Fishing yak - Important features/recommendations

[ApacheGuns515]

13 minutes ago, cheezledzul said:

I have no problem to retrieve my paddle, I'll have to see on this kayak but I think tieing it will get in the way. I'm just on lakes so not too worried about very strong currents or it going too far. 

My rod and reel is another story. that I have some 550 cord and a caribiner to get it off quick. Dont want that sinking to the bottom. 

I have a lot of fixed blades but they're all some kind of carbon. Looking into something stainless but may just get a used griptillian folder for like $80. Never like folders though. I love my fixed blades lol

The kayak has bungees on both sides of the kayak so as long as I get some kind of anchor/trolly I shouldnt need much quick access to the paddle 

 

Another neat trick I learned later on is to attach a small float to the end of your rope or 550 cord or whatever on your anchor with a carabiner. I just use a small piece of a pond noodle. Rope sinks and sometimes it's hard to find that thing when you are ready to pull it up and move. 

 

It also makes it great for when you snag your lure on something and you have to paddle to retrieve it you can just unclip yourself from the anchor and leave it floating there then come back and hook back up. 

[cheezledzul]

13 hours ago, ApacheGuns515 said:

 

Another neat trick I learned later on is to attach a small float to the end of your rope or 550 cord or whatever on your anchor with a carabiner. I just use a small piece of a pond noodle. Rope sinks and sometimes it's hard to find that thing when you are ready to pull it up and move. 

 

It also makes it great for when you snag your lure on something and you have to paddle to retrieve it you can just unclip yourself from the anchor and leave it floating there then come back and hook back up. 

I've seen the anchor float. Looked like a solid idea, wouldnt hurt anyways. 

Will inexpensive 550 cord work well with an anchor? Or do I need to buy the nylon marine rope? I have tons of paracord so if there wont be any problems I'll prefer to save money and use that. 

 

I only need an anchor trolly for one side of the kayak right? My dad assumed I'd need one on each side but I dont see a big enough benefit for it. I'd also need a 2nd anchor.5

[haggard]

I bought that same yak as my "last resort" option - not saying it's bad or anything, just meaning it's obviously not as comfy, convenient or stable as the powered boat or bigger fishing yak.

 

But you can't load those easily into a truck bed; they're more expensive; hard to launch from a bank with no ramp; light enough to carry; etc.  It gets you on the water.

 

I find it pretty tippy compared to my bigger/heavier yak. I much prefer sit-on-top over sit-in for any yakking, fishing or not. Yes you're a little higher but I like the idea of being able to bail out quickly if needed.

 

I love mine for its intended purpose (cheap, easy to handle, can keep it in the truck bed at all times in case I find water and want to fish it).

 

Anchor with optional trolley is a good thing to have, and a paddle leash - if you're fishing in a tippy yak, you stand a chance of losing your paddle when you're dealing with a fighting or floppy fish. If you don't want to leash your main paddle, strap a spare to the other side of the boat (I think the Journey has two paddle holders). I use one of those square marine flotation cushions on the seat - much more comfy and keeps the butt dry. I don't plug the scuppers because I want them to do their job (drain water). Back support: not much... so I don't do 8 hour days in this yak.

 

It's a great boat for the price and I think it fills a niche that other boats don't. Enjoy it. I love mine.

 

[ApacheGuns515]

On 8/10/2018 at 1:05 AM, cheezledzul said:

I've seen the anchor float. Looked like a solid idea, wouldnt hurt anyways. 

Will inexpensive 550 cord work well with an anchor? Or do I need to buy the nylon marine rope? I have tons of paracord so if there wont be any problems I'll prefer to save money and use that. 

 

I only need an anchor trolly for one side of the kayak right? My dad assumed I'd need one on each side but I dont see a big enough benefit for it. I'd also need a 2nd anchor.5

It depends on how precise you really want to get. I only have a trolley on one side and it's been fine, sometimes I have to do a 180 in the yak to position myself exactly where i want. If you need 100% pin point positioning then yeah two would be better but I believe that unless you are a tournament kayak fisherman or something then one would suit you just fine. 

 

Normal 550 cord should be fine as well. If you are ever in conditions that would snap any type of 550 cord then I would sincerely hope you would have already pulled up anchor and went home by that point. It's what i use and I've never had an anchor line snap. I'm pretty sure the screws in your anchor trolley would rip out out of your kayak hull before 550 cord would break. 

 

 

 

[cheezledzul]

4 hours ago, ApacheGuns515 said:

It depends on how precise you really want to get. I only have a trolley on one side and it's been fine, sometimes I have to do a 180 in the yak to position myself exactly where i want. If you need 100% pin point positioning then yeah two would be better but I believe that unless you are a tournament kayak fisherman or something then one would suit you just fine. 

 

Normal 550 cord should be fine as well. If you are ever in conditions that would snap any type of 550 cord then I would sincerely hope you would have already pulled up anchor and went home by that point. It's what i use and I've never had an anchor line snap. I'm pretty sure the screws in your anchor trolley would rip out out of your kayak hull before 550 cord would break. 

 

 

 

Any idea what screws I can buy for this system? So I'll need to buy some kind of screw, it's a sit on top do I cant use nuts, seems like every kit has nuts. 

 

So my plan is

Buy

2 pulleys and something to fasten the pulleys

6 screws (4 for pulleys 2 for z lock)

1 Z lock from dicks $10

Use

Paracord, some kind of ring, and a small hook to hold the anchor. Its a small kayak so I figure I can just leave the anchor on the side out of the water on the hook. 

All this plus an anchor should be less than $30

 

Edit

Actually I found a bunch of trolleys on amazon for $20 or less. Looks like it has everything more expensive kits have and I cant see why the quality would be any worst. 

Any objections to random amazon kits?

[ApacheGuns515]

5 hours ago, cheezledzul said:

Any idea what screws I can buy for this system? So I'll need to buy some kind of screw, it's a sit on top do I cant use nuts, seems like every kit has nuts. 

 

So my plan is

Buy

2 pulleys and something to fasten the pulleys

6 screws (4 for pulleys 2 for z lock)

1 Z lock from dicks $10

Use

Paracord, some kind of ring, and a small hook to hold the anchor. Its a small kayak so I figure I can just leave the anchor on the side out of the water on the hook. 

All this plus an anchor should be less than $30

 

Edit

Actually I found a bunch of trolleys on amazon for $20 or less. Looks like it has everything more expensive kits have and I cant see why the quality would be any worst. 

Any objections to random amazon kits?

No all trolley kits are basically the same. You have a kayak, not a yacht, so any system with some normal screws will be just fine. Some kits recommend marine sealant for the screws, some don't. I used some on mine just to be extra careful and no problems so far. 

 

Unless you plan on anchoring down in some white water rapids or something then any trolley system will work just fine. They are all the same thing for the most part. Just a set of pullys with some cord on it to allow you do move your anchor along the side of your yak along with some screws. 

[Bass Junke]

I have a Vibe Skipjack 90. It is a 9' fishing kayak 32" wide. I teetered between a kayak that would have what I needed but not to heavy. Probably should have went with the Yellow fin 100 for the better hero seat, next time. I my opinion this is something every angler should have on their kayak. It is like a hand held trolling motor.

yakgear.com/product/backwater-assault-hand-paddle/

[Choporoz]

11 minutes ago, Bass Junke said:

yakgear.com/product/backwater-assault-hand-paddle/

I bought one a couple years ago as soon as I first heard about it.  I keep it in my crate as an emergency backup, but I haven't used it since the day I got it

[Bass Junke]

Once I get to where I want to fish, I park my main paddle and use the assault paddle for the rest of the day. Usually slowly "trolling" and fishing my way back to where I launched. The main paddle can be awkward, the assault paddle is quick and easy. It makes it easy to quickly adjust your position and angle with one hand while your rod is in the other.

 

[Fishingmickey]

On 8/11/2018 at 7:56 PM, cheezledzul said:

Any idea what screws I can buy for this system? So I'll need to buy some kind of screw, it's a sit on top do I cant use nuts, seems like every kit has nuts. 

 

 

I don't know about most kayak anchor trolley kits. But I do recommend you use well nuts (expanding rubber with brass insert) or machine screws w/nut and back up fender washers to avoid pulling the machine screw out.  If you use well nut's they are self sealing and the machine screw route will require silicone, marine goop, E6000. Some kind of sealant is needed.  Sheet metal screw will pull out sooner or later. It can happen if you snag your trolley or get hit by a wave.They are easy to strip out by over tightening. The plastic isn't strong enough for threading. I prefer to use a 8lb barbell for a anchor and 1/4" braided rope for the line. The barbell does the job and doesn't get hung up in rocks like the grapple type anchors can. 

FM  

[cheezledzul]

On 9/20/2018 at 12:48 PM, Bass Junke said:

I have a Vibe Skipjack 90. It is a 9' fishing kayak 32" wide. I teetered between a kayak that would have what I needed but not to heavy. Probably should have went with the Yellow fin 100 for the better hero seat, next time. I my opinion this is something every angler should have on their kayak. It is like a hand held trolling motor.

yakgear.com/product/backwater-assault-hand-paddle/

Not a bad idea, may get it during the "offseason".

I use a drag chain right now and at the moment I prefer being still to trolling. In strong wind/current I'll drift a little.

The best part is when I want to move I can leave the chain down while paddling. The added resistance is minimal.