Dusky Tiger 120

Dusky Tiger 120

 

This year my first boat I choose to get into is the 2015 Wilderness Systems Commander 120 Angler. There are quite a few reasons why I made this decision, but the one that sticks out to me the most is when Evan Lyendecker explained to our Pro Staff Team, “that we must keep the flame on all of our kayaks, not just the ATAK.” This aided in making my choice a bit easier on which kayak I would order at the beginning of 2015.

 

 

After being in this boat for just over two months I am very pleased with the way it performs on all levels. I have to be honest, I think a good many pass this kayak by, and do not give it the well deserved attention that it demands. Beside the ATAK this is the most stable platform I have ever had the pleasure of paddling. The Commander 120 tracks like an arrow, and can really move, when needed. The speed of the Commander has really surprised me at how fast and manageable it moves across the water. This is due in part to the Pontoon Style hull, which allows for the Commander to be stable, and quick.

 

The Commanders for 2015 features the Air Pro Freedom Elite Seat, Over-Sized Foot Boards with the SlideLock System, it is Rudder Ready, Slide Track Systems both on the deck and the full length of the boat. The Extended Thigh and Knee Padding makes the Commander extremely easy to stand in, and the padding also makes for a fantastic place to carry the kayak. I cannot say enough about how well the Design Team and Pro Staff did at making this a very user friendly boat. From skinny water to larger bodies of water this is a phenomenal kayak that can do it all.

 

“I just cannot believe how many people look right pass this insanely stable and verse rig….words cannot fully describe how great this kayak really is.”

 

Since acquiring my Commander in early February I have played around with how I was going to rig this bad boy out. After changing a few times, I have found the way that works for me and keeps this great boat very verse for all situations. The Commander 120 Angler is quiet modular, meaning you can rig it to whatever type of water you are going to be on. This is one of many features that sold me on this particular Wilderness Systems Kayak.

 

The following items are featured on my Wilderness Commander 120 Angler:

Yakattack:

-CellBlock w/ Lowrance Mark 4 HDI and Side Arm Transducer Mount, (extremely verse & allows me to switch from boat to boat easily).

-BlackPak w/ 3 Rod Holders and 550 Para cord Rod Leashes

-6ft. ParknPole w Clamps mounted on the deck

-Ram 2008 Rod Holders mounted to Might Mounts and 1.5” Ram Balls, (if I am drift fishing or bottom fishing I can quickly move this set-up in front of me, and mount them to the SlideTracks).

-Visi Carbon Pro w/ Wilderness Systems Flag

-Panfish featuring the 11” extension w/ GoPro Mount

 

TackleWebs:

-10”x12” Storage Web attached to the front support bar and SlideTrack Rails.

 

Harmony Gear:

-Commander Anchor Trolley

 

 

Two Rods, Good Friends, and an Ice Bath

Two Rods, Good Friends, and an Ice Bath

 

Recently, on a cold winter morning, I gathered up a great group of friends for a day of paddling and fishing on Lake Jocasse in South Carolina. We awoke early filled with the thrill of adventure in our souls, but little did we know how our day was going to turn out. This will be a day that I will never forget for many reasons.

 

It was a brisk and cool 27 degrees when we arrived at Devils Fork State Park. We rushed out to the non-motorized boat ramp and immediately started to unload our kayaks and canoes. Jon, Kris and I were in our kayaks, while Dave and his two boys were in canoes. Our game plan was to seek adventure with each other through fishing for Smallies and Trout. Lake Jocasse is known for its fantastic Small Mouth and Trout fishing, but there is also the monster Large Mouths that lurks in the lakes beautiful crystal clear waters.

 

Jon and Kris were the first ones in the water; as Dave and I squared the boys away in there canoe. We paid very close attention to the boys to make sure they were being safe and moving into the cove to fish for trout. Dave and I positioned our boats on the edge of the water, and Dave made his way off the shore. I was pushing off from the bank, and I started to make my way out into the open water. All of a sudden I looked up and Dave had rolled his carbon fiber race canoe. I was about 25 yards from him, and yelled out to make sure he was okay. It only took me a few seconds to get to him, but boy did it feel like an eternity.  I asked Dave to swim in, and get into a change of clothes, while I dragged his canoe back in. In typical Dave style, while he was changing clothes, he said, “boy JD this is a heck of the way to start out the day.” I could not help but to smile as I made sure he was okay. We did not want to panic the boys so I paddled towards them to make sure they were having fun, and to check to see if they needed anything.



 After spending about 15 minutes with the boys and watching CJ land a nice Rainbow Trout, I focused my attention back on Dave. Dave is an expert paddler, and really knows how to handle himself on the water, but it goes to show at anytime something can go wrong, quickly. As I arrived at where Dave was standing he seemed a little bummed out. I did not realize but Dave lost two of his rods when he rolled into the cold waters of Lake Jocasse. The thing that made it so bad was that Dave’s brother hand crafted one of the rods, and Dave’s father signed that very same rod, so it was irreplaceable to say the least. We both made our way to were the accident happened and neither one of us could see rods, which was odd because the lake is extremely clear.  Little did I know Dave was marking land marks so he could later find his rods.

 

As I paddled my Wilderness Systems Ride over to where Jon and Kris were fishing, I could not help but to think about what all just happened. Needless to say our first 45 minutes on the water were quite the adventure. The three of us made our way up towards the Bad Creek Dam area to enjoy the rest of our day, while Dave and the boys fished the coves around the boat ramp.

 

The fishing was slow but the paddling and scenery were absolutely spectacular. Lake Jocasee is completely surrounded by mountains and has a good many mountain waterfalls that dot its shoreline. As we were taking it all in I looked up and right over our heads were two Golden Eagles, and one Bald Eagle. That alone made the hour drive to the lake worthwhile.  These are just a few reason why this is one of my favorite places to paddle and bring people.

 

After spending almost the entire day on the upper end of the lake we arrived back at the boat ramp. We noticed that Dave and the boys had left. Jon also had to leave, but Kris and I were dead on staying until around dark. So Kris and I maneuvered our way back into this amazing little cove, and all of the sudden the trout fishing blew up. The cove was smack full of Rainbow and Brown Trout. Almost every cast we were landing a fish, and the two of us were really enjoying ourselves.

 

As we drifted back out of the cove towards the boat ramp, I explained to Kris this is right were Dave rolled his canoe. By this time it was around 4:00pm and we could see all the way down to around 25 feet. So we started searching around to see if we could see Dave’s rods, and low and behold Kris said there they are. We could see them sitting in about 15 feet of water. I look at my Lowrance, visually marked the spot, and noticed that the water was a chilly 48 degrees.

 

I could not stand the thought of leaving the lake and not trying to get Dave’s rods back. I knew I would only have a few minutes to try and retrieve them because of the chilly water temperature coupled with the 46 degree air temperature. So I made my decision and ran it by Kris, so he could keep an eye on me and the rods.

 

I ran up to the restrooms and took off all my layers besides my thermal shirt and waterproof pants. I made my way quickly down to the edge of the water, and asked Kris if he was still on the location where the rods were. As he said yes, I dove right into the fridge waters and made my way out to him. When I arrived to where he was at I immediately dove down to try and retrieve the rods.  No luck, so I tried again, no luck. I grabbed onto Kris Wilderness, as I was gasping for air. The coldness of the water was really setting in.  I could not stop shaking, my chest was starting to burn from the cold, and it felt like someone was sticking 10,000 needles into me. I told Kris that I really need to get out of the water, and he agreed. I was only in the bitterly cold water for around 3 minutes, and hypothermia was knocking on my door. I moved quickly to get up to the restroom so I could change into warm dry clothes. As I was changing I noticed that my thighs were turning blue, along with my feet. I jumped in after the rods to try and help a fellow paddler out, to test my body in cold water, but I really did not realize all of the effects it can quickly affect the body. I would not change a thing, but boy is this a day that I will never forget for many reasons.

 

There are three points to this entire article. One, you never know when something can and will go wrong, so be prepared in all situations. Secondly, wear your PFD at all times. Luckily Dave had his on, but it amazes me how many people do not even bother to wear one. Take the time, and try out several different kinds and find that right one for you. It just might save your life one day, especially when you least expect it. Lastly, think twice before jumping into ice cold water.

 

Oh yeah, Dave went back up to Devil’s Fork State Park the next day, and was able to retrieve both rods from his canoe.

 

JD Desrosiers

Wilderness Systems and Adventure Technology Pro Staff

Why I am Not Into Tournament Fishing

Why I am Not Into Tournament Fishing

I grew up in the Foothills area of South Carolina, and have been an avid outdoorsman and my entire life. My earliest memories of fishing were with my grandfather on the Eastatoee River for trout. Many life time memories have been made with him. I grew up on Lake Cunningham in Greer, SC which is a small reservoir with an abundance of fish and wildlife. I have also spent a lot of time saltwater fishing in and around the Pawleys Island area of South Carolina.

 My fishing style is light tackle, big fish. I really like a good fight no matter what species of fish I am after. As far as fishing the state of South Carolina I can cover about the entire spectrum from river fishing to amazing saltwater action, and everything in between.      

I have always been big into hiking and exploring new lands, this lead me into snowboarding and downhill mountain biking. My passion for these to sports grew quickly, and that passion actually developed into a life style. I quickly found myself driving several hours to get to the mountains, several times a week to do both.

Every day that I had off from my 9-5 job, I was tuning my skills to a competitive level.  The stress level escalated in the snowboarding arena, and I found the enjoyment, and passion was quickly fading away. One day I made the hard decision to give up snowboarding, and stuffed all my boards and gear into a dark closet to forget about them.

 It was very easy for me to dedicate my time off from work to downhill mountain biking. I meet a core group of guys that were on top of the scene in the southeastern part of America. My skills rapidly developed and before I knew it I was riding some of the hardest terrain in my region, hucking 30 foot jumps, and ripping through the woods like there was no tomorrow.  As my riding progressed, competing was just around the corner, and I started competing in downhill races. Traveling from West Virginia to Georgia to race I quickly made a name for myself in the industry.  I managed to place well, and helped promote events. This landed me 14 semi-pro sponsors from the mountain biking community. Trying to uphold terms of sponsorship and stay on top of the downhill racing scene, the pressure built to an all new level. I had to dedicate a ton of time to stay at this level, and this meant time away from my family. With all of this constantly weighing on me I made the decision to sell off all 4 of my bikes, parts, and gear. I was a very tough decision, but once it was all completed it felt like the world had been lifted off of my shoulders.

 

When I made the choice to start kayak fishing and paddling, I fell right in love with it. I made a promise to myself that no matter what I would keep paddling enjoyable. Do not get me wrong, I have goals and accomplishments that I would like to try and meet in the kayak fishing industry, but one that I do not want to meet is competing in kayak fishing tournaments.

The amount of time you have to spend pre-fishing each location, the cost to get to each location, the expenses for entering each tournament, and the time away from my family just does not equal out the “pay-out” in my point of view.  Not to mention the pressure of trying to place well, and land that one magical fish that could make the tournament for you and it is just not attractive.

 I have nothing against tournaments or tournament paddlers; it is just not for me. To me kayak fishing is more about exploring new waters, connecting with fellow anglers, meeting and learning from new people from all over the country, and connecting with nature.

 Being that close and low to the water is special, I love the fact that I am almost in the fish’s environment. There is no pressure in my paddling world. If I land fish great! If not no big deal. It is all about being outside and sharing my journeys with as many people as possible. Along the way I hope that I am fortunate enough to teach other kayak fishermen what I have picked up.

 

Currently I am on the Pro Staff Team for Wilderness System and Adventure Technology, and use my RIDE 115 and AT paddle to cover a very diverse amount of fisheries in the southeast. Being located in Upstate South Carolina I am surrounded by rivers, ponds, small reservoirs, lakes, swamps, and only three hours for the Intercostal Waterway.



Catching up over the last few months....

The last few months have been totally wide open for me, and I have had time to finally sit down, catch my breathe and get my blog up to date. This year and especially the last few months have been such an amazing journey from seeing and paddling new waters, to learning more about myself to really connecting to the Lord, my savior. I am truly blessed for all of the talents and abilities he has granted me. I am very thankful for my life, my wife and two glorious daughters, my mom and family that surround me, my close brothers...thank you all for your support and encouragement. A huge and special thank goes out to Wilderness Systems Kayaks and Adventure Technology Paddles for allowing me to be apart of the Pro Staff Family, it is totally my honor.

In late September Nita, my mom, and myself broke away for a week at one of my favorite places here on earth, Pawleys Island. There are many, many reason why I love this area of the world, but one that really stands out to me is, this is where my Dad and I made many lifetime memories that I will always cherish. I was able to beat the rain one day while I was there and raced out to the IC Creek that surrounds the island. I was super excited about getting out in my Wilderness Systems Ride 115 AA and exploring the waterways.

 

I quickly landed a few Lizard fish and was steady exploring the creeks. Meeting up with Johnny Wingfall and talking with him about costal living and fishing was priceless. As I moved north up toward Litchfield Beach I eased back into a long and winding creek, it was like something you see in paddling magazines, heck you might have. I tossed out my orange jerk bait and slam I was hooked up on a really nice Flounder. This Flounder turned out to be my personal best at just over 20 inches and a touch over 5 pounds.

Since getting back form PI ,I have been on a steady adventure almost twice ever month. Dave Davidson and myself lead our hiking group at Brookwood Church up through Jones Gap State Park to Rainbow Falls, up the Ol Boy Scout Trail to Pretty Place, and back to the park entrance. This was a very nice 8 mile hike with unreal views and fantastic fellowship.

 

Next on our list of adventure was Lake Greenwood for our first time ever. Kris and I struck out at the crack of dawn and made our way to an amazing day out paddling new waters. I was very shocked at the beauty of Lake Greenwood, it was nothing like I have ever heard. I was able to land 5 fish off of the first dock I threw at. I was wild, I landed about a 4lb. LMB, 1 Crappie, and 3 Bluegill. If I di not catch another fish that day I was happy. We paddled up to a very beautiful old bridge, and fished for some crappie, but no luck. The bridge made a fantastic backdrop for some quality photos.

 

Our last two big trips have been down to my new favorite place to paddle, explore, and fish...the breathe taking Sparkleberry Swamp located just outside of Sumter, SC. Sparkleberry Swamp is formed from where the Wateree river flows into the upper most part of the Santee Water System on Lake Marion.

I was a little cool in the early morning but the fish were hunger, trying to get nice and fat for the winter. We did an hour or so of exploring, and then we came upon a huge area of small lily pads that remind me of Angus Hole. So I relied on my trusty pink floating worm, and it did not fail. Landed a few small bass, and Kris was staring to figure out the Bluegill and Shell Cracker bite.

We decided to go in for a quick bite of lunch and finish setting up camp, and the swamp was calling our name. We could not wait to get back out, and boy we were not disappointed. The Bluegill and Shell Cracker fishing heated up, it was insane. We could barley keep Red Worms on our Ultra light rods before another strike would hit, and then another one. The action was no stop for four hours and the bases of the cypress trees were producing huge fish and big, big numbers. We finished up a spectacular day with 57 fish, and I landed another personal best, a beautiful Shell Cracker that weighted in over 2.5lbs.

We had such an amazing time at Sparkleberry we were right back down there three weeks later. This time we meet up with Tommy Granger and his fishing partner John S. The four of us pushed way back into the swamp for some of the best paddling around. It is very hard to find words to describe how magical this location is. Tommy and John really showed us some great Southern, Swamp, Heybo hospitality. The fellowship, paddling and fishing was like no other. I will try my best to make it down to Sparkleberry Swamp at least once every two months, but I am going to try and go once a month.

  

The future is going to be huge for us at Palmetto Guide we are planning a few trips that will allow for some wonderful paddling, photos, write-ups, and fellowship. over the next month we are going to hit a local lake and slime Kris's new Wilderness Systems Ride 115 Max Angler, hit the broad river for some smallie fishing with some of the Wildy Crew, make our way to the coast for some trout and red drum madness, and do a snow hike. Be sure to keep your eyes on our Facebook Page for the latest updates on trips and photos.

Over the last few weeks I have been doing some serious thinking and praying about the direction and future moves of Palmetto Guide. From my beautiful and supporting family, to starting Palmetto Guide, to becoming apart of the greatest Pro Staff (Wilderness Systems Kayak & Adventure Technology Paddles), to becoming a true follower of Christ, and not a Fan. I owe it all to H.I.M. and It is time to use my talents that the Lord has blessed me with to give back. I want to reach out and help other discover the true beauty and meaning of nature, and having a personal relation ship with Christ. Pushing forward we will be in the woods on the trial or in the water making waves in His glory. Showing others what nature is really about, and the beauty that God has created for us. We look forward to seeing you out in country.....

 

 



 

 











SCDNR Beach Sweep/River Sweep on Lake Keowee

 

 

As paddlers and anglers of various waterways, we believe it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the places we paddle.

Wilderness Systems & Adventure Technology Pro Staff JD Desrosiers had the opportunity to participate in a cleanup on beautiful Lake Keowee in South Carolina on Saturday, September 20th, 2014. Here's his report:

 

This past Saturday, we headed out to Lake Keowee to participate in the SCDNR Beach Sweep/River Sweep. Organized by SC Sea Grant Consortium in partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources the cleanup is the largest one-day litter cleanup of South Carolina's beaches and waterways. Every third Saturday in September thousands of volunteers amass to clear trash from beaches, rivers, lakes, marshes, and swamps. I was able to organize a group of 12 fellow paddlers - we had 2 canoes and 10 kayaks out on the water! If you've never been to Lake Keowee, you'd be in for a pleasant surprise as the waters are Caribbean-blue with waterfalls dotting the shoreline. During the cleanup, we were able to fill up 3 industrial size trash bags in just a few hours. The area we concentrated on was the popular Falls Creek Landing on the northwest side of the lake. From a distance the area looked fairly clean, but once we started and got off of the beaten path we found some really messy and heavily trashed areas. One particular spot that we spent around 30 minutes on was a fire pit that was totally trashed. The before and after pictures are like night and day. Leaving that day, I just couldn't bring myself to understand what would posses someone to trash public lands. We at Wilderness Systems feel it is very important to preserve the waterways for the future generations.

 

 

 

Huge thank to crew that came out and helped out today on Lake Keowee, we could not have completed this very important task without you guys. We hope our numbers at least double next year...

 







What a day out on the water....

At Palmetto Guide today we made it up to Lake Jocasse. This was my first trip out as a Wilderness Systems Pro Staffer, and I was really looking forward to showing Kris around the lake. The adventure was awe inspiring with the weather on our... side we hit the water for about 9hrs. Managed to get on a few fish, 2 Smallies, and 10 Bream. We will definitely be going back to Lake Jocasse before the Fall arrives.

 

 

There is so much beauty in and around this fantastic body of water. We managed to paddle around 9 miles and it did not even seem like it. I guess when you are surrounded by such awe inspiring beauty you kind of lose yourself.

 

 



Around every curve there is something to look at or go and explore. With out a doubt this is a spectacular place to paddle and explore. The crystal clear waters reminded me of the Caribbean.

 

 

 

We will be heading back to Lake Jocasse before the water flips and becomes extremely cold. If you would like to head out for the day and see the truest form of nature's beauty then drop us a line or leave a comment. Thank you all for you unending support, Palmetto Guide.

 



 

What paddling means to me.....

 Paddling to me is peaceful and beautiful way to get around on the water. You are so close to the water that you are apart of the environment that you are surrounded by. Weather it is skinny water, big/wide open water, slat or fresh water, it does not matter...it is about being out on the water and feeling like there is no tomorrow. You can go solo or with your crew, you can go big or you can go small. Paddling make me feel alive.....

 Lake Moultrie, Santee Water System

 Palmetto Guide and Crew

Lake Cunningham w/ Kris

 

 Boyds Mill Reservoir, big bass 

Catching fish or not it does not matter as long as I am enjoying my time out in Mother Nature. Big fish, small fish, or no fish, it all good. Paddling to me is also about the adventure, and exploring water that most people can not or will not ever see. I see the water form a different prospective, form a different angle. It is about being free, no worries, just relaxing and taking it all in. We are so blessed to have this beautiful land to explore and venture on.

 Angus Hole slam, beautiful largemouth bass

Trout creek on Lake Oolenoy, Upstate SC

 

My home water, Lake Cunnigham

 

Santee Water System

 Lake Cunningham Sunset, breathe taking

 

Boyds Mill Reservoir, w/ the crew

Skinny water paddling with my brother Kris

Rest time on the river beach...

River paddling with my brother Jon...

 Best Top Water Pond in know of, Angus Hole, Upstate SC

Peaceful, relaxing, it is all good

Displaying the insane stability of my WS Ride 115 AA

Sunrise on Lake Murray with Kris and Olivia

Palmetto Guide back-water paddling

 

So get out there and see what you are missing....live life and take it all in. Be sure to contact us at Palmetto Guide if you are interested in getting out and exploring the water or if you want to stay on land to hit the trail. Be sure to check out our Facebook Page....