Here are some pics from this morning near West Fowl River. Aaron White of Great Days Outdoors Magazine and I went out to do some sight fishing for redfish with flyrods. The water was fairly clear, especially near the grass. We saw 20 or so fish and made these fish eat. The fish wanted a small deer hair popper fished on top. These reds were seen in water less than a foot deep. It’s not uncommon to find reds up shallow in the summer,  especially after these cooler overnight temperatures we have had.

 

14′ Custom Tunnel – Lasarge V-Jon Fiberplastics Mobile, AL

 

Growing up, I used to read the “One Man’s Dreamboat” articles in Florida Sportsman Magazine. With this concept in mind, I’d like to share my experience about my unique custom microskiff made in locally on Halls Mill Road here in Mobile, AL. Mike Lasarge is a local boat builder and fiberglass repair expert who has spent the last thirty years running the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. He also fishes and hunts when taking road trips to Bayou Biloxi and other areas.

 

He first built the 13′ standard V-jon and there are a couple hundred of these boats around. Mike built these boats to be shallow draft and are the ideal “causeway” boat. He and others use them to duck hunt and fish for trout/reds. They are rated for a 15 hp. They also have high sides in comparison to a traditional aluminum jon boat. They are flat aft, but do have a slight keel. 

 

The next step was to build a slightly longer V-jon that could be rated for a 25hp, and would run shallow. Mike added a tunnel hull to the 14’.  The result was the ideal boat for two people, a dog, and decoys. The standard bench seating allows for two passengers to ride side-by-side, while operating a tiller steer motor. This boat has even higher sides and can handle some very rough water. The ride isn’t smooth or dry in a major chop, but you will get home.

 

This is the ultimate bayou tunnel that can run in extremely shallow water, yet hold on a plane on the twisty bayous and creeks. Mike uses a high density, strong, light weight, water resistant foam core and a biaxial fiberglass lay-up. The goal is to use the lightest and strongest materials available.

 

After riding in a friends 13’ V-Jon, I decided I would go talk to Mike about possibly building a 14’ boat. The 13’ handled a moderate chop with two people and was much drier and way more solid than my Perfection skiff. Mike used to help my dad with his 26’ Ranger sailboat back in the early 90’s. So, I went over and talked to him.

 

He let my test his 14’ Tunnel. I took the wife down to Dauphin Island. We ran to Sand Island, back around to the shoals and the bridge, and then home. I ran 10 miles, burned a gallon of gas, and didn’t even feel the boat towing it home. I ran across flats less than a foot deep, and took the boat and wife out in to the Gulf… I was sold.

 

Here is the boat and motor on my new sportsman trailer that I got from Stauter Boat Works.

 

I added a quick release trolling motor bracket. This way I can take the trolling motor and mount off for day cruising, live bait fishing, or flyfishing.

 

These boats are all unique. This custom version has a bigger front and rear casting deck. I was really starting to get into sight fishing about the time we were designing this boat.  I would drive over and see Mike during lunch to measure on the boat when it was in the mold.

 

In retrospect, I am really glad I made the decks long. I added a “gun” box on the starboard side for storage. This also gives me a nice place to mount a gps, a depth finder, a compass, and other devices right in front of my driving seat..

 

I wanted my gasoline storage in the stern, and had Mike design a shelf so that (3) 3 gallon Perko tanks would sit side by side (and level) on top of the tunnel. The Perko tanks could pass easily through a standard hatch. I wanted the batteries to stay separate from the fuel.

 

I made room for battery storage under the front deck. We built two battery holds for two 27 series batteries. This was overkill in hindsight. I now use 24 series batteries with a 12 V trolling motor, and rarely need the second battery, and often leave it out of the boat to conserve weight.

 

Mike glassed in an access wire run along the starboard side. It runs from underneath the front deck, through the gun box, and to the stern. I use it for wiring for a depth finder, gps and stern light. My stern light is mounted on my motor cowling. If I had to do over again, I would have added a port side wire run too.

 

This left room for rod storage on the port side. I can hold three rods horizontally here. I like all my rods down in the boat, if possible. The rod holders can handle two 9’ fly rods.

 

This was the “base” boat right after I brought it home. I used a Yeti 70 quart cooler as a poling platform. It did pretty well for awhile. I had to build up the bases. We used a cheap step ladder for the guy on the bow. Good balance skills were needed.

Note the Minnkota removable trolling motor bracket. This boat is versatile. One day I might be catching crappie in the upper delta, I might go flounder gigging that night, and the next day I could be stalking redfish on the flats. I also slip cork fish with live shrimp for trout on those super hot days. I even take the wife and baby out for a day cruise every now and then. Some days I need different seat configuration, or no seats (lighter), or a trolling motor.

 

I added a push pole holder for my Temple Fork Mangrove push pole. I had to shape a piece of thick starboard to make the mount level with my gunnull. We used a hole saw and cut out a notch in the stern. Mike re-glassed the stern to make it look smooth. I added a little hardware for a bungee strap here.
 

The next step was to design a polling platform. Mike used to race sailboats. We came up with the idea of being able to have a platform that was easy to remove, and easy to adjust. The boat gets a little stern heavy when you have motor, fuel, and solo occupant all in the stern. So, we wanted to be able to slide the platform a few feet forward.

 

We designed the platform to ride on genoa tracks. It was difficult to get everything lined up so the cars would not bind in the tracks. After lots of adjustment, mine slides pretty easy. Blackfin Customs did the Aluminum work, and Mike built the fiberglass top. The tracks are a little quirky, but the platform is rock solid.

 

 

I added a Tibor push pole holder and a Scotty flush mount base to my platform. I can add or remove rod holder anytime.

 

I retired the big Yeti, and replaced it with a 45 quart cooler. This cooler is big enough to hold a few slot reds and some trout, but takes up less room. It’s still wide enough to make a nice front casting platform. We have already started on a mold for a front casting deck. So, the cooler won’t have to be on the bow. Mike is vacuum bagging carbon fiber for this one. That is it for now…

 

 

 

Temperatures for rodeo weekend are usually very warm. However , strong thunderstorms can develop on rodeo weekend.

 In 1997 Hurricane Danny suspended the rodeo. Once the coast guard left the island, the rodeo officials pushed the date back to September.

Severe Thunderstorms in 2000 brought waterspouts, lightning strikes, and extremely rough seas. A number of boats were badly damaged.

The tent at the rodeo site blew down in a severe thunderstorm with winds over 40 mph in 2001. People at the rodeo site had to seek shelter in the cinderblock building on Saturday evening.

Lightning

Lightning is the leading cause of weather related deaths in the United States. More deaths are attributed to lightning than tornadoes, floods, or hurricanes. July is the leading month in the number of lightning strikes reported. Water related activities result in the second leading number of lighting strike incidents that are reported each year.

Lightning strikes the tallest object, so boats are very vulnerable in the open water.  When thunderstorms are present, small boats should return to port immediately. Larger boats in the Gulf should try to avoid intense storms. If the storm is unavoidable, the safest place to go is down to the cabin or state room below.

My father and I were fishing late last week over near Pascagoula. We were sight fishing in the hot, sunny weather. We were stalking redfish, but didn’t see many. Late in the morning, I spotted this 40+ pound black drum from my platform. We both made several casts at the fish, but he did not take our baits initially.

As we got closer, I made one more cast with a grub and it was a pretty decent presentation. I thought the fish might have the bait, but I waited to set the hook. My dad also threw a spinnerbait  at the drum and he nailed it immediately.  I set the hook and we both realized right away that we both had hooked this huge fish. He ate both baits! It took us about ten minutes to get him in the boat. We took some pictures and released this monster.

I took a day off last week, and  Fox Ten Photojournalist Vania Kuy and I traveled west to Louisiana for a relaxing day of fishing. It was nice to go fishing without the video camera. We were just out for fun, and to take a few slot reds home for the dinner table. We left Mobile around 3:30am and drove to Hopedale, La. We had to deal with some heavy traffic around Slidell and New Orleans. We launched about 7:30 am at Breton Sound Marina. We made a nice long run up Bayou LaLoutre and found some tailing reds right away. We sight fished until mid morning, and boated a half dozen pretty slot reds. Then, we pulled up into a small pond that was full of fish. It was on! We caught 30-35 reds and three nice speckled trout through late afternoon.  This was a beautiful area and I definitely want to get back over there. We ran 57.5 miles in my LaSarge tunnel skiff and used 10.5 gallons of gas. What a trip!