Seth with a nice lightline schoolie.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tog recon and stripers at the HRBT
Kevin, Justin, Patrick Martin and I went looking for tautog on Sunday. After a struggle finding bait, we got on the flat calm water and tried some new spots. I found some promising rocky areas but none of them produced the bulldog fight I was hoping for. Matter of fact none of us did. After a long day, Justin and I met up with Seth Goodwich and Miles Wong at the HRBT to look for the light line stripers. The wind picked up pretty badly but we found several rockfish before it got too bad.
Rigging an Ocean Kayak Trident 13
Much to my surprise, I have recently received several inquiries about how I like the Ocean Kayak Trident 13 and more than a few emails about how I was going to rig my new kayak. I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude all my readers and for those that had kind words to say about my posts either through replies, emails or in person, I genuinely appreciate it. Thank you.
The new kayak is different, but good. I like the openness of the Redfish12 cockpit, but the storage options on the Trident are much better. The OK Trident is definitely faster. But harder to turn. There are pros and cons about every kayak. I'll leave it at that for now.
As far as rigging a kayak goes, I think it's a very personal thing. There are some people who are minimalists and do very little to their kayaks and there are some people who can't wait to drill another hole in their plastic. For me going from one style of kayak to a very different style took some getting used to. Over the years, I created a system of storing things in my Redfish and I didn't even have to look behind me to know where certain things were going to be. You may have different preferences so take this as just my two cents. I think some of the things I'm about to go over will evolve in time, too. But for now this is what I did.
First, I knew that the Trident was a wetter ride than the Redfish so I wanted to raise my crate. I used these things I got from work. They're the end pieces from when we get shipments of big rolls of paper. You can probably cut pieces of pvc pipe, drill holes and zip tie them to the bottom of your crate. I also put a tray in the bottom of my crate so small things won't drop through the big holes in the crate. I also drilled small holes in the tray so if I took some waves the water would drain out. Lifting the crate off the kayak also leaves room to store things under the crate, like clams or crabs or other things you don't mind getting wet.
I also put two flush mount Scotty bases back next to the crate. I can put my VisiCarbon light pole in one if I don't want to take a space up in my rod holder. And of course, I can put a Scotty rod holder in one, too (ie: flyrod holder). In addition to that, if I want to film something I can put my camera-mount-on-a-pole in the rod holder as well. I made sure to put plenty of Goop around the drilled holes before I riveted these Scotty flush mount bases in. Also, make sure to get the flush mounts that are sealed at the bottom so it's not a big hole for water to get in.
As far as rod holders in the front, the rod pod has 7 different spots I can put a Scotty in so I'm covered for now.
Next came the anchor trolley. With tips from someone very familiar with Ocean Kayaks, this installation was fairly simple. I put my deck loops close to the ends of the kayak and found small stainless steel carabiners to take the place of a pulley. Since I have a rudder I split the anchor trolley system in to two parts; front anchoring on my port side and rear anchoring on my starboard side. I made sure to put the end points in a place to make it easy to slide the rope back and forth and not have to reach too far forward or back. I also put little hooks to keep the rope out of the way when not in use. I installed cam cleats to hold the anchor rope. I had clam cleats on my other yak, but sometimes the rope would slip out. I was told by a reliable source that cam cleats were the way to go. They held the rope well, but also easy to take out too.
Also, I found big aluminum carabiners for sending the anchor line to the bow or stern. I wanted a bigger one that didn't have the sharp edges that snag the anchor rope; especially while putting the rope in and out of the carabiner.
I forgot to mention this before, but the new 2011 Tridents come with a replaceable keel guard.
Next I worked on a depth finder. I want to mention that depth finders are obviously not essential, especially if you already know the area well. But I do like them for exploring new areas and sometimes checking water temps. I didn't get a really fancy one with dual sonar, gps, color this and that. Don't get me wrong, those are all great things to have and I'm sure they will come in handy. But I just wanted one that would tell me where the drop offs are. Simple and not too pricey. Since the sonar shield on the Trident 13 is a little past the foot wells, I also wanted one that I can still read well. After much deliberation, I went with the Humminbird 560. Like I said, nothing fancy, but still big enough to read from a distance. It came with the normal transducer that most people will mount to the inside of their hull, but I wanted to take advantage of the Trident's transducer compatible scupper feature. So I called up Humminbird and they gave me a return number, asked me to ship them the transducer that came with the unit and in return they would send me the right one for free. So I paid for shipping, sent it off, and 8 days later I got the new Plastic Thru Hull Transducer. I passed it though the scupper, bolted it down, drilled a hole on the back wall of the sonar space just big enough to send the wires through, and installed the unit.
I used zip tie mounts to keep the wires where I want them. Stainless steel bolts, rubber backed stainless steel washers, and lock nuts were implemented in securing the main unit. I then sealed the hole from the inside with copious amounts of Goop.
Next I went looking for a battery box. While browsing through Walmart I came across the food storage section and found Sterilite air tight/water tight containers that would fit my battery just right. Only thing is, it was only available in a big set with a bunch of other sizes. But I figured for $19.97 (compared to $30 for one OtterBox) I could use the other ones for Gulp! containers. Anyone who has had a leaky Gulp container knows, the words stinky and foul just don't cut it; especially in the heat of summer, in a small hatch back like I drive. Barf. Also, the containers work great for dry storage (ie: extra batteries, wallet, keys, phone, etc.). And for me it was time to replace the old containers in the kitchen that I got with sandwich meat. Anyway, I digress, back to the battery box... I drilled a hole, passed the wire, sealed it with Goop, wired a fuse, hooked up the female wire attachments, put the top on, slid it in the Trident's suspending battery bag and shizam, there you have it.
The new kayak is different, but good. I like the openness of the Redfish12 cockpit, but the storage options on the Trident are much better. The OK Trident is definitely faster. But harder to turn. There are pros and cons about every kayak. I'll leave it at that for now.
As far as rigging a kayak goes, I think it's a very personal thing. There are some people who are minimalists and do very little to their kayaks and there are some people who can't wait to drill another hole in their plastic. For me going from one style of kayak to a very different style took some getting used to. Over the years, I created a system of storing things in my Redfish and I didn't even have to look behind me to know where certain things were going to be. You may have different preferences so take this as just my two cents. I think some of the things I'm about to go over will evolve in time, too. But for now this is what I did.
I also put two flush mount Scotty bases back next to the crate. I can put my VisiCarbon light pole in one if I don't want to take a space up in my rod holder. And of course, I can put a Scotty rod holder in one, too (ie: flyrod holder). In addition to that, if I want to film something I can put my camera-mount-on-a-pole in the rod holder as well. I made sure to put plenty of Goop around the drilled holes before I riveted these Scotty flush mount bases in. Also, make sure to get the flush mounts that are sealed at the bottom so it's not a big hole for water to get in.
Next came the anchor trolley. With tips from someone very familiar with Ocean Kayaks, this installation was fairly simple. I put my deck loops close to the ends of the kayak and found small stainless steel carabiners to take the place of a pulley. Since I have a rudder I split the anchor trolley system in to two parts; front anchoring on my port side and rear anchoring on my starboard side. I made sure to put the end points in a place to make it easy to slide the rope back and forth and not have to reach too far forward or back. I also put little hooks to keep the rope out of the way when not in use. I installed cam cleats to hold the anchor rope. I had clam cleats on my other yak, but sometimes the rope would slip out. I was told by a reliable source that cam cleats were the way to go. They held the rope well, but also easy to take out too.
I forgot to mention this before, but the new 2011 Tridents come with a replaceable keel guard.
Pretty sweet.
Next I worked on a depth finder. I want to mention that depth finders are obviously not essential, especially if you already know the area well. But I do like them for exploring new areas and sometimes checking water temps. I didn't get a really fancy one with dual sonar, gps, color this and that. Don't get me wrong, those are all great things to have and I'm sure they will come in handy. But I just wanted one that would tell me where the drop offs are. Simple and not too pricey. Since the sonar shield on the Trident 13 is a little past the foot wells, I also wanted one that I can still read well. After much deliberation, I went with the Humminbird 560. Like I said, nothing fancy, but still big enough to read from a distance. It came with the normal transducer that most people will mount to the inside of their hull, but I wanted to take advantage of the Trident's transducer compatible scupper feature. So I called up Humminbird and they gave me a return number, asked me to ship them the transducer that came with the unit and in return they would send me the right one for free. So I paid for shipping, sent it off, and 8 days later I got the new Plastic Thru Hull Transducer. I passed it though the scupper, bolted it down, drilled a hole on the back wall of the sonar space just big enough to send the wires through, and installed the unit.
Next I went looking for a battery box. While browsing through Walmart I came across the food storage section and found Sterilite air tight/water tight containers that would fit my battery just right. Only thing is, it was only available in a big set with a bunch of other sizes. But I figured for $19.97 (compared to $30 for one OtterBox) I could use the other ones for Gulp! containers. Anyone who has had a leaky Gulp container knows, the words stinky and foul just don't cut it; especially in the heat of summer, in a small hatch back like I drive. Barf. Also, the containers work great for dry storage (ie: extra batteries, wallet, keys, phone, etc.). And for me it was time to replace the old containers in the kitchen that I got with sandwich meat. Anyway, I digress, back to the battery box... I drilled a hole, passed the wire, sealed it with Goop, wired a fuse, hooked up the female wire attachments, put the top on, slid it in the Trident's suspending battery bag and shizam, there you have it.
I also put strips of adhesive backed velcro in the rod pod
so I can keep my rods in place and not tumbling around.
I used velcro strips to keep my extra paddle together and wedged it in between the side hull and the scupper hole.
And finally I used adhesive backed vecro to keep my dry box in place off to the side, in the hull,
not taking up top side space.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Still Waiting and an Interview Podcast
The last time I went out fishing I caught a striper with a Diamond Jim tag in it. I've called several times and left a few messages. I'm starting to get the feeling that their office is closed for the winter. Anyway, my fingers are still crossed. I'll post up about it when I hear back from them. 
For those of you that emailed me in anticipation of my upcoming post on how to rig a new Ocean Kayak Trident 13, I'm sorry I haven't been able to post that yet. I've been busy acquiring the right parts and I've also been out of town for work (thus the lack of fishing reports as well). If you're looking for a good fishing report check out this post from Justin. I can't wait to get back out on the water!
Lastly, I've been listening every Friday to a podcast called Stuck On Fishing. The interviewer, Chris Story, has had renown fishing personalities JetSki Brian, Don Lancaster, and Kayak Kevin on the show so far and it's been very interesting to listen to. Well he called me up and asked if he could interview me as well. I was kind of surprised that he would consider me interview worthy and to think that I would join the list of those I mentioned before was very humbling. So I met up with him at the Bass Pro Shop in Hampton, found a semi-quiet corner in the massive store, which happened to be on a big boat on display, and talked about fishing. Here's the link to his page. Check it out!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Crossing My Fingers in a New Kayak
First of all, I'd like to thank Vic from Appomattox River Company. He was very knowledgeable, helpful, insightful and just overall awesome. The customer service was unbeatable. If you're thinking about getting a new or used kayak, give Vic a call at the ARC store in Kiln Creek. They have a huge inventory at the store and additional kayaks are constantly being delivered from their main warehouse in Farmville. They also have every known accessory for kayaking. Aside from actual fishing tackle, ARC has just about everything else you would need. Once again, THANKS VIC!After long deliberations, I got an Ocean Kayak Trident 13. I wanted something lighter, faster, and something that would protect my gear during an oceanside surf launch. Don't get me wrong, I love my Heritage Redfish 12. I can even say I've got an emotional attachment to it since it was my first and I've done so much in it. I've had it for 3 years and I've been able to do everything I've wanted to in it. Except surf launches. I've been wanted to launch from Sandbridge and other ocean side beaches but not being able to stow my rods and reels inside kept me from venturing into the potentially dangerous and expensive waves. The Trident 13 will remedy this, plus it's 10lbs lighter and 1.5 feet longer. The hull is thinner so I won't be beating it up like I did my last one.
Old Hull
I'll put up an entry about rigging and outfitting soon.
In the mean time, here's a fishing story. I went to HRBT Sunday night and got into the stripers again with Marty. The wind picked up pretty bad and the current was ripping. I had two rods with me but had to put one in my lap since the water was high and I didn't want the top of the rod to scrape or break against the underside of the bridge. The rod pod came in handy on my first trip. I ended up with a little over a dozen with the biggest three going 23", 24" and 25". As the title of this entry implies, I'm crossing my fingers because I caught a striper with a Diamond Jim tag in it. It was dated back in 2009 but I called in anyway and left a message with the tag number. It's crazy to think that this tagged fish was possibly worth up to $25,000. A decent consolation prize would be nice. Hope they call back soon! Stay tuned! 
Either way, I'm off to a great start on my lucky new kayak!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Initial review of the VisiCarbonPro
I've always been a do-it-yourself kind of guy. My wife even brags to her friends about my MacGyver skills around the house. So, when I first started kayak fishing, I made my own light pole. It had a nice bright light, attachments for a flag and camera mount, too. I was pretty proud of it and for a while, it did it's job well. Keeping in mind, I fish A LOT, things eventually started to fall apart. I made another one and it also did it's job well, but not long after it was looking kinda rough too. I had metal rusting, inferior grade plastic cracking, tape peeling, messy glue all over the place, lights breaking, and batteries losing juice too quickly. I didn't want to go with PVC since I dislike the light swinging around because of the excessive flexiblity. But I didn't want more metal broom handles either.
I decided to finally break down and get a professionally made kayak light. I found the YakAttack VisiCarbon Pro. It had all the features I was looking for and then some. It's pricey, but let me tell you why I think it's worth it. First of all, finding all the pieces to make my previous two light poles wasn't cheap. That was one of my main reasons for going with the VisiPole. I might as well put that money into one that was professionally made (in the US, I might add). Also, with all the other things I have to take care of around the house, time is very valuable. Time is money, so they say. I simply don't have the time to make another one.
When I opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised how small, and light it was (even with the 3AA batteries already in it).
The first thing I checked for was anything that might rust. Nope. None. Excellent. As I inspected it further, I then realized how much thought went into making this product. It's quite ingenious. The poles are made of carbon fiber, so they're very strong and light. They fit into each other like tent poles to form a 4ft long mast upon which the light stands. And they are thin so there is very little drag against the wind. The bottom is wrapped in quality foam so you can put it in a rod holder and it will remain silent. The one I ordered came with an attachment on the bottom that will fit into a Scotty mount. I believe there is the option to get it with RAM attachments also. So if you don't want to take up a spot on the rod holder, you can put it in either a Scotty or RAM mount.
If you do want to put it in the rod holder, there is a stretchy lanyard that you can pull over the bottom of the rod holder to keep the light in place (just in case you turtle). Smart.
It also has the reflective SOLAS tape on it, the light was plenty bright, and the package says the batteries will last for over 100 hours! However, as a precaution, I still carry extra batteries in a drybox, along with an extra camera battery and batteries for my head lamp. The light has two O-rings so no water gets in where the sensitive stuff is.
The bag that it stores in doubles as the flag. I used to fly full size flags often, but the drag they created made me dislike them. However, the flag/bag that comes with this light pole is only 6" tall, creating less drag. But it's still long enough to be highly visible. Very efficient. Also, they came up with a Silent Snap system which makes the flag very easy to remove and there's no clips that make noise when the flag is flapping. Genius.
So far, I am very glad I got this product. I've taken it out on two trips; one very windy day on the James river, and one nice evening out to the HRBT. I'll put it through the rigors of all the other fishing I do throughout the year and post up a final review towards the end of the season.
I decided to finally break down and get a professionally made kayak light. I found the YakAttack VisiCarbon Pro. It had all the features I was looking for and then some. It's pricey, but let me tell you why I think it's worth it. First of all, finding all the pieces to make my previous two light poles wasn't cheap. That was one of my main reasons for going with the VisiPole. I might as well put that money into one that was professionally made (in the US, I might add). Also, with all the other things I have to take care of around the house, time is very valuable. Time is money, so they say. I simply don't have the time to make another one.
When I opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised how small, and light it was (even with the 3AA batteries already in it).
The first thing I checked for was anything that might rust. Nope. None. Excellent. As I inspected it further, I then realized how much thought went into making this product. It's quite ingenious. The poles are made of carbon fiber, so they're very strong and light. They fit into each other like tent poles to form a 4ft long mast upon which the light stands. And they are thin so there is very little drag against the wind. The bottom is wrapped in quality foam so you can put it in a rod holder and it will remain silent. The one I ordered came with an attachment on the bottom that will fit into a Scotty mount. I believe there is the option to get it with RAM attachments also. So if you don't want to take up a spot on the rod holder, you can put it in either a Scotty or RAM mount.
If you do want to put it in the rod holder, there is a stretchy lanyard that you can pull over the bottom of the rod holder to keep the light in place (just in case you turtle). Smart.It also has the reflective SOLAS tape on it, the light was plenty bright, and the package says the batteries will last for over 100 hours! However, as a precaution, I still carry extra batteries in a drybox, along with an extra camera battery and batteries for my head lamp. The light has two O-rings so no water gets in where the sensitive stuff is.
The bag that it stores in doubles as the flag. I used to fly full size flags often, but the drag they created made me dislike them. However, the flag/bag that comes with this light pole is only 6" tall, creating less drag. But it's still long enough to be highly visible. Very efficient. Also, they came up with a Silent Snap system which makes the flag very easy to remove and there's no clips that make noise when the flag is flapping. Genius.
So far, I am very glad I got this product. I've taken it out on two trips; one very windy day on the James river, and one nice evening out to the HRBT. I'll put it through the rigors of all the other fishing I do throughout the year and post up a final review towards the end of the season.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
OH, IT'S ON....
... like Donkey Kong...
I took my first HRBT trip of the year in the hopes of finding the ever-so-fun-to-catch striped bass. Taking the cue from Ric Burnley's report, I checked winds, temps and tides in preparation for this after work trip. I met KBF prostaff member Marty (PAHillbilly) around 8:15pm and launched to nice flat conditions. The current wasn't super fast, but we found the fish pretty quickly. They weren't stacked up thick by any means, but the ones we saw were very interested in what we had to offer. 4" paddle tails and yozuri crystal minnows were the fish-eye-candy flavors of the night. I ended up enticing over a dozen stripers, landing 7 or 8, dropping more than 5 at the boat. The biggest one I lost was around 24-25". I believe Marty landed 7 or so as well. Around 11:30 the tide slacked off so we called it a night.
It was good to see nice, fat, healthy fish
Hopefully this is the beginning of a great season.
I took my first HRBT trip of the year in the hopes of finding the ever-so-fun-to-catch striped bass. Taking the cue from Ric Burnley's report, I checked winds, temps and tides in preparation for this after work trip. I met KBF prostaff member Marty (PAHillbilly) around 8:15pm and launched to nice flat conditions. The current wasn't super fast, but we found the fish pretty quickly. They weren't stacked up thick by any means, but the ones we saw were very interested in what we had to offer. 4" paddle tails and yozuri crystal minnows were the fish-eye-candy flavors of the night. I ended up enticing over a dozen stripers, landing 7 or 8, dropping more than 5 at the boat. The biggest one I lost was around 24-25". I believe Marty landed 7 or so as well. Around 11:30 the tide slacked off so we called it a night.
It was good to see nice, fat, healthy fishHopefully this is the beginning of a great season.
I believe the all-star crew (Burnley, Kevin & Forrest) is heading out tonight. I'm sure you'll find a successful report from them soon.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Where Credit is Due
I fish a lot. I know. For someone with a gorgeous wife, a two year old, a 3 month old, a house to maintain, and a job to keep, I'm allowed a lot of time to fish. So here's a little credit, where credit is due.
Before I start, if you read my blog strictly for the fishing content, then I will apologize now. Come back for the next entry. If you have a strong avulsion toward public show of affection, you probably don't want to read this. I'm not one to express public signs of affection often since I don't like seeing or reading about them either. And I like to think I already do a good job of showing her I care everyday. But I figured with it being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd show a little more appreciation. I'm also not big on these made up "Hallmark holidays" either, but I'm a hopeless romantic and I know my wife deserves it.
My wife, my love
Thank you for being my Valentine (for the 12th time).
Before I start, if you read my blog strictly for the fishing content, then I will apologize now. Come back for the next entry. If you have a strong avulsion toward public show of affection, you probably don't want to read this. I'm not one to express public signs of affection often since I don't like seeing or reading about them either. And I like to think I already do a good job of showing her I care everyday. But I figured with it being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd show a little more appreciation. I'm also not big on these made up "Hallmark holidays" either, but I'm a hopeless romantic and I know my wife deserves it.
My wife, my loveWords can not express my gratitude to you
You are a woman with no equal
Stong, smart, patient, loving
mother of our children
You are my everything
and without you I would be lost
It is you and your presence in my life that makes me believe
that no matter what happens
everything will be alright
The sweetness of your smile...
the warmth of your soul...
your never fading beauty...
I am the luckiest man in the world.
You are a woman with no equal
Stong, smart, patient, loving
mother of our children
You are my everything
and without you I would be lost
It is you and your presence in my life that makes me believe
that no matter what happens
everything will be alright
The sweetness of your smile...
the warmth of your soul...
your never fading beauty...
I am the luckiest man in the world.
Thank you for being my Valentine (for the 12th time).Love ya.
And no, I'm not going to ask for more kitchen passes because I wrote this.
And no, I'm not going to ask for more kitchen passes because I wrote this.
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