Blackpak Pro 16x16

[FryDog62]

I think I’ve about maxed out all you can get in one kayak box:

 

*8 rod holders

*Plano Edge plastics storage box

*Six 3600 tackle trays

*Three 3700 trays 

 

It’s a far cry from all the things I had in my Lund Pro-V Bass, but it gets me through most days

 

 

[gimruis]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

It’s a far cry from all the things I had in my Lund Pro-V Bass

What did you do with the rest of the tackle from the Lund?

[Koz]

I have the 13x16.

 

Does yours have an odd odor?

[JayMac89]

Funny this was posted today. Iv always been happy with my ghetto milk crate. Felt the blackpak was sort of a waste of money, although looked nice. But have been thinkning about upgrading to the blackpak all day. No idea why either. Quite random. 

 

I got my old town in February. Been fishing in it all year obviously. Just put a echomap 93sv in. And now sort of have the final build in mind, that works for me. Think the blackpak will be my next purchase. 

 

How do you like it? Curious about this odor koz mentions haha

[FryDog62]

5 hours ago, Koz said:

I have the 13x16.

 

Does yours have an odd odor?

I have not noticed any odor, and I’ve had it about a year.  Worst odor I had was on my bass boat whenever I fished with a guy named Paul… it was like fishing with a tuba in the back of the boat 

4 hours ago, JayMac89 said:

Funny this was posted today. Iv always been happy with my ghetto milk crate. Felt the blackpak was sort of a waste of money, although looked nice. But have been thinkning about upgrading to the blackpak all day. No idea why either. Quite random. 

 

I got my old town in February. Been fishing in it all year obviously. Just put a echomap 93sv in. And now sort of have the final build in mind, that works for me. Think the blackpak will be my next purchase. 

 

How do you like it? Curious about this odor koz mentions haha

I really like the BlackPak, and got the 16x16 so I could get 8 rod tubes. It holds a lot of lures in an organized way, plus plastics. I don’t like bags of stuff blowing around in the cockpit all day.

 

My only gripe has been the tether hooks which hold the rods in the tubes. They can get in the way of closing the lid on the crate. So I just started hooking them to the sides of each tube, out of the way until I need to secure the rods during rough seas. 

 

Yes, a year later, I’d buy the same set up again… 

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

What did you do with the rest of the tackle from the Lund?

I kept a fair amount, especially the plastics - and just take a daily quantity out on the water with me.  I did donate a bunch of lures to a local High School bass club before I moved to FL. I’m admittedly a bit of a tackle junkie and can’t resist the latest Free rig, Mullet, Poop bait phenomena - so the old stuff had to get thinned out a little lol. 

[Koz]

5 hours ago, JayMac89 said:

Funny this was posted today. Iv always been happy with my ghetto milk crate. Felt the blackpak was sort of a waste of money, although looked nice. But have been thinkning about upgrading to the blackpak all day. No idea why either. Quite random. 

 

I got my old town in February. Been fishing in it all year obviously. Just put a echomap 93sv in. And now sort of have the final build in mind, that works for me. Think the blackpak will be my next purchase. 

 

How do you like it? Curious about this odor koz mentions haha

From the first day I put this together, closed it for a while (empty), then opened it I swear it smells like weed. And no, I don’t do any drugs.

 

I like my Blackpack a lot. The way it’s constructed with the grid holes you can attach other YakAttack accessories to it.

 

I have 6 rod holders on mine plus I attached a Ketch Keeper for my Ketch Board.

 

I may also add the Blackpack short stack for a small top compartment for things like a scale, tools, shear pins, extra prop, etc.

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

I have not noticed any odor, and I’ve had it about a year.  Worst odor I had was on my bass boat whenever I fished with a guy named Paul… it was like fishing with a tuba in the back of the boat 

I really like the BlackPak, and got the 16x16 so I could get 8 rod tubes. It holds a lot of lures in an organized way, plus plastics. I don’t like bags of stuff blowing around in the cockpit all day.

 

My only gripe has been the tether hooks which hold the rods in the tubes. They can get in the way of closing the lid on the crate. So I just started hooking them to the sides of each tube, out of the way until I need to secure the rods during rough seas. 

 

Yes, a year later, I’d buy the same set up again… 

I kept a fair amount, especially the plastics - and just take a daily quantity out on the water with me.  I did donate a bunch of lures to a local High School bass club before I moved to FL. I’m admittedly a bit of a tackle junkie and can’t resist the latest Free rig, Mullet, Poop bait phenomena - so the old stuff had to get thinned out a little lol. 

If you keep all of your rods clipped, you don’t have to worry about the hooks.

 

I like the hooks. They saved me more than once as I was navigating cypress trees amidst a field of stumps and timber.

[Smirak]

I really like my 16x16. I think right now, I’ve got 7 3700s in it and 2 3500s. 2 of the 3700s are the edge thins (one is the terminal box). I also throw my spinnerbait “bag” in there. Sometimes some soft plastic clamshells find their way in there too. I have 2 of the trac packs on top. Those carry my go to soft plastics for whatever I’m fishing that day. I must admit though that one is always loaded with spunk shads because I always have a chatterbait tied on. I have 6 rod holders on mine. Two on one side are angled back so my longer swimbait rod will fit (7’11). My next purchase is the short stack. Like said above, the tethers on the rod holders always seem to get in the way of closing the lid OR in the way of putting a rod in. 

[FryDog62]

15 minutes ago, Koz said:

plus I attached a Ketch Keeper for my Ketch Board.

That sounds like a great idea, and photos or links?  Thx👍

[Koz]

10 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

That sounds like a great idea, and photos or links?  Thx👍

I’ll take a picture tomorrow. I picked up this bundle with the keeper, ID, and tether:

https://ketchproducts.com/product/board-accessories-bundle/

 

I attach the tether to the board and my seat strap. Now it’s quick and easy to reach back and grab the board and I don’t have to worry about it sinking if I drop it in the water.

 

Next I’m looking for a swing arm for my phone to make it easier to take a picture to record the catch for tournaments. Or I might set up my GoPro on a swing mount and then I can just say, “GoPro, take picture” then download that to my phone.

 

Taking a picture of your catch for a tournament is a pain and I want to simplify the process.

 

[Bankc]

That looks like a pretty neat system. 

Though, if I'm being honest, I rarely use more than 7 baits in a day of fishing.  I could get by with less than one 3700 box, easy.  And I probably only need 3 rods.  But... and here's the catch... I never know which 7 baits and which 3 rods ahead of time. 

[Koz]

7 minutes ago, Bankc said:

That looks like a pretty neat system. 

Though, if I'm being honest, I rarely use more than 7 baits in a day of fishing.  I could get by with less than one 3700 box, easy.  And I probably only need 3 rods.  But... and here's the catch... I never know which 7 baits and which 3 rods ahead of time. 

My AP 120 has storage for 4 boxes right next to my seat. Then In my Blackpack I have one Plano Edge for terminal tackle, one box for kayak repair, one or two 3700’s for miscellaneous baits, two small boxes for jig heads, and three speed bags for soft plastics.

 

The Blackpack holds six rods , then I have two built in rear rod holders of which one is used for my net. I also have two forward facing built in rod holders, but I use one for my net to block this fish from flipping off during photo time and the other for whatever rod I am using at that time.

 

With that, I bring a maximum of 8 rods but try to keep it between 4 and 6.

[FryDog62]

51 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Though, if I'm being honest, I rarely use more than 7 baits in a day of fishing.  I could get by with less than one 3700 box, easy.  And I probably only need 3 rods.  But... and here's the catch... I never know which 7 baits and which 3 rods ahead of time. 

This... especially if you're exploring new water or fishing after a front - conditions can and do change and it helps to be prepared. Does that lead to bringing far more than you need most days yes, but other days it really pays off.. 

[Zcoker]

I have the 13x16, more than enough for my 2 plano boxes. That's about it other than a orange tie down and a rain coat top. I only use four rods, which are stowed on the left side of the box while on the water (one in my hand, three in holders). Any rod on the right side of the box means a snapped tip or some pulled guides from a bad cast. I've leaned my lesson the hard way on that one! Thank goodness for Dobyns quick no fuss replacement warranty! 

 

 

[JayMac89]

Yeah I went out and ordered the 13x16 before I even heard any responses. Was going to go 16x16 but it would either just barely fit or not for at all (at least the way I wanted to set it up) in my 106. 

 

Not to go off topic. But it's funny (yet very fun) how things snowball with kayaks. I had a cheapo, very bare bones. DIY crate, DIY anchor wizard, anchor trolley. Quickly went to the 106 PDL. Kept it pretty much stock and loved it. Same DIY crate. Didn't use an anchor trolley because honestly, I never felt the need. Because of the ease of moving around I started fishing bigger lakes. One in particular is quite deep. Just got the garmin 93sv. Perfect. Except now I'm seeing structure/cover in deeper water. And it was a windy weekend. So I started thinking it was time for the anchor wizard. Saw the navare anchor wizard kit. But that'll take away my forward facing rod holder.... so somehow I got on the blackpak....I honestly don't know how or what the reasoning was.  But there was a reason... less then 24 hours later I had one ordered. Now when I get the blackpak my plan is to figure out some placement of certain things, use my old DIY anchor and figure out if an anchor wizard is the right call for me. Short version being, I thought I was just getting a garmin unit. But turns out now I'm fully riding this thing out. Was very happy keeping it simple... that changed in a matter of hours hahaha. What can I say, I'm impulsive. 

[Koz]

19 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

That sounds like a great idea, and photos or links?  Thx👍

Here’s a photo of my Ketch board with the Ketch Keeper attached to my Blackpack. You can also see the Ketch IDentifier holder attached to the board and the leash attached to my board and seat.

[Zcoker]

16 hours ago, JayMac89 said:

Yeah I went out and ordered the 13x16 before I even heard any responses. Was going to go 16x16 but it would either just barely fit or not for at all (at least the way I wanted to set it up) in my 106. 

 

Not to go off topic. But it's funny (yet very fun) how things snowball with kayaks. I had a cheapo, very bare bones. DIY crate, DIY anchor wizard, anchor trolley. Quickly went to the 106 PDL. Kept it pretty much stock and loved it. Same DIY crate. Didn't use an anchor trolley because honestly, I never felt the need. Because of the ease of moving around I started fishing bigger lakes. One in particular is quite deep. Just got the garmin 93sv. Perfect. Except now I'm seeing structure/cover in deeper water. And it was a windy weekend. So I started thinking it was time for the anchor wizard. Saw the navare anchor wizard kit. But that'll take away my forward facing rod holder.... so somehow I got on the blackpak....I honestly don't know how or what the reasoning was.  But there was a reason... less then 24 hours later I had one ordered. Now when I get the blackpak my plan is to figure out some placement of certain things, use my old DIY anchor and figure out if an anchor wizard is the right call for me. Short version being, I thought I was just getting a garmin unit. But turns out now I'm fully riding this thing out. Was very happy keeping it simple... that changed in a matter of hours hahaha. What can I say, I'm impulsive. 

 

They call it a 'slippery slope', which I've tried to avoid myself. I find being a minimalist with kayak fishing has sharpened my focus more on catching fish than digging around for the right lure or gadget. Having a tackle store aboard may be what some folks want but I just couldn't see it happening on my rig. Basic stuff, that's it. Even the black box was something not needed but I took it as a gift from my wife. I only have two Plano boxes in it. But I do understand how easy it is to get caught up in the slippery slope. It sure can add up! I'm still paying off credit cards for other slippery slopes, like saltwater big game fishing! 

[JayMac89]

100%. In my defense, I do keep it pretty minimal. Maybe a little too minimal at times. Hence the blackpak. I'll be getting way more space then i really need. I'd like to add some space for just a tiny bit more tackle, but mostly space for other things. The slippery slope I find myself on is more about setting things up just right then adding a bunch of complex stuff. Granted the garmin may of been overkill. I'll admit to that. 

 

I remember why I impulsively bought the blackpak when what I was really looking for was an anchor wizard. The navare anchor wizard kit takes up the forward facing rod holder, which I use alot surprisingly. Which would mean I would have to figure out a solution for that. And if I did add an anchor trolley, I like it on my left. Which is where my paddle holder is..... which just put alot of things on my left. Wouldn't really work in my mind. So the thought was get a blackpak, could add some tracks with possibly a rod holder on it to substitute the forward facing one. Plus I'll be gaining a bit more storage for rain gear, head lamp, blah blah. So it was thought out and the idea is actually too keep things simple...ish. I just find it funny that you change one thing and suddenly your reworking everything. But that's part of the fun.

 

Iv actually thought of a way to upgrade my DIY anchor wizard and it's dependent on using the blackpak. I do feel that with the nicer kayak (I know it's not the nicest, but it ain't cheap either) it warrants buying the more pricey top of the line type stuff. But I'll see how it works and decide if it warrants buying the real anchor wizard.

 

Blackpak should be here tomorrow. Can't wait to set it up and put it to use later this week. I knew they were cool, but now that my mind taking with ideas in realizing how much cooler they are than I originally thought.