Hanover_Yakker

I use a Shimano Clarus Crankbait series casting rod paired with a Revo Inshore and was slinging squarebills all weekend. It is 6'8". Lifetime warranty and only $79.

Well, keep the questions coming. I'm sure there are others that appreciate it as well. Let me know when you meet up with the "Alabama Gang" and get some seat time in a couple.

Safety is always first for me. I dont ever get on the water without my pfd, but the safety flag is a close second. I recommend the YakAttack VisiCarbon Pro. When you get your first kayak, I'll help you get it setup to fish from. I'll introduce you to Mary and Travis at ARC in Midlothian.

A small Ziploc square plastic sandwich container is a good option to prevent bent wire arms. Also a small 8-10 sleeve cd wallet will work in a pinch.

Thank you Kent - I try to be as open and honest as possible while still remaining true to the facts. And if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone from Hobie that does. I hope this thread continues, as I really enjoy it when folks find new questions to ask.

Awesome - looks like you're getting the hang of it. When you get a kayak, give me a shout. I'll take you to Sandy River and Briery Creek for some hawg hunting this summer. Not going to guarantee you a citation but those two bodies of water have some seriously big fish in there.

The price of the Pro Angler 12 is $2849 and the Pro Angler 14 retails for $2949. The cost may be an initial deterrent to some and is a valid point of contention. The thing to keep in mind when considering any kayak including a Hobie Mirage kayak is that there are no additional costs associated with the kayak itself. There are no costs for gas, property taxes, insurance premiums, winterizing, tune ups, storage space, trailer, tow package on your vehicle or quite possibly another vehicle all together. The kayak lifestyle isn't necessarily for everyone, but for those that are willing to give it a fair chance, you may just find out and realize that a kayak is a tool to help you catch fish. And for the traditional bass boat owner, it doesn't mean you need to get rid of your boat or stop using it. Just something to keep in mind before rendering a final judgment if you have not had seat time in one.

Just got some good news for you. And I quote..... "You can direct them to our local forum at mbkfa.com if you'd like. We are mostly on the coast but we have several members in the Birmingham area and most of them own Hobies. One guy has 4!" So, it looks like you have some folks in your area that can get you some seat time afterall without having to travel to GA. The user in question will likely have the screen name of 'knobcreekman'. Good luck!!

Storage - I have it located under a protective overhang and secured via security cable. It is recommended that you leave the front hatch and the rear drain plugs unfastened to permit the hull to flex with extreme temperature variations. If you are in a moderate area where the temps are fairly constant, then this step may not be as critical. Doing this step though also allows the inner hull to air out somewhat, because condensation will form on the inside of the hull at some point. Some folks opt to cover theirs, while some do not. Whichever route you opt for, I recommend removing all of your accessories, gear, rods, and the seat. They will deteriorate over time if left exposed. Accessory boards - the accessory boards are very sturdy and can handle any number of mounts or accessories you can imagine. Mine has a single 4" YakAttack GearTrac installed on each one. I use mine not only for the Lowrance Elite-4x DSI, but you can also see the RAM Rod holder I have installed on it in the video when you view the section where I show you my tournament setup. I use those Tracs also for RAM Tubes for when I am trolling in the salt water. I have a friend of mine in SC that has the new Lowrance Elite-7 HDI installed, while I have a friend in Texas who has an HDS5 and an HB998 installed along with a Hydrowave. The material is very robust and can handle more than you think. You wouldn't want to use it as a standing platform by any means, but there's not reason to fear any installation of rod holders, camera mounts, anchor cleats, etc... Resale market - they are sold all the time. I know of at least 3 right this moment for sale in various parts of the east coast from MD to FL. It might help to check with the local kayak dealer first though. You can sometimes find a good deal on a used one that was a DEMO. Otherwise, don't be afraid to look at kayak specific forums like KBF, MKF, or even the Hobie Forums for that opportunity. FYI - the video I posted is on YouTube, and the first person that commented on my video is currently selling his 2012 PA12, because he ordered a 2013 PA14 after chatting with me at length some time ago.

Great questions!! Loading/Unloading - it really is that simple. The key is to understand the laws and principles of fulcrums and leverage. Think of it as an overgrown see-saw where you are leveraging the assistance of the vehicle as a means to reduce the actual lifting weight you encounter while loading and unloading. Securing the hull - the one part I left out of the video on purpose was the process of securing the PA to my rack system. IT is fairly mundane to watch me tossing straps across the hull and securing it, but I do not go anywher without it secured that is for certain. Since I was only going right down the street from my house for this video, I just used the dual strap approach. For all other trips, I use a combination of 4 securing points. Two straps are twisted (to avoid wind hum on the road during travel) under one side of the vehicle's crossbars and laid across to the other side and secured. A third securing strap is attached to the bow handle and run to front end of the vehicle, and the fourth strap is simply some nylon cord that is run from the stern handle to a fixed bracket on the undercarriage of my van. This method provides the security of limiting the chances of your hull sliding off your vehicle. I also take it one step further on trips where I will be leaving the PA on my vehicle for an extended amount of time. I have two 15' coated/twisted metal lanyards that I run through the various openings on the PA and around the rack system then locked into place with a Master Lock. Just in case someone tries top steal it, but more so in case of an accident where the momentum of a crash may exceed the holding strentgth of the nylon webbing of the straps. Crate system - is actually your standard 13" x 13" milk crate. I have a PrecisionPak CratePak sleeve that slides over it and has integrated accessory pouches and a 3-rod holder on the back. The sleeve is a little difficult to find, due to PP going out of business. But they can still be found online if you look hard enough. It's more of a luxury to be honest. You can take a standard milk crate and attach the 3-rod Berkley or Attwood rod holders found at Walmart and secure them with s/s bolts and lock nuts or just use zip ties. There are several other pre-fabbed alternatives aroundas well (NRS, YakAttack BlackPak and WhitePak, Plano Marine Dry Boxes, all purpose tackle bags, coolers with rod holders attached, even backpacks can be used - lots of options). Rod access - accessing rods stored behind you can be accomplished a number of ways. The easiest is simply to turn your torso left or right and grab the one you want. Another method is the "quiver" approach where you simply reach directly behind and over your head to pull a rod out like an arrow from a quiver. The integrated rod holders on the Pro Angler (and many other kayak brands as well) are easier to access, since they require little to no torso turn to access. Once you build up your comfort level in any kayak, you will be grabbing and stowing your combos with ease and confidence. Landing large fish - the largest I have landed out of a kayak is a 40" black drum down in Rudee Inlet a few years ago. I've landed several mid to high 20's stripers with ease. It's really a non factor when you think about it. The key is leveraging the hull resistance of the kayak by fighting the fish on your port (left) or starboard (right) side of the kayak. The combination of the water, the kayak's hull, leverage of the rod and the reel's drag will tire out larger fish pretty quickly. Plus, you're also at water level making the hoisting of larger fish into your footwell area much easier. Rough seas - I've been in a variety of nasty water conditions before in my Hobie Revolution 13, and just a couple weeks ago in the PA14. In the Revolution 13 on a July 4th weekend, I got caught on the water in a nasty sudden storm with three other of my kayak friends. The storm was so intense that our rods were humming from the electrical fields generated from the storm while we were riding 6-8' swells underneath the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. The waves were cresting so high that we could touch the underside of the bridge as we maintained our position out of the wind and rain. The other week, I was hammered by 20-25 mph winds and cresting 1' white caps on the lake I was at. I just plowed right through them. The thing to remember about the PA and other Sit On Top (SOT) style kayaks is that they have opening called scupper holes to allow any water in the cockpit and tankwell area to egress the hull with ease. They are designed to handle these situations with easy, but you have to understand your limitations both from a skill perspective and your general safety. When in doubt, stay close to shore or better yet, pick another area or stay home. It's better to be safe than sorry. Wind impact - as with any vessel on the water, wind is going to be a factor at some point. The key to managing the impact wind has on you is to remember to position your bow into the wind whenever possible. Sometimes it's just a battle to be honest. The video I produced for this thress did not have over 2 hours of my footage due to wind noise and shaking the camera mount on the water. Situational awareness is the key to minimizing the effect wind has on your positioning. Just ask JFrancho or Dwight about keeping a "weather eye on the horizon" and situational awareness while out on big waters like Eerie. The other things you can do is to minimize your overall profile footprint when on the water. This means avoiding large flat surfaced items in the kayak. Unfortunately, the seat, your body, the paddle laying across your lap and the PFD are all items that you would have on the water for any given trip, yet these are the items that will increase the chances of you getting pushed around out of position. For very windy days, I carry three accessories to combat this situation. An anchor for deeper waters, a stake out pole for the shallow flat areas, and a homemade brush clip with a length of line for attaching to a tree limb. Rudder & Steering - all of the Mirage Drive kayaks in the Hobie lineup have integrated rudders. The Pro Anglers is however different than the others in that it is a keel mounted rudder that stows in a rear channel underneath of the PA to avoid damage when not in use. Deploying or stowing the rudder is very simple. There is a cam cleat on the starboard side that has a T-handled cable labeled as RUDDER. To delpoy the rudder, you simple remove the RUDDER cable with a slight pull and lift up to release the rudder down. Upon returning to shore or long stretches of shallow water, you simply pull on the handle again until you feel the rudder stow, then simply lay the cable in the cam cleat and this time the cable will lock itelf in place. As far as steering, the Pro Angler comes standard with the rudder and the rudder handle mounted on the side rail. I went ahead and ordered a second handle and had it installed on the opposite handle that way I can steer with either hand depending upon what combos arebeing used. For my spinning reels, they are all elft hand retrieve, so I use the left rudder handle. All but one of mycasting reels is right handed, so I use the right hand rudder handle then. Weight concerns - the PA12 has a 500lb hull capacity, while the PA14 has a 600lb hull capacity. So it can handle a significant load. I'm 6'2" and weigh 220lbs, and you can see how I have no issues at all. I have a couple friends that are larger than myself and they have no issues either. I hope that answers your questions sufficiently. If not or if it sparks more questions, post them up here. I'll be glad to help anyway I can.

If the paint or marker doesn't hold, try using 800 grit sandpaper and roughing the surface of the rattle some. The paint will hold longer.

Drumroll please........... I finished the video early this morning. Hope you find it informative and that it will encourage you to ask more questions. I'm here to educate and help in anyway that I can.

The 2013 PA12 retails for right around $2849 and the PA14 is $2949. They each come outfitted with the following standard items: 1. Vantage Seat 2. Lowrance ready wire caps inserts and keel mount 3. Tackle Management System with 2-3600 Plano Guide Series tackle trays 4. Full length paddle with accessory T-handle 5. Six horizontal rod holders 6. Two vertical rod holders 7. Tankwell bungee 8. Integrated rudder system with dual rudder handle mount steering capability 9. Pre-drilled anchor trolley mounting locations 10. Mirage Drive with standard Turbo Fins 11. Mesh side pockets for storage 12. 3700 Plano Guide series tackle tray (stows under the Vantage seat and an extra place for another one if you want to add it) 13. Hobie Water bottle and clip on holder 14. Accessory boards for installing rod holders and other accessories Only thing you need to add is yourself, a couple rods, some tackle, and a Class III PFD and you are ready to roll!! Sometimes you can find demo or used ones for a little cheaper at a kayak dealer, on CL or other kayak forums.

A great subtle technique is to take the 1/8 or 1/16oz flick shake heads with the wire guard and rig a small craw like the baby rage, net bait tiny paca or PTL craw d'oeuvre on it and just barely crawl it against the rocks and timber. Just the right size tasty morsel for a finicky tight lipped bass. The added benefit is that it doesn't require a monster hookset and it is so light the fish won't realize that it is a weighted presentation and spit it. I used this setup last week to test the new-to-me Ci4 I just bought here on BR and landed 15 bass and one channel cat in under 30 minutes at a local pond.

Congrats on the new ride. Definitely hold onto your gear. I'm sure there is some good mojo on a few of them at this point. I still have some budget combos in my arsenal that get frequent use and are very productive. Also, they are great loaner setups for when others want to go with you and they don't have any gear.

Hope you liked the quick video preview. Like John said, the 'deer feeder' style of batteries work beautifully and hold a charge a long time. I use a 12v/5am battery for my Lowrance Elite-4x DSI and it will run for three trips. I keep mine in a small Sterilite sealable container stowed underneath the center hatch. You can use any number of sealable containers like Pelican boxes, Glad or tupperware containers, etc. The beauty of this type of modification is that you probably already have a suitable container in your house that is not being used. As far as the vessel itself, the Pro Anglers are single person designs; however, my son rides shotgun in the rear tankwell whenever we go out on the water. We can both stand and fish side-by-side with no issue. The cost of a Pro Angler 12 or 14 is more than worth it in my opinion when you take into consideration that you do not need to register the vessel as a powered watercraft, nor do you have any annual fees associated with taxes, maintenance or insurance. As far as powered options, Hobie has a licensing deal in place with Torqueedo, and they have the Evolve electric motor that inserts right into the Mirage Drive opening on the Pro Anglers. Other companies like BassYaks and Gator have alternative options as well, but the Evolve option is the cleanest of them all and the lightest. It is somewhat cost prohibitive for me, plus it would mean that I would have to register it as a powered vessel. I prefer to use my legs and the Mirage Drive to move my Pro Angler, but if your situation necessitates a powered solution, it is an available option to consider.

Until I get the 'sit down' portion right with the back lighting and sound levels, here's a little teaser of some of the footage from this past weekend to wet your appetite.......

According to my contact - avoid storage outside or in direct sunlight due to the foam. You need to find some form of a protectant or cover for those areas. The manufacturer's marketing claim of being one of hte lightest in the industry he said was due to the thin wall construction of the hull. As a result, the long term durability of the hull is a concern. If it works for you, awesome. Just be mindful of the hull if you are portaging over rocks or moving through shallow bays with oyster beds or rocks. FWIW - this information is coming from the owner of a kayak/canoe store and he is an avid canoeist that is in fact racing the 70 mile canoe race in NY later this year. Hope that helps!

I have a buddy who is a canoe afficianado and might be able to help. Hang on. Let me check.

It's all about the technique - equipment. frog brands and line aside, it all comes down to hookset technique. Hollow-bodied frogs - you have to watch the frog the whole time. Some strikes are subtle slurps versus blow ups. If you aren't ready to set the hook when it gets engulfed, you will miss the fish. This hookset is more of a reaction compared to the technique described for soft plastic moving frogs below. Moving frogs (Ribbits, Rages, Horny TOads, etc) - understanding how to work the frog with your rod at about 10-11 o'clock angle then dropping your rod at the strike is a learned technique and takes practice. When you lower your rod, you count a quick thousand one, a thousand two while reeling the little slack up and swing for the fences with an overhead or slightly over your should hook set. One tip - regardless of the frog type you use. Add some frog scent like the BioEdge Frog Wand to your frog. It encourages the fish to hold the frog a split second longer.

Aren't Radissons (US) also referred to as Sportspals (CA)? I'd try contacting a dealer like: http://www.bwmarineproducts.com/contact.htm According to their site...... All our Sportspal and Radisson Canoes are constructed of a single sheet of 5052 marine grade aluminum which will not become brittle, delaminate, peel, waterlog, check, rot, shrink or swell. It assures a uniform thickness throughout the hull. This material makes our canoes one of the lightest on the market. The canoes are easy to carry, handle better on car tops, towing, launching and recovery. It has a high strength-to-weight ratio. There are eight models, five colours in three lengths to choose from. Every Sportspal - Radisson is built to exacting specifications and workmanship. Coupled with the many optional accessories, the Sportspal - Radisson Canoe will give you many years of trouble free service.

All the time - they will crush anything that swims near them here in VA. They will shred some top water frogs also. I have many 'retired' Ribbits courtesy of some nasty pickerel. The best tool to use to unhook them is a FishGrip (http://kayakfishinggear.com/thefishgrip-madeintheusa-newcolorspinkandglowinthedark.aspx) I never hit the water without them. I have three of them in total. A must have for any angler regardless of fishing vessel or technique. Also helps when trying to unhook treble hooks from feisty bass that won't stay calm.

Congrats - quality striper right there!! Now you guys see why I venture out into the salt water as well down here in VA !

I load mine on top of my mini van - does that quell your fears a little? In all honesty - the dry hull weight of a Pro Angler is 118lbs. That may or may not exceed any factory crossbars your vehicle may have. Check your manufacturer's/owner's manual first. If that weight exceeds your rack's limitations, you can do what I did which is to purchase the landing pads, control toweres and crossbars from Yakima and install them in your factory tracks. If I ever sell this vehicle (which is highly likely in the next year or so), then I can simply remove my Yakima setup and re-install the factory bars. As far as loading, the video I captured yesterday shows me loading and unloading it for a day on the water. As far as getting seat time in one in the AL area, I've got some "feelers" out for you with my 'Bama yak friends. I'll keep you posted..

I have about three hours of footage I need to edit and cut down into a 3-4 minute snippet, then I need to complete the sit down session tonight. Tonight's session will include a walk around of the Pro Angler 14 pointing out the design features, as well as a couple of my small accessories I added then I will summarize a few of the FAQs I get from time to time about Hobies in general and the Pro Angler. FYI, I previewed some of the clips briefly last night, and I managed to get four hookups on film from a couple of different angles. Nothing citation worthy, but at least I caught some fish in real time. Hope to have this ready for you all in the next few days!