Kayak Load Out

[Koz]

My kayak (12' pedal drive) gets more and more crowded with gear every day. I guess it wouldn't be bad if I was trailering or car topping and I could quickly load and unload stuff in my vehicle. but for now I keep my kayak at my hotel and I have to haul it up and down a big, steep hill to and from the lake. My kayak is 98 pounds and the pedal drive adds another 22, but it gets a lot heavier from there. Here's my typical load out:

 

1. Flambeaux Deluxe crate. In that crate I have six 3600 Plano boxes, a spinnerbait box, a dozen bags of soft plastics, tools, scale, gloves, gaiters, headlamps, bug spray, and sunscreen. I have two more Plano boxes under my seat.

2. Dry bag with shoes, shorts, shirt, phone, car key fob. I change out my shoes for water shoes when I head out.

3. Seatback cooler with drinks and snacks.

4. Electronics including 7" Humminbird, YakAttack CellBlok with 12V Lipo battery, and Switchblade transducer arm.

5. Safety flag with light.

6. 4-5 rods and reels.

7. C-Tug kayak cart. I break it down and stow the base behind the seat and the wheels on the bow.

8. Camera case with mounting gear for two action cameras.

9. Paddle

10. Tow / dock rope.

 

Truth be told, I really don't need to bring all of those baits and lures. But we've all been there - we don't want to be out there and then think we should have brought THAT lure. But I think in my next outings I'll cut it down to 2 or 3 Planos to lighten the load a little bit.

 

How much do you pack on your kayak each trip?

[Choporoz]

About that much...few more rods and a measuring board, but no cooler.  I use a gorilla wagon between house and the lake.  I use the lawn mower to pull the wagon (and the kayak) going up.

[Allen Der]

I've become a minimalist for kayak fishing.  Light kayak under 70lbs, Paddle, 1-2 planos, 2-3 rods, anchor and/or stake out pole, water bottle, ketch board.  phone, tools and first aid kit in PFD.  I don't even bring a crate most times now.

[Bass Junke]

I have a Vibe Sea ghost 110. My set up is much like yours. 

1- custom built kayak crate W/ 4 rod holders and 5 Plano Edge 3500 boxes.

2- Garmin Striker. The Sea ghost has a hatch and door for mounting transducer so no arm needed.

3- I mount an extra cell phone on a Railblaza mount for photos. 

4- 3 railblaza rod holders. 2 mounted in rear for rod storage. One is mounted on a front rail in reverse. (a place to put my rod when I am landing a fish)

5- 4-8 rods.

6- paddle

7- backwater assault paddle. (my trolling motor)

8- drinks and snacks. sitting in my center console. 

9- my seat. Which has a net, pliers, cutters, fish grip, and hemostats all mounted to the seat. I also have 2 sets of heavy cutters and piers in a saddle bag in the side of my crate. 

10- A battery to run my sonar and lights. The advantage of having access to the hull of your kayak is I store my battery inside, it sits on velcro. 

11- dry bag with clothes also kept inside my hull. This does not get removed. 

12- First aid kit and a tow/dock rope in my center console. These do not get removed. 

13- finally, I have a flag and a 360 light on a PVC pole. Either will be brought along when needed.  

[Koz]

33 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I use the lawn mower to pull the wagon (and the kayak) going up.

 

That's cheating! ?

2 minutes ago, Bass Junke said:

9- my seat. Which has a net, pliers, cutters, fish grip, and hemostats all mounted to the seat. I also have 2 sets of heavy cutters and piers in a saddle bag in the side of my crate. 

 

 

Do you have one of those seat hanger bags or is it something built in?

 

I always thought that kayak companies should get more creative with storage. For example, they should have flip open hull compartments (like a glovebox in a car) in the walls of the hull near the seat. They could probably put two smaller ones on each side.

 

I also think they should have floor storage at your feet. Something that could fit a Plano or two or you could purchase an optional tray system to put in there.

 

My kayak doesn't have any hatches or hull access, so the best solution for my battery was the CellBlok. My hull is more of a tri-hull, so there's no good place to mount a transducer. Plus, I also have side scan and I can't have the hull interfering with that, so the transducer arm is my best option.

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Koz said:

My kayak (12' pedal drive) gets more and more crowded with gear every day.

You sound like a pet parent on the diet, refrigerated, fresh dog food aisle...

[Togue]

This is funny, I had the same exact thought today as I pack for this weekend's trip. I have a Pro Angler 14 so I have all the space I could ever need and slowly filling it which is bugging me. 

 

My kayak currently:

 

1. Three 3600 Planos under the seat

2. Two 3600 Planos attached to seat back

3. Container of soft plastics under the seat (size of a shoebox, matches height of 3 Planos)

4. Paddle tail clamshells, tools, and car keys/wallet/phone in hatch bucket right in front of the seat

5. C-tug behind the seat in tankwell

6. Paddle in tankwell

7. Fish finder battery in the hull

8. Dry bag with warm clothes and towel in front hatch

9. Pelican manual pump in hull, tied to hatch cover near seat

10. Spare rope/tow strap/anchor in front hatch

11. Life jacket

12. Five to six rods in the horizontal rod holders beside the seat

13. Pedal drive

 

I hate having things behind the seat or sticking up in the air and that's the main reason I upgraded to the pro angler. I use a milk crate for storing the Planos and plastics between trips and empty it into the kayak at the launch, which is a bit of a waste of time. I rarely use most of the stuff I bring - if I'm not catching on any of the 6 rods I have rigged it's probably where I'm casting rather than what I'm throwing.

 

I think my plan is to get two 3700 Planos that I pack for each trip to go under the seat. That should be more than enough. 

[Bankc]

1-tackle bag with 7x 3600 boxes, pliers, scales, and all of the other fishing accessories 

6-rods in vertical rod mount behind me

1 ea. of anchor, anchor extension rope (tow rope), drift sock in front hatch.

2 batteries, one 7ah for sonar, one group 29 for trolling motor

1 ea. of trolling motor, speed controller, wire sets

1 paddle

1 seat

1 PFD

1-2 bottles of water, sometimes a snack, also kept in the front hatch

1 sonar with transducer mount (Scotty #141)

1 microfiber towel on my seat

1 pocketknife, in my pocket.

 

I think that's about it.  I keep my phone, wallet and keys in my pocket.  I used to keep them in a dry box, but I've lost that inside my kayak's hull before and spent an hour in the hot sun trying to fish them out.  My phone is IP67 rated and car can work without key fob battery so it's safer on my person anyway.  I can't imagine why I'd ever need another set of clothes, since I won't be camping overnight.  I also have a kayak cart, but I rarely use it.  And if I do need it, I'll take it back to the car so it's not taking up space in my kayak.  In the winter, I'll also bring waterproof boots and neoprene gloves.  But in the summer, I just wear UPF gloves, a hat and old sneakers to and from the lake.  My car's interior is designed to get wet.  

 

I car top and just back up to the water's edge.  With that group 29 battery and trolling motor, it's a nightmare to haul around in the kayak cart.  Especially on uneven and bumpy ground.  It's probably about 220lbs fully loaded (without me).  

[813basstard]

And people say it’s harder with a full bass boat…it takes me about a minute and 23 seconds to back my Xpress off the trailer. 
 

Y’all can have that

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

My kayak (12' pedal drive) gets more and more crowded with gear every day. I guess it wouldn't be bad if I was trailering or car topping and I could quickly load and unload stuff in my vehicle. but for now I keep my kayak at my hotel and I have to haul it up and down a big, steep hill to and from the lake. My kayak is 98 pounds and the pedal drive adds another 22, but it gets a lot heavier from there. Here's my typical load out:

 

1. Flambeaux Deluxe crate. In that crate I have six 3600 Plano boxes, a spinnerbait box, a dozen bags of soft plastics, tools, scale, gloves, gaiters, headlamps, bug spray, and sunscreen. I have two more Plano boxes under my seat.

2. Dry bag with shoes, shorts, shirt, phone, car key fob. I change out my shoes for water shoes when I head out.

3. Seatback cooler with drinks and snacks.

4. Electronics including 7" Humminbird, YakAttack CellBlok with 12V Lipo battery, and Switchblade transducer arm.

5. Safety flag with light.

6. 4-5 rods and reels.

7. C-Tug kayak cart. I break it down and stow the base behind the seat and the wheels on the bow.

8. Camera case with mounting gear for two action cameras.

9. Paddle

10. Tow / dock rope.

 

Truth be told, I really don't need to bring all of those baits and lures. But we've all been there - we don't want to be out there and then think we should have brought THAT lure. But I think in my next outings I'll cut it down to 2 or 3 Planos to lighten the load a little bit.

 

How much do you pack on your kayak each trip?

 

I truck bed my autopilot and a lot of the lakes I fish I can get the truck right down to the water, so that's fortunate.  The batteries stay in the boat (25 lb + 6 lb), the seat is always in (and has a set of pockets for pliers/scissors/scale), and a couple small things are always in.  The net stays in.  That puts the base boat around 140-150 lb to get in and out of the truck.

 

• The motor is another 25 lb but rides in the back seat. 
• The helix 7 detaches and rides in the back seat.  
• I carry 4-6 rods pretty much every trip.  I have a 4 rod horizontal rod holder so 4 is easy.  5 is fine too.  6 means putting one in a holder in the back (yak attack omega, angled level). 
• My tackle bag is 5x 3700, 1x 3600, plus the plastics in the side pockets, probably 20 bags for trailers, worms, beavers, etc.  Its about 40-50 lb.
• I have a seat back soft cooler that I have taken 50% of the time.  I haven't done a long full day trip this summer but when I do I'll have it with ice pack and drinks.  When I've taken it this spring its had a 3600 or two, a bottle of water, some assorted packs of lures, and maybe my rain jacket if there is a chance of rain
• Now that its 80 degrees I only take a rain jacket if its going to properly rain.  A sprinkle I'll just get wet.

 

rick

 

[Koz]

1 hour ago, Deleted account said:

You sound like a pet parent on the diet, refrigerated, fresh dog food aisle...

Nah, my dog gets a combo of Iams soft dog food in a can and hard dog food every day.

 

I'm also closing in on 60 years old, so pulling 150 pounds of kayak and gear up a steep, windy hill is not my idea of fun - especially in the Georgia heat.

[casts_by_fly]

2 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

And people say it’s harder with a full bass boat…it takes me about a minute and 23 seconds to back my Xpress off the trailer. 
 

Y’all can have that

 

I would love to be able to keep rods, tackle, and rain jacket in the boat all the time with a regular boat.  That's my one gripe about this kayak.  I've got my load and ready routine down to about 5-7 minutes each way (and I can hustle if its a busy ramp) but it would be nice to back a trailer down, pull the boat on, and drive away.

 

rick

[Bankc]

9 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

And people say it’s harder with a full bass boat…it takes me about a minute and 23 seconds to back my Xpress off the trailer. 
 

Y’all can have that

Do they?  They're crazy if they do.  

 

Honestly, if you can convince my wife to let me have a full bass boat, I'll give you my kayak.  

[Togue]

33 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

And people say it’s harder with a full bass boat…it takes me about a minute and 23 seconds to back my Xpress off the trailer. 
 

Y’all can have that

I would be lying to say launching a ~130 lb barge of a kayak is fun. It stinks but I live near a lot of smaller ponds and rivers with car top only access so it will have to do for now.

 

Luckily I can keep my rods and other gear loaded and slide it in the pickup under the tonneau cover, but tackle boxes have to come out because they aren't secure enough. Always looking to make it easier to get on the water. 

[flyfisher]

It is all about getting your system down.  When conventional fishing I am taking anywhere from 3-6 set ups, 6 or so plano boxes, scale, ketch board, fish grips and all of that tackle minus the rods stays in teh crate.  I also have a NK180s motor that on short trips I just leave on the kayak for transport and on long ones i take it off.  The battery box i put in the kayak and strap it down for transport.  Electronics are in the pod so that stays on the boat and folded down.  Fly fishing is pretty much the same except i take less gear and rods, most trips.  On my soon to be received kayak, I am gonna figure out a way to keep my throttle control mounted is it is one less thing to worry about.  All in all I can be at the lake and within 15 minutes be on the water if i am not even trying to rush.  Oh and i have a trailer too so that helps with leaving things on the kayak.

[VolFan]

3 rods max, one crate, and a small cooler. I’ve been much happier in the yak since I went to this load out. I don’t fish tournaments, so ymmv

[813basstard]

4 hours ago, Bankc said:

Do they?  They're crazy if they do.  

 

Honestly, if you can convince my wife to let me have a full bass boat, I'll give you my kayak.  

No thanks!

 I fished out of a kayak once. You know what it reminded me of?

Work. 

Get home tonight, put your feet up on the table, open a PBR and tell the ol lady your “either getting involved in the sale of schedule 1 narcotics, or waiting outside the casino for people who hit on the new dragon slot machine..either way, we’re winning babe..”

 

It works

[king fisher]

Way to much, but somehow not enough.

 

1-Anchor,

2-Fish finder, and battery

3-flash light

4-whistle, flare, flag, and first aid kit

5-sunscreen

6-insect repellent

7-Anchor

8-scale

9-marker buoys

10-Fish grippers

11-Camera

12-phone

13-pliers

14-split ring pliers

15-knife

16-scissors

17-TP

18-lure retriever

19-lunch

20-Water and soft drinks

21-4 rod and reel combos

22-spare reel, and line

23-Tackle is way to much to list, so  I will simply say the Bait Monkey is a passenger at all times, but some how I only have one of the hot lure for the day.

24-One sore back from loading and unloading everything.

[casts_by_fly]

19 hours ago, Bankc said:

Do they?  They're crazy if they do.  

 

Honestly, if you can convince my wife to let me have a full bass boat, I'll give you my kayak.  

 

ditto.  My ideal setup for the lakes around here would be a ~16' decked aluminum with a 9.9 (tweaked up to an 18 or 20) since we have tons of restricted lakes.  Decked for the permanent storage.  I've considered building exactly what I want, but still need the go ahead from the commissioner.  

[Bass Junke]

23 hours ago, Koz said:

 

That's cheating! ?

 

Do you have one of those seat hanger bags or is it something built in?

 

I always thought that kayak companies should get more creative with storage. For example, they should have flip open hull compartments (like a glovebox in a car) in the walls of the hull near the seat. They could probably put two smaller ones on each side.

 

I also think they should have floor storage at your feet. Something that could fit a Plano or two or you could purchase an optional tray system to put in there.

 

My kayak doesn't have any hatches or hull access, so the best solution for my battery was the CellBlok. My hull is more of a tri-hull, so there's no good place to mount a transducer. Plus, I also have side scan and I can't have the hull interfering with that, so the transducer arm is my best option.

No, I just did some mods to my seat. I ran a bungie cord in a cross pattern on the back of my seat to hold my net. The fish grips are attached to the frame via the stretch cord and tucks in between the fabric of my seat. My scissors and stats are in a pouch attached to the frame with velcro. My pliers are on a Gerber tether that is clipped to the seat strap and secured with a tie wrap to the frame. 

This keeps all my tools easily accessible. 

I guess I am kind of weird. My reasons for buying a kayak don't really line up with most others. Hull access, light weight, and most people don't like the center storage on the Vibe. It is another reason I bought it. 

 

[casts_by_fly]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:09 PM, Koz said:

 

That's cheating! ?

 

Do you have one of those seat hanger bags or is it something built in?

i know this wasnt to me, but I do have one of the seat front pockets. It’s great. 
 

 

[CountryboyinDC]

I also use the WS pockets for the seat like @casts_by_fly, only mine are for 2 3600 Plano boxes and stay under the seat rather than in front of it. 

I am a little more minimalist than most folks on here, although I feel I can go overboard if in my pedal kayak.  My crate keeps me organized - with what's in that I have all the gear I need for most 5 to 8 hour trips except the paddle and PFD.  I can carry it with one hand.

[the reel ess]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:00 PM, Allen Der said:

I've become a minimalist for kayak fishing.  Light kayak under 70lbs, Paddle, 1-2 planos, 2-3 rods, anchor and/or stake out pole, water bottle, ketch board.  phone, tools and first aid kit in PFD.  I don't even bring a crate most times now.

I too travel light. 57 lb. kayak, free crate with rod holders zip tied in, 5 or so rods, paddle, phone for pics, a few bags of soft plastics, pliers, scissors and scale, and a Plano box of topwaters. 

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m light.  
6 rods max

dry bag with essentials.  Tools, first aide, snacks, spare sunglasses, etc. 

Milwaukee tool box with two 3600 boxes and 4 ziploc bags full of plastic bags of baits _ plastics - inside I have my fish finder, pliers, snips, scale. 

full size plastic box under the seat - hard plastics

in kayak cabinet- two 3600 boxes w top water stuff. 
net

camelback bladder for water. 
 

all in my Hobie Outback. I need to leave room for my hopes and dreams.