schplurg

The Delta is about the only thing keeping me in California.

If you're l;ooking for a paddle yak Old Town makes a Sportsman 106 for $999. I just bought the pedal version and it's great. Not sure how fast it is paddling, they probably make make better ones for that, but it's a top quality brand of kayak and they have great prices.

I could swear I saw an electric kayak cart on CraigsList several days ago. It looked homemade and I'm not positive what they meant by "electric". Maybe I imagined it heh

Was all loaded up to hit mossdale today but personal issues came up and now I'm not. Looks like a great day, supposedly low wind. Oh well. I'm goin tomorrow probably instead. Little warmer but I need to get out or I'm gonna go nuts here!

That's a good long trip! I thought you were serious about getting an SUV I will get a new cart. I managed to break my PVC one a little with my Ride 115, though I was trying to go down cement stairs with it haha. Pro Tip: My DIY cart design doesn't work well on cement stairs. I believe you told me (Koz) earlier that you couldn't do the PVC cart for your new rig and now I see why. My new yak is much heavier with pedals in it than the old Ride 115. Time to upgrade. We need a cart you can operate with the pedals/motor/rudder while sitting in the yak! Or maybe a Caryak.

I do need to not be lazy letting my baits swing, and yes I eventually had to unwrap one haha. Dum dum! I use velcro clear covers over my baits to keep them from tangling in the van. These are great! They can be seen in the vid somewhere. Just started using them. Maybe I will put them on between uses. There is a horizontal "rod holder" I used a few times which was pretty cool. Slide the butt end under the seat and a little groove keeps it in place hanging over the bow. Pretty cool, I used to lay them down in my old yak and this is a nice simple addition. I love the forward facing rod holder, the one I used after landing the fish. Very nice for rigging and de-hooking. The empty yak is only 76 pounds, 107 fully loaded with the rudder and pedal drive, according to their site.. I've tried waiting to add the pedal drive until after it was in the water. Whichever is easier on my back is what I will do in the future. Interesting idea doing it from in the yak like you said instead of leaning down from the dock. Good tip I will try it! There is zero play in the rudder. The rudder is great. The boat reacts to every movement I make with it, and getting the boat to go straight and stay that way is very easy. 0 There's a tension knob I can loosen or tighten that can lock the rudder in place. I examined the way the cables are attached to the rudder, and the mounts swivel so the wire doesn't bemd. Seems like a solid system. The tension knob tends to loosen over time as I use the rudder, my hand must rub against it. I'm thinking about running a lever (stick?) from the right side under the seat so I can steer right handed too. I'd like to be able to do that, but small gripe. I've only used it in light wind. I actually liked the way it pushed me straight along docks and shore. I never had to turn the yak really to adjust it. Standing and sitting. I need more hours on the water before I can really say anything about the wind though. Once I hit the Delta then I can answer haha! One thing I wish was different was the size of the hatch openings. I wish the rear one would fit the battery I may one day buy. Lithium for trolling motor. I sit pretty forward in the yak and I feel like some weight in the rear would be helpful. Hey Koz could you get a little quad bike or golf cart to tow it around? You use it at your hotel primarily, correct? I have a friend who can't use his legs at all. He rides a quad on his property and pulls his small aluminum boat to his pond with it.

I ordered mine online and picked it up the next day. Had to give them time to set it up. Gas was $50 so we paid the same in shipping lol. Eco was one online store I checked and it was indeed November. Others were 4-6 weeks with $200 shipping. I went to Old Town website, checked a map of local retailers and kept trying until I found a store with stock. Kayak City site said in stock August 12th I think so I waited that few days. One day it said "in stock" and I pounced. Anyone within driving distance that's where to go. They don't ship.

That sucks, but on the other hand I appreciate a bass who can inflict damage on me. It's only fair I figure. A worthy adversary!

This is where you went wrong! They don't like that! Just kidding! I went out recently and told myself that no matter what happened that day I would have a good time doing it (someone suggested that to me), and I tied my PB. New kayak PB at least. I don't believe in magic but it can't hurt to have fun

The supply at least retail-wise is terrible which is why I jumped on this. I know where they are in stock near Sacramento. Everyone else is still backordered, last I looked. Kayak City. Owner said he had to order a truckload because the shipping is insane right now. You can't order just one, it's too expensive that way. I drove 2.5 hours to get it each way and was happy to be able do so.

Air quality, temperature and wind all look good for a Mossdale launch in the next few days. I may do it.

Many lakes in Cali are "owned". I had an interesting talk last weekend about the lake my Dad lives on, the water rights etc. Learned a lot. I, like you, didn't realize how much of it isn't controlled by the state. There's been fighting and corruption surrounding California water for a very very long time. It's a mess. Can't wait to see what happens if it doesn't rain again this year. Or next. For me, the writing is on the wall: "The desert wants Cali back, leave soon"

I see 100ah lithium batteries on Amazon for as little as $400. Here is a link to the Amazon search I did. I assume they are all Chinese or Korean and I've never heard of any of them. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=100ah+LiFePO4+deep+cycle+battery&ref=nb_sb_noss Has anyone heard of any of these "companies"? Should they be trusted? Do you know any that can be at these prices? These are 25 pounds vs 120+ pounds for an AGM. At that weight and price (or near it) I may actually put a motor in my new yak. Too good to be true?

I will check his vids, looks like the same guy I ordered the prop and pins from. I've seen a few of his vids. Thanks for the tips! I am going to make my own insert piece for the hole that the PDL goes through. This: https://navarrekayakfishing.com/shop/old-town-drive-inserts/ Brand new they are $70-75 bucks. No thanks! I was going to make it from a 3/4 inch thick cutting board (HDPE) but even that is $30. I decided to go with wood and seal it. How many times a year will I use it? Once? If more than I will go with the plastic later. I mention this because if it goes well I could make more if anyone wants them, or simply share the pattern I make.

This is the Bay Area, most lakes don't allow float tubes or boats right now. Ten acre pond, forget it. I fish over junk like that all the time and unless you're catching large fish, just drag them over the top of it. I use M/F 10# mono and have never broken off due doing this, or even draging them through it. I always try and bring fish over the top of a mat.

"Hope the launch ramp isn't too busy"

Great minds think alike! I made one, it's the orange thing somewhere in my video. I used it with my old yak once or twice. I hope I don't regret not getting the longer yak. Actually the only thing I wonder is if it's any faster. I can't see a foot and a half adding too much speed though. I do like the shorter size and lighter weight of the 106. I was surprised at how much noise the drive makes when I had the yak on saw horses in the garage. I also thought the pedals would be easier to turn (out of the water). I ordered a second prop and some shear pins today.

Lessons learned from the article: - station wagons are now called SUVs - a large boat on top of a crushed car "appears to" have been detached from a tow trailer - boats survive auto crashes better than cars - stupid boaters are also stupid on land Favorite quote: "It was heading straight towards me," Marcia Procopio, the woman behind the wheel of the SUV said. "I was going to try to jump out of the car because I knew I couldn't avoid it." Edit to add: Where's the trailer? Sure it wasn't a roof rack malfunction?

I'm up for that! This yak has a mounting area for a mini power-pole. I wonder if it would support a motor. Gonna have to find out.

No it's my Dad's lake, whatever it's called haha. I wondered if people would think it's Disco. There are a lot of big homes in a few areas and lots of docks, the rest is normal shoreline. Grassy areas, rocky areas, depends on where you're at. Check it out man! I saw two bass boats in three days (and talked to one guy) and a few pleasure craft. Saw a nice bikini-clad gal on a paddleboard too. And it's almost all No Wake in that general area. I've never really fished docks before so was extra cautious - careful not to cast too close (and hit one). Most homes are empty during the week at least, my Dad lives there and has for a few decades. The bigger fish I caught was one dock away from his. Didn't even need the yak probably. Figures. The fish have been fat lately. I really like fishing there, and now with the yak it'll be one of my go-to places. Delta too I hope.

I bought a new kayak! Now I'm really wanting to hit the Delta. I see Lithium 100 ah batteries for a little over $400 on Amazon. Trolling motor may be in my future as well.

Thanks! LOL ya I'm not sure why I did that! I've noticed that a few times before too. And watching the video makes me realize I need to change my overall fish landing and handling in the yak. Sure is fun!

Just bought a brand new Old Town Sportsman PDL 106! The below video shows me launching it for the first time, my first time pedaling a yak, my first fat bass caught in it, and me just playing around and fishing in it over 3 days. By the way I make no money on Youtube, it's all just fun for me. I've talked a lot here about how I didn't like kayak fishing, but I decided it was mainly because of the paddle and the lack of stability of my WS Ride 115. I took a shot and went for the Sportsman PDL and man it has changed my mind completely! I love this kayak! The pedals are the big game changer. My tendinitis is a problem for paddling, but equally frustrating is grabbing an 8 foot paddle all the time. The pedals make going distances much easier for me, and the ability to make hands-free micro changes forward and backwards as I drift by docks or reeds is a massive benefit. I went with the pedal drive for hands free reverse. There was no possibility of me wanting a Hobie style fin drive. And I never used a paddle in all 3 days. Yes!!! Stability! My Ride 115 never impressed me as far as stability goes. It worried me because some people say it is really stable. Well not compared to the Sportsman. I stood up and turned around to get something under my seat and it was like I was on the gound. I would have felt tippy in my Ride 115. Standing and pitching is so much easier. I used to watch Greg Blanchard standing and wonder why he didn't look shaky when he stands. Now I know why...better yak. The kayak tracks well. It stays straight even when I'm just drifting so I'm not constantly spinning out of position. The seat is very strong and is made for big ol' XXXL Americans (which I am not). It is welded, that was the first thing I noticed about the yak, and it has nuts and bolts to keep the parts together, not rivets like my AirMax Pro seat. Or AirPro Max or whatever. I averaged 3.7 mph hour pedaling the 3/4 mile from the launch to my Dad's dock, against a slight breeze. It was my first time in a pedal yak and my legs were toast right away! I took many 10 second rests. Made good time really. The next day I pedaled and fished a couple miles no problem. Going point A to point B is a workout (don't go full speed Mike!), but once I'm fishing it's so easy. It's not made for speed, this thing cuts through the water like a floating bathtub. Okay not that bad. I considered many yaks in the $1500 range, but the extra $500 I paid bought me one of the best pedal drives (and warranties) plus a lot of other features. It also bought me piece of mind knowing that this is a well built yak that should last a very long time. This is a beautifully designed and engineered yak. I can tell that years of trial and error went into this. Everything is right where it should be. If anyone has questions I will answer them as best I can. I am very happy with this kayak. $2000 is a lot of money to me and it was worth every penny. I recommend anyone looking at a cheaper pedal yak to think twice about buying one. There is a giant leap in quality between the price ranges, especially with Old Town. This is something I will use for years to come so why skimp? I love fishing more than anything.

Caught my first fish with my Grampa, but Glenn, Bassresource and sa whole bunch of other internet folk taught me most of what I know. I never had an avid fisherman in my life to teach me.

I've used both for a few decades. Just too much wear and tear over the years.