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I'm not an old timer ... just an old soul.

   Yes!  Things change for SURE!  Always will.  Always looking to have things change.  Sometimes I come back full circle on a few things.  I think the fact that some own more than 1 kayak, or have owned more than 1 kayak will speak volumes to change & wee see some of the 'old timers' now seaking out older model kayaks from the 70's/80's SO ???  yup!

Bill

I'm not an old timer ... just an old soul.

   Sometimes I come back full circle on a few things.

Bill

when you get the time could you elaborate ,without of course giving up your secrets   

You'll have to buy my book 

I'm not an old timer ... just an old soul.

   Sometimes I come back full circle on a few things.

Bill

when you get the time could you elaborate ,without of course giving up your secrets   

You'll have to buy my book 

 ...   judging by the response your book will corner the market 

You're killin' me smalls!  LOL

   I'll expand on my earlier comments shortly ... but only cuz you asked so nicely.   

I started off with very few things.
Then I saw all the cool things my friends had.
So I got a bunch of those things too.
Sometimes those things worked great; other times they didn't work (for my style, or in general).
Now I look at all these things I have and wonder, "Do I need that stuff?"
The answer is No, I don't NEED all those things.
Doomsday Preppers would probably look at my piles of kayak-fishing things and agree: I don't need them.
But it sure feels good to have em. Just in case.


In other words, I am trying to pare down the amount of things I bring with me OTW. Make it simple again. Like back in the day.

I haven't really changed much at all. I've always been a minimalist. When I first started kayak fishing everything I needed for rockfishing I put in an old fanny pack that I tied off to my yak. I think when I got crushed at Muir I lost that fanny pack and went to the Pelican 1060 case. Now pretty much everything I need tacklewise for any type of fishing I do fits in that case, with room to spare.

Only thing I've added over the years is a B'rope and the big orange Plano box behind my seat that holds my beanies/hat and sometimes some snacks.

I've also stopped leashing everything except my paddle.

I leash my rods and always will. I've never been a fan of too much stuff also. When I see 15 different articulated arms holding various electronics and rod holders I'm amazed. I think I need to get rid of my homemade cooler/ rod holder. A lower profile for windy days is good. See you at Fort Ross in the am.

I'm not an old timer ... just an old soul.

   Sometimes I come back full circle on a few things.

Bill

when you get the time could you elaborate ,without of course giving up your secrets   

You should probably be asking someone who actually kayak fishes...   

There are some launches I like that aren't really wheel-appropriate launches so the boat goes to the beach first, then a hike back to the vehicle for gear.
I learned fast that one trip for gear should be enough. If I can't carry my days' worth of kayakfishing stuff in one go, I'm carrying too much.

But I often think back to the early days of 1 rod/reel, 1 little fanny pack, and a mesh bag as a net. That was it.

 in the last 3-4 years the main points of evolution for me have been the Plano box (which I find easier to carry than a crate, plus it has a lid) and a small FishFinder and battery.

I'm a self confessed gear whore.  I've always brought along too much stuff, and always will.  The old Boy Scout "Be Prepared" motto really stuck i guess. 

I've had several kayaks for fishing and they've all been rigged differently. Some things stay the same, it's usually things I've tried in the past and found work well (Milk crate). Some things are unique to each boat because of it's design or configuration. I also have incorporated a lot of the newer products into my boats as they became available (Gear tracks are awesome! They didn't exist when I got my first fishing kayak though).

I recently purchased a Hobie and it's rigged completely differently than my Raptor. When I got a second boat I decided to change how I mount my fish finder for instance. I picked up a Cell blok and I can now switch it between both boats with only 2 thumb screws. Another big change for me was getting rid of plano boxes and moving to these tackle rolls I found at a local fishing shop. It allowed me to carry 2 small bags that fold and unfold quickly and allow me to see and organize all my gear in a way that suits me. It cut my time to change lures down to about 90 seconds versus 5 minutes since I wasn't looking through 3-5 plano boxes for what I wanted.

I love that my set ups are always changing and becoming more efficient. My biggest issue is not being a total gear whore and cutting my launch times down. I'd love to travel lighter but I like having lots of options too.