Last summer on the flats north of Wellfleet with my paddle kayak, I was impressed with how much faster G-series could get a shot off from his Hobie peddle-boat. In November I had rotator cuff surgery, and the doc told me to be careful during recovery. Being a highly compliant patient I explained to my wife that the doctor's orders were to buy a peddle kayak. When Highway 61 posted a search for a Tarpon 12, that was all it took; now the Tarpon 12 is headed south in Steve's truck and the peddle kayak is under my deck. Next step, design some lightweight outriggers to allow standing & casting.
I couldn't wait to try out the Tarpon, so this afternoon I took it out on a small bass pond not far from my house. I netted my first bass of the season, albeit a large mouth which was up in the warming shallows close to shore. However, I am sure I won't be able to keep up with you. You will be reeling in your second striper by the time I catch up to you in the Tarpon. Enjoy the Hobie and full steam ahead!
I'm very interested in seeing the outriggers. My thought was to develop a stripping basket that could be mounted off to the side to allow for longer and quicker strips when using sinking lines. Better line managment coupled with the ability to use your feet to get in position should result in more effective shots.
I found fishing from the kayak last fall for albies to be as exciting as any fishing I've done on the Cape, but once an albie was hooked it was pure chaos as the line would sink, get wrapped around the fins or rudder, or would sink to the point where line managment was preventing me from taking another shot. It was truly amazing however to see how much longer the albies would stay up when around the kayak compared to the bigger boats. I must also say that all the boaters I encountered were very respectful of the yakkers out there and kept their distance. Even had one guy come over and unhook my line from the rudder while dealing with a hooked fish.
A bit later than intended, but tested the proto-type of my kayak outrigger today. I was pleased with the results.: I was able to go from sitting to standing and back again with no problem. I stood and cast for about an hour , and got to experience some good powerboat wakes while standing. I was able to deploy and fold (floats up and out) the outrigger floats while afloat. This is a no new holes system you can build for about $125. Pictures will follow once I figure out how.
Another test-float yesterday. Expanded the envelope to paddling while standing which worked fine. Noted the following:
need a slightly longer paddle..a half crouch kills the back
in order to switch from paddle to rod while standing, need to mount a rod holder on the upper rail of the leaning post, and a paddle holder on each side of the L/P
for quick turns, it is relatively easy to manipulate the rudder control (pseudo-tiller) with the paddle while standing
Sure, probably will be smoother & quieter than paddle. It's a long pedal to the good flats, so I'll have to tow it.
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