new member

Hi Everyone,
My name is Troy Pearce my login is troypearce@gmail and also is my email.
Been envious of you guys ever since started using my crab snares at Bodega Harbor watching the pedal kayaks smoothly moving to spots I cannot reach by casting from the jetties.

Just bought a Old Town Pdl 120 and it really moves well.... better than I thought it would be really have only about 2 hours with it in the Petaluma River.  Then about 4 hours trying to lift it to the rafters of my garage with pulleys etc.   Did find some good ideas for that at Youtube so now trying to get that together so I can load unload by myself.

I am looking forward to using it in and around Bodega but need to get the safety gear and get outfitted which looks like it will cost some more $$$

Any tips for Uhf / fish finder and other safety gear will be welcome and soon maybe I will see you out there.  It seems like a lot to learn but also seems cool.

I really have limited experience fishing saltwater but also want to get into that as well..... more $$$.

Thanks
Troy

Welcome to NCKA Troy 

Hi Troy, welcome to the community 

Welcome Troy! Glad to see you take the plunge    I'd try a VHF, those UHF's are a bit out dated    For FF, there are many options, but first decide what your going to use it for, features you want, and budget.  But first invest in a good PFD and immersion gear!

For now I will be using my surf wetsuit with maybe some kind of jacket.
Eventually I probably go with farmer john and paddle jacket.
I have a inflatable pfd but plan to get a fishing pfd soon.
Marine radio.... what ever is good and cheap.
fish finder gps ...was looking at the Garmin striker 4.

I am a surfer so really like and feel comfortable on the water but know very little about salt fishing and boats.

I have to take it kinda slow.... my wife is already shaking her head with the purchase of the kayak

Plan to crab.... fish salt water and fish freshwater.

Welcome to the Madness.   

Welcome Troy

I have been using Standard Horizon HX300 Handheld VHF Marine Radio for the last five years and am happy with it.
This is a  basic VHF radio without GPS.  If you want more options, you can get one with GPS.

Paul

Welcome Troy to NCKA.   

+1 on Standard Horizon, any model is good, and it's a brand that I trust to not fail on me even after years of usage.  I got the HX40 last year and have been very happy with it, nice and small and compact and a 6w.  It's not a floating model, which imho gives a false sense of security.  I always keep it leashed to my PFD with a carabiner.

yes I have been looking at a Standard horizon hx210 so having two folks that use them say they are good is good to me.  Peel another hundy for my new hobby.
also considering

a garmin striker 4 for fish finder and gps..... anyone out there happy/not happy with theirs?

Also not sure how the whole mount/rail system works..... my guess is that I will need something to mount the unit to the rail of the boat.... I have a old town sportman pdl 120.

Thanks for the reviews on the radio's as I think I will be ordering it today.

Welcome Troy,

I have a Garmin Striker 4CV  https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/592099/pn/010-01871-00

   I like the Quickdraw contour mapping feature.  it records the ocean floor and gives you a better view of what's going on down there.  The Striker Plus 4 will do the same and it's $30 more than the Striker 4.  Depends what you want out of it. I like seeing the topography and think it helps. No way to transfer the data though, once it dies I lose my maps.
    Good advice given to me is to get a tube of dielectric grease and lube up your connectors to prevent the salt from corroding your FF.

I have the Striker 4 and it works great for me. Its basic, very small, easy to use and inexpensive. I mounted mine with a Scotty #141 Transducer arm and a #368 Fish finder mount on top. For the battery, I bought a $10 waterproof box from Walmart, drilled a 1/4' hole in the side, Put a 12v 7AH battery inside. Lots of how to's on the internet.
Kevin.

I dont know much about old towns, but if it already has a gear track, then all you need is to buy a mount for your specific FF that works with the rail.  RAM is usually the choice for FF mounts, but I'm not an expert on other options.  A quick search shows that basically the use a standard ball mount for a base for a Garmin Striker:  https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-202-G4U and then you need an arm, and then a gear-track ball mount.
https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-201U https://www.rammount.com/part/RAP-B-354U-TRA1 (needs verifying for your track)