Fishing from kayak a growing adventure

Kayak fishing, one of the fastest growing aspects of recreational angling, will be one of several topics covered during the Jan. 14 Winter Fishing Academy at Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center.

'It's pretty much my life outside of work,” said one of the speakers, Tanner Speidel, who concentrates his efforts on the rivers, lakes and ponds of Eastern Iowa.

Speidel, of Vinton, said he targets the Cedar River more than any other body of water.

'It's excellent for all species of game fish. Most people don't realize how good it is, and that's fine with me,” said Speidel, a sponsored regional representative for Jackson fishing kayaks.

Speidel said his fishing kayak is equipped with electronic depth finders, rod holders, an anchoring system and a seat that can be raised or lowered to suit his comfort. It's stable enough that he can fish standing up, which he does about 75 percent of the time, he said.

On a typical Cedar River outing, Speidel said he fishes as he drifts downstream, usually dragging a chain to slow his drift, and then paddles upstream to return to his launch site. 'About five miles upstream against the current is all I want to handle,” he said.

Another academy speaker, Darrin Siefkin, co-proprietor of Crawdaddy Outdoors in Waverly, said sales of fishing kayaks have increased dramatically in recent years.

'Ten years ago we sold two or three a year. Five years ago, it was around 15 a year. Last year we sold over 100,” said Siefken, who will discuss the various types of kayaks and the features that can enhance their utility as fishing vessels.

Red-hot tournament bass angler Chris Aswegan of Tiffin will discuss some of the techniques that helped him win more than $60,000 in prizes last fall with his victory in the FLW Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on Kentucky Lake.

'I want to talk about what I learned from bank fishing as a kid and how it applies to competitive fishing from a boat,” said Aswegan, who in 2015 won the spring and fall BASS Nation state tournaments on the Mississippi River and earned the title of the Iowa Bass Nation's Angler of the Year.

Aswegan said he also plans to discuss how the food preferences of bass often dictate where and how to catch them.

Other speakers include professional walleye angler Steve Miller, ice fishing expert Mark Hughes and Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Paul Sleeper, who will provide an update on the Pleasant Creek Lake rehabilitation project.

Fishing basics will be covered by Chuck Ungs and Dave Nichols, representing the academy's co-sponsors, the Linn County Conservation Department and Hawkeye Angling Adventures.

The academy runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with proceeds from the $20 admission fee providing fish habitat for the Pleasant Creek project.