creates the unusual in marine art and is
becoming very well known for her
imagination. She looks at a piece of
distressed shipwreck wood and sees a
canvas for paintings and wood carv-
ings. Jeanie creates wall clocks to sea
turtles, gator paddles to fish art boxes
and all form distressed wood that she
finds. View her work and visit with
the personable artist on her website at:
www.WildlifeFromScratch.com
18
Lights, Camera, Action! RAILBLAZA makes
one of the best camera booms that we have ever
seen and our lucky winners of the Action Photo
Awards can tell you just how good it really is.
If you want to get great fish fighting shots just put your camera on
a RAILBLAZA camera boom and you will quickly discover how
easy they make it. This handy camera boom adjusts up and down,
easily turns 360 degrees and will tilt adjust to any position, all with
one hand.
RAILBLAZA is the proud sponsor of our Action Photo Award in
our series and we have seen some extraordinary photos as a result
of the camera boom. If your angler wants some great photos get him a RAILBLAZA cam-
era boom. You can order right now from Yak-Gear who is the US distributor of this fine
New Zeeland made product.
Visit RAILBLAZA at www.RAILBLAZA.com
Shop at Yak-Gear at www.Yak-Gear.com
Fishing in the tropical heat has never
been so cool. ExOfficio Air Strip
shirts are tournament tested shirts
that just laugh at the relentless summer heat in the tropics where we fish. Put on an Air Strip
and you will instantly have a cool, durable, good looking friend that you can depend on to
keep you comfortable and looking good all of the time.
But don’t stop there. ExOfficio makes all kinds of sharp, good looking adventure clothing
for both men and women. So while you are selecting an Air Strip for your fishing mate,
don’t forget to treat yourself to a few while you’re at it...everyone needs a good friend.
Begin your adventure at:
www.ExOfficio.com
19
You have a big investment in
your kayak and now there is a
great way to protect it. The good
folks at KanuLock have come up
with a fantastic locking strap sys-
tem that will keep your kayak put. The stainless steel aircraft cables are stitched in place be-
tween padding and covered with a tough durable outer flexible skin to cushion your boat
safely and securely. The stainless locking system has a du-
rable rubberized pad so no worry there. Now you can lock
down your kayak and enjoy the peace of mind the Kanu-
Lock affords. Hey come on in and enjoy the Awards Cere-
mony and claim your sponsor gear! We want to see what
you caught today. Relax, have a bit and a bev. KanuLock
has you covered With their Lockable Tie Downs.
www.KanuLock.net
MirrOlure is one of the Top Producing
lures in our series. In fact our 2012 Na-
tional Champion Joe Lineberry caught one
of his tournament winning fish using a
MirrOlure.
Weather you choose the famous MirrOdine Series, the Mir-
rOmullet or the new Lumo Series you will catch fish. They’re
easy to use and tough as nails to withstand any bite. Just ask
your favorite angler what he thinks about his MirrOlure and
you’ll get an education. Get a stocking full of MirrOlure and
Turn On the Bite!
20
In just 30 seconds you can assemble and disassemble the
C-TUG Kayak Trolley. Put your kayak on the C-TUG,
load your fishing gear and roll your boat into the water.
Now that’s easy and
no more back and forth trips while loading your gear
at your favorite launch site. Unlock the wheels, give
the frame an easy twist and put your C-Tug into the
cargo hold on your kayak. Now that’s a great time
saver and makes launching/retrieving easy on your
back. We use the C-TUG Trolley and it is fantastic. Put
one under the tree this year and make having fun easy
on your favorite angler.
www.C-TUG.com
www.MirrOlure.com
If your kayak angler walks a little
funny after a day on the water, it’s
time for a Skwoosh kayak seat. The
first thing he will notice is the Gel
Power by TekPad seating in a new Skwoosh kayak seat. Another great back saver is their all
new Lumbar Support and the cool detachable Tackle
Bag. Skwoosh kayak seats are extremely comfortable
and cool when it is really hot. Why Skwoosh Kayak
Seats? Simple, because they are the best thru design,
materials and application. Get a Skwoosh today and
fish in extended comfort.
21
When it comes to protecting your hands
from the sun, Mangrove SunGloves are
just the very best that there is. That makes
shopping a bit easier for this great gift.
Mangrove sun gloves are cool and com-
fortable in addition to protecting your
hands from the harsh elements that we fish
in. The open fingers allow you to tie knots
and manage line with ease. The stretch fab-
ric feels like an additional skin on your
hands and they stay in place under all con-
ditions. What could be better than a pair of Mangrove SunGloves? Two pairs of Mangrove
SunGloves...
www.Skwoosh.com
Mangrove Sun Gloves
are available at your
local TFO dealer.
The sun and harsh elements that we fish and live in
can put a hurting on your expensive kayaks. As
kayaks become more and more technical they can
command a hefty price. It taken care of a modern
kayak will last a lifetime and JLM DESIGN will
help make sure that happens.JLM custom designed
kayak covers are the best kayak covers on the market. We
only use JLM on our kayaks and you should to. Big boat own-
ers have known this for decades but kayak fishing is new and
we see a lot of sun and weather damage on them. Most JLM
DESIGN custom kayak covers are under a $100 and that’s a
great price. Make your kayak last and keep your money in
your pocket. We use JLM and so should you.
Contact JLM DESIGN at 727-862-0700
22
A BASSYAKS system will put you
where you want to go in a hurry and fish
won’t hear you coming. Cover more wa-
ter and save valuable time when you are
scouting for fish and pre-fishing for our tournaments. BASSYAKS makes it easy and has a
system that is just right for your kayak. We use a BASSYAKS system on our photo boat
and it is a high quality, smooth and quiet system.
Order Yours Today at;
www.BassYaks.com
You might think it odd that we advertise other magazines in our magazine but we don’t. All
of our media sponsors help us inform kayak anglers and promote the sport that we all love
so much. We thank all of them for another great year.
Kayak Angler Magazine is another great source of information
about our sport. They have a good forum and their magazine is
also available through an online subscription. All of our anglers
receive a FREE one year online subscription to Kayak Angler and
they all enjoy it greatly. Visit Kayak Angler today and tell them we
sent you.
YakAnlger is another great magazine and forum
just for kayak anglers. You will find some of the
best articles and photography here and their mem-
bers are very helpful for all of your kayak angling
needs. Visit YakAngler today and say hello from us.
Our friends at Florida Fly Fishing Magazine publish one of the best
saltwater fly fishing resources ever. Each issue is full of interesting
articles written by some very good fly anglers/writers on the water.
If you fly fish you need this magazine and if you don’t, well what
are you waiting for…
Kayak Fishing Magazine is an East Coast anglers delight.
While all of our friends cover all of our fishing grounds and
more, KFM is big time in the Northeast.
23
www.KayakAnglerMag.com
www.YakAngler.com
www.FlaFlyFish.com
www.KayakFishingMagazine.net
We hope that our product guide will help you and give you some great gift giving choices
and ideas for your holidays this year.
We thank you in advance for supporting our many generous sponsors who make this won-
derful sport and the Kayak Fishing ClassicS possible.
We know that you and your friends enjoy the beautiful outdoors along the Coastal Gulf
States and ask the you continue to teach out respect and conservation for the beauty that
surrounds us all.
To all of you from all of us,
We Wish You a Very Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
&
Happy New Year
24
The 2012 Series Year was
very good for all involved.
The anglers enjoyed fishing
in some of the most exotic
locations on the planet and
caught plenty of nice fish.
The sponsors received a
great deal of exposure to
some of the best anglers on
the Gulf Coast. The weather
held for our tournaments
with exception to a bit of
wind now and then, but
that’s just fishing on the Gulf
of Mexico. We enjoyed mak-
ing many new friends and a
little fishing ourselves. So
what’s next for the ClassicS?
Expansion... of course. We
have heard the cries from the
East and have set up a new
format for 2013 that will
make the series even more
competitive and exciting.
The Gulf Coast Series and
the East Coast Series are
now in place and ready to go
come January 2013. The
Gulf and East Coast Series’
both will have five open
tournaments each. Anglers
New for 2013
25
gler may not combine the
number of tournaments fished
in both series to accumulate a
total of four. An angler must
fish at least four tournaments
in one series to be invited.
The scoring changes that took
place prior to the beginning of
the 2012 series year will re-
main in place for both series’
in 2013. That is to say that one
inch of fish entered equals one
point. There won’t be any
early registration points or po-
dium finish points. There will
no longer be a slam bonus or
bait bonus. It’s about total
inches of fish. We feel that
these changes will make the
series more competitive and
focus on catching big fish, as a
tournament should be.
must fish 4 of the 5 open
tournaments in their division
to earn an invitation to the
national championship. This
will insure greater comple-
tion. The tournaments for
each division will be held
every other month. The se-
ries year will start for the
Gulf Coast Series in January
and the East Coast Series
will begin in February. The
GCS will then have another
tournament in March and the
ECS will have their next
tournament in April and so
on. The 2013 Series Year
tournament schedule is
posted on the Kayak Fishing
ClassicS website.
Anglers may of course com-
pete in both series’ however
their points will remain in
the series that hosted the
tournament. Anglers may not
move points from the east
series to the west, for exam-
ple. Anglers must compete in
at least four tournaments in a
given series, east or west, to
receive an invite to the na-
tional championship. An an-
26
www.SteveWhitlock.com
27
themselves and or their fishing
team/club. We are doing this in an
effort to help students, school fishing
clubs and to promote our fantastic
sport.
The East Coast Series sports some
huge populations of giant redfish so
tackle up if you are new to fishing
for these big lagoon monsters. More
about them and fishing the east side
later in this issue.
continued form page 25
It was very difficult selecting the five
tournament locations for 2013 as we
had ten great locations developed
over the years. The Gulf Series
sports some of the best fishing locals
in the world and by adding five
world class locations to the East
Coast Series it is lining up like some-
thing out of an anglers dream. We are
very excited about it and can’t wait
to get started. The 2013 series sched-
ule is posted on our website.
The posted weigh in time for any
given tournament is the time that the
weigh in is closed. Anglers must be
signed in at the judges table by then
or be in the line. There will be no ex-
ceptions to this rule. Anglers must
attend the weigh in to receive any
points and credit for having fished
the event.
Also new for 2013 will be a colle-
giate segment in both the East and
Gulf Series. The new segment will
allow full time college students who
are on their college fishing team/club
to compete thru scoring with other
colleges. They will compete under
the same rules and for the same
prizes as the rest of the anglers. The
collegiate scoring will be used only
to track college one college against
another. Collegiate winners will re-
ceive scholarship funding/gear for
themselves and or their fishing team/
club. We are doing this in an effort to
help students, school fishing clubs
www.ReelDreamsFishPrints.com
Artist Jim Roberts
28
29
Throwing Feathers
By Capt. Pat Horrigan A New Fly Line is Born Throwing feathers from a kayak while
seated presents an entirely different form
of fly casting for most anglers. Taken
away are the tools of stance, body angle
and movement. Also gone is the ability
to turn and watch your back cast just to
name a few. Add into the mix is the fact
that you have very little area for body
twist, if any. Combined these conditions
presented varying degrees of problems
for some of our contestants, of whom
many do fly fish.
My love of the two sports got me think-
ing about what could be done. For the
contestants in our series that use kayaks
that they can stand up in such as the
Diablo Adios, there was no problem.
Although that particular segment of
kayak design is quickly growing, the
reality of it is simply that most kayak
anglers can’t stand in their kayak so
something had to be done. I looked at the
energy dynamics involved in how energy
loads and unloads in a fly rod and how it
is transmitted throughout the fly line.
The rods were fine so it had to be the
line. Wait, today’s fly lines are incredi-
ble. This coming from one who learned
on a level braided fly line as a kid. We
needed a line that would load energy to
the rod quickly with one
back cast so a completely
new kind of fly line had to
be invented.
I got to work on this using
my computer, formulas and
a calculator. When I fig-
ured it all out I got with my
good friend Jim Teeny how
manufactures great fly
lines and is our fly line
sponsor. We discussed
what I came up with and
Jim took it from there. He
made a prototype and it
worked great. In fact it was
better than I had hoped for.
Jim made up some more prototypes and took them to the fly fishing show in Wash-
ington State, sort of an ICAST of fly fishing. He told his industry buddies about the
new kayak fly line and they all wanted to throw it. Well they spooled one up and
started throwing. Mind you these guys are professional fly casters on a pro circuit and
will tell you like it is. It was a bit of a tongue in cheek moment for Jim as he knew
what he had and that these guys never have seen anything like it.
After a few short warm up stokes, the first pro let one go and threw the line way past
the end of the casting pool. “What the …” he was surprised as Jim just watched and
grinned. All of the others had to try it out and all met with the same reaction. One
back cast and shoot forty feet of line was my original design. I guess I over amped it a
bit because these guys were throwing all of the line out which is ninety feet long. All
of them put their stamp of OK on it and we were pretty happy.
The finish on the line is a super slick Jim Teeny
finish found only on his lines. The finish doesn’t
get gummy in the heat, sweat and salt and helps
the line rocket through the guides on its way to
the target. Next I had an Orvis Certified Casting
Instructor sit on the sand and cast the line. He
quickly got the hang of it and was throwing some
nice casts. He later told his friends that it was the
best fly line he has ever thrown. I won’t mention
his name because I don’t want to get him in trou-
ble but you know who you are Bob. I played with
the line every chance that I got and used it with a
variety of 8 weight rods. The rod did not seem to
matter too much as long as it was an 8 weight,
fast action rod. I got all giggly every time I threw
it and could not wait to share it with our anglers
30
Throwing Feathers
By Capt. Pat Horrigan A New Fly Line is Born and the rest of the fly fishing world.
We tweaked the end with a leader
loop and went into production. This
was a long time coming as it took a
year from inception to production
but I always was a bit slow in math.
We started awarded the Kayak Fly
Line toward the end of the series
year and the feedback has been very
good from average anglers. All have
said that it is now very easy to throw
the line while seated and are getting
into fly fishing from their yaks more
and more. Perfect! That’s what we
wanted. Kayak fishing is very
stealthy and fly fishing from a kayak
adds to that end. Fish don’t hear you
or see you coming and they don’t
hear the lure splash the water. When
fish are real spooky in shallow it is
time to get the fly rod out and let
them have it. You will start racking
up some big fish in the tournaments
if you become proficient at it. It
really is not difficult and the new
Kayak Fly Line now makes it sim-
ple and fun.
Several anglers have asked me if I made a lot of money developing the kayak fly line or if
I will be getting royalties from the sales. The answer is no. I did not go into this to make
any money. I wanted to help make throwing a fly line easier from a kayak and help pro-
mote the sports of fly fishing and kayak fishing. I gave the design to Jim after some argu-
ment on his part. He wanted to pay me but I said no enough times that he understood what
I was doing.
Next up in line development for me is a snook fly line that I have been thinking about.
Most fly anglers will use a intermediate fly
line which sinks a foot or so on the last
four or five feet on the line. I have been
using these lines for years for snook and
they work but there are a few things that I
want to change about it. Oh well, back to
drawing board…I just keep coming up
with things that make me have to go fish-
ing..
You can purchase the Kayak Fly Line from
my good friend at www.JimTeeny.com
Photos by Guide Rich Jones: www.KayakFishingTheEverglades.com
31
Meet the Family
www.RiverBum.com
32
East Coast Reds By Charles Levi
One only has to mention the word Red-
fish and area’s like the Indian River La-
goon, Banana River, and the Mosquito
Lagoon come to most angler’s minds
and for good reason. There is little to no
doubt that the East Coast of Florida is
the Redfish capital of the state and some
may argue it should hold the title of Red-
fish capital of the world!
Ask any angler that has targeted these
great game fish around the state to de-
scribe the Redfish that call the East Cen-
tral Florida waters home and most will
tell you they are the hardest Redfish in
the state to catch.
This isn’t because there aren’t good
numbers of them rather it’s the numbers
that sometimes works against you as an
angler. When you have a hundred sets of
eyes looking out for one another getting
within casting range to these massive
schools can be a tough. In the spring and
summer the water gets dirty
and the schools break up and
you find mainly single fish
cruising the flats early in the
morning before the water
temps heat up. Once this hap-
pens, the Redfish move off the
flats and seek deeper water
that is cooler and higher in
oxygen content that helps the
Redfish digest their meals. Fin
Fish are the main pray items
of our fish in the warmer
months. Things like Mullet,
Pinfish, Pigfish, Croakers and Greenies
make up the bulk of their diet but the
shoals of Glass Minnows take a beating
from everything that calls the East Coast
waters home. In fact in the early morn-
ing hours you can often find schools of
Glass Minnows pressed against the shore
line and hungry Redfish gorging on the
easy to catch minnows.
As the water temperatures drop in the
fall and winter the Redfish start to
school up again and start to switch
from mainly a fin fish diet to more of
a crustacean based diet. Gone are the
schools of Mullet and other bait fish
and now Shrimp, Crabs, Sea Horses,
Snails and other slow moving prey
items take over as the main food sup-
ply for the Redfish. The bite tends to
not start till later in the morning dur-
ing the cooler months, say around 9:30
-10:00am. Plus with the air temps and
water staying cool all day, this allows
the Redfish and other game fish to
stay on the flats. With an average
depth of about two to three feet, the
cool clear waters of Indian River La-
goon System makes for some of the
States best sight fishing opportunities.
The cooler water also makes the Red-
fish sluggish, but don’t confuse this
with being easy to catch, you will see
many more tailing fish this time of the
year and have your offerings turned
down even when you make that
“Perfect” cast! And I haven’t even
brought up the “NMZ” or No Motor
Zone. Two words can accurately de-
scribe the “NMZ” and those are Juras-
sic Park! With miles of shoreline pro-
tected from any motorized vessels and
N.A.S.A just to the north, many of the
fish that call the N.M.Z home have
never seen a lure!
As kayak anglers we have an advan-
tage when it comes to finding and
catching Redfish here on the East
Coast. The stealth of the kayak will
33
allow you to find these spooky, tailing
fish giving you a chance to sneak up
on them without the sound of a troll-
ing motor, live well pump, hatch noise
and other alien noises that flats skiffs
give off. This is key when fishing in
the gin clear waters the winter gives
us!
And now with the Tropic Bay ‘Kayak
Fishing ClassicS’ adding the five East
to bring money into our local areas, they
will also allow anglers from other parts
of the state to see first hand why we are
the Redfish Capital of Florida!!
Editors Note: Redfish Chuck Levi lives
on the East Coast of Florida. He is also a
radio personality and has his own show
on KayakFishingRadio.com weekdays
@ 8pm
We wish to thank Redfish Chuck for
helping us set up the Kayak Fishing
ClassicS East Coast Series for 2013.
Chuck and his good friend Jose Vidal,
also of the East Coast and Team Diablo
helped the ClassicS to determine the
tournament sites for the upcoming ex-
pansion of the series.
When you see Redfish and Pepi on the
water, be sure to give them a paddle
splash in appreciation for all of their
hard work and be sure to listen to Red-
Coast Tournaments to their already im-
pressive list of West Coast events, this
huge high quality Tournament Series
will help those of us that really want to
see the sport grow and want to compete
on our home waters! Kayak anglers on
the East Coast have been over looked for
too long and the time has come for us to
show off why the East Coast has some of
Florida’s best fishing right here in our
backyards! Not only will the events help
Jose ‘Pepi’ Vidal with 34 “ Mosquito Lagoon Redfish….Nice
34
Worlds Best Fly Lines
SINCE 1971
Because Fishing is an Adventure
www.JimTeeny.com
35
www.PlanoMolding.com Guide Series Waterproof Boxes
The Wooden Navy
36
was given his first boat, a cedar strip
johnboat that he grew to appreciate the
craftsmanship in and appreciated the
advantages it afforded over heavy plank
or aluminum boats. That started the fire
within and after retirement he decided to
scratch that itch. He started building
kayaks from a stitch and glue kit by
Chesapeake Light Craft that was a sim-
ple 14 boat that took him ninety hours to
build.
Over the years Jesse has purchased vari-
ous kayak and canoe plans and has built
many dozens of boats. He now purchases
his rough cut wood planks, cuts them
into strips, planes, shapes, steams, molds
and works them into a thing of beauty.
He also purchases large sheets of special
lament wood that he cuts the shapes for
the stitch and glue jobs. Perhaps I should
explain the difference in these different
building techniques. A stitch and glue
kayak is made from lament sheets of
wood where he lays out the various
pieces and shapes needed to assemble
the boat. The stitch part is a technique of
assembly. Once the pieces of sheeting
are cut, sanded they are butted together,
drilled and copper wired together form-
& it’s Master Most kayak anglers use a plastic kayak
and for good reasons. They are light-
weight, affordable, tough, they get the
job done and put you on the water. Well
there is another building
material that kayaks have
been crafted out of for
many centuries and it of-
fers some surprising advan-
tages.
I recently had the opportu-
nity to visit with the Master
of wooden kayak construc-
tion, Jesse White who has
been hand making his phe-
nomenal kayaks and ca-
noes for over a decade. I’m
not talking about kit kay-
aks. I’m talking about
scratch-built works of art
that are light, strong, tough
and highly personalized
fishing kayaks that even
the most ardent skeptic will fall in love
with and respect.
I asked Jesse what got him started build-
ing wooden kayaks. He told me that he
37
ing a kayak; all of the
seams are glued, filled and
sanded. The wire is cut and
sanded flush with the wood
for a very cool look. The
hull is then smoothed and
sanded then covered with
very thin fiberglass, sanded
and smoothed and then
flipped. The inside of the
hull is then treated with
fiberglass and smoothed
and is now ready for the
deck which is applied and
fitted in like manner of the
hull.
A strip built kayak or ca-
noe is made from many,
many narrow strips of spe-
cial woods such as Alaskan
White Cedar, Spruce,
Western Red Cedar and
Cypress. All very strong,
lightweight and decorative
which have their special place in the
construction. After making the strips for
the construction, Jesse then planes a
bead and cove shape into the long edges
of the strips. This is not a must but is
much stronger and makes for a perfect
spherical flow of the wood around a
form. Remember here that he is a Master
of this art and he makes it all sound so
easy. Most builders simply plane an an-
gler onto the edges of adjoining strips.
This takes us to what is called a Hybrid
built kayak and no, it does not run on
alternative power. A Hybrid kayak is
built with a combination of the stitch &
glue technique and the strip built tech-
nique. Usually the hull is stitch & glue
and the deck is strip built.
While looking around in his shop and
watching Jesse work on a new kayak, a
privilege by the way, I asked how he
learned how to do all of this. His answer
was simple and down to earth. “I read
lots of books.” Well that’s honest
enough but I think he could write a few
on the subject for sure. I also asked if
one technique is stronger than another
and he told me that the strength comes
from the fiberglass, the lightness comes
from the wood.
I mentioned to him that I had from time
to time thought about building a wooden
kayak and he told me to start with a
stitch & glue boat. Good advice after
seeing what is involved with the other
choices. He told me that you can start
with a kit, a good set of saw horses that
you build for kayak construction, and a
small work space. You don’t need any
38
special tools and if you purchase a
Chesapeake kit, everything you need to
build your kayak comes with it, except
the saw horses of course. Chesapeake
Light Craft even includes all of the spe-
cial epoxy and has made mixing it very
simple. Hmmm, tempting.
Jesse showed then showed me a racing
kayak that he had built. A 20 foot strip-
per that had a built in skeg that he raises
to enable turning. A dragster of sorts if
you will. By the way a strip built kayak
is called a stripper. This boat looked
really fast and it is. Jesse won the
Chasco Kayak Race in 2011 and I would
imagine that he can pretty much do that
whenever he wants.
For the finishing touches, Jesse then
carves out some of the wood to make
way for some inlay art. Jesse has formi-
dable skills to carve and route away a
1/16th depth and fit elegant designs and
patterns of very thin wood into the decks
of his boats. Personalization is an option
of course. If you have never seen this, it
is much like the fancy inlays of wood art
that you see on very fine furniture from
days gone by.
It was a pleasure to see a Master Kayak
Builder at work in his shop and an even
39
www.AquaBound.com
40
greater pleasure and privilege to
spend time with him. I must say
that what you see is what you get.
Jesse White is not only a master
builder; he is genuinely a wonder-
ful and sharing person.
If you are interested in joining the
Wooden Navy give Jesse a call at
727-861-3572 and he will be
happy to build and fit a boat for
you.
41
www.Skwoosh.com
Experience the comfort of Skwoosh.
Fish All Day
Once in a while all of us have had
that slow feeling in the morning at
the launch. This can cause perform-
ance problems on the water. De-
pressed energy levels equals de-
pressed results and much of the
‘slows’ can be attributed to your diet.
Unfortunately many of us will turn to
an energy drink for that boost and
load up with sugars and caffeine.
Then after a few hours the crash
comes and then where are you?
The answer to sustained energy lev-
els and building healthy reserves is
in our diet. Noted nutrition guru
Brian St. Pierr offers a healthy high-
energy Top 10 list of foods that have
unique characteristics in sustaining a
much higher level of energy.
No.10 Coffee Of all natural food sources, coffee has the larg-est caffeine content. Caf-feine has been shown to improve performance and decrease your perception of effort, allowing you to work harder longer. Coffee also contains large amounts of antioxidants and may supply up to 70% of the total daily antioxidant in-take of the average Ameri-can. If you use coffee to give you a quick energy boost, be conscious of the time of day. Drinking cof-fee within eight hours of
Avoiding the Slows
No.8 Water Water is the most over-looked “performance en-hancing supplement out there. As many as 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration can limit your physical and mental capacity. Because water is paramount in cool-ing your body during times of increased heat or stress, as you attempt to ramp up your exercise in-tensity, dehydra-tion will cause limi-tations in thermal regulation, circula-tion and, ulti-mately, the generation of force. The common recommen-dation is that the average, inactive person (not you) should consume at least six to eight ounces of water per day. In reality, you should probably be taking in about double that amount (on top of the water you take in from other foods). Start carrying a 16- to 20-ounce water bottle around with you during the day. Aim to refill it every three to four hours. You’ll be amazed at how much
when you go to bed can cause some men to have trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night with your heart racing, you may have to find a less intense alterna-tive, such as tea.
No.9 Tea When proper nutrition and hydration fails you (or when you fail it), sometimes a quick caf-feine boost can help get you through a training ses-sion. Teas like white, green, oolong, and black can give you a small amount of caffeine, but they also contain the calm-ing amino acid theanine, which has been shown to prevent the anxiety that large caffeine consumption can cause. This will ulti-mately help you create bet-ter attention and focus. The amount of caffeine per serving depends on the type of tea. White gives about 20 milligrams; green gives about 30 milligrams; oolong gives about 40 milli-grams; and black gives about 50 mil-ligrams.
42
By Capt. Pat Horrigan
Anglers Health
43
energy you get just from staying adequately hy-drated. If you notice you’re making more frequent trips to the bathroom, don’t worry; as your body adapts to getting a constant supply of fluid, you’re lavatory fre-quency will return to more socially ac-ceptable rates.
No.7 Fruits
Fruits (especially apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, and kiwi) are high in potassium (an electrolyte that main-tains normal nerve and muscle function), fructose for liver glycogen, ready-to-use sugars, fiber, and tons of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. If you’re look-ing for a healthy, natural energy boost, consuming fruits throughout the day and within about an hour before you train will give you just that. You can also blend a banana, frozen berries, some nuts or seeds (from above), and Greek yogurt together for a great post-workout drink.
No.6 Quinoa Quinoa, al-though techni-cally a seed, is a super grain that everyone should have as part of their diet. It is a complete protein, which is very rare for a
plant food. It is also a high-qual-ity complex carbohydrate, high in fiber and iron as well as calcium (necessary for proper muscle contrac-tion), potassium and mag-nesium (necessary for proper hydration).
No.5 Old-Fashioned Oats Old-fashioned oats are a quality source of complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber, low on the glyce-mic index and high in en-ergy-boosting B vitamins. This is not your instant oat-meal. Old-fashioned oats
are a more natu-ral, unprocessed form of oat. Be-cause they aren’t
broken down to the extent that instant oats are, it takes longer for these oats to be processed within your body, providing a slower release of energy.
No.4 Seeds Seeds from sources like flax, chia and hemp provide a great sup-ply of fiber, healthy fats (including omega-3s), vita-
mins, minerals, and antioxidants. Chia is an especially great choice, since it has a large amount of soluble fiber, which cre-ates a viscous gel in your gastrointestinal tract. This keeps you full/satisfied for a long time and provides an energy time-release ef-fect, stabilizing your blood sugar and keeping your en-ergy levels even during in-tense training.
No.3 Tree nuts Tree nuts such as al-monds, walnuts, pecans, and cash-ews, are loaded with healthy fats (monounsaturates, as in olive oil, as well as some omega-3s), fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and an-tioxidants. You can also consume these as nut but-ters, which are delicious and offer lots of variety, as they can be spread over other fruits or vegetables or be included in a smoothie for a perfect en-ergy-boosting snack.
No.2 Omega-3 eggs Omega-3 eggs are full of healthy fats, energy-boosting B vitamins and some vitamin D. They also
44
provide a rich supply of brain-boosting choline, the precursor for the neuro-transmitter acetylcholine, and are considered the perfect protein because of their amino acid profile and high biological value. They are one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods.
No.1 Cold-water fatty fish Cold-water fatty fish in-clude wild salmon, mackerel and herring. These fish are an excellent source of omega3s, which provide a number of health benefits, in-cluding de-creased risk of heart dis-ease and various can-cers, de-creased inflammation and decreased body fat. They’re also rich in com-plete protein, energy-boosting B vitamins, mag-nesium, and potassium, and are one of the few food sources of vitamin D. For more great nutrition informa-tion from Brian St. Pierre, check
out his website:
BrianStPierreTraining.com.
You may not have heard of some of
these foods however they are very
tasty as well as healthy.
Once you tune your body to running
on the energy that this way of eating
generates you will discover that you
will have plenty of go and no slow.
I prefer tea over coffee and taking
some on the kayak is a nice treat
with lunch. You do take lunch with
you don’t you? When I say lunch I
mostly mean natural meals in natures
own rapper. Foods such as some tree
nuts, apples, oranges and a fish taco
for example. After all you are out
there to fish not dine.
That doesn’t mean you should not
eat while fishing. In fact it is impor-
tant to eat while you are on the wa-
ter. You are using energy and will
need more for later right? So if you
don’t eat and beverage up you will
have what I call an energy void in
your reserves.
That’s when the slows hit you. It’s
your body talking to you and telling
you to rest. If you are frequently eat-
ing small amounts of energy food
and great proper sleep you won’t get
the slows.
I have found that another huge bene-
fit of energy eating is the mental
alertness. Think about that for a min-
ute. If you are on the water with the
morning slows, when the fish are
really biting, you may miss the op-
portunity to get a tournament buster.
You may miss the hook set or not
even notice the fish at all. Mental
sharpness is everything and you can
increase yours by through diet.
I am not a fan of the high energy
drinks that we all see in the quick go
stores. These beverages are not regu-
lated by anyone but the manufacture.
These drinks have even killed people
so safe to say you should avoid them
like the plague.
Over the course of time your body
will cleanse itself. Not only will you
have more sustainable energy, you
will begin to feel better. It’s a bit odd
when it happens.
You don’t really realize how slow
you are or how lack luster you may
feel until you really feel good. Then
it all makes sense and comes to-
gether.
If you start eating like this and six
months down the road you decide to
have a big burger, cheese, fries and a
cola you will really feel it.
If you take the time and search the
internet you will find that there are
many foods that are tasty, easy to
find and easily fit any budget. The
old saying ‘you are what you eat’ is
very true.
In short I would simply say Eat
Right, Catch More Fish.
45
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See What You’ve Been Missing...
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www.DOA.com
Have a D.O.A. D.A.Y.
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48
Make One Trip www.C-TUG.com
49
Anglers Corner
Many of the anglers in the ClassicS fly
fish and some tie their own flies from
time to time as do I. Some of our anglers
have been tying for many years; others
are relatively new to the art. I started
tying about forty years ago, not to say
that I am any good at it. A large number
of anglers would rather spend their time
on the water throwing feathers instead of
tying them and that’s fine too. The im-
portant thing at issue here is that the flies
work and is the common thread for all
fly anglers.
As a fly fishing guide I spent a lot of
hours on the water looking at bait. I
studied bait fish, crabs, shrimp and
plants that small bait life lives in. A
number of years ago with the advances
in tying material and glues we started
seeing some very life like flies. Some of
feeding on. Over millions of years fish
have developed to look like something
other than what they are. For example a
glass minnow hides itself in plain sight
by being mostly clear. A bone fish hides
itself from its predators by reflecting
what is in the water and on the surface
which makes it virtually undetectable.
Shrimp and crabs will drop to the sea
floor and hide in the grass or beside a
rock to mimic and fool a fish into not
seeing it.
Well we want the fish to see our fly but
want the fly to look and swim like the
bait we are copying. The common thing
here is the behavior of the live bait when
they feel threatened. If our hook shines
or otherwise looks unnatural to the fish
the shrimp patterns could fool the most
ardent connoisseur. Some of these works
of art take hours to create and get
munched, crunched and otherwise muti-
lated by the crushing jaws and teeth of
our favorite finned friends in just mo-
ments.
It all is in an attempt to make the fly
look like the bait. That brought to mind
an article that I wrote some time back
about a fly really being a phasmes. Like
a walking stick bug or a thorn bug. Nei-
ther is a stick or a thorn but look like it.
The culprit here for us is making the
hook look like a fish or some other de-
lectable tidbit that the fish will rush to
eat.
A Fly Phasmes, if you will, looks like
particular bait that is present in the water
while you are fishing that the fish are
Fly MoJo...Mon By Capt. Pat Horrigan
Nice redfish caught on fly by our friend
Redfish Chuck Levi
50
it’s ‘adios’ and we’ll have to try again.
But if you phasmes the hook and make it
look like it is a part of the bait or just
plain hide it, then you are going in the
right direction.
Is all of this really necessary to fool a
fish? No, not most of the time. Look at
most flies or lures and you see the hook
exposed most of the time. If you fish
with a consistently successful fly angler
you will see that he is catching fish even
when the bite is slow and you are not.
If you look at the fly pattern he is using,
if he lets you, you may discover an en-
tirely new breed of flies emerging that
you never thought about. The point here
is to use a pattern that is reasonable to tie
or purchase that you can throw and learn
to use it. Learn to swim it the correctly
to imitate the bait. Make that fly do eve-
rything that the real thing does and you
will catch fish.
The action you impart upon the fly is a
big part of Fly Phasmes. Without fly
Phasmes you can’t have Fly Fatum and
‘without dem you got no fly MoJo mon.’
Daniel Currey shows off a nice looking
little snook captured on fly & released.
Radio Host Redfish Chuck releases a
dandy redfish caught on fly.
Anglers Corner Continued
51
If you tie flies, get in touch
with your doctor…
Dr. Slick, maker of the finest,
innovative fly tying tools in the
world and then some.
Available at your local Dealer or contact Dr. Slick
www.DrSlick.com
52
Your Hands Do A Lot For You.
Do a Little Something For Them….
Mangrove Sun Gloves
Found wherever TFO fishing equip-
ment is sold
53
It took two years of very hard
work and lots and lots of hours,
travel, spending weekends in
strange towns and some sleepless
nights. That’s just the beginning.
Marty Meakin won the Series
Championship on October 13,
2012 but his quest really started
back in January of 2011 when he
set out to become the Series
Champion of the Kayak Fishing
ClassicS. In 2011 Meakin came in
second place overall in the series.
That would make most anglers
very happy and it did to a point
for Meakin, but that was not the
Respectable Fourth Place in the
Classic and maintained his second
place hold on the series standings.
As suddenly as he rose to the top
he met hard times in the Ever-
glades in the 10,000 Islands Clas-
sic in April. Meakin came in out
of the top 10 and watched the
leader pull away. He was still in
second place overall but the field
below him was now pressing and
putting on pressure.
A great thing about most anglers
in the series is that they are all
optimists. Tomorrow is another
day to go fishing and make things
Goal by a long shot. The 2011
disappointment only served to
harden his resolve for the 2012
series year. He was determined to
win and he set out about his busi-
ness.
Meakin started in January and
began the new year with a fifth
place win. Not bad but not what
he had in mind. February rolled
around and things were looking
better with a second place show-
ing and a jump in the series stand-
ings from fifth to second overall.
Then came the Fort DeSoto Clas-
sic in March. Meakin scored a
Meet the Series Champion
Marty Meakin
54
Right. Meakin was no exception
to this rule and he put his game
face on and went at the next tour-
nament with a smile on his face.
In May the Ozello Classic was
tough and Meakin scored a fourth
place finish but managed to knock
off the series leader and grab the
series lead. Certainly cause for
celebration but only for the day.
He managed to carve out a 3 point
series lead and that’s very close.
Next stop was the Old Salty Dog
in Sarasota in June where once
again Meakin was out of the Top
Five but managed to broaden his
series lead and pulled ahead of
the pack. While Meakin was con-
sistently placing in the ClassicS,
others were not quite as consistent
and the series standings bounced
around. Now with only four more
series tournaments to go Meakin
Meakin had a better tournament
and so did Komyati but neither
finished where they had wanted
to. Introducing Joe Lineberry to
the winners podium. Lineberry
had a great day and won by a few
inches. Meakin kept the series
Talent he had on his wake
Tournament Day began by greet-
ing all of the anglers with perfect
weather, a departure for the days
of pre-fishing. Marty Meakin de-
cided to just go fishing. He
launched his kayak and paddled
away. Everything was set up and
ready for the eventual winner and
the rest of the anglers. Meakin
walked into the weigh in room
with a smile on his face and he
seemed to know he had it.
All of the anglers went through
the process of the photo weigh in,
the scores were checked, double
checked and triple checked.
Komyati had been on fire for the
past few ClassicS and Meakin had
been struggling allowing him to
close within 4 series points. It was
time to announce the awards for
55
www.DeepSouthFishingRods.net
56
There was a pause as everyone
waited and then the first place
was announced.
Marty Meakin, Marty Meakin
rang out and he jumped to his feet
knowing he had just won the
Southern Redfish Classic and the
Kayak Fishing ClassicS Series
Championship. Everyone went
nuts. Although all of the anglers
wanted to win, all of them root
for their fellow contestants. That
is probably the single greatest
thing about the ClassicS.
Meakin turned in a 75.2 inch
slam, took the Southern and iced
it for the Series Championship.
Meakin was composed but you
could see the joy on his face as he
came up to the First Place Podium
and began accepting the sponsor
awards.
Meakin was presented with a
Diablo Paddlesports Adios kayak
to start things off. Next up came
the lions share of over $10,000.00
in Sponsor Gear Awards that you
can see on the ClassicS website.
Marty almost need to pinch him-
self to see if he was having the
reoccurring dream that he had so
many times. All of the contestants
worked very hard for this and
Meakin may have worked the
hardest. No matter, all worked
very hard for sure.
It takes a lot to win a Classic and
ten times that to win the series.
That’s ten open tournaments
where you fish against some of
the very best anglers on the Gulf
Coast. All of them have one sin-
gle minded thought...WIN and
they all do their very best to do
so.
We congratulate Marty Meakin
for a well deserved double win in
championship fashion. Through it
all Meakin has maintained his
cool and was always a helpful
gentleman to all.
Our Sponsors Congratulate you
Marty and know that you will en-
joy all of the terrific gear that you
have won. Our sponsors also con-
gratulate all of the 2012 Series
Year Contestants and thank all of
you as do we.
William Lusk 4th Place
Joe Lineberry 5th Place
Otis Coblentz 3rd Place
Joe Komyati 2nd Place
Diablo Paddlesports
When Fishing Matters
57
www.MirrOlure.com
Turn On The Bite!
58
Question 4: What color of kayak do you
find best for fishing?
Answer: Tan
Question 5: What color Diablo did you
purchase?
Answer: Tan, Tan & Green
Question 6: What do you think of the
handling characteristics of the Diablo?
Answer: It’s not going to win any races
but paddles very well. Tracks very well.
Turns on a dime.
Question 7: What do you think of the
fish ability of a Diablo?
Answer: Perfect, Fantastic, Best fishing
platform on the water, Hands down
great, Would not buy any other kayak.
Question 8: How stable do you find your
Diablo to be?
Answer: Very stable, solid with little
movement when walking around in it,
the most stable kayak there is.
Question 9: What do you think about the
fit & finish of your Diablo?
Naturally we keep an eye on who has a
Diablo, who is looking to purchase one
and who sells them. We wanted to ask a
few Diablo owners what they thought
about their kayaks so we sent out a ques-
tionnaire and awaited the response.
Before we share that information with
you please understand that we are aware
that many anglers love their kayak and
that’s great. Brand loyalty may keep
some kayak anglers from even looking at
another brand of kayak and that’s fine.
We just wanted to share some interesting
feedback from Diablo owners with you
and we hope that you find the informa-
tion useful in selecting your next kayak.
The answers to the questions are similar
if not the same in many instances. What
we are expressing is a common theme to
help you better understand why Diablo
owners love their kayaks so much.
Question 1: What are the characteristics
of a kayak that you look for?
Answer: Stability, Quality, Comfort,
Ability to Stand Up, Room to Move
Around.
Question 2: What model Diablo Paddle-
sports kayak did you purchase?
Answer: Adios
Question 3: What of these characteristics
are present in the Diablo Adios kayak?
Answer: All of the characteristics that I
was looking for in a kayak are in the
Adios.
A Word or Two Yak Yak
59
course a kayak that sits that low
to the water with little freeboard
is going to get some water in it
however it drains right out. We
like the standard deck pads that
come with the Adios. They are
glued down to stay and they
buffer any movement noise.
The standard beverage holders
are very handy and with all of
the new features found on the
2013 Adios, we are sure it will
continue to grow in popularity.
Also please keep in mind that
we test every product ourselves
before inviting a company to
become a sponsor of the Kayak
Answer: One of the best looking kayaks
on the market, beautiful, suction cups
stick like crazy, stickers stay on, very
attractive kayak, and fit up is perfect.
Question 10: How do you find the
Diablo to paddle?
Answer: Good without skeg & even bet-
ter with skeg, smooth to paddle, comfort
range around 6 miles, easy to paddle &
surprising for such a wide kayak.
Question 11: What if anything would
you change about your Diablo:
Answer: Nothing, adding lure boxes
would be the sweet.
Question 12: Would you recommend a
Diablo to a friend and why?
Answer: Yes Always. I love my Diablo
and my friends have purchased them as a
result of how much I like mine. I love
my Diablo & know anyone who try’s
one out will too. I recommend a Diablo
because it is the best for the fishing that
we do.
The answers do not surprise us. We
think the same way about our Diablo
Adios that we use as our photo boat. We
do like the suggestion about the tackle boxes and
perhaps a rail system might be useful as well.
When we put the BassYaks on our photo boat
we really could see how well they are made.
Solid would be a good word to describe an
Adios. It should be noted that one of the anglers
that we sent the questionnaire to weighs over
300 pounds and finds the Adios to be extremely
stable for him. He stands up and enjoys fly fish-
ing from it and walks around on it.
We took our Adios out on a windy day to test
her in the chop and found it to be very good. Of
60
Fishing ClassicS. It
takes time and money
and we are glad to do it
to help assure you that
what we award you at a
ClassicS tournament is
great gear designed
with our anglers in
mind.
61
MADE TO FISH
www.ExOfficio.com
62
Steel Cable Reinforced Padded Straps & Two Tough Locks
…..Keep Your Kayak Safe
www.KanuLock.net
63
www.kokatat.com
Protect Your Feet...They Deserve It...
64
to go catch fish and catch fish they did.
In particular, the new champion had a
field day and his best tournament day
ever.
Joe Lineberry launched his kayak and
paddled out to his early fishing location
as per his plan. The 25 year US Army
veteran always has a plan. He made a
couple of casts and connected with a fat
23 inch snook. He boated her, said
cheese for the photo and released the
beauty to fight another day. A few more
casts connected Lineberry with a nice
23.9 inch trout which was also photo-
graphed and released. With two of the
three species recorded, Lineberry did not
feel he go catch larger fish so it was time
for a two mile paddle to his redfish flats.
Using D.O.A. and MirrOlure lures Joe
began the hunt for reds. He caught a few
and had his slam by 7:30 AM. He kept
on searching, looking for an upgrade in
size to help assure his victory. He had
put a lot of pressure on himself. He
Come tournament day, it is anyone’s
game. The playing field is leveled and
all of the series points have been cleaned
off of the leader board. Everyone is at
zero, the sun is coming up and it is time
The Kayak Fishing ClassicS saltwater
tournament series crowned a new cham-
pion on November 3 in Tampa Bay,
Florida. The ClassicS held the invita-
tional National Championship Classic
which was hosted by Whiskey Joe’s.
The National Championship Classic
(NCC) followed the Series Champion-
ship which is the culmination of ten
open tournaments held along the Gulf
Coast throughout the series year which
begins in January each year.
The top anglers of the series are invited
to the NCC and all must fish in a desig-
nated zone for the same species of fish.
The NCC was a Redfish, Snook & Trout
Slam in which the contestants must
catch, photograph & release one fish of
each species. Harder than it sounds, par-
ticularly on tournament day when the
pressure is on. What is at stake? Well
bragging rights for a year to begin with.
Then there is over $10,000.00 in Spon-
sor Gear Prizes plus a Diablo Paddle-
sports Adios kayak. There is national
exposure and possible sponsorships also
involved.
National Championship
2012 National Champion Joe Lineberry
65
www.Precision-Pak.net
Quality Gear at Great Prices
66
will. Then he spotted a large bull red
tailing on the flats. He picked up his
Deep South Rod with the D.O.A. Shad
wife in Canada where they will run their
family marina.
Lineberry kept searching, a hunt if you
really wanted to win this tournament
as it would be his last… Lineberry is
retiring from the Army and joining his
Derick Burgos
with his 2nd Place
National Champi-
onship plaque.
Derick is not
stranger to the po-
dium stand and
always seems to
find the fish.
Otis Coblentz is
ready to bust a
smile. He won the
3rd Place Podium
in the Nationals
this year. Otis is
looking forward to
the 2013 series and
is figuring his
strategy already.
67
Tail soft plastic lure on it. He made the
cast, landing the lure just in front of hun-
gry redfish. “Come on, take it” said Joe
under his breath as all of us do. Then the
flats erupted with an explosive strike that
sent water and sand sparkling into the
morning sky. The commotion of the bat-
tle could be heard across the flats. Line-
berry had to be careful. This was the
tournament winning redfish he had been
searching for, hoping for, and perhaps
praying for. Joe had picked up his light-
weight rod with only 6 pound test line on
the spool and a mere 15 pound test
fluorocarbon leader on it. That was the
Congratulations
Michael Davidson
proudly displays his
5th Place plaque for
his efforts in the Na-
tional Championship.
We hope to see more
of him next year as he
always locates fish and
puts on a good show.
Congratulations
Jose Vidal for your
4th Place win in
the Nationals this
year. We know we
are going to see
Jose a lot in 2013.
He did Team
Diablo proud in
2012 and is look-
ing forward to
fishing the new
East Coast Series
division.
68
only thing that connected him to a day in
the sun or a bitter defeat. The battle
raged for several minutes. The bull
fought like an experienced champion and
was determined to retain his freedom of
the flats. Finally outwitted, the powerful
redfish was landed, photographed and
released after a proper revival. The
mighty red had tested the tackle to the
limit and lost to the skill of a master an-
he share in their happiness and laughter
as he had done for so long. Soon it
would be time to move on as it was all
too familiar in army life.
Joe Lineberry made the paddle back to
his launch and drove to the photo weigh
in at Whiskey Joe’s where his friends
were waiting for him. He sat down at the
scoring table and tried to conceal his
gler. The redfish measured 27.4 inches
and was fat. I’m talking three hamburg-
ers a day fat. You could not get your
hands around him and was one beautiful
redfish.
As Joe watched the red swim away it
saddened him. He knew that was it, he
was through. No longer would he com-
pete with his friends. No longer would
Congratulations Joe Komyati for
the great job you did in 2012. Joe
nearly won the Series Champion-
ship this year and really made it
close. Joe won the Railblaza Ac-
tion Photo Award in the Nationals
this year and is looking forward
to winning it all next year.
Joe knows how to put on the pres-
sure and we look forward to his
return in the Gulf Coast Series
division in 2013.
Jose Vidal was all smiles
after a great day on the
water. Jose also caught the
Biggest Fish and won the
Bending Branches Big
Fish Award.
Joe turned in a 30.3 inch
redfish. Congratulations
Jose and nice job.
69
excitement with his best poker face. He
scored a total of 84.3 inches with the
slam bonus and that was more than good
enough to claim his new thrown.
Joe Lineberry became the Kayak Fishing
ClassicS 2013 National Champion on
that day. He saved the best for last in
true champion fashion and earned the
respect and admiration of anglers every-
where. All of us at the ClassicS, Diablo
Paddlesports, all of our Sponsors and all
of your friends congratulate you Joe in
your stunning victory. A fitting end to
this chapter of your life and a wonderful
new beginning to the next. We will all
miss you…
Derick Burgos of Team Diablo came in
second place with a total of 74.1 inch
slam and Otis Coblentz scored a total of
67 inches with his slam to capture third
place. Jose Vidal, also of Team Diablo
scored a total of 43.7 inches with a red-
fish and a trout. Jose also took the Bend-
ing Branches ‘Big Fish’ award with his
30.3 inch redfish and earned himself
fourth place in the national. Michael
Davidson also entered a redfish and a
trout for a total of 43.6 inches and
hooked fifth place. Series Champion
Marty Meakin was in the game but just
could not connect with a redfish. He
entered a nice snook and a trout measur-
ing a total of 43.3 inches which landed
the Series Champ in sixth place in the
national championship and that is not too
shabby.
All of us here at the Kayak Fishing Clas-
sicS and all of our wonderful Sponsors
wish to thank and congratulate all of the
anglers and fans that followed the series
in 2012. All of us tip our hats to all of
you for helping us make this such a great
series.
70
When a Fish is Important Enough to Photograph,
RAILBLAZA Will Hold Everything….
Everything But the Fish...That’s Up to You
www.RAILBLAZA.com
71
www.BendingBranches.com
Always Innovative… Always There for You
72
73
www. ScottyPaddleSports.com
New for 2013…
Scotty Helps You Keep It Together
74
www. ScottyPaddleSports.com
New for 2013…
Scotty Helps You Keep It Together
75
What seemed like a perfect day
of fishing ended up to be a seri-
ously tough one. Launch time was
great, not a soul in sight so I pad-
dled to my first spot with the
thought of having my spot all by
myself. Wrong! By the time I
reached one of my favorite shore-
lines, what seemed like every boat
in Tampa bay began to surround
me leaving me limited with op-
tions. After paddling 30 mins to
get there, I came to the realization
that my day was going to be tough.
So I did what any other angler
fishing a tournament would and
fished on.
After an hour or so of casting my
arms off, I approached an unoccu-
pied Oyster bar that I knew had
something waiting for me. First
cast with my Slayer Inc. Gumbo
SST, two pops and
BAM! Fish On!
Moments and al-
most a cut-off
later, I pulled my
first fish of the
day to the boat. I
welcomed a de-
cent 23” Snook. I
was on the board.
I knew that there were bigger ones
but as the clock ticked I took that
and moved on to find my Redfish.
As quick as I began my search, I
saw some decent pushes as the
Redfish revealing their locations
while searching for food. Quickly,
I looked for the biggest push then
threw my SST just ahead of the
wake then held on to my Deep
South Inshore rod. Moments later I
landed, snapped a picture then
carefully released a 23”
Redfish which put me on
with the 2nd species in the
slam. I continued to look
for a bigger one but only
landed a couple smaller
ones. Accepting my
catch, it was time for the
last fish, Mr. Trout.
Finding Trout didn’t take
long. They were right
where I predicted them to
be, hiding in the grass
zipping through the pot
holes. I began to see
TONS of Trout all between 20-26”
so I began to think the I was in the
$$...Nope! Once again, wrong, I
casted my life away only to con-
tinue catching Trout no bigger than
13”! It wasn’t until the last 30 min-
utes before having to load up for
the weigh-in I caught a 19 ½” er…
Once again, land, pic, release then
paddle my butt to the launch to get
to Whiskey Joe’s in time for the
weigh-in.
With a total of 77 points
(including bonus points for slam-
ming) I came in 2nd Place overall
for the 2012 Kayak Fishing Clas-
sics National Championship Tour-
nament!
Top 5 placings:
Joe Lineberry
Derick Burgos
Otis Coblentz
Jose”Pepi”Vidal
Michael Davidson
Congrats to all the winner and
participants. See ya next year!
Fishing the KFC
National Championship
By Derick ‘PhatFish’ Burgos, Team Diablo Paddlesports
76
Suspend or Stack Your Kayaks
Suspenz Has Your
Kayak Storage Solution
www.SuspenzKayakStorage.com
77
www.BASSYAKS.com
78
Our magazine staff went to the
2012 ICAST show held in Orlando
and we had a ball looking at all of
the new gear coming your way in
2013.
We did some film interviews,
spoke to as many companies as we
could in one day and then headed
out for a tournament. We wanted
to stay for all four days but we just
couldn’t. The 2013 show is going
to be in Vegas, Hmm…
The rods, reels, nets, lures and
electronics were incredible and
what a selection. All of us felt like
kids in a candy shop and we are
sure our friend Steve Whitlock did
too. Steve went with us as an artis-
tic advisor to our magazine. I don’t
know who had more fun, Steve or
all of the people he spoke with.
We have received some of the gear
that we were interested for our
testing and consideration for our
2013 Series. You may not know it
but the Kayak Fishing ClassicS
tests the gear we award at our tour-
naments before we invite the
manufacture to become a sponsor.
This way as an angler you know
we are recommend gear based on
results and performance. We hope
that you visit all of our sponsors
and do some shopping with them
to show your appreciation for their
efforts.
We are not going to do a lot of
talking here. Instead we’re
going to let the photos speak
for themselves and hope you
enjoy it.
Show Time
79
80
81
www.River2SeaUSA.com
Zig 8 Feet, Zag 8 Feet, Move Forward only 2 Feet
WIDEGLIDE Lure...Zig Zag Deadly
82
83
84
85
86
www.WildlifeFromScratch.com
Red Affliction
87
We hope that you have enjoyed the ICAST shots. If you are like we
are, we know you always like to look at kayak fishing gear….
Sad Isn’t It
88
Click Any Image To Enjoy the YakAngler Christmas Wish List 2012.
We strongly support YakAngler in all that they do. If you kayak fish you
should also at YakAngler.com
89
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
From All of our Sponsors
90
Host Sponsors We wish to thank all of our Host Sponsors how helped make the 2012 Kayak Fishing
ClassicS Tournaments Series a fun and memorable series year. All of these fine water front
eateries cheerfully opened their doors and their arms to welcome the ClassicS and our an-
glers. Although casual in attire, all of these restaurants offer a unique dining experience fea-
turing great food and fantastic service. We ask that if ever you are in their neighborhood,
please stop in and enjoy the same world class experience that all of us have and while you’re
at it, please let them know that we sent you.
Thanks and Enjoy
Whiskey Joes Bar & Grill
7720 Courtney Campbell
Causeway
Tampa, Fl 33607
(813) 281-0770
Billy’s Stone Crab
1 Collany Road
Tierra Verde, Florida 33715
(727) 866-2115
RIVERHOUSE Reef & Grill
995 Riverside Dr.
Palmetto, FL 34221
(941) 729-0616
91
Host Sponsors
Everglades Seafood Depot
102Collier Ave.
Everglades City, Fl
(239) 695-0075
Pecks Old Port Cove
6027 Cortez Blvd.
Weeki Wachee, Fl 34607
(352) 795-2806
Old Salty Dog
1601 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, Florida 34236
(941) 388-4311
Miceli’s Restaurant
3930 Pine Island Rd SW
Matlacha, Fl 33993
(239) 282-8233