Just as the fisherman are the first out on the water in the morning they are also the first boat buyers in a given year…..On December 27^th I was out with Kyle Johnson of Solomon’s with his 21 line spread, trolling for Rockfish. Kyle is a rising star in the charter trades and has a remarkable ability to find the Rock which is the premier fish that the Chesapeake has to offer.

This was my fourth trip with Kyle and due to his congenial nature it’s as though you are fishing with a longtime friend. His boat was a 25′ center console powered by a single Yamaha outboard. No canvass to get in the way of light tackle. An ideal platform in September, passable into November but by December when the fishing is really heating up it was a bit shy on protecting the crew from the weather. A friend of mine described our December outings as “full combat” fishing.

On our outing on the 27^th, Kyle made mention of the fact that he was considering moving into a new boat that would offer his parties some shelter. Between Christmas and New Years we met in Shady Side, Md. and inspected a 29′ C-Hawk that immediately seemed to fit the bill. This boat has an inside steering station (small pilothouse), and a large cockpit half of which is protected by a hardtop with side curtains. Now we are talking about some crew comfort! The C-Hawk also is rigged with a hydraulic steering station in the cockpit such that the Captain can be part of the action.

Within a couple of weeks of the “boat discovery”, Kyle had an accepted offer subject to surveys and sea trials. Surveyor Tarn Kelsey proved to be very knowledgeable in regard to this craft having had prior experience with the boat. Under Tarn’s guidance we were able to achieve an extra knot and a half at wide open throttle. Not a “big deal” but nice to have the extra speed in the bank! Settlement was on a cold February day (Kyle’s birthday) at the offices of Crusader Yacht Sales. This was an early boat sale on the 2009 calendar and as a result Kyle will be ready to go on opening day in April.

Kyle Johnson is a second generation waterman who is giving it his all to remain connected to the Chesapeake Bay. Please contact Crusader Yacht Sales broker Scott Taylor for an introduction to Kyle.