Our newest staff member

Chopper has hired an assitant since he feels there is too much to be done.  Kayak fishing, fishing rod rangling getting those Emmrods sorted and all the other duties.  Our new assistant to Chopper is Abby Rose, she will be in training for the next few months but willing and able to help out customers.  Since she is so young her computer skills will be much better than Chopper. Abby is also planning on trying a little flats fishing herself to learn the ropes and be better able to help.  Right now she is working with the new Emmrod Universal pole and the Qualia NLF 30 spinning reel.  A superb outfit and one that will help her land a big one.  By the way this is the first photo of the new Universal rod with the large tip.  This rod is just wonderful and paves the way for all the new things from us here at http://www.jeffstacklebox.com/

Found a baby outside the hospital

Thank heavens not a human baby but a baby gator.  In my other life ealier this week I was doing a hospital audit in Gainesville, Florida.  I normally run into these little guys kayak fishing and at times have even hooked up to them fishing my Emmrods.  This fellow was just sitting outside the door of the hospital having gotten lost looking for the pond behind the building.  Law here dictates they cannot be bothered or harassed so a properly certified gator trapper was called out to tote the little guy off to a safe body of water.

Jeff Maron kayak angler in a Wavewalk 500

For all the time we have been kayak fishing my buddy Jeff Maron has refused to paddle my Wavewalk kayaks.  You know how it is to have another brand and be envious, I think that was the case,  But he has been rumbling for some time about another boat since he sold off his ______ brand kayak.  Right ow he has another friends boat he had borrowed.  So he finally decided to give the W500 a spin.  Lo and Behold we have another convert.  His back did not hurt and he could stand to paddle seeing stuff long hidden by glare from a sitting position.  Let's see how long it takes him to order.  Hmmm  now I have to let him spend some time with the world's premium kayak fishing rods, my Emmrods.

Hard working assistant Chopper the kayak fishing cat

For those who might think Chopper is all work and no play.  Here he is hard at work laboring away thinking very hard about Emmrods, Wavewalk kayaks, and Qualia reels.  As he lays there he paddles with all four paws dreaming about hooking huge redfish, seatrout, snook, flounder and even tarpon.  Of course he would have also eaten all the shrimp or any other bait you might have along long before getting to the water.  That explains his big belly.

On the line redfish battles Jeff McGovern, Emmrod, Qualia, and Wavewalk

Some more battle footage.  Kayak fishing from a Wavewalk W500, with Qualia, and Emmrod.  This day was so much fun it would have been great to have some kids along.  They would have loved the Florida inshore waters and the currently beautiful weather.

Jeff McGovern kayak fishing for talking redfish

Here is a video short from last Thursday.  Yet another talking redfish caught from my Wavewalk W500 with an Emmrod and a Qualia Mul 10.  Rocking good time!

My kayak fishing knife

Here is a shot of that Spyderco H-1 I carry kayak fishing.  As soild and dependable as my Emmrods or my Wavewalk W500.  Must have gear for the angler.

Dependable kayak fishing knife

Whenever I hit the water kayak fishing a knife is part of my gear.  You never know when something needs to be cut from old line tangled in the water, to freeing fish twisted into old carelessly discarded trash line.  I also us it for rigging sometimes in my pliers get misplaced.  But saltwater can be cruel to most knives and frankly I want one as tough as my Emmrods.  The answer is a well used Spyderco H-1 Salt model.  The blade is H-1 corrosion proof steel and it laughs at saltwater and the problems caused to regular knives.  Mine is pocket worn to the point the clip is almost silver in color.  It has never had a corrosion issue even after spending hours clipped to my shorts wading waist deep on saltwater flats.  Great tool and one any serious angler needs to carry.  I'll post a picutre of mine shortly.

Kayak fishing today went well, Emmrods rule and Wavewalks rock

Numbers, numbers, loads of fish.  Here is a quick shot of a black drum, there were six of those with many more red drum.  Great day of kayak fishing and it was fun.  More to follow.

Ok ready to go - FINALLY add the W500 to my Emmrods - LETS ROCK!

Here is the Red Ranger loaded and ready.  W500, Emmrods, Qualia reels, and all my other stuff, WOW here I go it's been far too long.  After all I've been posting shots of Chopper at work.  Shrimp, lures, redfish, trout, rolled into a morning of ahhhhhhh.  Hopefully some interesting shots when I get home in a few hours. 

Kayak fishing and Emmrod expert

Well here he is again, the world's greatest kayak fishing and Emmrod expert.  Tah Dah!!!! Chopper, as always on duty making sure it's right.  From lures to line, Emmrods to Wavewalks, types of fish to where fish are, he is the master of it all.  In his mind I need him for any and all advice on fishing, just ask him.  Chopper knows all,  he even picks out rod, reels and other gear.  The only problem is Chopper around live bait like shrimp or mud minnows, he thinks they are his fishing snacks.

Craig Cat and Emmrod

There is but one little power boat at my house along with the fleet of paddle craft.  Craig Cats are just a blast and a look at their website will show you why.  Here are a few shots of how well Emmrods fit into their storage boxes and represent an "always got a rod with me" attitude thanks to their size and convenience.  The boat is super comfortable and represents kind of a powered armchair on the water.  If it had the saddle type seating the Wavewalk has that could really be something.  I've often thought about trying an arrangement like that for flat fishing or just running the St John's river here near the house.  If you are in the market for a simple rugged power boat that offers pure fun and does it for pennies over a jet ski this is the craft.  I've had mine since 2002 and found it to be just the ticket for playing on the river or fishing the flats.  I'm very much a kayak angler but for those times when I want a power boat this is it.

Kayak fishing peanut butter lure vault, fantastic!

This is one of those little tricks I've used for years to keep lures, jigs and hooks rust free and ready for more kayak fishing adventures.  Save those old peanut butter jars (the plastic ones) clean them out when you are done with the goodies inside and use them for tackle.  During the fishing day as you switch out lures, hooks or jigs put them into the jar for the trip home.  Saves your tackle box from rust issues and stores them safely on the water.  Once home a shot of baby shampoo and then add water to fill the jar.  Recap it and shake away the crud, rinse and then hang baits on the rim to dry.  An idea so good among my fellow anglers some folks have bought full jars of peanut butter then scooped out the product just to have the jar.  Try this one and save your baits for many trips to come

Huge sheepshead caught from a kayak

I found this shot looking for some sheepshead pictures for a friend.  Caught from a Wavewalk 300 fishing a jig in one of my favorite spots.  The darn thing pulled so hard I thought I had hooked a big shark.  I've yet to get another this large, the fish was in the 13lb range and very thick.  Luck was with me since the line was only 16lb mono and I was not using a heavy leader.  Fun stuff!

Spooky Chopper at the Haunted Mansion

Here is a shot of my kayak fishing office assistant, Chopper.  At the time he was striding along the old upper front porch two stories up glaring down at everyone.  Darn cat was meowing up a storm just to get attention.  I suspect he will in the office any moment demanding all stop until he gets the attention he wants.  Good thing we sort of like him.  This is a great Halloween shot.

Jacks at 206 in the Wavewalk with the MuL 10 Qualia and the Emmrod

Here is another video short.  Emmrods, jacks, Qualia MuL 10 and of course the Wavewalk W500.

Here it is the new Emmrod accessory

Here is a shot of the new accessory.  Should be great for keeping up while kayak fishing with the Emmrods.  Sitting there in my Wavewalk 500 I have all the computing power a laptop did less than five years ago.  WOW!  These smart phones are really something.  Now I have to learn about those app things and how they work.

Just an experiment

This is a post using my new Android phone a Samsung Captivate. Pretty cool, shortly I should be able to do this on the fly. Then watch out, pictures and streaming video live
from the water. OK, here goes the send button.
Gosh I thought I messed this one up and it's still here. Hmmm OK, I shoot this one off too. I can't wait to get this little unit out on the water.  A kayak fishing dream, I can't wait to see how the Emmrods look on this units HD video.  Wow, a tiny little computer you can hold in your hand, too cool

The test

This ia my first blog post off my new Samsung Captivate.