Back on the Water, thank god!

photo courtesy of TPWD

After a month away from home training in the People's Republic of California, I took a much needed fishing trip this weekend. My destination was Lake Walter E. Long, also known as Lake Decker and referred to as Decker more often than not.  I have fished this lake before and had decent success. Walter E. Long is a power plant cooling lake and is known for a healthy black bass and hybrid striper population. I was on this particular lake practicing for the upcoming Kayak Angler Tournament Series (KATS, fishkats.com). After finding some good hiding grounds for bass I decided to troll for a while until I made it to the next destination I liked on my gps. I have never caught a decent sized hybrid striper and I knew that this lake was known for 5+ pounders. I gained some speed tossed out a chrome and black lipless crank and tried to keep a smooth 3 mph. Around 10 mins elapsed and sure enough my Scotty Rocket Launcher struggled to hold onto my rod as that lipless crankbait was engulfed. I could tell that this was a decent sized fish and it was definitely not a bass. Check out the video! I may have to start targeting these guys more often.

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.

Buff UVX Mask Review

A gorgeous weekend in central Texas opened up an opportunity to get out on the water and I was sure to take advantage of it. Fishing in January is not something I am used to and I definitely need to learn some winter time tactics if I actually want to catch some fish; sadly I caught zero, skunk city. I did however get a chance to use some great products I got as gifts for Christmas. One such item is the Buff UVX Mask. Not just your ordinary piece of fabric that fishermen wear around their necks, the UVX mask is purpose built for all around protection. The biggest advantage to the UVX mask is the ability to tuck it under your shirt. If your wearing a collared shirt, no big deal, but I usually wear a moisture wicking long/short sleeve and I would routinely get sun burn on my neck where my previous Buff failed to cover. Another added feature is the breath holes that don't fog your sun glasses up as much. It doesn't completely stop it, but the holes are sure better than just a solid piece of fabric. Lastly, the UVX is super soft and has extra material that clings to the back of your head for the perfect fit. Little touches, but these added features put the Buff UVX Mask above all others. If you are fair skinned and don't play nice with the sun like me, the Buff UVX Mask is a perfect option for all day comfort and sun protection for fellow kayak anglers.

Anchor Wizard Installation

photo courtesy of yakattack.us

For the last two years I have been using, what seems to be the kayak fishing standard of the anchor trolley, 3lb claw anchor and about 25 feet of nylon rope as my anchor system. Don't get me wrong, this system works and doesn't set you back a whole ton of money, but there is always room for improvement. With that being said, I have searched for some different options for a while now. The two options that I really like that have come onto the scene fairly recently are the Powerpole Micro and the Anchor Wizard. Polar opposites in price, the Powerpole Micro will set you back around $600 when all is said and done and the Anchor Wizard around $150. The Powerpole is a little steep in price for me right now and I figured the Anchor Wizard may make a good Christmas present this year. From my previous post ( http://catchmeifyoupaddle.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-kayak-fishing-gifts.html), you can see that I was a good boy and got an Anchor Wizard as a present.

Winter time means rigging season for most of us and since I am not able to fish right now, I quickly got the itch to work on the yak. Installing the Anchor Wizard onto the Slayer Propel is almost bolt on and go. The mounting of the spool is extremely easy due to the factory installed rails in the cockpit and the track adapter hardware that is supplied with the Anchor Wizard. The obstacle becomes the mounting of the chute onto either the bow or stern of the boat. Once again, factory installed equipment helped solve the problem. The padded carry handles that Native supplies on the Slayer Propel are bolted on by hardware and sturdy brass inserts. Having that feature, I decided to use the hardware and brass inserts as a mounting point for my Anchor Wizard. The problem now is that you only have one mounting point connected to the chute of the Anchor Wizard which is just not going to cut it. To solve this final problem, I dug into my scrap metal bin, found some aluminum and made a bracket to connect the other brass insert to the second mounting hole on the Anchor Wizard. With two solid connections and a brace between them, my Anchor Wizard is now rock solid and ready to help catch some fish. I can't wait to try it out and do some reviews on it. For now, enjoy the installation video.

You never forget your first

Just a few days ago I sold my first ever kayak, a 2012 Jackson Kayak Cuda 14. Like the person I sold it to, I bought it off craigslist 2 years ago. Looking back, it was a leap of faith and a hip pocket decision that I did not research enough. Even though I rushed into it, the Cuda performed flawlessly and was extremely forgiving to a beginner. I learned how to do everything on this boat, from basic rigging to surf launching in the Gulf of Mexico. I trusted this boat to get me home and it never once failed me. I will certainly miss the old Cuda, but I know that she has many more fish in her future and will hopefully help turn another fisherman into a Kayak Fisherman! Onto the next plastic vessel, bye bye Cuda, I won't forget the memories we made together. 

Christmas Kayak Fishing Gifts

I did pretty well this Christmas in the Kayak Fishing category! Here is what I got:

Buff UVX Mask: I already own a Buff, but I wanted this one because it is easy to tuck under your shirt to protect your neck better. Plus it has holes near your mouth so your breath doesn't fog up your sunglasses as much. 

Adventure Medical Kits Marine 200: Lets face it, kayak fishing can be dangerous and I wanted something in case the worst happens. This thing is loaded and it should last for years. 

Anchor Wizard: The wind of central Texas drove me crazy this year. I used the anchor maybe twice and relied more on the Native Propel drive to keep me on position. The Propel drive does a good job, but it is hard to keep your mind on fishing when your pedaling your butt off and working the rudder to maintain your position. 

Penn Squall LD40LH: This is intended to be my trolling reel at my home in Florida, both on the kayak and in Dad's boat. I'm going to need to match it to a stout rod and buy a ton of line to finish it off.

Fins Windtamer 15lb: Just stocking up. I always like to have good line on hand and ready to spool up. 

Supernova Basic LED Lighting Kit: I wanted to get these for the early summer mornings when I'm on the water before the sun. They serve two purposes; attract baitfish and a good marker for other traffic to see me.

I'm really excited to install all my new goodies, stay tuned as I test them out.