Little Dixie Lake CA, Callaway County

It took me over nine months, but I finally took the kayak out in 2011! I've been reading about a guy in Singapore who outfitted his inflatable kayak for marine fishing expeditions, so I thought I could try something similar in a more tame environment.

All I've managed to do so far is make the kayak easier to control by myself (it's a two-seater) and I used some PVC pipe to make one fishing rod holder (I hope to add two more very soon).

Since Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area (Callaway County, Missouri) is the closest lake to our house, that's where I headed this morning. It was sunny, about 70°F and there was almost no wind. I paddled across the lake in about five minutes and was ready to start fishing.

I started out using a silver/white rooster tail. After about a dozen casts I landed a Largemouth Bass, my first ever kayak-based fish! It measured a whopping 7 1/2".

 

I decided to paddle over to the jetties on the north side of the lake. I've only fished there once or twice, but after today I think I'll stop by that area more often. After switching to a chrome Rapala lipless crankbait I hooked what turned out to be a 14 7/8" (1 lb. 5 oz.) Largemouth Bass! This is the largest fish I've caught at Little Dixie Lake to date. Since I was very close to shore when I caught him I decided to beach the boat and take a few pictures on land.

I paddled back to the east side of the lake and managed to catch my very first mussel.

After today I'm really wishing I had started fishing from the kayak about six months ago rather than waiting for the onset of Autumn.