Kayak Fishing LEDs: Supernova Basic Kit Install

A gorgeous February weekend in Central Texas gave me some motivation to work on the yak. The winds were gusting to 25 mph, so fishing was out of the question. Sitting under my workbench lay the last of my kayak fishing Christmas gifts; Supernova Green LED strips. Pretty straight forward kit with very few steps for a solid install and decent instructions. The hardest thing is probably the wiring. If you have no automotive wiring experience, it may take you a little longer, especially if you have never soldered before.

I started off by temporarily mounting the strips to the bow with some leftover painters tape I had laying around. The Slayer Propel has a nice manufacturing line in the plastic that I used for my straightedge as is looks identical on both sides. Once the strips were in place I drilled the requisite 3/16" hole approximately 1/4" from the end of the heat shrink that is installed on the strip. Now it is time to run the wires and connect everything to the switch and battery. 

For my wiring I ran both wires up to my battery that is secured in the Native Battery Bag underneath the plastic cover below the thwart bar that secures the propel drive. The ground wires are simple; connect both to the battery. As for the power wires, simple switch wiring. Take the power from the battery to one side of the switch and from the opposite side of the switch to the supplied fuse, then to the power wires of both strips. With the wiring complete, all you have to do is mount the switch and permanently attach the LED strips to the hull. Supernova provides a package of 3M adhesion promoter. Apply that sparingly to the areas the strips will mount to and allow to dry for 3 minutes. Once the time is up, peel back a small portion of the protective coating on the back of the strips. Apply to your line and gently press down while continuing to remove the backing until you get it completely off. Last thing to do is to silicone up the 3/16" hole that you ran your wiring through. 

Check out the short install and walk thru video. Can't wait to try them out on the water.

 

Kayak Safety Flag and 360 Light: Better safe than Sorry

Should every kayak fisherman have a safety flag and 360 white light? My answer used to be no and I went all of last season without one. Why am I writing about one now you may ask? Because you can never be too safe! Especially if you fish where I do and it is you versus 300 horsepower bass boats doing 80 mph all over the place. I had too many close calls last season to not arm myself with every safety gadget I can get my hands on. So, in comes the ingenious Scotty 828. Safety Flag, 360 White light and a great place to mount your GoPro. Everything a kayak fisherman needs. Just like every other great Scotty product, the 828 can mount into any scotty base. I plug mine right into a Scotty 438 track adapter on my tank well rails for ultimate adjustability. 

Another added feature of the 828 is the ability to mount the Scotty 135 camera mount to it. By having your GoPro or other brand of camera mounted high on the top of the pole, you get a great look down angle into your cockpit and an awesome view to the front of your boat. I tested it out for the first time this weekend and love the view and can't wait to get some fish in front of it.  Two great products from Scotty that will keep you safe and add to the quality of your videos. Check out a quick walk thru video of the two products.