No one told me about the Kayak Monkey

[Koz]

He appears to be a very close relative of the Bait Monkey.

 

So I'm really enjoying my Seastream Angler 120 pedal drive kayak and got to thinking about adding some simple electronics to the watercraft. The Lowrance hook2-4x GPS looks like a great deal for my needs at just over $100. But then I start putting everything together: Ram transducer arm mount, 2 Uni-Track V2 Accessory Mounts, RAM Track Ball Double Ball Mount for the Lowrance, battery, battery box, and a Lowrance Sun Cover and now I'm up to over $300.

 

Of course that's small potatoes compared to owning a bass boat. But on the other hand, I can't haul the kayak with my car (I store it at my hotel on the lake), so soon I'll also be on the hook for a new SUV and the rooftop transport system.

 

The spending is never going to end, it it? I'm just glad I was only bit by the Kayak Monkey and not the Boat Monkey.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Koz said:

The spending is never going to end, it it?

Having a canoe, not a kayak, I can still say with some confidence....

 

Nope - the 'watercraft monkey' is as insidious a beast as the bait monkey.

[Darth-Baiter]

The Boat monkeys evil uncles “GasMonkey” and “TowVehicle-monkey”, are not related to kayak-monkey.   Thank goodness. 
 

‘the bad news?  Bait monkey is a very good friend. 

[GTN-NY]

Just wait till next year when you realize the hook 4 isn’t big enough and you want a 7. Ask me how I know. 
oh and then there is the trolling motor. 
it never ends

 

 

 

and trailer

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, GTN-NY said:

Just wait till next year when you realize the hook 4 isn’t big enough and you want a 7.

Maybe two - that's how long I lasted with the Hook 2-4 before I caved and got the Striker 7.

[Allen Der]

I was once guilty of falling to the monkey and most new kayak owners are too.  after nearly 10 years of yak fishing, I'll tell you to keep it as simple as possible especially if you are car topping.  If you have a trailer and using your yak instead of a bass boat, then by all means go all out with electronics, accessories and motors.

[Koz]

7 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Maybe two - that's how long I lasted with the Hook 2-4 before I caved and got the Striker 7.

 

But what was the underlying reason for your upgrade?

 

I don't see the need for a bigger screen on a 12 foot kayak. Space is at a premium, and a larger screen means there's a greater chance I'm going to bang into it or get caught up on it with something. With my pedal drive, the unit needs to go on the side rails. If I built a dashboard it would be beyond the pedals and too far away.

 

As long as I can see fish and have a plotter and GPS I don't see the need for a bigger or more expensive unit. For me it's the same reason why I limit myself to spending $150 on a new rod or reel. Sure, a $350 rod or reel is nice, but my $150 rods and reels get the job done.

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

But what was the underlying reason for your upgrade?

4" screen was hard to see - my remaining eye isn't as young as it use to be.

 

2 hours ago, Koz said:

Sure, a $350 rod or reel is nice, but my $150 rods and reels get the job done.

Oh I hear you there - I buy on the 'cheap' where I can. I've yet to pay over $100 for any of my rods or reels, and I'm happy with them. I'd like to have better/more expensive rigs, but on my income it's not going to happen.

[bulldog1935]

fwiw, Scotty track balls are better than Ram track balls

(I know your Ram double uses the good solid Ram ball on the base).  

 

Ram 1" track ball has this hollow

that collapses under clamp load

 

Here's a Scotty ball I used on a home-finagled mount for my VHF/GPS 

 

 

A Scotty 1" track ball will support a rod

 

and the only thing more fun than rigging kayaks is building bicycles -

- with either one, it's always a satisfaction with getting on the water (or climbing a hill) and everything works just like you planned it.  

[Krux5506]

I have both. Luckily I blew all my money on the boat and upgrades for that long before I had kids. I consider my boat "done" besides eventually a new console fish finder but I can put that off for a while. Although I do plan to replace all 3 batteries this season.

 

Now I have a predator pdl kayak on the way...I'm not crazy about electronics on kayaks, I prefer to just keep things minimal but who knows how that will work out. I'm sure I'll find something to drop money on ?

[GTN-NY]

Some days I like rigging and modding my kayak and trailer more than fishing

[huZZah]

4 minutes ago, GTN-NY said:

Some days I like rigging and modding my kayak and trailer more than fishing

Haha yeah. In crappy weather I enjoy organizing/reorganizing my tackle. Idle hands...

[Koz]

20 minutes ago, Krux5506 said:

Now I have a predator pdl kayak on the way...I'm not crazy about electronics on kayaks, I prefer to just keep things minimal but who knows how that will work out. I'm sure I'll find something to drop money on ?

 

At first I had no intention of adding electronics to my kayak, but after one day on the lake I decided otherwise. Almost all of my previous fishing has been bank fishing and the majority of that on lagoons.

 

Not now kayaking out on a big lake has changed my mind. There's a ton to explore and I think the electronics can help me with that. I suppose I could plot spots on Google Maps or the Anglr app, but I think using a fish finder should make narrowing down some spots easier.

 

Maybe between now and the time I decide to pull the trigger on that gear my mind will change. I'm due out on the lake for most of the day today and I plan to cover a lot of water. We'll see how that goes.

[Krux5506]

A dangerous lesson I've learned when coming to terms with blowing money on fishing stuff is that "money can always be made back" ??‍♂️

[Dens228]

My yak is about as tricked out as I can get.  I don't have a trolling motor but have a Bixby motor. 

I'm fighting the monkey every single day to not switch from the Bixby to a SpotLock motor. 

[Darth-Baiter]

My kayak is simple. 5” Lowrance Hook Reveal. Done 

 

jump off your kayak and try to climb back aboard in deep water. You won’t make it if you have a bunch of stuff around the perimeter of the boat. I use my FF mount as one my 1 of 2 handholds to slide back in. 

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

My kayak is simple. 5” Lowrance Hook Reveal. Done 

 

jump off your kayak and try to climb back aboard in deep water. You won’t make it if you have a bunch of stuff around the perimeter of the boat. I use my FF mount as one my 1 of 2 handholds to slide back in. 

I also keep all mine bare bones. That way loading, unloading , and cartopping are quick and easy 

[bulldog1935]

this doesn't care

Easy enough to single hand on the beach by sliding off and swinging each end.  

(could also slide it onto rollers)

I back it up to my garage and slide onto saw horses, then place closed-cell foam hull pads.  

This also stores it in an easy spot to work on rigging.  

[Koz]

6 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

My kayak is simple. 5” Lowrance Hook Reveal. Done 

 

jump off your kayak and try to climb back aboard in deep water. You won’t make it if you have a bunch of stuff around the perimeter of the boat. I use my FF mount as one my 1 of 2 handholds to slide back in. 

 

That's one thing I haven't done yet - take my empty kayak out to a safe area, roll it over, and try and flip it back and climb in again. I just need to have a spotter handy in case something goes wrong.

[bulldog1935]

A drybox cooler like Engel - you can always put it between your legs and use its buoyancy to help launch you back onto the boat.  

[GTN-NY]

52 minutes ago, Koz said:

 

That's one thing I haven't done yet - take my empty kayak out to a safe area, roll it over, and try and flip it back and climb in again. I just need to have a spotter handy in case something goes wrong.

I did that. It’s not fun but good practice 

[Dens228]

4 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I also keep all mine bare bones. That way loading, unloading , and cartopping are quick and easy 

Truck bed to water is five minutes for me.  All I have to do is put my rods in the rod holders.  Depthfinder and transducer stay on the pod, motor and battery weigh nine pounds and are already on the kayak.  It would take me no less time if it was just a kayak and rods. 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

Truck bed to water is five minutes for me.  All I have to do is put my rods in the rod holders.  Depthfinder and transducer stay on the pod, motor and battery weigh nine pounds and are already on the kayak.  It would take me no less time if it was just a kayak and rods. 

5 minutes is good time! I can’t even handle the complexities of a rod holder so I just lay them down. I’ve seen at least 7-10 rods go into the water while paddling with friends that didn’t flip over, it was always a rod holder involved (trees grabbing them, back casts grabbing them, or paddle smacking them out). I know they make better ones that don’t let the rods get ripped out but I can just lay them down and not worry about casts hitting them either 

[Koz]

25 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

5 minutes is good time! I can’t even handle the complexities of a rod holder so I just lay them down. I’ve seen at least 7-10 rods go into the water while paddling with friends that didn’t flip over, it was always a rod holder involved (trees grabbing them, back casts grabbing them, or paddle smacking them out). I know they make better ones that don’t let the rods get ripped out but I can just lay them down and not worry about casts hitting them either 

My kayak came with rod bungee clips for the rod holders behind my seat.

[TnRiver46]

31 minutes ago, Koz said:

My kayak came with rod bungee clips for the rod holders behind my seat.

Use them!!! I just don’t like having rods stored vertically, regardless of being in a kayak, canoe, or motor boat. I have bad habit of casting from all angles and I will somehow catch them on the back cast guaranteed