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Topics - Madcat

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Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Gearing up for a tournament year

« on: July 09, 2015, 07:38:14 PM »

I've been talking with my wife about this for a while and it looks like it's going to finally happen in 2017 since I'll cap out on vacation time then. I'm going to spend this winter rebuilding my trailer with a locking box, fold down sides and rails to hold my boat. I'm also going to put a camper shell on my truck and put a platform with a bed in it inside ala Billydog. Then I'm going to try and hit at least 20 kayak tournaments in 2017. I'd like to hit a mix of fresh and salt kayak tourney's all up and down the coast. I need to rebuild my freshwater gear since I sold most of it off over the past 5 or 6 years as I got more into saltwater fishing.

On that note I'm looking for some advice on gear. I still have all my freshwater tackle but I need some rods/reels. I've got a calcutta and a stradic I was thinking about just tossing on some freshwater rods and using. I'd like to have a total of 5 setups so I'm not going to be switching baits all the time. I'd like to get 3 bait casters and keep it under about $250 for all three, but I have some wiggle room if needed.

As for rods I'll need one spinning rod for the stradic and 4 baitcasters. I'm thinking 2 plastics rods, a crank bait rod, a spinner bait rod and a drop shot rod. I'm going to be hitting up a bunch of yard sales in the next year looking for deals on high quality rods (G. Loomis, St. Croix and Lamiglas stuff), failing that I'll be buying new and would like to keep it under $100 per rod. I'm totally open to suggestions on this.

I've never done anything quite like this, I mean I'm an avid camper but I don't go out and camp quite this much. I'm planning to set the truck up so I can rest and sleep without the hassle of a tent etc. I'm brainstorming ideas to build a propane stove setup into my trailer to make my life easier. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on setting my trailer up as a mobile kitchen/kayak transporter in one I'd really appreciate it.

Native Watercraft / Standing bar ideas?

« on: July 06, 2015, 09:59:58 PM »

Does anyone know if someone has built a standing bar that fits the front hatch rails of the slayer? I got mine Wednesday and spent about 18 hours in it this weekend. I'm already standing it, but I'd love to have a brace just to give me another solid point of contact.

Kayaks / New boat day!

« on: July 02, 2015, 08:00:05 AM »

I sold the Hobie and today my new Slayer arrived. I've got an absolute ton of rigging to do, tomorrow all the accessories are supposed to show up. I'm planning to make a late night out of it and just try to get most of it done Thursday night so all the Goop will be cured in time for this weekend. My only issue with the entire is it's missing the "thwart bar" which allows me to mount the drive to the boat. I'm going to just go pick up a piece of pipe until they can send me the proper piece.

Pics!

Hobie Kayaks / Considering a 2015 PA 12 or 14, have a few questions

« on: June 22, 2015, 08:24:19 AM »

I'm considering upgrading to a Pro angler (the Slayer 13 propel is also an option) and have a few questions for guys that currently own PA's.

I'm currently using a 2012 outback and love it, but I'd like more space and to be able to stand up to take a leak. On average I fish 100+ days a year and am usually out between 6-12 hours at a time. I really like the horizontal rod storage and all of the features the boat has. I'm a heavy guy (260lbs) and an absolute gear whore so the 500-600lb. weight capacity is a big plus for me.

I own a trailer that I use for my kayaks, so I don't have to worry about trying to car top it. So I think transportation wise I'm pretty set to deal with loading and unloading a PA.

I fish 99% ocean and am usually launching through the surf, how does the PA handle surf launches? My regular spots are places like Leffingwell, Montana De Oro and windmills (cayucos). How does it handle rough or building swell and whitecaps?

What wheels work best for the PA? I'm going to need the large wheeleez style tires regardless of what cart I get. Montana De oro requires me to walk my boat about 250 yards to the water. Windmills is a solid 1/4 mile hike with stairs the boat has to be taken up and down.

The PA is very obviously a barge, without the drive I don't think I could paddle through a 12mph+ wind to land it. What do you guys bring out with you as far as drive maintenance and spare parts? Any experience or anecdotes about the boats speed using the pedals would be appreciated.

I've never really kept track of the PA since it was very far out of reach until recently. Is the 2015 model different enough to justify buying new or should I consider a used model?

Thanks for the info guys. I know some of this has probably been discussed before and I've been reading all the info on the PA's I can find. I was hoping if I put all my questions in one thread I could get some answers that would help me make my decision.

PS: I know the golden rule is demo demo demo and I intend to but our local Hobie dealer doesn't open until July 11th and I don't think they'll have a demo model. The owner seemed ok with the idea of me trying it out if I had the cash in hand though. My only concern is it will be in a calm bay and I won't get to test it out on a surf launch or in 3-6' swell.

Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) / Memorial weekend fishing and how not to surf launch on the Central Coast

« on: May 27, 2014, 10:43:23 AM »

I hooked up with J-Verm early Sunday, he came by and gave me a ride to windmills north of Cayucos since my wife needed the truck for work. We had a pretty good outing, the bite was slow but we both caught a few. He got a nice Cabby and a few rock cod, I picked up a decent size rock myself. I managed to get nuked launching and the footage is pretty darned good.

J-Verm came over and hung out with me for a bit and decided to stay the night so we could hit Montana De Oro first thing today. The swell was fairly large but it wasn't very fast. We had an absolute blast and I think we paddled (he pedaled... bastidge!) about 4 1/2 miles. We had an awesome experience with a sea lion that decided to give us a Sea World type experience and I got a little bit of it on camera. I hurt my knee both Saturday and Sunday so J was going to land and give me a hand when it was my turn. You'll have to see the video to see how that worked out...

Let me know what you think, I'm still getting the hang of the whole Gopro/Video thing.

Gearing Up and Rigging Up / Fishfinders! Navionics Vs. Bluechart

« on: May 12, 2014, 08:40:02 PM »

I'm looking to buy a fishfinder, my last one was a really cheap eagle grayscale unit. I'm looking at getting something nicer this time around. I'm not really a fan of Lowrance after reading about some of their interactions with customers. I really want a GPS/FF combo unit, I think it would be really good to have with how quickly the fog rolls in here (central coast).

Right now I'm looking at either the Raymarine Dragonfly or the Garmin EchoMAP 50 DV. The Dragonfly is $618 on Amazon with the map pack. The Garmin is $507 from Hodges Marine without the maps, the maps are $130 more. However Garmin is currently offering a $200 rebate that brings the cost down to $437. The Garmin uses their proprietary Bluechart software and the Dragonfly uses the Navionics maps. Some stories people have told about Navionics make me a little wary to purchase their products. I've never used Garmin's marine maps before, but I have used their land maps extensively while off-roading and liked them.

Anyone have any input or experience with either of these?

(I'm reposting this from CCKF to get some more input from other like minded individuals)

Places to Launch and Camp / Looking for a removed river camp

« on: June 28, 2011, 01:22:15 PM »

Let me preface this by saying I'm in San Luis Co. so I am looking more for central coast or lower norcal campgrounds. I don't mind driving a ways, but nothing more than 4-6 hours preferably.

I'm looking for a place to camp along the river for a few days this coming month. I'm taking the 15th and the 18th of July off and would love to introduce my wife to river fishing.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a fairly rural river campground? We'll be taking our dog so it must be pet friendly. Preferably as primitive as possible (I'm very into spartan camping I don't use a tent even.) I may or may not take the 'yak, I only have a single kayak and I'm not into leaving her alone in the wild for any length of time.

I do a good bit of offroading so I don't mind having a rougher ride in. Mostly I'm after a quiet place where there won't be many people, my wife has social phobia, Agoraphobia and Panic disorder. People tend to just freak her out, even if they are extremely nice - it's not a rational fear @ all.

I really appreciate your help!

General Talk / Kayak fishing radio/YakAngler survey

« on: June 10, 2011, 08:45:33 AM »

The guys at Yak Angler and Kayak fishing radio are putting on a contest for the First Annual Kayak Angler's Choice Awards!

This is for nominations, best angler, best guide, best shop etc. it will be open for 60 days. They are hoping to get a strong showing of votes from all over to show the kayak fishing communities numbers.
You can take the survey at:

I know this seems odd but I was on the radio with chip last night when he announced it and this is completely legit. If you've never listened to KFR check them out at: http://www.kayakfishingradio.com/KayakFishingRadio.com/Welcome.html You can listen to them on podcast as well, they talk about guides, products, tackle - pretty much everything we care about!