Peace from the Outdoors

I recently finished a piece for a magazine article on the benefits of the outdoors for stress reduction and peace of mind. More specifically, since the article was geared more towards kayaking, it mostly dealt with kayak fishing and the good that comes from it.

All of us have those moments when stress from family life, financial obligations, to-do lists for both home and work, and the feeling as though you are underappreciated and over-obligated can carry us to the point of great anxiety or even, unfortunately, to the breaking point. It usually culminates where we become the bad guy. You know, we are the ones that are the total jerk as we lash out over something minor because of all the other major burdens.

The article dealt specifically with the Heroes on the Water organization, a non-profit group whose primary purpose is to assist returning soldiers to relax, rehabilitate and reintegrate through kayak fishing and the outdoors. One chapter is based in the foothills of North Carolina.

A study into the program showed that it does actually work. Soldiers dealing with lack of sleep, as in two hours or less during the night due to traumatic stress were shown to have a 60% reduction in re-experiences and sleep increased to five hours or more after engaging in the activity.

There was also a 63% drop in avoidance of family and friends and other social activities after learning and participating in kayak fishing. Avoidance is when the person can become caught up in self thought that can be harmful causing depression. Other benefits were also noted as well.

While the study gave numerical data to the activity, it is something we already knew, whether with kayak angling, shore fishing, hunting, or even hiking as the activity. The outdoors helps us rejuvenate and reinvigorate. It helps bring clarity to an otherwise muddled world.

It is something we all need. We do not have to be a combat warrior returning from a tour of death and destruction to appreciate it. We can be dealing with stress, albeit on a much different level than our returning heroes, by being a secretary, a restaurant manager, a technician or even a stay-at-home mom.

The outdoors does not discriminate. It does not care what our gender, race, or political affiliation is. It heals regardless. All it takes is for us to commit to experience it. Sometimes that is the hardest part though.

With all the things we have going on in our lives, it seems like a simple paddle, sit in the stand, or walk with the dog in the woods is a burden. Yet it is the relief of the real burdens, and we have to realize that.

Heroes on the Water

Many people use paddling sports as a way to come to peace with nature and themselves. It is an activity that offers relaxation and serenity away from the abuses of our everyday busy worlds.

Perhaps it has never been more evident than from the results of an organization’s efforts to help our returning military veterans re-adjust to life back home.

Heroes on the Water (HOW) is a national non-profit organization with the mission to help warriors relax, rehabilitate and reintegrate through kayak fishing and the outdoors. HOW has chapters throughout the country including here in North Carolina.

Essentially, HOW provides instruction and access for military personnel to the use of kayaking and paddling and fishing. By learning the skills of both kayaking and fishing, it provides a peaceful activity that offers the peace that our veterans and active service members need in order to readjust to normal everyday lives.

One person labeled the results from the Heroes on the Water program as ‘triple therapy.’ Rather than having to pursue occupational therapy, physical therapy and mental therapy, the HOW program offered occupational therapy by means of learning a lifetime activity and skill, physical therapy from the benefits of paddling and fishing, and mental therapy from relaxing in nature with no distractions or expectations of performance.

‘Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him forever.’ Never has this been more true, yet with even more added benefits.

Troy University conducted a study over an 18-month period on alternative forms of therapy for individuals who faced traumatic experiences. The study showed that after learning and participating in kayak angling, the soldiers were more inclined to get out and participate on a regular basis rather than stay solitary in an environment that allowed one’s mind to re-enact stressful scenarios.

Numerical results showed 56% less stress was experienced by the participants after participating in these outdoors activities.

Those that incurred sleep deprivation resulting in approximately two hours each night due to highly traumatic experiences showed restful sleep intervals increase to five hours or more with a 60% decrease in nightmares, night terrors and re-experiences.

The kayak angling community has long been known as a tight-knit community. The bonding aspect of kayak angling resulted in a 63% decrease in avoidance of family and comrades giving the participant healthy social interaction.

Heroes on the Water is not just a one-time event either. Between the paddling and fishing clinics, guided and semi-guided trips with both professional guides and non-professional kayak angling enthusiasts, and the ability to bond with fellow friends and comrades to participate in the sport together at any time, HOW allows a constant and lifetime ability to further re-associate with the world without the limitations that traumatic stress incurs.

Matthew Frazier leads the local foothills chapter in North Carolina and can be found on Facebook by searching Heroes on the Water-Foothills North Carolina Chapter.

Brett Hinson, founder and owner of Carolina Custom Rods is also running a raffle to help provide funding to the chapter by offering a custom made rod. The rod is a 6’8” cobalt blue Batson Eternity blank with a Batson Alps MVT smoke colored reel seat. It has Batson Alps micro guides in smoke color and a split cork grip with a black butt cap. Retail on the rod would exceed $500.00

You can email foothillsnc@heroesonthewater.org for both raffle information, or information on how to participate or help. You can also find more information at HeroesOnTheWater.org.

Grey Trout - North Carolina Sportsman Column June 2016

***  This was first run in NC Sportsman Magazine June 2016  ***

Several years ago I was on one of my first attempts to kayak fish along the coast. I chose not to go too far away from land as I was still gaining my confidence in the stability of the craft. I kept the fishing simple, using a double drop bottom rig commonly used in bottom fishing for croaker and spot.

That particular trip I was catching a vast assortment of species on cut shrimp and bloodworms. Strange creatures of the deep such as oyster toadfish and lizard fish were hooking up. Of course, pinfish and sea mullet and pufferfish were plentiful, but in the mix I would occasionally bring in a gag grouper or some other unexpected entry as well.

One particular hit proved interesting. The fish hit with a quick series of pops and then bent the rod over. I thought maybe I had hooked into another toadfish, something that deserved to stay on the bottom. The strength of the fish was pretty good but it did not make the run I would have from a small shark for instance. I managed to keep the line tight without overpowering the fish.

Once the fish neared the surface I could make out a long body. I reached for the net from beneath the kayak seat and in doing so allowed the line to go slack. That was all it took for the fish to make its getaway.

Since that time I have become enamored with a certain species. Its cousin is much more sought after by both boat anglers and kayak anglers along the coast. After all, the speckled trout, once found, can be easy pickings. Speckled trout also have larger creel limits.

The grey trout, or weakfish as it is also called, has its own merits as well.

The weakfish lives in a different habitat than the speckled trout, preferring deeper and cooler waters. They also school like the speckled trout, but the schools are not as large in numbers or size.

The speckled trout can be found chasing schools of baitfish, especially in small inlets of shallow water where the baitfish cannot escape. Because of this, the speckled trout is commonly targeted at the same time as red drum and can be sight casted.

The greys are harder to locate. Because they dine in the deep, it pays to have a fish finder on board the kayak. The search is not necessarily looking for the trout themselves, but rather the schools of baitfish. If you can find the baitfish, you can the fish the prey on the baitfish. The grey trout is one of those predators.

When grey trout are feeding, you can bring them in on a variety of baits. The common bottom rig baited with cut shrimp will catch them. The problem is there are so many other fish the grey trout has to beat the pinfish, pigfish, croaker, spot, sea mullet, puffer and everything else to the bait. For this reason, it is best to use something that will weed out the other potential catches when targeting the weakfish.

A popular choice is a jig head with a buck tail and grub bouncing near the bottom. Even with this though, the pinfish will try to eat the grub tail.

Another, and my favorite is a Stingsilver. Depending on the current and wind, the weight will vary in order to keep it on the bottom. Stingsilvers come in multiple weights and also with and without buck tails.

I like to keep a variety at hand when going after grey trout. For example, on a recent trip I was having little success with a silver Stingsilver. I swapped over to one with a buck tail and still, the only thing I was catching were black sea bass (all under sized). I was about to move on to another area when my bottom rig took a good hit. I reeled in a 14 inch grey trout on a piece of shrimp. The rule is, if there is one trout, there are many, yet I wasn’t catching any on the Stingsilvers. The shrimp was not a good bait because of all the other competitors.

I then switched to a red and white Stingsilver. I dropped the lure to the bottom and on the bounce I felt a hit. Sure enough, there was another grey trout, this one 12 inches long. For the next 30 minutes I probably brought in 20 more weakfish mixed with a few black sea bass. All but one of the trout were legal size to keep.

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries currently has a creel limit of one weakfish per day and it must be over 12 inches in length. If you plan on keeping one for a future meal, but want to keep the largest you can land, make sure you have a way of keeping the fish living. I have used float baskets attached to an anchor trolley on one side of the kayak.

Also, the fish gets the name weakfish due to the soft nature of the fish’s mouth. No need to set a hard hook. A lift of the rod is often all you need to embed the hook in the lips. When landing, a rubber net is the preferred method. Lifting the fish with rod, hook and line may tear the lip to the point of losing the fish.

Surviving the Elements

The sky was a perfect slate of brilliant blue. The temperature was expected to be in the upper 80’s. Winds were blowing from the east around nine miles per hour. The water was slightly choppy, but the waves were not high and the current was moderate. Yes, the day presented itself well for fishing from a kayak on the coast.

The fish had a history of biting over the last couple of weeks, and I was anticipating the same results. But something was different. The water was flowing one way, the wind the other. The kayak just did not want to behave like it should in the turmoil from above and below.

The chops were created from the mix of the current and wind as well, which caused a lot of sea spray and slaps along the side of the plastic vessel I was relying on to stay afloat in 60 feet of water.

And the water was extremely cold.

Despite the fact the air was warm, heck, downright hot, and had been for the last few weeks, the water just had not caught up in temperatures.

Why is this relevant? Well, Memorial Day is here and that historically and culturally marks the time to hit the water. Pools open, ski boats come out of hibernation, and the lakes and reservoirs. Skiing, boarding and getting pulled on floats behind the boat is one thing. You are in the water and then you get out. But a new popularity has brought about new dangers.

Kayaking, canoeing and paddleboards are becoming the in thing. Paddling seems easy enough. The vessels are more stable than what we had several decades ago as engineers have taken to the designing and composition of the crafts more seriously as the purchases increased.

However, you still have a great potential of ending up in the water. Even the most experienced are known to turtle, a term used for flipping the vessel upside down while on the water.

The issue with this is the number one cause of outdoor fatalities is not being bitten by venomous snakes or spiders, nor is it falling from cliffs or even drowning. No, the number one cause is succumbing to hypothermia.

Recently two kayakers traveled out on one of our rivers for a fun day’s paddle. One was new to the sport, in face it was her first time. Paddling the river, they found spot that was not kind to them, and both topsided. Left clinging to one of the rocks breaking the water’s surface, they held on tight for fear of getting swept away in the river’s current.

One more seasoned paddler found a way to use his phone and call for emergency help. With a storm approaching during this same time, it took the emergency personnel nearly six hours to rescue the two stranded paddlers. Their only words of encouragement were to hang on to the rocks until help could arrive.

Things turned out fortunate for the couple. Things could have turned a lot worse. The cell phone could have been damaged by water not allowing for the call for help. They could have been either swept away or taken in the currents while trying to make a swim for shore. An injury could have cause prolonged exposure in the water, which then could have turned into danger from exposure to the cooler waters.

There is no way to prevent accidents. That is the very nature of an accident. There is a way to be as prepared as possible for the worst and knowing the inherent dangers even in an otherwise normal situation.