Kayak Koz

I’ve been emailing back and forth with one of the Toyota Series tournament directors regarding FFS in co angler competitions. Long story short, MLF emails past participants regarding upcoming tournaments. I emailed back stating I won’t enter unless they clarify the rule they have in place regarding hindering co anglers. While the TD did not provide much detail, he did say they were working on it. My guess is that there will be updated rules next year. It’s too bad they haven’t figured it out this year because I wanted to fish the Oconee tournament since my hotel is on that lake. I also wanted to fish Santee Cooper. But neither are worth the entry fee on the chance O draw a boater that spends the day weaving all of the place at speed.

You’re not in direct competition. Anglers compete against anglers and co-anglers compete against co-anglers. I’ve had some good tournaments as a co-angler when the boater gives me a chance to fish.

It took me months of using it and tweaking my settings to get things just right. It became frustrating to say the least. But the last three weeks have been amazing when I have used it. Seeing my bait and watching the fish chase it and eat it has been a rush. I don’t use it fishing the banks, but I do rely on it in open water whether it’s finding predators or baitfish. If you have a Garmin I’ll be happy to share my settings.

It’s a good thing they don’t sell boats!

My first impression about dual graphs getting in the way of fishing and catching fish was completely wrong. This setup is fantastic! I met up with @hook2jaw at Little Ocmulgee Lake today. I ended up with 5 small bass and one bowfin. The bowfin was kind enough to spit the hook after I netted it. I had no problem casting, fishing, or landing fish and there was plenty of room on the deck. It was also still low enough for me to step over to get to the front hatch. Little Ocmulgee was interesting. It’s very shallow with big patches of weeds throughout and cypress trees near the banks. My AP 120 was not very happy with those weeds. FFS wasn’t much of a help today, but I caught a couple in open water thanks to FFS targeting. Normally I keep a Weedless Wedge prop in my hatch for these occasions, but either it scooted out of reach or I left it at home. I ended up raising the motor and paddling a bit today. It was still a good day out there with @Hook2Jaw today and I’m really happy with the Dugout Dashboard.

Not yet. I usually get the chicken tenders or chicken sandwich. I’ll give a try next time. Or you could come out here and fish. I’ll buy lunch!

I initially thought the center bar console would be a hindrance. I was completely wrong. I fished with it today for the first time and it was fantastic. It didn’t interfere with fishing or landing fish.

My new Dugout Dashboard Graph Mount arrived today and I installed it on my AP120. I can't wait to get it on the water. Here's another thread with the details:

A lot of you have seen the DIY U-shaped wing mount I made for my UHD93SV. The idea was to have a center console that was out of the way and this fit the bill. But after using it for months I found that my neck was sore from looking down at FFS. Other issues was that it was a bit far away to reach to switch screens, mark waypoints, etc. Lastly, even with my glasses it could be hard to see the detail on the FFS. Along with this unit, I had a Helix 7 on the rail for Lakemaster mapping. Here's what it looked like: I had looked at crossbar mounts before, but I have been afraid that with the graphs sitting higher they would interfere with my fishing. I looked at a lot of the crossbar mounts that would fit my AP120. The most popular seems to be the Sasquatch bar. But they are hard to find and I was hoping for something less expensive since I may not even like it. That's when I found the Dugout Dashboard Graph Mount. Best of all, it was only $79. While the price was great, it does have one pretty big disadvantage from the Sasquatch bar - you have to drill holes in the bar to mount your graphs while the Sasquatch bar has tracks. If you don't like cutting into or drilling metal, this bar is not for you. I suppose you could use a metal router to cut your own tracks, but I don't have that equipment so I drilled instead. Here's the new setup: The bar comes with four T-bolts and knobs and the AP120 version fits perfectly into the tracks. Instead of using traditional nuts and bolts to mount my graphs, I used some extra T-bolts and knobs that I had laying around. I did have to drill the holes in the plastic graph bases just a bit wider. I don't have a garage at my house and my kayak sits outside under my kayak cover. With that, I don't leave my graphs in my kayak. Also, when I travel with my kayak and stay at a hotel I pull the graphs and the FFS black box from my kayak. By using the T-bolts and knobs for the graph bases I can leave the Dugout bar on my kayak and quickly remove the graphs. I still need to adjust and harness the wiring for its new position and clean things up a bit. While I just installed this tonight and haven't had it out in the water yet, I did climb aboard my kayak to get a feel for it. With the 9" and 7" units it doesn't appear to be obtrusive. I'm really looking forward to trying this out on the water.

When I need something with a slimmer profile I use the Spunk Shad. Missile Baits is also a sponsor of my kids’ fishing program.

You’re right- they really do have a great feel. For me it’s the grip, the balance, and the heft. It just feels right.

That’s why I custom built a u-shaped one to sit close to the deck. But it’s a little too far away and my neck gets sore from looking down. I also have to stretch and reach when I change screens or mark waypoints. I thought I would give it a try. The Dugout bar is only $79 it’s worth trying out. The Sasquatch bar is twice the price if you can even find one. Kristine Fischer uses the Dugout bar and she probably wouldn’t use it if it was junk.

7’ 2” MHF. Pretty much an all purpose rod that I will use mainly for moving baits. Although it’s an inexpensive rod, it performs well. I like them as much as my Exprides. The other week I bought an inexpensive Shimano SLX MM glass rod for crankbaits. But what I need to do is tie on a worm or another bottom bait and see how sensitive it is. For me, the rod is light and comfortable, and just feels great.

Turning them up helps with the issue of the hook burying into the sleeve, but then the hooks can grab other lines or other sleeves. I primarily use the rod sleeves when I load up my Bronco and travel to the ramp. Even though some items are pre loaded on my kayak, there’s my trolling motor and other gear. Maybe I just need a bigger truck 😀

Braided mesh rod sleeves need a new design. Not all hook keepers are below the reel, and that means hooks frequently get caught in the mesh. They should make them so that the bottom few inches have a rubberized band. That seems like a simple and fairly inexpensive solution rather than the expensive neoprene sleeves.

I love the Freeloaders. They have been money this summer. In fact, when I got home tonight I paired my new St. Croix with a Curado, tied on a green pumpkin chatterbait and a green pumpkin Freeloader and went out to my dock. While walking out there I noticed some commotion under the dock, skipped my chatterbait under there and pulled out a two pounder on my first cast with the new rod. For me, the Freeloaders have been durable. I caught 5 or 6 on one the other day and it’s still holding strong. I’ve had only one tear off.

The last MLF co-angler event I fished the boater either disconnected the console transducer or didn’t have it set up. Only the map was available. Judging character as I saw it, he probably disconnected it. To make matters worse, the map orientation was keyed to the orientation of the boat. So with all of his zigging and zagging the map was flipping all over the place making it almost impossible to get a read on the contour lines.

It was actually very good. They do a pretty good job with breakfast and lunch.

… and spent $200. When I’m at work I occasionally run over to Sugar Creek Marina to grab some lunch. Their food is actually pretty good compared to grabbing fast food. They also happen to have a good tackle store with competitive pricing. You can see where this is going. I picked up my chicken sandwich, then grabbed three bags of Crush City Freeloaders. Then I realized I needed some more jig heads because I’m always snagging them and losing them. On the way to the register, I walked past the St. Croix rods. I already have one of their BassX rods that I really like and the next thing you know I was carrying another one to the register. And that’s how a chicken sandwich cost me $208.

Unfortunately, my major eyesight issue cannot be corrected with surgery.

On my Seastream pedal drive I had the unit close to my seat. However, the AP 120 does not have tracks close to the seat as there are tool bins and cup holders near the cockpit and I don’t want to cover those up. I’m going to try the raised center position for now, but ultimately I think I will end up using augmented reality glasses. The only thing holding me back from doing that now is finding a quality pair of non-bulky AR glasses that also allow for prescription lens inserts. Also, because I wear progressive lenses I always have to find the sweet spot where whatever I am looking at is in focus. I HATE wearing glasses. My eyesight was fine until I hit my late 40’s and it’s been downhill ever since.

You must be young and have good eyesight 😀 There are a few small lakes that I fish where Garmin has mapping available but Humminbird doesn’t. I that case I sometimes run a side by side split screen with a 33% window for mapping and the larger panel for FFS or side scan.

It would take a whale or incredibly nautical conditions to tip this thing over. I can stand on the gunnel and it won’t tip over.

What size head units are you running on your kayaks? I have. Helix 7 with the Lakemaster card that I use for maps. Then I have a 9” Garmin for FFS and DI and SI. The Garmin unit is currently on my homemade center console that sits just an inch or so off the deck. While that keeps the unit from interfering with my fishing, by the end of day my neck is sore. My old eyes also have some difficulty seeing all of the details. I’m thinking of going to a 10” or 12” unit, but before dropping money on that I’m going to raise my graph mount. For $79 I bought the one from Dugout Bait & Tackle and it should arrive in a few days. I just hope it doesn’t interfere with my fishing, especially since I sit and fish. So, what size units are you using and did you mount it on a center console?

At this point I’m not about to ditch my AP 120, but I underestimated the importance of speed. When I fished the Bassmaster event at Guntersville, when I saw kayaks speeding away from the docks at 6-8 mph I realized that I was at a huge disadvantage when it came to covering water. Spotlock gives me somewhat of an advantage, but not much. Those anglers with the fast boats also employ a pedal drive and use that to hold their position.