Kayak Koz

First, some background. I've been running a Garmin UHD 93SV and a HUmminbird Helix 7 on a crossbar on my kayak. There's no transducer on the Humminbird as I just use it for maps and SmartStrike. On the Garmin I have FFS and a GT54 transducer for down imaging, side imaging, and traditional sonar. The issue for me is that running a split screen with FFS and side imaging makes it tough for my old etes to see the things I want to see. Also, my kayak looks out of sorts with one bigger screen and one smaller screen. Over the holidays, Bass Pro was running a special on the new UHD2 93SV (with transducer) for only $899 and after passing on it for weeks I finally purchased it. So now I mounted both 9" units on the crossbar and I can have FFS on the newer unit with better resolution and run imaging and sonar on the other unit. My goal was to network them, but that's an issue for another thread. But the thing is that I still like my Humminbird for mapping and I don't want to lose that. So my solution was to mount it (actually temporarily clamp it) under the crossbar. Granted, some might think it's overkill, especially on a kayak, but I think it will work for me. I can't wait to try it all out next weekend.

Dang - I was going to post that picture. And I live in GA now, so I'm pretty much out of the running already. FWIW, I will never touch sushi.

I learned that I have a lot of down time on the water! Actually, I haven’t done much filming but I plan to make it a routine this year.

My hotels are 4 floors each and during the construction phase we didn't have elevators until just before opening when the inspections were finalized. Going up the first three floors was fine, but I really felt it the last flight of steps. True story - while the elevators were still offline we had to bring up bags of operating supplies and equipment to the rooms. These are things like coffee makers, hair dryers, bath amenities, towels, etc. To ease the pain of four flights of stairs we put groups of two on each landing and ran it like a fire brigade so people had only one flight of stairs to climb at a time.

Maybe. Or it could be as easy as changing a string length parameter. Garmin uses Linux and C and C++ on its modern fish finders.

In an era where data storage is cheap, the lack of ability to save detailed waypoint data is astounding. For example, on my Garmin UHD's the location name is limited to ten characters and the notes are limited tp 20 characters. I'd love it if I had enough characters in the title for the name of the lake and a short description. A longer notes section would allow me to list things like time of day, baits that I used, techniques, etc. This data would not only be great on the lake, but also to export to upload to my computer at home for later use on custom Google maps and planning a future trip to the lake. Again, storage is cheap. I don't see any reason why manufacturers can't do this.

Come to the dark side... Just wait until you see the upgrades I'm making to my kayak this weekend!

I have two Weize 100AH batteries that I use on my kayak and they have been outstanding for years. Why 2 big 100Ah on a kayak? One is for my motor, while the second is for all of my electronics. However, if I ever have a battery failure with motor or somehow run it down I can swap the second 100Ah and get back to the ramp.

Somewhere out there on the internet I'm sure that someone posted a comedy video of me attempting to back my Malone Ecolight kayak trailer down the ramps in my Bronco Sport. I was trying to use the rear view camera to back down the ramp and it was a disaster. When I was younger I had no problem backing up the family camper or boat, so I knew I could do it. Then it dawned on me - I went Old School. I popped open the rear hatch on my Bronco, reached my right arm around back of the passenger seat, turned and looked over my should. Bingo! Someone here on BR also mentioned buying a tongue extender, and that made it easier. Looking over my should with the hatch open also enables me to back up making tight turns if needed. I'm now confident backing up in any situation.

The Kayak Monkey got me again yesterday. It had been a while, but I finally succumbed. This time I added a Garmin UHD2 93SV that was on sale for the third time in the past month for only $899 including the GT54 transducer. I already have the older UHD 93SV with a GT54 and Livescope plus a Helix 7 that I use for mapping. Both of these are bolted to my Dugout Bait and Tackle Captain’s bridge. Once my sun shade arrives next week, the plan is to replace the Helix 7 on top with the new unit and with the better resolution use that one for Livescope and use the older Garmin for side scan and maybe down scan. I’ll network them together. Before drilling more holes I need the sun shade to test the fit. Because I drill to mount to the bridge instead of a track system, I think I can mount the Helix underneath the bridge and still use it for my Humminbird SmartStrike maps. I was previously using a split screen on the Garmin, but it was tough to make out details with my old eyes.

So what you’re saying is that when he felt the line getting heavy he had to “mussel” it on?

To say that I’m shocked and saddened would be an understatement. I hope those close to him can work through their grief and celebrate his legacy and his life.

Why is your house staged like a tackle shop???

While most of my baitcasters are Shimanos. I wouldn't say I'm loyal to them. I have a few Daiwas but I'm not really a fan of those. The reel on my skipping rod is a Lew' and I love that. Because I like Kistler rods, I bought one of their baitcasters this year and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't care if it's a knock off of a knock off. I just know I like it enough to be part of my base arsenal. Any reel is going to land fish. Whatever is comfortable in your hand and with your bank account is just fine.

Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. On a side note, I remember when the year 2000 seemed magical and far away and now here we are bearing down on 2026.

If you enjoy the kayak, consider upgrading to one that is 12.5' - 13.5' in length. It will change everything for you. I run my AP120 out on big lakes with no problems, even in windy weather.

It’s creepy out there at night. Every sound is amplified. It’s not for the faint of heart. But catching a bass on a top water in blackout conditions is exhilarating.

We’re open! It was down to the wire but we fixed enough of the contractor issues to open. It will probably take 3-4 months to to fix all of the details. I’m exhausted. But I probably won’t have a day off for another two weeks. We have a green staff and I need to be there to support them. We did a press release at 4:30 this afternoon and by 6:30 the press was at our hotel.

The reason I enjoy my kayak is because it gives me a much closer connection to nature and the water than being in a boat. My energy levels run in peaks and valleys, and getting out in nature on my kayak is how I recharge my batteries. When I'm out there fishing for fun, my mind quite literally goes blank. I'm not thinking about work, family, or even fishing. It becomes my Zen place. If you've followed me on this forum, you know I've hemmed and hawed about buying a boat. Just a month or two ago I was in the dealer showroom ready to pull the trigger on a 17 foot Lowe boat. But I backed out at the last minute. The primary reason is that I really, really like being out there on the kayak. This despite the fact that it's slow as molasses out there. But to compensate, I've rigged my trailer with a winch and set it up so I can quickly put it in the water or take it out. Boat guys won't be yelling at me for blocking the ramp. By being able to do this quickly I can easily drive off to another ramp as needed. Between purchases and upgrades to my kayak and trailer I have probably $20k into the whole thing. But comparing what I spend on that to just buying a Tracker is great for grins, especially among boaters that think it's ridiculous, but it's not fair. It's about the enjoyment that I get out there and what I consider my best bang for my buck. Boats are great and I have nothing against them. In my opinion, they just seem more like "go, go, go" when what my mind and body need are the peace and tranquility that I found out on my kayak.

Thanks. Me too. But I'll accept a few extra days off to go out of town and fish for a bit. I have a tournament on Seminole next month and I'd like to pre-fish.

Food and Beverage.

Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA.

We're now two days away from opening my two new Marriott hotels. When I arrived at the project in March, we were supposed to open in July. Now it's December. Construction has been a nightmare. Sub contractors have been incompetent at best. We'll be fixing a lot of their work for the next six months, especially the detail work. I can't remember the last time I had a day off. Wait - I took off Thanksgiving day. But that's it since early November. Last Wednesday at the end of the day Marriott told us we would open mid-January. Three hours later the President of my company asked if I could get us open in 9 days. Wait - what? I thought I had another month. I told him that my team would be ready, but I doubt the punch team could fix all of the contractor errors throughout the hotel in that time. When the Marriott trainers arrived on property 7 days out they were not happy to see construction still going on. A day later they told the Marriott opening Manager they would not sign off on opening our hotels (we're two hotels under one roof). I told them that they should not underestimate my team and we would be ready. They scoffed. They whispered among themselves how ticked off they were that they had to be here. They're eating crow right now. My amazing team rallied and by t minus 1 day we'll be ready. The Marriott corporate folks that scoffed at us a few days ago have changed their tune. They're singing the praises of my team. Me? I knew they could do it and I'm thankful for every one of them. We have an amazing property with two brands, a restaurant, a bar, an outdoor Beer Garden, an outdoor covered stage with live entertainment, and we connect to 65,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. The entire city, county, and state have been waiting for us to open and we're almost there. I still don't know when I'll get a day off. My F&B Director doesn't start for a week, so besides running two hotels I'll also be running F&B for a while. I have no idea when I'll get a chance to fish again. The 2026 GA Bass Nation Kayak series actually began last weekend on Lanier, but I had to work. We hit Seminole next month, and I'm scheduled to fish a Bassmaster event in February. But the hotel already has sold out dates on the books those months, so who knows if I can get away. What would be ironic is if after putting in all this work, that $2 I spent on a Powerball ticket lands me the billion dollar jackpot. Anyway, the picture below is of the hotel lobby and restaurant area as we were putting the hotel together.

If I was in the market for a new kayak, this would be one that I would consider.

I don’t fish rivers in my Autopilot, but I will push up creek channels. If I do have to paddle at some point, I am also usually able to find a pool to spot lock. If river fishing is your thing, you’re better off with a Hobie fin pedal drive and a Torqeedo.