Kayak Fishing Blog

Tournaments

When we started our on-line store in 2002, you could count on two hands … maybe some toes, the number of kayak fishing websites.  Now, in 2008 there are so many it’s hard to keep up.  It’s great that the sport has grown and become so popular.  With the new websites developing, comes kayak fishing tournaments.  We sponsor a bunch of them and are proud to do so.  I thought I would blog today about the ones coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Plastic Navy is a website in Southern California and has a tournament series appropriately called the Plastic Navy Tournament Trail.  Their next tournament will be held in Mission Bay on the 16th: Plastic Navy

Another local group in Southern California is the Baytubers.com - a group of float tube and kayak fishermen.  Their BIG annual tournament is on the 23rd.  This group has tournaments throughout the year and a monthly halibut submission.  Baytubers

On 8-22 & 23, the second in a three part tournament trail is being held by the Georgia Kayak Fishing site.  This tournament will be held at Lake Lanier.  Check out their website and the tournament trail page for the list of great prizes given away at each tournament.  Georgia Kayak Fishing 

If you live in New England you know about the Mass Bay Striper Shootout!

GTS Pro - Surf to Summit’s Top-Of-The-Line-Seat

We received an e-mail from our friend, fellow kayak fisherman and Hook 1 Crew Member Cabo John -  

Hi Mark & Karen,
Just wanted to say hello and tell you about my new Surf to Summit GTS Pro seat and the great experience I had with the company.

First of all, I want you to know what a great company Surf to Summit is!  I gotta tell you what they did for me.
My original Surf to Summit GTS Elite seat finally broke after countless miles and years of use.   The rear straps wore out and finally broke.

 I love this seat so much I was ready to pull the trigger and buy a new one, but first I wanted to check with Surf to Summit to see if it could be repaired? 

I called and spoke with Brandon at STS.  I explained what happened.  He asked me to send him the seat and he could probably repair it by putting new straps on? 

I told him if it can be fixed, just go ahead and do whatever it takes it and I will pay whatever the cost is, just send me the bill, and also if he could rush the repair because I am not comfortable using any other seat.  I explained to him that there was no way this should be covered by any warranty…I expect to pay then entire cost for repairs and/or a new seat as I used the living piss out of this thing!   

Anyway, long story short…I got a call from Brandon the next day.  He said they have my seat and its already been repaired, He said its being sent back to me now.

He said, don’t worry about the repair cost…we were really glad you are so stoked with our equipment and appreciate the kind words and feedback!  Hearing stories from happy customers is good to hear.   In fact, we are sending you another brand new seat called the GTS Pro for you to try.  Its our most comfortable fishing seat…let us know what you think of it.  

So the next day I get a box with a couple seats!  They sent me a couple stickers too.  (I put a couple Surf to Summit stickers on my kayaks they sent me)   I went fishing on Saturday and I tried the new Surf to Summit GTS PRO seat…whoa, HANDS DOWN THIS IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE SEAT I HAVE EVER USED!  My back never bothered me once, and the ass pad was soooo thick and comfy. 

Mark & Karen, you got to get the entire Hook1 Crew to try this seat…once they do, the will never use anything else!!!   I will loan you my seat to try, BUT I WANT IT BACK! lol   IMHO there is not a better seat made!  Don’t get me wrong, the GTS Elite seat is awesome, but the GTS Pro seat is soooooo much more comfy cozy, and it’s the best kayak fighting chair I have ever used!  The seat doesn’t move or slide at all!   The GTS PRO is the holy grail of kayak seats.

I got to put the Surf to Summit’s GTS Pro seat, aka fighting chair, to use on my first day using it…I ended up getting a thresher shark.  I was comfortable in my seat the entire day!  I have used my GTS Pro seat a couple times now…there is no substitute.  I sent Surf to Summit a picture of my fish as you could see the STS sticker on my kayak.   They were stoked I was happy with the new seat. 

Surf to Summit…I can’t say enough good things about the company and their customer service.  I will gladly use and endorse Surf to Summit products.

As Always,

John Near
cabojohn 

Thanks Cabo John !!  We love to hear feedback on the products we sell and know that our suppliers are making customer’s happy!

New Gear Added - 7-7-08

We have just added some new Gear to our site.  First we have added two bait tank containers.  Mark has made his new bait tank out of the Gamma40 and we have the How-To on the site and a link to it from this blog.  It is a great container, light weight, nice large opening, places to add rod holders.  We have also added a smaller size, the Gamma15.

Details on both:
Gamma40 - Holds up to 11 gallons; 15.5″H x 18″D x 12″W

Gamma15 - Holds up to 4.7 gallons; 9.75″H x 12″D x 12″W

Pics and Links:

Gamma 40

Gamma 15

We have also added a new DVD and our first Kayak Fishing Book:  When we first saw the DVD we knew it was a great find for kayak fishermen and women. 
This is a great DVD with expert instruction by Scott Null and Joel McBride for new and experienced anglers. It is a complete guide to kayak fishing in saltwater and freshwater. You’ll learn about:
All the necessary equipment
The fundamentals of kayaking
The essential strokes
Fighting and landing fish from a kayak
Freshwater kayak fishing
Saltwater kayak fishing
Kayak fishing safety
Tips and tricks from the experts
and much more !

The book is packed with the information plus tons of pictures !

Link to more info

New Products at Hook 1

We’ve just added two new products today -

 First is the Kelp Clip used to clip to the kelp :)  This  clip is 1/8″ stainless steel and is 8 1/2″ long.  You can customize yours with a leash, float, etc…

For more information - Click Here

Looking for a comfortable seat?  This one has a Gel pad for comfort, ventilated backrest made by YakPads.

For more information - Click Here

How-To: Bait Tank / Live Well for your kayak

For the do-it-yourself kayak fishermen and women, check out our new How-To page on a Bait Tank/Live Well. 

Click HERE to read all about it!

New Kayak Fishing Gear Just Added 5/22/08

We’ve just added the following products to our gear line-up:

Bungee to Web - This works with a 1/4″ bungee cord and 1″ strap/webbing. 

RAM Electronic Mount.  It uses the 1″ ball system and the mounting surface measures 6 1/4″ x 2″.  This works with many Garmin and Lowrance fishfinders.

This UltraBox by Underwater Kinetics works great to hold your keys in the zippered area, phone, camera, wallet or ??? in the other padded area.  This box is waterproof to 30′.

Hook 1 Decals are back in stock.  They come in white and black and can be used on car windows and kayaks.  Make sure you have a smooth surface on your kayak before applying.  They measure about 12″ x 2″.

Visit our website to get more information and purchase these products:  www.kayakfishinggear.com

RAM Wedge Mounts are now available!

The RAM Wedge Mounts are now available.  We have both sizes in stock and ready to ship - Ball Mount sizes are 1″ and 1 1/2″.  Visit this RAM website page to see the mounts in action:  RAM Wedge Mounts - Ram Website

Click here to buy the RAM Wedge Mounts:  Ram Wedge Mounts - Purchase Here

Shown here in the Hobie sail mount.

Fishfinder Transducer Bracket

I just got a new kayak - the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160I and I thought I would try a new set up for my fishfinder’s transducer.  The optimal position for any transducer is directly in the water.  Some of the newer fishing kayaks have the ability to mount a transducer  in a scupper hole that they have designed for this purpose.  There is a new product on the market “The Liberator” which you can mount your fishfinder onto and will hold your transducer on it’s “arm” down into the water.  Liberator information can be found here:  http://www.kayakfishinggear.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=207   I saw an idea (on a kayak fishing message board) about mounting your transducer onto a rudder, which gave me the idea to make a mounting bracket attached to the rudder assembly area to hold my transducer and still be able to mount and use a rudder.

First, I had a friend tell me where the waterline was at the rear of my boat while out fishing with all of my gear in the boat.  That gave me a very good idea of the location, as far as height, for the transducer.  I made it a little bit lower, by a couple of inches, of what he told me was the water line.  The transducer is still above the bottom of the kayak by about 3″.  This is important, because you don’t want your transducer scraping on the sand/ground while launching and landing.

I went to Lowes hardware store and bought 1/16″ width x 10″ length aluminum and cut out my design.  I had previously mapped out my design and drawn it up as a pattern before cutting.  I cut my design long to account for the bends in the kayak.  I used a jigsaw with a metal blade to cut out my mounting bracket.  I then used a grinder to soften up the edges and de-bur it.  I used the stainless steel screws that were already on the boat to attach the bracket.   Starting at the top and attaching the bracket, I started bending the bracket to conform to the shape of the boat. I marked the bracket where I wanted to mount the transducer’s mount and I left the aluminum about 4″ longer so I could bend and shape a little weed/kelp guard into the aluminum to protect the transducer.

After finishing the bracket I needed to think about where the wiring would run along my kayak.  I had the wiring run from the transducer into my kayak as you can see in the picture below.  I kept the exposed wiring short to keep it tight and clean.  It runs  through a cable holder (which comes with most fishfinders) and then into the kayak through a rubber grommet.  The grommet was made out of a rubber stopper found at Lowes or Home Depot.  Check out the instructions to make the grommet on our Fishfinder How-To page:  http://www.kayakfishinggear.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=13 

I hope this gives you some ideas on a different way to mount your transducer.  Remember, you have to be very careful with the transducer exposed like this.  I took it out for a test run today and “WOW”.  Having your transducer in the water instead of shooting through a kayak hull, is the way to go.  If you have a design like this and would like to share, please e-mail pictures to mark@kayakfishinggear.com

Custom Gear Holder

So now that you have taken out your fishing kayak a couple of times and you have a good idea where you want the basic fishing gear like rod holders, a fish finder, and maybe a GPS , it’s time to think about the support gear. Pliers, fish grips, and a knife are things that you use during your day on the water all the time. Here is an easy way that I learned from a Wilderness Systems Kayak Fishing Rep. on how to custom rig a sheath for those items. 
Here is what you need to do this:

1) Strap material, about 2’or so.
2) 8 screws and 8 washers.
3) Screw driver.
4) Drill with a 1/16th drill bit.
Find a spot along the side of the center console of the kayak that you can reach with ease. Hold the strap where you want it to start and drill a pilot hole for the top and bottom screws. Place washer on screw and screw it in. Now do the same to the other end making sure that to leave some slack in the strap material for the gear. You can figure the slack you need by putting the gear under the strap.

Now do the same in the inside at least 4” apart with some slack in each for the gear. Screw in the screws with a hand screw driver. You don’t want to strip the plastic.
Hope this can make your day on the water a little better.

New Products now available!

The Scotty Rod Holder Extender MINI is now availabe.  This works with all Scotty post mount products and raises your Scotty product by 4 1/2″.    Click Here

The KAYAK ANGLER - THE KAYAK FISHING MAGAZINE is now available:   Click Here

Check out the favorite launch locations, 2008 fishing kayak guide, stories, living the dream - guides, and more!