I have posted the below ad on craigslist.  $1650 price for NCKA reflects $100 discount from Craigslist price.

2012 Hobie Outback with Mirage Drive purchased July 2012 and used 7 times only. Mango (yellow) colored. Perfect condition except for normal scuffs on the bottom.

Kayak is currently set up with an anchor release and Lowrance Elite 4 GPS/Sonar fish finder on a YakAtrack gear track. It is ready to fish. PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE FISH FINDER. I will remove the fish finder upon sale unless buyer makes separate arrangements to purchase it.

415/794-6798

Shad are finishing up and heading back downstream, from what i have heard.  Going to try for them again Wednesday.   Not sure yet whether will wade from shore or go by yak. 

Intel, tips, pointers, company -  all welcome.

I have installed QRAS to my yak for added safety, thanks to the many helpful comments from brothers on the board. 

Pindo 124 and I had so much fun last weekend we are going back for a repeat tomorrow.   Company welcome.   Conditions look much more favorable.   Hope to meetup with some of the local residents, and not pay rent to the landlord.

Anybody fishing shad and/or stripers this long weekend?   I dont know the rivers well, so would love to tag along.

There must already be a post on subject, but i didnt see it, so am starting a new one.  

I think there must have been maybe 6-10 of us fishing in the shark derby.   Seemed like a pretty slow day, at least for me.

I got skunked for sharks, but marked a ton of fish - lots of fish schools, some with big fish.  The birds were working the water pretty well, and i did see a fish boil and splash.   Just couldnt hook them.   I bait fished for sharks, then tossed flies for stripers.   No love.  

This was the first time i yakked the bay, but the experience surely whetted my appetite.   IT was nice to be out, so close to home, and seeing all those fish on the FF has really intrigued me.   I will be back for more.    

It was nice to see everyone again and meet some new faces connected to familiar names.   Unfortunately, I couldnt stay for the lunch due to a prior commitment.

Lawrence

My buddy Charles and I arrived at Jeff's Landing in the Delta around 730AM on Saturday morning, launching to an incoming tide.   We worked around some cuts and islands, catching mainly undersized stripers and largemouth bass.   We chased some working birds, and landed a few more dinks.   Then we both cast into a likely looking hold.   I immediately hooked into something solid.   Seconds later, Charles was hooked on too.   His fish ran straight into the channel, pulling his boat along with it.  Mine stayed close to the tules, pulling down and deep, putting a deep bend in my 8 weight rod.   Both battles went on for a while, Charles fighting out in the channel, me trying to work my fish to the surface and open water away from the weeds.   Charles' battle ended first, with the striper claiming its victory.   My fish bulldogged my line for several more minutes, before finally showing itself.   Nice striper with a huge belly.  Wait!   That doesnt look like a striper-  wrong colors.   When it finally came to hand, it was clearly a LMB.    I am just not used to seeing LMB of those proportions.  Its length stretched nearly the width of my boat, clearly my personal best.   Charles estimated the weight at 10 pounds.

We fished until after lunch, catching more shakers.    By then, the power boaters were getting to be a nuisance.   I think some of them were speeding straight at us then veering away at the last second, just to see what effect their wakes would have on us.  It was time to call it a day.

All fish were caught on the same chartreuse over white clouser fly, then released to fight another day.   

i am looking for a fish a fish finder and VHF radio for my kayak. 

On the VHF - looking for a reliable, submersible model. 

Fish finder -  I have an Ocean Kayak Prowler 15 and fish ocean, lakes and rivers.   Looking for input on shoot through, not shoot through and portable.    Portable seems attractive for traveling and also to put on my 2 person 'family' kayak or also to put on a canoe.   If portables are known to b e problematic, i could just install a fish finder on my main ride - the P15.   Any recommendations on make/model and where to get them?   Since i fly fish, it seems like something that looks sidewase would be nice, but not essential.  Do i need dual/triple beam or single beam is adequate?  Submersabiity seems like a big plus, as flipping over in the ocean is a definite possibility.

For both the VHF and fish finder, i am not looking to spend top dollar - just looking for something good enough to address basic needs.

All comments or recommendations appreciated , especially if there are needs or considerations i have overlooked.

I recently had one of the most fantastic long weekends in a very long time, maybe over several years.    I visited some of the rivers i used to fish long, long ago -  my beloved Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers.  The weekend was so perfect, I couldnt believe it was reality.   I thought i must have died and gone to heaven, yet i couldnt even imagine heaven could be so wonderful.  The river was just as beautiful as i had recalled over the years, clear, blue, green, fresh waters, running fast, white, frothy tail trailing behind the boulders.   Pine and oak trees covered the mountainsides, while thick, green vegetation lined the streamside banks.   The air was warm, yet had pockets of coolness, as the misty droplets from numerous waterfalls mixed with the scent of pine that rejuvenated the soul.  Wildlife was abundant, as a deer came down to drink from the river right next to us, and mallard ducks landed in the river upstream.  Brilliantly colored butterflies were everywhere, and at times we walked through clouds of fluttering wings.   Wild flowers grew from the rocks around the river banks.   And the sound of the flowing river constantly filled the air.   
 
A thunderstorm was forecasted for the weekend, and i was urged to cancel the trip.   But, i havent been to McCloud or Upper Sacramento in about 15 years, and i didnt even care of it poured rain on me all weekend.   As it turned out, the weather was absolutely perfect - not hot and not too cold.   At one point i commented maybe some clouds would be preferred so our shadows would not hit the water and scare the fish.   Within half an hour, we got some clouds.   It seemed like the trip was too perfect for reality, like we were guests being shown around for our first day in heaven.   I am not used to it when everything goes so well.

I didnt even care if I didnt catch a single fish.   I just wanted to absorb the scene and rejuvenate my spirit.    But, it wasnt to be that kind of weekend.  The fish wanted to ensure a memorable trip.   Even my poor performance couldnt keep the fish off the hooks.   The first evening, i fished for 2.5 hours, hooked 12, landed 5 on the Upper Sac.    The second day, fished all day and hiked out at dark, hooking about 15, including some very nice fish, landing 6.    It was a terrible hook/landed ratio.   I was clearly not doing something right.  My friend landed 12 fish that day.    The next day, we fished 1.5 hours on the Upper Sac again before hitting the long road home.   I decided to use a dry fly for a change, which I found so much more enjoyable.    The fish seemed to appreciate that.   There seemed to be a fish behind every rock i cast to.   I landed 6 fish in that 1.5 hours, including some of very surprising size.   The fish were all beautiful and very strong, good size, with broad shoulders.   It was a great pleasure to admire the destinctive markings of the  McCloud Redband Rainbow Trout.
 
What a weekend that was.   And now, i am sweating through a very busy week of work.   But, the memories of the weekend still give me comfort, as every time i shut my eyes, i see again the swirling waters of the McCloud River, or the eager trout rising for my dry fly on the Upper Sac.

On this trip, I rediscovered my fly fishing roots. I took up fly fishing because of the TOTAL experience - clear, cold, running streams, mountains, wilderness, smell of pines, flowing water, the sound of the river, delicate fly casting, finesse- the total experience. Catching fish was icing on the cake.   With a lot of the other fishing I do (non-kayak), I find that  my focus is on the fish - how many, how big, with less perspective on the total experience.    With kayak fishing, as in fishing great trout streams, the greatest pleasure is in just being there.
 
While I can't always fly fish in streams, I noticed a passion for kayak fishing similar to trout fishing.    There are so many similarities and parallels between kayak fishing and fly fishing -  the link to an old and traditional method, simplicity, manual/handpowered (no gearing in the case of fly fishing reels), closeness to the natural elements, being one with the nature of the river, sea, lake, water craft, fly rod, being an active participant in the same water as our quarry as opposed to being a bystander to the scene, quiet serenity, ruggedness, expertise and skill requirement.   In both fly fishing and kayak fishing, the participants  have deliberately chosen a more difficult, less traveled path, which perhaps reflects an independent spirit that defines our character.   

Now I know why I have become so nuts about kayak fishing.


Pictures to follow.