Super User Boomstick Posted May 1 Super User Share Posted May 1 This past Sunday, I got out of bed late because my back has been killing me lately. I figured I should get up and at try to make it out while it's nice and figured I'd go to Emerald Lake, since that's roughly a hour drive. I got almost all the way there and realized that I forgot my net and paddle. So I went to St Catherine. I spent most of my time pedaling around and checking out the kayak, but got a little bit of fishing in. I ended up pedaling about 4 miles and trying different spots until I got a bite - something I never really got to do nearly as effectively with a paddle. Finally landed a fish, drifted along the shoreline towards where I launched and eventually some dark rain clouds blew in so I decided not to chance it and my back was killing me as well so I packed up. This kayak is great. I can maintain around 4 mph plus or minus .02 depending on wind and current for a fair length of time. Someone who isn't so out of shape could probably maintain closer to 5mph. It gets a little tippy with the V hull when it gets choppy and the chop is at your sides, but I'm not going to dump it. The Blackpak pro is also great. I could only keep 4 3700 boxes in the original because of the lip and they were a challenge to get out. I can pretty much reach back and grab a box with the pro. The front rail upgrades are nice! I had three rigged rods in my front seat and I also wanted to throw a crankbait. I grabbed a reel and threw it on a rod and planned to rig it on the water. So I grabbed the crankbait I wanted, threw it in one of the lure holes on the rail and setup the rods. And of course, the nice new Garmin GPS Map 943xsv that I got a pretty sweet deal on and got enough reward points to buy most of my transducer as well. My three complaints: My first complaint is I can only fit 3 rod holders on the BlackPak Pro because the width of the storage area is pretty narrow. I could potentially set it up to open from the side and then fit two on back, or the handles to the top and put one more on the front, but if I could have fit three on each side, that would have been nice. My second complaint is that it was quite annoying to constantly tighten the tension spool so I didn't have to hold the steering knob and then loosen it when I want to make a small adjustment. I have the rudder bolt from Navarre Kayak Fishing on the way so I can tighten it down so I won't need the tension knob anymore - a $5 fix. My third complaint is that I tried to mount my fish finder on the mounting plate but it was a little too wobbly. I ordered some heavy duty mounting plates from Navarre Kayak, which should solve that problem. I'm still not even sure if I prefer it on the rail or mounting plate - the rail is perfect when seated. Maybe I'll buy the handle that I can mount stuff to as well. Some first person view pictures and pictures of the fish I caught. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmilburn76 Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 Old Town definitely makes some of the best kayaks on the market. I didn’t realize how narrow the tank well is on that kayak though .I wonder if you added 2” Blackpak foot risers from Yak Hobby and maybe moved the rod holders up a little if they wouldn’t clear the top of the tank well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Boomstick Posted May 2 Author Super User Share Posted May 2 7 hours ago, Jmilburn76 said: Old Town definitely makes some of the best kayaks on the market. I didn’t realize how narrow the tank well is on that kayak though .I wonder if you added 2” Blackpak foot risers from Yak Hobby and maybe moved the rod holders up a little if they wouldn’t clear the top of the tank well. I think I'd need more than 2" risers. My rod holders were already using the top screw, I would have to skip that screw hole to go higher. There is definitely a point where it will fit if it's high enough, other owners have told me that's an option. I can get another rod tube or two on it by moving my handles to the top at the very least. Or I could add a couple of track mounted YakAttack Omega Pros like I did on my old kayak if I need more. I can currently carry 5 rods with the two built in rod holders - I'll keep the front one I'll keep open as it's my place to set the rod I'm using or to rig up with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangerfield Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Maybe consider building a little DIY foam platform to raise the BlackPak but not adding any weight. You could tighten the bungee cord that has the Omnihooks for the BlackPak to pin it down to the tank well. I had my rod holders in the original lower setting when I first got mine and quickly realized they were better off raised up. For easier access when turning around, keeping the rod butt out of water and the fitment was better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Boomstick Posted June 2 Author Super User Share Posted June 2 Well I did install the rudder bolt and I got the Navarre handle. That did fix the annoyance of the tension knob completely as expected. I also got the upgraded mounting plates from Navarre, but just got them installed so I haven't tried to put my fish finder on them yet but I'm confident that will work. When I went to drill holes to add a mighty mount, I used the wrong drill but and it didn't make a dent in the mounting plates, but ate away the first 2mm of my drill bit so these are strong. Now I just need to find feed for my Blackpak - or maybe just move the handle in the back to the top or even vertical on a side so I can add a couple of rod holders in the back. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Boomstick Posted June 7 Author Super User Share Posted June 7 On 5/29/2024 at 10:19 PM, Dangerfield said: Maybe consider building a little DIY foam platform to raise the BlackPak but not adding any weight. You could tighten the bungee cord that has the Omnihooks for the BlackPak to pin it down to the tank well. I had my rod holders in the original lower setting when I first got mine and quickly realized they were better off raised up. For easier access when turning around, keeping the rod butt out of water and the fitment was better. So I re-arranged my Blackpak and it now will hold 5 rods, for a total of 7. I looked at raising them up, but that has its downsides also, for example I can't stack stuff on top of it when transporting it so I decided not to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Koz Posted June 7 Super User Share Posted June 7 Congrats. I love my Old Town. I also just bought a 13x16 Blackpack Pro with 6 rod holders but have yet put it on my kayak. Hopefully I get on the water tonight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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