That was easier than I thought

[Koz]

So one of the concerns I had at my new home was launching my kayak from the high dock or sea wall. In the past I've launched from the shoreline or boat ramp, and that meant wading into the water to launch. That's fine most of the year, but not when the water gets cold.

 

On my first launch off the dock, I put the pedal drive, electronics and battery (my transducer arm and head unit are all mounted to a YakAttack Cellblok), rods, and tackle box on the dock. I attached a tow line to the kayak, pushed it over the edge of the sea wall, then pulled it over to the dock ladder. It's a few steps down the ladder to the kayak, but I made it while holding on to the dock.

 

Then I brought everything on board one at a time and mounted the CellBlok to the rail. Except I dropped one of my rail adapter plates and it went under the deck plate so my electronics assembly was a bit wobbly. When I finished my excursion I pulled up to the dock, unloaded everything, and then climbed out.

 

Getting out of the kayak was a bit interesting as there are no hand holds on the dock. I'll install a cleat this coming weekend.

 

For the next attempt I loaded the kayak first, but getting in and out with everything on the rail was a pain. It would be too easy to make a mistake and take a swim.

 

So now I pulled everything off the CellBlok and will Velcro the battery unit behind the seat. On one side of the rail I'll mount the head unit and on the other the over-the-rail YakAttack Switchblade transducer arm.

 

Anyway, the weather was nice but the fishing was lousy. I stayed close to home and from the looks of it there are some areas that will be productive in the warmer weather. I saw a few fish on my electronics, but nothing was biting. I fished just the rip rap and grassy shorelines, but there is a big hump out in deeper water that I will explore next. I'll also go hit some docks on the far side of the creek channel.

 

So, overall it's not the pain I thought it would be. But it would be a lot easier if I was younger or at least dropped a few pounds. That's something to strive for. My only regret is the winter months coming up and the shorter daylight hours. But come spring I have a feeling that I'll be out there every day after work.

 

 

[GreenPig]

Excellent. You'll have those fish figured out soon.

[Darth-Baiter]

that there is one of the superpowers of a kayak.  i roll mine stairs at my secret spot on the Delta.  stairs!  coming up admittedly SUCKS!!  i pull it up naked.  last time i still managed to tweak my back.  

[flyfisher]

11 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

that there is one of the superpowers of a kayak.  i roll mine stairs at my secret spot on the Delta.  stairs!  coming up admittedly SUCKS!!  i pull it up naked.  last time i still managed to tweak my back.  

Not sure if this will work on stairs but I have found that when using a cart and having to go up a steep incline it is exponentially easier to put the cart towards the front third and lift the stern and push up the incline.  I used to always pull up the hill and one day said why not try pushing it and it is so much easier.  I can use my skeleton to hold the weight of the kayak because my arms are extended and then just walk up the hill.  

[Darth-Baiter]

i should photograph these stairs.  they are nuts!!  

 

 

[Koz]

5 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Not sure if this will work on stairs but I have found that when using a cart and having to go up a steep incline it is exponentially easier to put the cart towards the front third and lift the stern and push up the incline.  I used to always pull up the hill and one day said why not try pushing it and it is so much easier.  I can use my skeleton to hold the weight of the kayak because my arms are extended and then just walk up the hill.  

 

They key to putting your kayak on a cart and pulling it - especially uphill -  is finding the center of gravity. Miss by a few inches and it's a lot heavier.

 

Here's a video that gives a great demonstration of this:

 

[flyfisher]

Yeah i get that but a lot of the ramps I use on the rivers I frequent are pretty steep and getting to that center of gravity is next to impossible to do.  My goal on flatter ramps and areas is always to basically have the rear a touch heavier so I am basically more holding the front down than lifting up and it works well.  

Going up the steep ramps, even if your arm is holding 20lbs of weight, you are still having to pull 100+lbs up the ramp.  To me, it is easier to push that up the hill and I am not having to stand to the side or whatever.  Bottom line is, do whatever works.  I just wish our river ramps weren't quire as steep as they are.

[Koz]

10 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Yeah i get that but a lot of the ramps I use on the rivers I frequent are pretty steep and getting to that center of gravity is next to impossible to do.  

 

Ramps - piece of cake (sarcasm). For 2 years I pulled 150+ pound of kayak and gear up and down this hill out back of my hotel. Where you see the path end it actually gets steeper and makes a right hand turn. We have guests that get winded just walking up that hill.

 

On hot days after fishing 4 or 5 hours and then pulling it up the hill I thought I would die of heat stroke or a hear attack. I swear, one day I looked so bad after doing that my staff was ready to call an ambulance for me.

 

This was what made me break down and buy a trailer earlier this year.

 

I'm really, really glad I don't have to do that anymore. 

 

[flyfisher]

I'll have to get a picture of the ramps I use because they are shorter and probably steeper which sucks but it is what it is when you want to fish a river that in a big rain can go up 8' lol

 

they are entertaining though when i see the people who aren't used to such a steep ramp try to load or unload their boats with current as that adds a layer of complexity for sure.  The worst is when a group of recreational kayakers decide they want to load up their 5 boats on their subaru outback and clog the entire ramp area for 30 minutes trying to get them balanced like some science project 

[Koz]

11 hours ago, flyfisher said:

I'll have to get a picture of the ramps I use because they are shorter and probably steeper which sucks but it is what it is when you want to fish a river that in a big rain can go up 8' lol

 

they are entertaining though when i see the people who aren't used to such a steep ramp try to load or unload their boats with current as that adds a layer of complexity for sure.  The worst is when a group of recreational kayakers decide they want to load up their 5 boats on their subaru outback and clog the entire ramp area for 30 minutes trying to get them balanced like some science project 

 

When I launch my kayak from a boat ramp I don't want to be "that guy." I park and then load my kayak onto my cart and wheel it down to the ramp and launch alongside the dock while giving the boaters plenty of space to do their thing.

[flyfisher]

Same here.  I figure why block a ramp when I don't need to.  Unfortunately a lot of the ramps here people use as their personal beach which is annoying

[FryDog62]

I spent the last 2 years wheeling my yak on a kayak cart 1/4 mile to a dock to launch. The good news was I could pretty much have everything attached (tackle, gps units, etc.). The bad news was hoisting it in and back out of the water.  Autopilots are a beast!

 

This year I got a trailer and I wet launch and retrieve at the ramp. MUCH easier on the back. The downside is taking absolutely everything off the yak (gps, units, motor, cooler, rods, etc) to tow… then put it all back on at the water, only to take it all off again to tow back home. 
 

Bottom line is that there is quite a process whether you have a bass boat or a fishing kayak. I’m still trying to figure out the most efficient method!

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

@FryDog62 I’m with you.  The AP is a beast for sure. I’m lucky that most of my lakes have a good launch or kayak launch area. I’m usually launching when others aren’t and the ramps are never so busy that  can’t just fish another 10 minutes while someone else loads up. I’ve considered a trailer, mostly to avoid lifting in and out of the truck bed.  I’d also leave my tackle bag in the back (strapped down) and possibly the fish finder and livescope pole. I could at least leave the pole connected electronically.  Then it’s just rods (that id carry after parking) and the motor (which I could install before launching).  Maybe this winter as a winter project. 
 

As it is now, I have to make three trips from boat to truck. I pull the boat out of the bed, flip the rudder, move the net out of the way, and flip out the rod holders.  First load is the motor and helix. I hook up the motor and just leave the helix in the mount. Next is the livescope pole and tackle bag. Both just get dropped into the boat. Lastly, I’ll grab rods and my thermos or ‘other’ if I have anything.  If there are people around I’ll skip this and just move the boat from the ramp to a dock or beach (or spot lock it off the dock) and carry the rest down. Usually that’s not the case though. Once I’m on the water I’ll connect the fish finder and motor wires. Loading back into the truck is similar, though I try to disassemble everything before I’m back on the dock. If it’s empty I’ll dock dump everything while I’m sitting in the boat and load it into the truck while the boats on the dock.  If it’s busy then I’ll make a trip or two to the truck so that loading is just ‘throwing’ the boat in the bed. Either way, it’s a bit of hassle on either end not being able to leave your gear in the boat. Definitely need a system that you stick to (especially fishing in the dark). 

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

@FryDog62 I’m with you.  The AP is a beast for sure. I’m lucky that most of my lakes have a good launch or kayak launch area. I’m usually launching when others aren’t and the ramps are never so busy that  can’t just fish another 10 minutes while someone else loads up. I’ve considered a trailer, mostly to avoid lifting in and out of the truck bed.  I’d also leave my tackle bag in the back (strapped down) and possibly the fish finder and livescope pole. I could at least leave the pole connected electronically.  Then it’s just rods (that id carry after parking) and the motor (which I could install before launching).  Maybe this winter as a winter project. 
 

As it is now, I have to make three trips from boat to truck. I pull the boat out of the bed, flip the rudder, move the net out of the way, and flip out the rod holders.  First load is the motor and helix. I hook up the motor and just leave the helix in the mount. Next is the livescope pole and tackle bag. Both just get dropped into the boat. Lastly, I’ll grab rods and my thermos or ‘other’ if I have anything.  If there are people around I’ll skip this and just move the boat from the ramp to a dock or beach (or spot lock it off the dock) and carry the rest down. Usually that’s not the case though. Once I’m on the water I’ll connect the fish finder and motor wires. Loading back into the truck is similar, though I try to disassemble everything before I’m back on the dock. If it’s empty I’ll dock dump everything while I’m sitting in the boat and load it into the truck while the boats on the dock.  If it’s busy then I’ll make a trip or two to the truck so that loading is just ‘throwing’ the boat in the bed. Either way, it’s a bit of hassle on either end not being able to leave your gear in the boat. Definitely need a system that you stick to (especially fishing in the dark). 

Wondering if you have added a hull travel cover and/or rod tubes while towing? Your situation is different than mine in that you have a truck bed. 
 

I’m thinking of at least leaving the seat in, Blackpak box, cooler, 2 GPS units for shorter trips if under a cover. The rod tubes affixed to the trailer as opposed to inside my Jeep.  Just little things to make it more efficient… 

[flyfisher]

23 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Wondering if you have added a hull travel cover and/or rod tubes while towing? Your situation is different than mine in that you have a truck bed. 
 

I’m thinking of at least leaving the seat in, Blackpak box, cooler, 2 GPS units for shorter trips if under a cover. The rod tubes affixed to the trailer as opposed to inside my Jeep.  Just little things to make it more efficient… 

i used to store my rods in my kayak while traveling and never thought much of it until they started breaking in similar spots.  I used sleeves and the way they laid in the kayak was putting stress in a similar spot on all my rods.  Once I stopped doing that, no more odd breaks.  Now I just put all my rods in my car on the way and it takes all of 5 minutes to load them up.  I have also used ski racks with rod socks to store rods on my trailer before too and they worked fine as long as you have a wide enough spread that they aren't flexing too much.

[FryDog62]

26 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

i used to store my rods in my kayak while traveling and never thought much of it until they started breaking in similar spots.  I used sleeves and the way they laid in the kayak was putting stress in a similar spot on all my rods.  Once I stopped doing that, no more odd breaks.  Now I just put all my rods in my car on the way and it takes all of 5 minutes to load them up.  I have also used ski racks with rod socks to store rods on my trailer before too and they worked fine as long as you have a wide enough spread that they aren't flexing too much.

I looked at those “Rod Pods” and they sure look nice… but $500 to store only 4-5 rod/reel combinations is a bit steep! 

[flyfisher]

17 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I looked at those “Rod Pods” and they sure look nice… but $500 to store only 4-5 rod/reel combinations is a bit steep! 

Yeah they are really cool but I agree, way too pricey.  I am gonna make one this winter  I think.  I have some ideas mulling around in my head and they will be able to store both my conventional and fly rods.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Wondering if you have added a hull travel cover and/or rod tubes while towing? Your situation is different than mine in that you have a truck bed. 
 

I’m thinking of at least leaving the seat in, Blackpak box, cooler, 2 GPS units for shorter trips if under a cover. The rod tubes affixed to the trailer as opposed to inside my Jeep.  Just little things to make it more efficient… 

since I’m by myself in a full sized truck, my rods sit in the passenger seat like prized cargo. They are the last thing I’d transport in the back. When my mother in law was sick and we went home for an indeterminate amount of time, the rods rode shotgun while the dogs were in the back seat. I put a 2’ piece of 4” pvc over the tips so the dogs couldn’t catch a guide or anything. The motor fits in the rear tank well (laid down) pretty well and I think I could squeeze the tackle bag in There too in a pinch. I never take my batteries or seat out. Same with my two kvd speed bags of plastics or my net. That’s all under a tonneau cover in the bed so there is no issue with wind or dirt. 

[Boomstick]

Excellent! The first time is always rough. The next time will get better.