Imagine having the confidence to navigate and position your kayak exactly where you want it as you make perfect presentations to eager river bass. Imagine hitting the river with a systematic plan for break down the water, locating river bass and quickly zeroing in on an effective presentation. River Kayak Fishing Skills 101 and 102 courses are designed to help you develop that level of confidence. Register for a class, learn Juans four “P’s” of river kayak fishing and push your kayak angling skills to the next level.
What are Juan's four “P’s” of river kayak fishing?
Paddling - Get to your fishing areas are more efficiently and maneuver with confidence in and around various river features including eddy’s, across chutes, boulder gardens and rapids.
Positioning - Learn and practice techniques to hold you kayak in position while making perfect presentations.
Patterning - Learn a systematic approach to assess and develop daily fishing patterns as it relates to fish location and preferred presentation.
Presentation - Learn a systematic approach for assessing and identifying the most effective presentations on any given day.
General Eligibility and Considerations
You can take the courses independently of each other but it is recommended that you take both in order (101 then 102) consecutively in the same weekend to get the full benefit of the curriculum.
All classes and trips require participants to be at least 12 years old. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. You should be in good physical condition and have the ability to perform all kayaking/fishing related tasks without physical assistance. The days are long and physically demanding. You don’t need to be an olympic athlete but you should be in reasonable physical condition. We may need to carry gear, portage kayaks, navigate tricky terrain during portaging and perform other moderately demanding physical tasks during class. If you have any questions or concerns about the physical demands of the classes, please feel free to call me at 814-360-7789.
Every participant must sign a waiver before class starts. Waivers are common in the kayak instruction industry. If you want to see a copy of the waiver in advance, please contact me and I’ll make sure that you get one.
River Kayak Fishing Skills 101 (Day 1)
Class Location: Lower Juniata River
Start Time: 7 a.m.
Class Duration: 6-8 hours (depending on water conditions)
Cost: $195
*You will recieve detailed instructions on start times/meeting locations once you register
River Kayak Fishing Skills 101 focuses primarily but not exclusively on the first two P’s of river kayak fishing (Paddling & Positioning). Just a few specific examples of skills you will learn in this course are:
- Self Rescue and re-entry
- Identifying river hazards
- Paddling skills
- Kayak maneuvers to navigate river features
- Positioning Techniques Specific to river kayak fishing and presentation of lures.
The entire class is taught on the water with stops to do brief “on the water seminars” OTWS. That being said, most of your learning will take place on the water by “doing” and being coached as you go. You will definitely fish during this class but with very limited gear so that we can focus more on our kayaks as an extension of our fishing strategy and presentations.
Fishing Gear
- One fast or medium action spinning rod/reel rated for ⅛ to about ½ oz. lures
- Plano 360 size tackle box (preferably waterproof).
- Lures appropriate for river smallmouth bass
- Needle nose pliers or forceps for unhooking fish.
Do not bring more fishing gear than listed for the River Kayak Fishing 101 class. Additional gear will be a hindrance to what we are trying to accomplish during this particular course. If you want suggestions on what to put in your 360 box for the day on the water (link coming soon)
I can provide quality rod/reel combos, box and tackle if needed.
Kayaks
I prefer that anglers learn using their own kayaks so that they can get comfortable with the kayak that they own. I can however provide a high quality Wilderness Systems fishing kayak for any angler who does not have a fishing kayak or who’s kayak is not appropriate for the river fishing class. I can also provide paddles and PFD’s at no additional charge. Once registered we can discuss and make arrangements. I do not charge for use of my kayaks, paddles or PFD’s. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about using your kayak during class or the kayak that I can provide.
PFD’s
Everyone must wear a PFD during class. No exceptions. I can provide a quality PFD if needed at no additional charge.
Misc Gear, Licenses & Launch Permits
Please see link for a list of items you will need for a day on the water (Link Coming Soon)
River Kayak Fishing Skills 102 (Day 2)
Class Location: Middle Susquehanna River (Duncannon Area)
Start Time: 7 a.m.
Class Duration: 6-8 hours (depending on water conditions)
Pre-requisites: It is recommended but no required that you take River Kayak Fishing Skills 101 before taking this course.You will get much more out of the course if you do this.
Cost: $195 (20% discount on this course if scheduled same weekend as the River Kayak Fishing Skills 101 course)
*You will recieve detailed instructions on start times/meeting locations once you register
River Kayak Fishing kills 102 focuses primarily but not exclusively on the last two P’s of river kayak fishing (Patterning & Presentation) with the focus on targeting river smallmouth bass. It should be noted that techniques taught in this class are definitely transferable to other species of bass that live in rivers. Just a few specific examples of skills you will learn in this course are:
- Recognizing, understanding and fishing various river features that hold smallmouth bass.
- Forage assessment
- Systematic approach to developing a location pattern
- Systematic approach to developing a presentation pattern
- Specific presentation techniques with a core group of lures used in the system.
- Specific “big fish” presentations
The entire class is taught on the water with stops to do brief “on the water seminars” OTWS. That being said, most of your learning will take place on the water by “doing” and being coached as you go.
Fishing Gear
I will provide everyone in class with a Plano 360 box full of lures that we will be using in class for pattern and presentation development. I can also provide fishing rod/reel combos as well so don’t worry. If you don’t have the fishing gear, I can outfit you with the fishing gear you need to take the course at no additional charge.
You are certainly welcomed/encouraged to bring your own fishing gear for this class. If you’ll be bring your own fishing gear, see this document for recommendations( link coming soon).
Kayaks
I prefer that anglers learn using their own kayaks so that they can get comfortable with the kayak that they own. I can however provide a high quality Wilderness Systems fishing kayak for any angler who does not have a fishing kayak or who’s kayak is not appropriate for the river fishing class. I can also provide paddles and PFD’s at no additional charge. Once registered we can discuss and make arrangements. I do not charge for use of my kayaks, paddles or PFD’s. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about using your kayak during class or the kayak that I can provide.
PFD’s
Everyone must wear a PFD during class. No exceptions. I can provide a quality PFD if needed at no additional charge.
Misc Gear, Licenses & Launch Permits
Please see link for a list of items you will need for a day on the water (Link Coming Soon)
Registration
We offer the 101 and 102 class each month on the same weekend. The 101 class is offered on a Saturday and the 102 class is offered the very next day on Sunday. Be sure to schedule the 101 and 102 class on the same weekend to take advantage of a 20% discount on River Kayak Fishing Skills 102. You can take them on different weekends but the discount will not apply in that case.
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