Hi, my name is Jason and I'm a yakaholic...

I should've known. I go through the same cycle with every new activity I find interest in. Let me rephrase that, it's the same cycle when I try a new activity and become addicted. First it was with mountain bikes, then surfing, and now kayaking/kayak fishing.

Step 1: Introduction to activity.
Step 2: Fall in love with activity - addiction begins.
Step 3: Dive head first and buy all the equipment to get me going within said activity while staying under a pre-determined budget that will only get me an entry level setup.
Step 4: Realize I should have just spent the extra money up front for the equipment that I really wanted.
Step 5: Find a great deal on the equipment upgrade.
Step 6: Sell entry level setup at a loss, thereby losing any savings gained from entry level setup and the great deal found on the upgrade.

With that said, here she is!

My new to me Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.3 with upgraded seat and Lowrance Mark 4 fishfinder/gps combo.

Rigging plans were already in motion before I even picked it up and paid the man.

First thing was to clean up the yak. It had been stored outdoors for a few months and needed some TLC. Gave it a good scrub down, let it dry, then applied some 303 UV protectant. That stuff took away most of the sun fading that was present on the rotating hatch.

Next I took a small cutting board and bolted it to the center hatch utilizing the numerous threaded inserts (One of the best features of this kayak!)

Finally, I swapped the fish finders. I had a Mark 4 DSI is now on the Ultra 4.3 and the standard Mark 4 is on the Pescador 12 (which is for sale on sfbay.craigslist.org by the way).

Future plans include the install of a custom anchor trolley (parts are in the mail!) and eventually to install the rudder kit.

I can't wait to take this thing into the salt!!!

A day of firsts. 5.3.14 - Santa Cruz Harbor

My cousin and I arrived at the Santa Cruz Harbor at 5:30AM. We unloaded at the launch just below Aldo's and were on the water by 6AM. We met up with a few other NCKA'ers and headed towards the harbor mouth by 6:45AM. It was an extremely foggy day, but the winds were calm and swell was only 2-3 ft as we paddled towards the Mile Buoy.

Being my first time out in salt water, the heavy fog made me extremely cautious as we headed out into the bay. Being with a handful of others AND knowing I had the proper safety equipment put my mind at ease as we approached Mile Buoy. Being out in the bay in the fog was a very calming experience. The sound of the whistle buoy and the seals combined with the low visibility made for a serene environment that put a huge smile on my face. It was the same feeling I get when paddling out to a break on my surfboard at first light and seeing the sun begin to rise above the horizon as the sets begin to roll in.

Having never fished the area I was very surprised to see a lack of structure on the sea floor. I had always assumed that the sea floor was covered in rock/reef and would be easy to locate structure with my fish finder. Paddling around the Mile Buoy for a couple of hours I did not mark any structure, so jigging was unproductive. Time to move on...

As we headed toward Steamer Lane, structure became more frequent. I stopped just outside of the kelp bed and decided to wet a line. I skipped the shrimp fly setup and started jigging a 3oz lead head with a 6.5" Halloween Big Hammer. I immediately felt a bite as I lifted the pole from the first bounce off the bottom. I set the hook and felt a few head shakes. As I reeled in and start to see color, I could tell it was an undersized Ling Cod. The first of three. I paddled a little further from the kelp bed and notice a large area of structure and drop my line again. I feel a bite, this time the rod goes bendo and I immediately knew this was a larger fish. It put up much more of a fight than the first three. I pulled the fish next to my kayak and grabbed my fish grips. As I lift the fish onto my lap I knew it was a keeper. The Lingcod measured 24" and was the first fish I've landed on my kayak. What a great experience!

Rigging

After my maiden voyage at Quarry Lakes on March 9, 2014 I came to the realization that I needed to customize the Pescador a little to better suit my needs. The single Scotty rod holder up front was okay, but I wanted the ability to troll with two rods. The kayak does have two rear flush mounts, but I want to be able to see the rod tips and grab the poles easier when they go bend-o.

My solution:
-(2) 4" lengths of YakAttack GT90 gear trac
-(2) 4" lengths GT90 full back
-(2) Scotty 426 Side Slide Track Adapters
-(1) additional Scotty Baitcaster rod holder

I decided to cut the a small section of the foot peg rails to install the gear trac in the optimal position. The Scotty 426 side slide strack adapters allowed me to have a vertical Scotty base to mount the rod holders to. With the backing the setup feels solid.



With the two rod holders in place, next up was a depth finder. After a ton of research I decided on the Lowrance Mark 4 DSI unit. I wanted a unit with GPS and down scann imaging, for the price and features this unit cannot be beat. $150 shipped to my door! Finding a spot to mount the unit was easy. I used the existing Scotty base, used a RAM ball wedge adapter, and installed the RAM mount for Lowrance fish finders. This placed the unit at a nice height while still allowing use of the cup holder.

Trying to figure out the transducer was a little more difficult. I originally planned to do a DIY scupper mount using 3/4" aluminum flat bar. I had it rigged up, but could not get the transducer to stay in place. I then decided to fabricate an arm mount using the same 3/4" aluminum flat bar and attached it to the gear track.





I ran the cabling up the arm, laid it on top of the foot peg rails, and zip tied it in place. For cabling thru hull I used the Hobie thru hull wiring kit. I am extremely happy with the way it turned out. I can remove the transducer/mount and throw it in the yak during transport.



Other modifications:
-Velcro to attach my watertight plano box to the center console in the foot well.
-GT175 gear trac at the stern for a future GoPro mount and Scotty Sea-Light with flag and pole.