Kayak Koz

I've been thinking about that as well and I'm waiting to hear back from the manufacturer. It might make more sense to get a 20-23lb basic Newport Vessels $200 trolling motor and a Railblaza mount to get me where I need to go and then when I get there instead of having a spot lock unit I just rely on my pedal drive for positioning. The more I dig into this subject the more I realize that it's not quite so easy to do if I want it to be just right.

Money isn't the issue. I can spend what it takes, but the fact is I am frugal. If I can find a way to get the same result without of spending a ton of money, I'll do that and DIY what I have to. As for transporting everything, I'll be buying a new SUV by the end of the year and I plan to get the tow package and get a trailer for my kayak. I prefer a purpose built kayak trailer, but I've seen videos of guys doing great things with a cheap Harbor Freight trailer. From what I've seen, the Xi3 is the way to go and that's probably what I will purchase. I'm sure there is probably a way to mount it where the pedal unit goes, but I think that it would be best to spend some money and have a locking system custom built with the proper seal. I've heard of people get a lot of water intrusion from there at speed. Also, I've read that with the motor in the center guys are still having to use their paddle and / or rudder because it decreases the turning radius. I have a lot to figure out if I want this to work without a hassle. I really like my kayak and don't want to sell it, but that may be the way to go.

Yes - I will need to register it, but the cost is only $35. I'd be worried that Pond Prowler would be swamped in no time on my big lake! I am looking at other options today, but mainly calculating battery life and battery types / weight. I don't want to have to paddle that beast for miles if I run out of battery.

I love my Seastream Angler 120 pedal drive kayak, but lately, I find the need to cover more water and cover it quicker. Plus, pedaling for 90-120 minutes to get to a fishing spot is brutal in the summer heat. So now I'm thinking about adding a trolling motor, but this is opening up a can of worms. Do I try and make this work on my kayak or do I sell mine and buy a kayak designed to handle a trolling motor? I could simply attach some cross bars to the kayak and clamp a simple, cheap trolling motor to it. But I think in the long run I'd be disappointed with that setup. So instead I'm looking at a bow mount option with quick connect and a remoted controlled, trolling motor with spot lock. The problem is there are no pre-made mounts for my kayak. I did reach out to OneObjective to see if they know if any of their existing mounts will work or how much it would cost for a custom build. I also reached out to Seastream to see if they know of any options and if they have any concerns regarding adding a trolling motor to teh bow. If I strike out with those options I thought about creating my own mount and attaching the quick connect to that. But here's the problem - I don't do any metal fabrication. But I am handy working with wood. I'm thinking that a 3/4: - 1" thick piece of wood or plywood that is properly treated and sealed should work. I'd have to look at how the motor and quick connect plate are mounted, but my initial though is I would wither cut a handle hole to match where my current bow handle is or extend the wood plate slightly and cut a new handle. My first concern is shearing forces on both the kayak and wood plate over time, but I think that a large enough plate bolted correctly should be OK. I had thought about just cutting an inset plate and mounting it inside my bow cutout, but I'm not sure that will work. I think it would be easier to mount it directly to the hull. Any concerns that I may have overlooked? Since I do not have access to the inside of the hull, this will probably present some minor wiring challenges. But I should be able to run some conduit within the cockpit to a battery box behind the seat. On days that I utilized the trolling motor I would pull the pedal drive and leave it at home. I can cut a plastic cap for that complete with a gasket for a fairly watertight seal. I'd keep the rudder on to act as a skeg for better positioning stability. I would also end up running two LiPo batteries - one for my electronics and one for the trolling motor. That will cut down on my available tackle storage, but I can live with that. Anyway, does this sound like a doable plan? Did I miss anything? Or should I just buy a purpose built kayak? Below are stock photos of the Seastream Angler 120 PD.

Mine is being stubborn with baits and techniques when the bite is slow. This is probably the ideal time to try something new or that I rarely use.

Chicken or the egg?

I bought a few tickets for the last drawing and I'll buy a few more for Friday's drawing. I mean, it's over a BILLION dollars. That's stupid money. A small house on a private lake sounds like a pretty good way to retire to me.

I have a very healthy respect for my table saw. Ripping a big piece of plywood always has me on edge. Getting some quality push blocks helps. As I get older, I've made peace with most things in my life and I don't fear death. But I did see my own father suffer with a lot of medical problems the last 5-7 years of his life and I refuse to go through that.

You may have fun paddling around in it, but in my opinion it will be a nightmare to fish from. You could always double down, get two of them, and make yourself a catamaran. ?

While it increases the odds, the presence of bait fish does not always mean there will be bass present. Off the top of my head, if comparable baitfish are in multiple areas the abundance of bass will be predicated on things such as seasonality, water temperature, oxygenation, vegetation, structure, cover, etc.

I looked at some Hoodoos (and others) when I was comparing kayaks last year and I ultimately bought the Seastream Angler 120 PD and I have zero regrets with my purchase. I did an initial review of it here on BR and recently followed up with additional thoughts after having it for one year. You're going to want something with instant reverse. One of the best things about my Seastream is I can bump the rudder and jog the pedals to keep my kayak positioned or even in place WHILE I am fishing. Wind and chop don't bother me much at all. The first time or two out there it might seem like a pain, but within a few trips you don't even think about those things as you keep the craft positioned. It becomes second nature, like riding a bike. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Seastream.

Good story!

The pro tour anglers use this technology, so I would say, "Yes."

Welcome to BR! The record out of Sinclair is 13 pounds, but I have not heard of anything big coming out of there in the nearly two years I have been in the area. Oconee is worse. Florida is your best bet in this region of the country. But there are also DD bass in the lagoons throughout the SC Lowcountry and the Coastal Empire in GA.

I think I'm going to hang it up for a while. The heat and humidity are getting too brutal. I've done some night fishing and found tons of bait fish and catfish, but the bass appear to have moved off to deeper parts of the lake. There's an area that I want to try with some deeper water and shallows, but it's about a 2 hour pedal on my kayak just to get there. I'm so disappointed with the fishing here right now I'd hate to make that journey and get skunked.

Sorry, but I think that's a downright ignorant comment. There are a ton of reasons why people prefer kayaks, and I think convenience is one of the leading reasons. But for me, it's something I find more important. Everything in life today seems to be fast paced. We live in this Walmart, Quickie Mart, next day delivery, dopamine fed social media instant gratification world. At work, I go non-stop every single day, get a few hours of sleep, and then do it all over again. Being out on my kayak gives me the opportunity to slow everything down. I cover miles of water and even pedaling as hard as I can I'm not getting anywhere fast. So I slow down, relax, and clear my mind. I don't think about work or any good stuff or bad stuff going on in my life. I might not even be thinking about fishing while I'm fishing. I find it to be a zen-like, meditative experience. I think a lot of other kayak anglers feel the same way, even if they don't realize it. And in today's crazy, fast paced world I think that we all could use a lot more of that.

I have both of those. They are both excellent reels and I can't say I prefer one over the other. But I do like my Curado DC slightly more than those reels.

When I got back into fishing about a decade ago I bought Lew's products because those were the better reels in my price point at my local DSG. Last year when my hotel owner gave me a bonus, he told me I needed to spend some of it on something I would not normally buy for myself. So I used some of it to buy a Shimano Curado K and an Expride rod. Since then I bought a Curado DC, a Curado MGL, and added more Exprides to my arsenal. I like everything about those Shimano rods and reels, and they are all in a price point I am comfortable with. I don't see the need for a $500 reel or a $500 rod. Of course, I said the same thing when I was buying $120 Lew's rods and reels.

Nice ride ? I don't stand in mine. Everywhere I go I'm battling boat wakes and as I get older my stability isn't what it used to be. I'm also worried that if I hook up with a fish I'll end up banging my shins on the pedals. There isn't that much room with the drive in the way.

There's a movie coming out titled, "WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY." I kid you not.

It drives more revenue. Think about it. Most of us could get by fishing our entire lives with one soft plastic, one topwater, one spinnerbait, one jig, and one wildcard lure. But we are compelled to feed the bait monkey.

Nah, my dog gets a combo of Iams soft dog food in a can and hard dog food every day. I'm also closing in on 60 years old, so pulling 150 pounds of kayak and gear up a steep, windy hill is not my idea of fun - especially in the Georgia heat.

That's cheating! ? Do you have one of those seat hanger bags or is it something built in? I always thought that kayak companies should get more creative with storage. For example, they should have flip open hull compartments (like a glovebox in a car) in the walls of the hull near the seat. They could probably put two smaller ones on each side. I also think they should have floor storage at your feet. Something that could fit a Plano or two or you could purchase an optional tray system to put in there. My kayak doesn't have any hatches or hull access, so the best solution for my battery was the CellBlok. My hull is more of a tri-hull, so there's no good place to mount a transducer. Plus, I also have side scan and I can't have the hull interfering with that, so the transducer arm is my best option.

My kayak (12' pedal drive) gets more and more crowded with gear every day. I guess it wouldn't be bad if I was trailering or car topping and I could quickly load and unload stuff in my vehicle. but for now I keep my kayak at my hotel and I have to haul it up and down a big, steep hill to and from the lake. My kayak is 98 pounds and the pedal drive adds another 22, but it gets a lot heavier from there. Here's my typical load out: 1. Flambeaux Deluxe crate. In that crate I have six 3600 Plano boxes, a spinnerbait box, a dozen bags of soft plastics, tools, scale, gloves, gaiters, headlamps, bug spray, and sunscreen. I have two more Plano boxes under my seat. 2. Dry bag with shoes, shorts, shirt, phone, car key fob. I change out my shoes for water shoes when I head out. 3. Seatback cooler with drinks and snacks. 4. Electronics including 7" Humminbird, YakAttack CellBlok with 12V Lipo battery, and Switchblade transducer arm. 5. Safety flag with light. 6. 4-5 rods and reels. 7. C-Tug kayak cart. I break it down and stow the base behind the seat and the wheels on the bow. 8. Camera case with mounting gear for two action cameras. 9. Paddle 10. Tow / dock rope. Truth be told, I really don't need to bring all of those baits and lures. But we've all been there - we don't want to be out there and then think we should have brought THAT lure. But I think in my next outings I'll cut it down to 2 or 3 Planos to lighten the load a little bit. How much do you pack on your kayak each trip?

If your flip phone has a web browser, you can get yourself a Google account and create personalized maps with Google Maps (not Google Earth, but Google Maps in a web browser). I see way too many people addicted to their smart phones. It becomes an obsession, and that's scary. They need those constant dopamine hits. Thankfully, I don't have that issue. But I would rather spend my time fishing than tapping on my phone.