Showing posts with label scotty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scotty. Show all posts

I Got A Kayak For Christmas. Now What?



Every year it happens. For the last decade that I have been around kayak fishing, Christmas brings a great new flood of people to the sport I love. Thousands of new anglers, looking for a way to get on the water or maybe a different way to get on the water, ask for and receive a kayak for Christmas.

Often times these gifted kayaks are not the $2,000 super decked out angler editions. They are sit-in or sit-on kayaks purchased at major chain stores. You know what? And hear me say this: THAT IS JUST FINE!

You don't need to have a BMW 7 Series car to drive on the highway and you don't need the Hobie Pro Angler 14 to get on the water. Would it be nice? Dang skippy. Is it necessary? Not even close.

I fished my first six, almost seven years out of a $200 sit in kayak from Academy Sports and Outdoors. And it was great. I fished differently then than I do now but every kayak owner fishes a little differently and some of that comes from the type of kayak they fish from. The important things to remember are safety, time on the water and customization to fit your needs.

These throngs of people often find their way to kayak forums and ask the same questions. That is when they get a good taste of what our sport is about. Sharing. More specifically, sharing information.

The questions typically revolve around accessories, where to try, and what is all this I hear about tipping over?

Today, I want to give you some of what I have learned both from the school of hard knocks and by others in the sport who have mentored me.

So I got a new kayak:

What accessories do I need? 
MTI Dio F-Spec


PFD (Life Jacket)- Most people go straight for the paddle. The only reason I recommend a PFD first is safety. If you blow all of your money on a fancy paddle and end up paddling in an $8 PFD that fits like an albatross, you won't be paddling for long. Choose a good PFD and always wear it. Check out the NRS, MTI and Stohlquist PFDs. I also recommend a knife and a whistle to attach to the PFD so you can call for help or cut your way out of a tangle or hung anchor. If you are going to paddle at night, get a 360 degree light. The YakAttack Visicarbon Pro with Flag is a popular choice amongst kayakers everywhere.The PFD and whistle are legal requirements in Texas. The light is also if you are out at night.

Paddle- This is your motor. Use this paddle guide and find the right one for you. If you only have two upgrade things you can buy, they need to be a good PFD  and a paddle. That seems like a no-brainer but lots of people skimp on the first and sell their kayak shortly after from non-use.

Park-N-Pole in a Trolley
Anchor Trolley- It seems strange to buy this before an anchor but believe me when I say you will be much happier if you do. An anchor trolley allows you to use a drift sock, stake out stick and anchor while positioning yourself to take advantage of the wind, not be a victim of it. This also will allow for a quick release if you get into trouble. This is the one I use. Inexpensive and easy to install.

Anchor- This is the most widely underpurchased item under $50. Anchors exist in all shapes and sizes. The most popular one is the collapsible anchor. If you are going to be in water eight feet deep or less, I suggest a YakAttack Park-N_Pole. It can double as a push pole, GoPro camera pole and many other things. Very versatile and it floats. It comes in three different lengths to fit exactly what your needs are.

Anchor Rope (and accessories)- Most anchors don't come with rope. If you are going to be fishing in any current or wind at all most people will recommend 2X the length of rope for the depth you are fishing. So if your fish are in 20 feet of water, you need at least 40 feet of rope. If you are fishing on the coast it is recommended 3X the depth. I like 3/16" rope but choose what you like. Just don't buy 1/16" rope and expect to raise a big anchor easily. While you are there in the rope section, pick up a carabiner and rope float to attach to these as well.

Rod Holders- These come in different varieties. You can get flush mount, rocket launchers, trolling rod holders for baitcasters and spinning, rail mount, and the list goes on and on. Look at some rigging pictures, sit in your boat, see where you can reach and then go buy one.

YakAttack BlackPak
Milk Crate- You can buy one or ask a retail grocer for one. Either way, you can strap this down to the back of most kayaks and hold tons of tackle and gear. You can also add some PVC to be additional rod holders. Cheapest investment you'll love forever. Eventually you may want to upgrade to a YakAttack BlackPak. This is the king of all packs to haul gear and hold rods.

Everything Else-These things will get you going pretty well. After you have the above mentioned items, you should look at, in no particular order: a fish finder, stabilizers (depending on the kayak), drift sock, stake out stick, VHF handheld radio, scupper plugs (for sit on tops), waders, paddle gloves, really the list goes on and on.


Your fishing adventure is just that. Add things as you can and see what others are doing. Go to get togethers. Visit kayak shops like HOOK1 if you are in Tennessee or Mariner-Sails if you are in Texas. Talk to guys who have years or even decades on the water. Talk to the new guys. See what's new, what's a need, what's a want and go for it. And if you buy something that doesn't work out, there is always the buy-sell-trade forums. Most of all, have fun and catch some fish!




Gear Review: Scotty Gear Head Track Adapter

Today we look at the Scotty Gear Head Track Adapter (No. 438). I'll go ahead and show my cards early. This product may have been the one thing that kept me from removing all of my Scotty gear from my kayak. Those are strong words but let me explain.

Since 2003 I have used Scotty bases for everything from rod holders to depth finders. For kayak fishing you had either an above deck mount which had a tall footprint or the flush mount which meant you had to use a hole saw on your boat. I'm not opposed to drilling holes but a hole saw?
Scotty Gear Head Track Adapter No. 438

This year I was waffling back and forth between converting completely over to Ram Mounts. I had a couple of things I really liked from them but didn't want to throw down the cash to rebuy everything. That tall mount in the back kept taunting me. It stuck up above everything else and made loading upside or stacking anything back there difficult. And then I found the Scotty Gear Head Trac Adapter. This product allows me a removable and mobile solution to using Scotty products when coupled with the YakAttack Gear Trac or the Mighty Mount.

At first I wasn't sure how much weight I could put on that t-bolt in the bottom of the adapter. So why not test it out? I mounted two 4" x 2" heavy duty Gear Trac plates (GT175-04) where I had previously had a big Scotty mount on the back. I put the Scotty Adapter on one of them. Then I attached a Scotty Gear Head Extender (no. 429) to get the connection point out to the side of the kayak. I then attached a tall PanFish (PFS) camera mount and then topped it with my GoPro. The result? It was rock solid. There is a little bit of sway which anything this large attached by a single point on an axis of 90 degrees would do. But it is just a touch.

I then utilized another 438 to get my 360 light up and off the deck. It worked exactly as would be expected.

The t-bolt in the bottom can be a little snug when you first get it out of the package but a little bit of torque will loosen it right up.

YakAttack GT175-04
The Track Adapter has a twist locking mechanism to hold your accessories securely in place and then with a twist release them to be stowed. I felt this was a vast improvement over previous methods. Having to find just the right lift to be able to rotate and twist out was aggravating. Scotty has done away with it. I can now have a rod holder or light or camera mounted almost anywhere on my kayak when I use a Gear Trac. If I need a mount in a very slim area, I can use a GT-90 from YakAttack and get after it.

For about $17, Scotty has saved me a ton of money in repurchases, made my fishing easier and more mobile and kept me as a customer. That's pretty good in my book.

Check out the "All Rigged Up" video in the videos section at the top of the page to see the mounts from Scotty and YakAttack in action.

Click on the links below at HOOK1 to see more specs and order some of the products talked about here.

Scotty Gear Head Track Adapter (No. 438) 

Scotty Gear Head Extender (No. 429)

PANFISH Camera Pole from YakAttack (Scotty Mount)

Gear Trac 175 from YakAttack

Gear Trac 90 from YakAttack



Scotty Offset Gears and Slip Discs Review

If you could buy two items that could make your fishing simpler, more dialed in and easier would you? What if I told you that together both items would cost less than $10? It sounds too good to be true but it's not. I have the magic items and I can tell you, they are worth twice what they are asking if not three times.

Scotty No. 414 Offset Gears

So what are these modern marvels? Let me introduce you to the Scotty No. 414 Offset Gears and the Scotty No. 415 Slip Discs.

The Offset Gear is placed between the two existing gears on a Scotty mount to double the number of adjustments you can make. Finding a better angle but still maintaining that rigid hold is not only possible but extremely inexpensive. I used the Offset Gears in my Scotty Gear Head Mount Extender (No. 429) to get a better angle for my GoPro which is attached to a PanFish Camera Mount from YakAttack. I just couldn't get the angle I wanted with the standard gears. I popped in an Offset Gear and voila!I had what I wanted. I also tried it out in a Scotty rod holder which worked well but I still needed more fine tuning capability. That is where the No. 415 Slip Discs came in.

The Scotty No. 415 Slip Discs will tune as finely as you can dial it in.
Scotty No. 415 Slip Discs
A typical Scotty gear has teeth on both sides. The Slip Discs have teeth only on one side. What this allows you to do is make micrometer like adjustments up and down to find the perfect angle on that rod holder. These can be used with all the other Scotty mounts that have gears in them as well. The only thing you are really giving up is that iron clad security of teeth on both sides. With enough force the Slip Discs will do exactly that, slip. That's what they are made for. With a hand tightened nut on a rod holder or extension, in almost all applications, the 415 will be good to go.

Scotty No. 429 Gear Head Mt Ext.
I started kayak fishing with Scotty rod holders almost a decade ago. I fished them more because of the price point difference than because of functionality. There were other rod holders that had better adjustability but they were twice the cost. I knew the Scotty rod holders and extenders were clunky. The angles never seemed what I really wanted and so I eventually stopped using them. With the release of the Offset Gears and the Slip Discs, Scotty is going to get another shot on my kayak. The price point on Scotty products is already hard to beat and with these newest additions, affordability and functionality are both part of the new equation. If you are looking for a way to fine tune your Scotty products and your fishing, this is it,

If you would like to order some of these products you can go to the links below. These folks at HOOK1 are top notch and have the best prices around.


No. 414 Scotty Offset Gears (Listed at $4.49)

No. 415 Scotty Slip Discs (Listed at $4.49)

Since I mentioned it, if you needed to check out a Gear Head Mount Extender, here is a link as well:

Scotty No. 429 Gear Head Mount Extender (Listed at $24.99)

Thanks for reading. More reviews are on the way this week as we will look at some additional Scotty and YakAttack products.

All Rigged Up

Next week I'll have full details, reviews and ordering information up for most of the things you see here. Thanks for watching!


Gear Rigging Preview


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