dickenscpa

Sorry for the delay, tax season is kicking my tail. I have used it in shallow, rocky areas with significant current and it works well. The pole that comes with it is blunt and you can sharpen it to a point. The owner advised me to use it without sharpening at first because he thought it worked better. If I'm scooting along with my 230# plus the weight of a Hobie PA, I can deploy the pole and I can feel it scoot across rocks a few inches and then I stop. As with any rear pole anchor depending on current and wind you can pivot. Yakgagdet also makes this piece that's a pole and/or paddle holder with a hole to put a stakeout pole as well. It attaches to your H-rail if you have a Hobie or your track on another kayak. If I feel I'm pivoting around and want to face a certain direction, I stick that stake out pole thru the hole and I'm solid. I have either an 8 or 9' pole I forget it's back there unless I need to deploy it. But I have a big wide kayak. The only thing that got me and it only took one launch to rectify is I put the collar a bit high so when it wasn't in use it hung down a bit low. When I put my cart underneath and lifted the front to pull it, the pole dragged the ground. I lifted the pole by lowering the collar so it matched the level of my stowed rudder everything has been rosy since. I actually fished a tournament a week or two ago and the temp was in the 20s and the wind was high 20s with gusts to 40. I tied for first but the lake was almost 6' low and there's a lot of rock. This is a dammed lake that was generating plus the wind and I remember thinking I was glad I had that pole as opposed to fooling with a drop weight anchor every few minutes.

I use a manual micro anchor. Was gonna get the power micro anchor and saw so many YT vids of problems I backed off. The owner of my local shop is also an owner of Yakgadget and their manufacturing is local. For $199 I got the apparatus that connected to the boat and an 8" pole. It's really solid and they make them specifically for the Hobie and other boats as well. With the Hobie it mounts where that plate is on the back and then the rear grab H-Rail. Solid as a rock. I'm a shallow water guy anyway and I let the rope down and I'm anchorched, then pull it up and take off. I used it a lot in Nov and most of Dec and then at the beginning of January we got rare mid TN snow and ice since so no fishing for me.

I'm a lifelong cyclist and the pedal motion of the Hobie tripped me up at first. I've had my Hobie since 4/30/21 and still getting used to that motion somewhat. I will say with the Hobie you start moving with the first stroke and it's more efficient, but I could go faster with a traditional pedal motion. You will hit a wall with a prop style that no matter how much faster you pedal you won't go faster. But that speed is faster than I've ever gotten in my Hobie. On the flip side if I'm battling wind or current going directly against either or both, much less effort to get out of it whereas I'd have to really crank to get out with a prop. I also enjoy being able to flutter my fins in shallow water and still get somewhere or bring the fins up against the boat to float over an obstacle or lock the pedals so they're flat against the boat in shallow as opposed to hitting the obstacle or having to remove the drive altogether in a prop style. I hit a stump under water with my prop style and had to do a warranty claim, in the Hobie the fins kick up and when I start pedaling again they go back down. So it's six of one half dozen of another for me on type of drive. I don't do a motor for two reasons - 1) Don't want to go thru registering like my boat and 2) Local KBF in TN doesn't allow any type of motor in tournaments at all. Really don't want to fool with pleasure fishing with a motor and taking everything off to fish the tournament.

I was mulling over the last PA 12 360 here at my local shop, brought my best friend down to look at it and help me make my decision. He made a decision and loaded it up and I was without. I did find one in stock an extra 30 miles out and bought one myself. I did however go with the 180 turbo fin with kick up. I like the 360 concept and not poo pooing on it but I've been burned so many times on a first year or two of a new product. There's probably thousands without a problem but I'd be "that" guy that did. The 180 is tried and true and the rest of the boat is perfect for me. My best friend did snap some belt in the interior of his boat that worked with the drive. He doesn't fish tournaments like I do and can be without easier than I can and has better patience. When fishing with my buddy I haven't really seen a whole lot of advantage, we switch up boats occasionally but I can go faster with the 180. He can hold a position marginally better at times but I have a micro anchor. I do have a kayak trailer just because and prefer that method. However, extra set of axles extra set of problems. If I'm 50 miles and in I trailer. When I fish a tournament at Chickamaugua and live in mid TN that's a haul. I have an Avalanche and flip my midgate and keep the bed cover on. I don't have to remove anything from the boat or the bed cover and just slide it in. I strap it in and maybe 2' hangs over the tailgate. Red flag is always on the back anyway and I truck along. Hobie wheels that go into the scupper holes and you're set. I didn't do the cart mod I just lift the back with one arm and slip the wheels in, don't remove anything from the boat and I don't flip it on its side. The Hobie PA is my 3rd kayak and I love it. My boat hasn't gotten wet since I bought my first kayak in Sep 2019.

I had this issue come up back when I was running a Pescador Pilot. I screwed in some additional tracking and did not have access to the inside hull either. I installed 4 tracks to mine and 3 of them I just screwed every other screw in that came with it and used marine goop. The 4th one I knew would get a little torque on it so I used marine goop and used every screw. To be clear I was using the self tapping screws after drilling a pilot hole. On that 4th track I had a yakattack rod holder and my yakattack safety flag with light. One of the other 3 had a yakattack rod holder on it as well but no flag and only every other screw. I use my rod holders solely as a place to put it while I'm fishing with another rod I do not troll. I'm not sure I would trust many tracks for trolling unless it was not only bolted and nutted but in a spot that was recessed in to the molding like quite a few are from the factory. It's surprising how stout adding marine goop or whatever sealant you choose makes it.

Have you ever seen an ugly that just bleeds thru the thickest of fabric? I do have a smoking hot wife though. We've been married 25 years and she still looks like she is in her 20s. I tell her ALL the time that she has horrible taste in men.

If they don't extend tax season for the 3rd year in a row I might join the "flotilla" on Watts Bar in June. Take a few pics at the ramp and see if any of the pros talk to me. I just hope my facial features don't push them away. I'm hideous and scare small children. I'd like to meet KVD, Ott, DC and Jordan Lee. I tend to watch a lot of Ott Defoe and Jacob Wheeler videos on YT because throughout the year they film a lot of videos on my home waters and I pick them for any info I can. Guess I'd like to meet Jacob as well.

I carry way more tackle on my kayak than I did my boat. I never fished tournaments in my boat and kinda mailed it in when I fished. I had one tackle box and very little in it and most of it was old and crusty. A spinnerbait or two, one or two crank baits and a few bags of soft plastics or what was left of the bag. A few assortments of terminal tackle. If they weren’t biting what little I had in the boat I was done. When I got serious about tournament fishing I realized I needed options.

I have incredible balance, especially for a new inductee to the 50 yr old club, I can still do a standing splits. However, I'm also north of 200# so I can't stand on the bow like Kristine Fischer. BTW, I met Kristine Fischer at one of my local tournaments and talked to her once. She is TINY. She is also one of the most genuine and sweet people you'd ever meet. Before I bought my Hobie PA I had a kayak with traditional bicycle style pedals. Being an avid cyclist for so long and still today I have a blue million sets of clipless pedals laying around. I had the bright idea that I could stand, clip in one foot and pedal. Standing and balance no problem - steering was a problem. I scrapped it pretty quickly because cycling shoes wreak havoc on your deck and no traction whatsoever with a sole made of metal and carbon fiber. LOL! It was kinda one of those ideas I had that was the classic "looks good on paper" not in reality. I have not even entertained this in my Hobie. I love my Hobie but being so in to cycling for so long the way you pedal a Hobie is still not instinctual to me.

I've been sitting in my truck, next in line to drop in and someone will whip right in front of me. I'm usually on the look out when someone pulls in in case they try that, but sometimes you miss it and you get cut. I've also been sitting on the water waiting to get out and had someone cut in front. It doesn't really fly around here either and I don't take it laying down, but you can only go so far before you cross that line and Po-Po gets called. I did get mad at a guy once and made him pull completely out, get at the back of the line and I launched. You have to use your head though. They see my vehicle and trailer and I can only piddle fish around the ramp so long before I can no longer see the parking lot or my truck and my vehicle is available to be "touched inappropriately."

Lots of tourneys on my local water hole but I've NEVER had an issue with another fisherman on a "spot." It's always been "which way you going? Mind if I fish behind?" or something like "Hey I'm not cutting you off I'm just going around you and going back there." I've had those type things said to me and I've said those type things to others. I've never been unpolite and I've never had anyone approach me rudely either. It's just always worked out for me in a friendly manner. Now jet skiers and other type skiers have even zoomed around me in no wake zones or buzzed around me when 50yds away there's 200 more acres of water just like I'm sitting in. I've had a few words with those types but nothing that evolved. On the flip side, those nice polite fisherman out on the water where we share spots politely or give each other courtesy turn into anuses at the boat ramp. Launching or loading out you can sit there next in line and someone will cut in front of you very blatantly. In my kayak it's really no factor I rarely use the ramp, I prefer the grass to the side and it's friendlier to the bottom of my kayak. In my boat people will cut in front of you getting in or out.

Ditto! I'm a gym rat played baseball in college, kickboxed and BJJ pretty much all my life - never had a back problem. I was carrying a china cabinet from basement level garage with concrete floor up stairs to my mother in law's kitchen. It was one of those where the top separates from the bottom. At the top of the stairs was a landing and 90* to my left was the door. My wife's sister took her shoes off and left them on the top at the landing. I was carrying the top part and couldn't see my feet. Stepped on her shoes and fell to the bottom and hit concrete with a cabinet on top of me. I didn't break any bones but for a period of time my back hurt. I hit the gym 6 days a week, kayak fish and shoot archery competitively as well as bow hunt. Never a concern using my back - HOWEVER, I can turn funny to pick up a glass of water and be on my knees. It's the weirdest, most mindless things that will catch my back. Sometimes I can start to turn and do something and can almost "feel" like my back is about to catch and if I stop and slowly back up and start over I'm ok. ***More on topic, one of the allures of kayak fishing to me is the ability to sit and fish and still be close to the water and lip the fish. I sit in my "Bill Dance" chair on my bass boat but when I catch a fish I have to get up and kneel down. I've had 3 knee surgeries those days are done. I have very good balance and fish out of a Hobie PA so when I want to stand and work a jerk bait or stretch my legs it's no issue, but I prefer to sit.

I have an Onyx inflatable and an NRS Raku. I have more confidence in the NRS since there's really nothing that can make it fail, but man is it uncomfortable and hot to boot in summer temps. I always wear one in the Hobie while on the water but sometimes if it's hot or I don't feel like it riding up my back as I sit and fish, I'll wear the inflatable.

I have two Yeti coolers, the hard Yeti 18 or 20(?) and the softer square one. The weight has never affected me, it's more space. I have a Hobie PA that has size for days but if I put it behind my H-Crate I can't reach my cooler from my chair. If I put it in front, I can't reach my tackle. My previous kayak had an open bow and I kept it up there and no problems, but the Hobie PA has that closed front hatch and neither cooler fits in there.

I bought my Hobie before this shortage hit but I was driving a 2006 truck and my wife's car was a 2008 - both decided to lay over and die within 6 mos of each other. Due to their age and the repairs needed, it was not worth putting that kind of money into two old vehicles. So...I wound up having to replace both at probably the worst time to buy vehicles in a long while. Compounded by my son going off to college and needing a vehicle for his sophomore year. He was sharing my wife's car and it was "ok" for a while but it started getting to the point of his job upgrading, school responsibilities upgrading, etc that it was inconveniencing my wife and I as well. Our daughter is only 11 so she 100% has to be carted around and it was getting to the point me and/or my wife was having to be in two places at once more often than not. It does suck! LOL!

I'm pretty sure the Josh Sharpe that fishes here lives in Franklin, TN. I think. Rus Snyders wins everything here local. He's won AOY '18, '19 and '20 and he's leading the AOY race in KBF and Hobie BOS this year. Pretty hard for me to compete with someone of his caliber on my skillset. LOL! But it's fun and only $37 a pop. Josh Stewart is the only guy that has qualified for the Tennvitational every year since it's been in existence. So for a lot of us when we sign up for a tournament and see any of those names we know we're donors.

Getting my limit doesn't seem to win me anything! LOL! I can find fish, a pattern and catch a few. My problem is I can never get on size. I can whip out five 12-15"ers but in my local KBF Trail I got Rus Snyders, Josh Sharp, Josh Stewart and Josh Skelton. Which is fine, it's my job to beat them, but three of those guys are full time national pros so they spend a lot more time scouting etc. Plus Chad Hoover lives maybe 15 miles from me so a lot of people in his org will get close to the top as well. I'm not complaining, all of those people are really nice and helpful but Old hickory and Percy Priest aren't really known as bass meccas but they seem to always find 5 in that 20-22" range and the rest of us carry a 14-15" average. Like the one I just finished was limited to Old Hickory, Percy Priest and Center Hill Lake (I'm hoping being from TN you're a little familiar with those three). Out of 48 anglers I finished 12th with 81.25" and for these waters that's not bad. 1st-->8th place was well over 100" and 9th --> 28th was 79-84". The balance were people who didn't get a 5 fish limit or skunked. There have been Elite, FLW and BFLs, Toyota, etc here in the past where a daily 7-8lb bag won it.

This is what I do. It does something to my psyche and takes a weight off me just to have my limit. I might not catch any bigger fish afterwards but it relaxes me and if I do it tends to come after getting a limit.

Heat "soak" is one that I forgot. I've heard it called sink, soak and seep. I bought a new 1992 17' Bumblebee in 1992 and it had a 115 Merc on it that I had to handle with kid gloves. Heat soak was something I had to keep in the back of my mind at all times. Also, if say I was going to a spot a ways out and was on plane for a while and trimmed the motor accordingly, when I began to slow down nearing my spot I couldn't idle along very far at all after a long ride or I would get the overheat alarm. I could trim the motor all the way down and just sit and the alarm would go off. I would have to shut the motor off a while. C&O Marine who is a very respected business scratched their head for a while and couldn't figure it out. They politely asked me if I was sure I knew how to trim a motor. I told them I thought I did after all those years but I'm not above making a mistake. Flippers is less than a mile from C&O so we rode down there and to be honest if I was doing something wrong I needed to know. So we launched and he told me drive like I normally do. I did and we got the alarm and he confirmed I did nothing wrong, but they never could make it stop.

Vapor lock or maybe something called Heat "sink" or heat "seep." I had both on my previous boat. If I ran the big motor for quite a while and stopped to fish, if I trimmed the motor up fishing shallow (the way it was explained to me) hot gasoline would trickle back into the carb and it wouldn't start for a while. Not sure I explained it right or if the mechanic who explained it to me was full of crap, but I quit doing that and never had that issue again. When I first got this boat it was the first boat I'd had with a knob on the outside of the gunnel to vent the gas tank. If I got to the lake and launched I could run about as long as I wanted but if I stopped and shut the motor down it wouldn't start back up. I got back to the ramp, got home and was frustrated in the driveway and a neighbor walked over and I told him what happened and he said, "gas vent is shut." Never had that problem again either. I had a bass boat from 16 yrs old until a few months ago and I'm 49 now. I sold it and dived head first in to kayak tournaments. My first boats were dinosaurs that would strand me by breaking down and being old and worn out. Around 27 I could afford nicer boats and got stranded a couple times out of ignorance. LOL! I had to burn my hand on the stove a time or two to know it was hot. I think that's why I've gotten so into kayaks. I actually cover WAY more water in my kayak not worried about getting stranded. Nothing like paddling a 20' bass boat with a half paddle a few miles.

I never knew what that meant either and only saw it once. I guessed in my head what it meant, but I never thought to ask and I was wrong. LOL!

I didn't realize anyone had responded here. I talked to Garmin and I was pretty sure the transducer was bad but they wanted to try a new little 8" Y cable first. A little ticked at that but they overnighted it and of course it didn't solve the problem. I told them the transducer wasn't clicking from day one. I was a bit fed up so I was going to return it to Academy where I bought it and they have the most liberal return policy I've ever seen so I buy a lot there. Well, no returns or exchanges on electronics. I called and got Garmin support on the phone immediately (very lucky there) and they told Academy to give me a new unit and send the bad one to them and they would refund Academy or send another unit. The new one didn't have any of those problems the previous one had from day one nor has it developed any of the others. So I guess the way it worked out for me I got a bit lucky with the store exchange as opposed to waiting forever on a ship back and forth switch out. I didn't realize Academy had that policy on electronics, which is probably written somewhere so that's on me - BUT I thought it was cool of them to at least be open to me calling Garmin and see what they said.

I just posted about mine two days ago a couple threads down. I'm having a few problems with mine.

You may just have to sit and watch one day and see what the majority of boaters are doing. I do know around here if you tied off to the ramp someone would back a trailer down out of spite and hit your boat.

I agree with A-Jay, don't rush and risk injury or forget something critical. I have a philosophy and I actually live by this. I have teenagers for kids now, but if I'm at a restaurant and hear a baby cry I don't sweat it. People used to hear my kids cry and now I hear other kids cry. If I'm waiting in line at the grocery store and someone is having problems checking out or has to do a price check, no biggie. I wait on people without complaining and in turn I don't get nervous when people wait on me. If I'm leaving the water and about to load up - I pull up to the courtesy dock. If the ramps are on the right side of the courtesy dock I tie off over to the left side of the dock out of people's way. I go to the lot and get in my truck and just wait in line and back my truck down. Walk to boat and pull it on the trailer. Immediately I pull out of everyone's way to finish tying everything down and getting the boat road ready. Now if your courtesy dock is between two ramps you can either tie off at the end and it is what it is, power pole down close to the bank so you can walk off onto shore or just tie of at the shore. I wouldn't tie off on the ramp though. The time walking from the ramp to your truck and getting back with your truck, two boats could've launched. Just tie off somewhere and get your truck in line. You're in the same boat (no pun intended) as everyone else there. I've learned in my 49 years that 99% of people don't have the ba!!s to say anything, .05% say something from a distance and I ignore them and .05% you might want to take a BJJ class or two. LOL! Don't worry and enjoy your boat. Worry is the interest paid on nothing.