ApacheGuns515

Wow I'm an idiot.... Hours of researching online and never even thought of that....Centered it up and now all is well. Thanks for the help. This is a classic example of why it's sometimes better to have a second set of fresh eyes look at something that's stumping you lol. Thank You

Hello all, Just purchased my first boat, I've always been a kayak fisherman, and I'm having an issue with the steering. The motor will turn fully to the right but will only turn barely a quarter turn to the left before the steering tube maxes out. I'm not very familiar with boats but I'm relatively mechanically inclined so I measured everything and it seems like my steering drag link is too short. I searched online and everything I came across points to the link being the correct one from the factory so I'm assuming something else is going on. I've tried disconnecting the cable from the transom and the helm and centering everything up but in order to get full play it looks like my steering link arm needs an additional 3 inches of length. But the steering controls and everything are factory from Evinrude. I've read the cable could be the issue but the cable is brand new from the previous owner as well. Any ideas? I've attached pictures to show what I'm talking about. Thanks

Sometimes there really is nothing you can do to save a fish. I'm pretty sure all of us have experienced this at one point in time, it's unfortunately a part of the sport that we all wish we could prevent but we accept as inevitable if we fish long enough. You did the best you could and made a genuine effort to save the fish beyond what many others would have likely done. You should take pride in that and rest easy. One thing I do is when I know that I am strictly fishing catch and release that day I forgo treble hooks and use single hooks only and depending on the species I'll cut the barbs off the single hook as well.

It will depend on a variety of variables such as wind, speed, current, etc. But a 100ah battery for a 45lb trolling motor should get you around 5 hours at a constant running medium speed. 20 hours on low and about 2.5 hours on max speed. This also depends on the type of 100ah battery you are using, lithium vs AGM. Lithium will yield much better results but you are going to pay around 25-40% of the total cost of your entire Sportsman 106 for one of those in the 100ah range. https://www.trollingmotors.net/blogs/selection/86961351-calculating-motor-run-time This link should help you a bit.

A few things you may want to consider here before making a purchase. If you are SURE you will enjoy kayak fishing even having never experienced it before then you may want to think about saving a bit more money and getting the kayak that you actually want. If you want a pedal kayak but want to start off with paddle for financial reasons then I'd at least look at the kayaks that can accept a pedal drive kit later down the road. That will be much cheaper in the long run than trying to buy 2 boats. Almost all of the kayaks that either have pedal drive or can accept a pedal drive kit as an add on are going to cost a little more than $700. In saying that although you are used to a pond boat with a paddle a kayak is still much different than even that. I had a one of those Bass Raider plastic boats that are pretty popular here on this forum for years as well as my fishing kayak. Although my kayak is about 2 feet longer than my plastic pond boat the boat was still more comfortable and roomy than my kayak and they nearly weighed the same. I much preferred fishing out of the 10' bass raider than the kayak due to the space and the fact that it had a trolling motor on it. It's not necessarily the space per say but the ergonomics of the space. I can fit just as much stuff on my kayak as I could my bass raider but I have to actually pack my kayak properly whereas I could just toss stuff on my boat and go. Also remember that YOU are the motor on a kayak and paddling a purpose built a fishing kayak is closer to paddling your childhood pond boat than it is paddling a "normal" kayak. So if you are going to be primarily river fishing be aware of that and remember that when paddling yourself down the river you also have to paddle yourself back up the river. Paddling upriver, in wind, and/or over long distances are the 3 main things that make kayak fishermen curse out mother nature lol.

I agree with all of this and this is good insight. The things you've mentioned here are the reasons why many kayak owners tend to treat their yaks more like small jon boats instead of semi "portable" kayaks. Lot's of trailers being purchased for kayaks which for some defeats the purpose but these fishing yaks are heavy. For me I have a pickup truck and I strap on dolly for the kayak so I don't have to load and unload gear. I can load everything into the kayak same as a jon boat while transporting and then simply pull it out of the bed and roll it to the water. Time from pulling up to the launch to being in the water is about 60 seconds, longest being walking back from the water to toss my strap on wheels back in the truck. Same when loading back up. If I had to car top this thing and load and unload all of my gear each time then I'm sure that will significantly reduce the amount of fishing I'd want to do from it. Folks just have to ask themselves their reasons for wanting a kayak over something like a small jon boat. For me it was the ease of use and having basically zero maintenance to do. No outboards to mess with was the main one. Almost every single time I go to a public boat launch I'm paddling by somebody stuck at the launch fiddling with an outboard that doesn't want to start... However, that little internal smile of mine does tend to go away the second I see that guy cruising past me towards the other side of the lake while I'm cussing paddling against the slight breeze at 3mph tops and realizing that if I want to go "over there" I'm going to have to paddle this heavy thing "back" lol. "The water gets too frustrating to continue long before it gets dangerous". That's about the most accurate statement I've ever heard regarding kayak fishing lol. Many of days I have gotten up early and planned an all day fishing trip only to stop and set anchor after about an hour because I simply didn't feel like paddling way the hell out to that sweet spot I found on google earth after all. You are 100% correct, expectation management is key when thinking about a kayak purchase. With every passing year you are noticing more and more kayak folks strapping trolling motors to these things...Just saying..

I have a Feelfree Lure, same basic hull design and I believe FeelFree hulls are made in the same factory as the Shadow Caster, or at least it used to be or it's outsourced to them or something. Yeah they're tanks. With that stability and width something has to give which is why it's slower than the Sea Ghost. You aren't going to find very many kayaks that are more stable than the Shadow Caster/Feelfree but you also won't find many kayaks slower and heavier than those either so... Just be careful in rivers and know the currents. There are some river currents that a jon boat with a 30lb trolling motor could get up that you wouldn't be able to in your kayak, that's how "well" they paddle lol.

Yeah it's pretty unfortunate honestly. FeelFree does indeed make a great kayak but these things are heavy and aren't pleasant to paddle. I love the stability and space of the Lure but I waited anxiously for years for them to release the pedal drive system only to find out that the overdrive costs almost as much as the kayak itself and isn't exactly designed very well. I'm pretty sure even with it's flaws it would be better than paddling but I just can't justify spending $900 on a system that has numerous reported design flaws.

I've been doing some serious research into the overdrive system for mine as well and unfortunately from what I have gathered among the Feelfree community your money is better spent elsewhere. These are just the opinions of those I've spoken to with them but from what many overdrive owners are saying is that the system is pretty poorly designed. Needs a bit more maintenance than it "should" and Feelfree didn't do a very good job on the handheld steering for it. Every time I have asked for opinions regarding the overdrive from the community I've been advised to put a trolling motor on it instead or if I'm keen on pedal drive then to just sell the kayak and purchase a purpose build drive kayak like a Hobie instead. These are just the things I've been told by the community. I have no personal experience with the system to give my own opinions.

They certainly are. I've taken my Feelfree Lure out in the Gulf of Mexico before but it depends on the conditions. I've also had it caught out in the middle of a massive mountain lake where the weather turned foul in a matter of minutes. Went from glass to white caps and 30mph winds in about 5 minutes. That was the day I really appreciated the stability of my kayak with waves crashing over the bow and slamming into me from all angles as I made my way to shore. The only real downside to them is their width which makes them a pain to paddle long distances, but there is a certain comfort in knowing that even in inclement weather with my yak fully loaded with fishing and camping gear I'm still not in any real danger of flipping over. I'm more comfortable in my Lure if the weather turns to crap than I would be in a jon boat.

I'll echo what the others have said regarding the Feelfree series of kayaks with a bit of a caveat. They are great rigs and well built, however, know what you are getting yourself in to with the Feelfree yaks. Where do you plan to fish most of the time? Lakes or ponds? Perfect. Rivers? Depends on the current. Most fishing kayaks are heavier and wider than traditional recreational kayaks but Feelfree makes some absolute tanks that will give you one heck of a workout trying to paddle against a current or a decent wind. You may see some recreational kayak folks venturing into places you think you can follow because you have a "kayak" also, be careful with that. FeelFree yaks are closer to small jon boats than they are to recreational kayaks as far as maneuverability is concerned. You can load tons of gear on all of the Feelfree series yaks with storage space rivaling that of a canoe if you pack correctly. However, a canoe it is not so don't get into the mindset of trying to portage a fishing kayak like this. How will you transport to and from the water? Truck bed? Roof rack? trailer? Realistically assess your physical capabilities when thinking about this. Yes you "can" car top a quality fishing yak but they weigh much more than the 20-30lb sit in recreational kayaks. If you visit some Feelfree forums you'll see that a good chunk of the community invests in trailers for these things because they are heavy. I personally use my truck bed with a strap on kayak cart. I figure I could lug it to the roof rack if I had to but that's not something I would enjoy very much. Just some things I wish I would have known prior to purchasing mine years ago. In saying that, I absolutely love mine. Stability is second to none, you'll seriously fall out of it before you manage to flip it over. But I'm noticing more and more of the Feelfree community are putting trolling motors on them and after paddling one for years I certainly understand why.

I have a Feelfree Lure 11.5. Pro's: -Extremely comfortable seat that I've dozed off in on more than one occasion when the bite was off. -Very stable, you will fall out of this yak before you will flip it over even if you have never been in a yak before. I was able to confidently stand up in this thing 30 mins after first getting it on the water having never been in a kayak before. Nice layout with the removable sonar pod that is perfect for my fish finder as well as built in rod holders. -Has a wheel in the keel which is helpful for some to transport but the yak doesn't balance well on it for me so I've found myself tipping it over more often than not. -Rugged design, it's built like a tank. Con's: -Heavy, that seat is nice but it has some weight too it but it's easily removable if necessary for transport. -Due to the width it's not the most pleasant craft to paddle. My buddy in his sea kayak was able to literally paddle backwards and shout mocking words of encouragement at me faster than I could paddle at full speed going forward. But he ended up taking a dip in the drink later that day after turning around too fast to retrieve something from the back of his yak which is something I don't think I could do unless I specifically tried. So a pro and a con. -In regards to the above, it's a pond/lake kayak that you can get away with on some rivers if the current isn't too bad. Last year I made the mistake of going on an unfamiliar river and I crossed a bend in the river "of no return" and I was pretty screwed. With every once of energy paddling at full strength for 45 mins straight I wasn't able to get more than about 10 feet. So I ended up having to get out and drag this heavy thing up a heavily wooded steep bank and then drag it miles back to my truck. Meanwhile recreational kayaks were able to paddle right on by me upriver without issue. -No factory rudder came with mine but I added the rudder kit which made a HUGE difference in tracking. I know it seems like there are more cons than pro's but it's a great craft for what it's designed to do. As with anything as long as it's kept within the limitations of the design it does quite well. I wanted stability over maneuverability at first but if I could go back in time I would have met somewhere closer to the middle. If you only fish lakes and ponds and calm bays then it's almost perfect. If you like rivers then I would highly recommend you have somebody waiting to pick you up at the next boat launch downriver because even if you can paddle back upriver if you weren't someone who uses profanity before you certainly will be after about 20 strokes lol.

I learned that Coho Salmon are the most A hole fish on the entire planet who will literally jump all around you like dolphins yet decide to eat absolutely nothing that you toss near them. Seriously, 30+ anglers standing side by side tossing everything from live bait to egg sacks to spoons and the Salmon just jump on by giving everyone the middle finger. Even had one jump on the boat ramp then just jump back in the water lol. That was my first Salmon fishing experience...I guess now I can understand why just scooping them out with a net is illegal. I could have just waded out there and grabbed one by hand.

Indeed. The plan was never to actually anchor in the current. I fish that river often and I know exactly where my buddy nearly drowned because it's where I lost my own anchor I described. The problem with kayaks and watercraft in general is the loss of situational awareness that can happy pretty quickly when you have your head down being distracted. I too am guilty of this, there have been plenty of times when I'm heads down in the yak trying to remove a swallowed hook and I'll look up and notice I've drifted far down river without even noticing because my anchor let go at random. I've even damaged a rod or two in my rod holders while accidentally being drifted into a low hanging tree while I'm heads down changing a lure. I try to make a point to look around every few seconds or so when I'm heads down but things happen. The problem with yak anchors is their small size. They are usually 3lb claw anchors, maybe 5lb max, and sometimes one of those claws will catch on something and stop you and you think you're secured then it will let go and you don't notice. Or you may hook on to a feisty fish who can pretty easily take you a long for a ride. Controlling a strong fish with one hand while trying to maintain control with the paddle in the other hand can be tricky sometimes.

In his case I don't believe anything would have been able to change the outcome besides him having the anchor line directly in his hand during the accident. Most people don't fish with the anchor line in one hand. He has a 10ft sit in kayak which was anchored off of the bow. The time it took for that anchor to catch and pull the nose under was about 1 second and once that cockpit filled with water rapidly he was sucked right under. He basically tied the anchor line to the bow through the carrying handle and kept the anchor in the cockpit with him. He would toss it over when it wanted to anchor and then paddle up a bit and retrieve it when he was ready to move and put it back in the cockpit. In strong current like that there is no way to paddle upriver to get it so when it snagged he was done immediately. Having the loose end of the rope in his hand would have helped had he tied the bowline knot, however him drifting into the strong current wasn't intentional and he wasn't expecting to have to quickly release the anchor in a split second.