Kayak Fishing Blog

Crescent Kayaks present the Fisher Xtreme Series Kayaks

These are the latest designed sit on top kayaks the Fisher Xtreme Single and Fisher Xtreme Double. These kayaks were designed by Olympic kayaker and design guru Bob Mcdonough to be fun boats for everyone. Great for paddling in lakes, oceans, rivers, bays and just about anywhere else water is found. Also, great for fishing with the ability to operate in 1ft of water.

The kayaks feature a full length keel for straight tracking to make it easier to stay on course for longer paddling and also provide stability. Polyethylene roto-molded for strength and security. The width of the kayaks makes for the most stable boats on the market, allowing kayakers of all experience levels to enjoy Crescent Kayaks. Carrying handles on both ends and molded handle in the middle on one of the sides allows the single models to be carried by one person.
Featuring full deck rigging, dry storage with 8” deck plate in the hull, and a large storage area in back equipped with bungee cords to secure cooler, tent, sleeping bag and anything you may want to take on your trip.

Fisher Xtreme Series

Crescent’s Fisher Xtreme Single Kayak is affordable yet packed with accessories. Roto-molded polyethlyene for strength and stability. Included: Large rear storage area with bungees, cup holder, carrying handles, storage hatch, paddle holders, interior rear rod holder allows for trolling, handsfree fish and a great place to store your rod while paddling out. Also features exterior rod holder with two receiver locations enabling you to fish from either side of the kayak.

Dimensions:
Fisher Xtreme I: 10 ft long 32 inches wide. Weight capacity 300lbs
Features:
-Deck plate dry storage with ditty bag
-Full length keel for speed and tracking
-Molded in cup holder
-Large storage in rear with bungee cords
-Molded side handle for one person carrying
-3 scupper drainage holes

Fisher Xtreme II

Crescent’s Fisher Xtreme II Kayak offers extra room for a solo fisherman or the ability to paddle with a friend. Included Features: Rear storage area with bungees for cooler/tackle box, three cup holders, carrying handles, dry storage hatch with ditty bag. The Fisher Xtreme also has two interior rod holders located at the rear of the boat for trolling, handsfree fishing or a great place to store your rods while paddling out. The kayak also features exterior adjustable rod holders with three receiver locations and is equipped with paddle holders for handsfree fishing. The “Deluxe Kayak Seat” offers superior back support with its four point rigging. Straps located on the bottom prevent the seat from slipping out from under you. The straps are adjustable for a more customized fit creating the best supporting and most affordable seat on the market. “Whisper Paddle” collapsible paddle boasts features usually found only on expensive models: a composite ferrule
that won’t seize up in sand or salt water, a high-performance “Dream” blade shape, and 3M Versafit grips.

Dimensions:
Fisher Xtreme II: 12 ft 34 inches wide. Weight capacity 500lbs
Features:
-Three seat capability
-Three seat design allows for single person paddling from middle position
-Deck plate dry storage with ditty bag
-Large storage at stern with bungees cords
-Self draining cockpit and seat
-4 Scupper drainage holes
-3 Cup holders
-Paddle notches
-Deck rigging
-Full length keel for speed and excellent tracking in the water

To find out more about this Fisher Xtreme series and other Crescent Kayaks please visit: www.jgdproducts.com

Source: Adam Hayes at www.yakangler.com

Sparta, TN, January 14th, 2010 – Freedom Hawk Kayaks is switching its manufacturing home base in a move aimed at improving quality and customer service.

Freedom Hawk’s unique patented kayak fishing boats will be manufactured and shipped out of the Jackson Kayak production facility in Sparta, TN. Freedom Hawk President David Hadden said the switch to Jackson Kayak was easy. “We toured several operations and they seemed to have some of the highest quality around,” Hadden said. “We also share common business and customer service strategies. I know with Jackson, our customers will receive the highest quality boats possible. ”

The relationship between the two innovative kayak companies calls for Jackson Kayak to mold, assemble and ship Freedom Hawk boats straight to retailers. “Freedom Hawk is moving from a rotomolder who makes kayaks alongside dozens of other products, tanks, etc, to a kayak company known for quality and attention to detail throughout the entire product/service cycle,” said Jackson Kayak Coach Joe Pulliam.

Pulliam himself, a well-respected industry veteran, was another factor in the Freedom Hawk move. Hadden said he worked with Pulliam for seven years at Dagger. Hadden described Pulliam as, “Truly one of the good guys in this industry.”

“Times are changing and business is different. But ethics and attention to the customer do not have to change and Jackson shares our commitment to this,” Hadden said.

Hadden said other advantages of working with Jackson Kayak include the company’s use of recyclable felt bags and its location in the southeast which Hadden expects to allow him to offer better shipping rates.

About Jackson Kayak
Founded in 2004, family owned and operated Jackson Kayak is the top-selling designer and manufacturer of whitewater kayaks in the world. Beginning in 2008, the company has been expanding into recreational, touring and fishing boats. For more about the company’s full line of boats and the kayak lifestyle, visit JacksonKayak.com.

About Freedom Hawk Kayaks
Founded in 2007, the foundation of Freedom Hawk Kayaks is its patented, integrated outrigger system that allows freshwater and saltwater anglers to securely stand and fish. The company has earned accolades such as Product of the Year from Fly Fish America and the Australian Fishing Federation’s Most Innovative Product award. To learn more about the Freedom Hawk fishing advantage, visit FreedomHawkKayaks.com.

Source: www.paddlinginstructor.com

Here you go, the first look at the new Ocean Kayak Prowler Ultra 4.7

Well what can I say, this is a NEW Prowler, lots of changes, about the only thing that is related to the previous Prowlers is the name… This is a ground up design which according to Ocean Kayak has taken over 18 months and close to $100,000, all done here in NZ “Designed by kayak fishermen for serious kayak fishing”

I’ll start at the front and work backwards through the whole kayak…

Even from the bow you’ll notice something new, the old toggle type lifting handle has now been replaced by a solid handle, no more snagging your line…

You’ll also see in the picture above there is a small flat section to add your GPS or VHF aerial.

Moving back we come to the hatch, this is a standard Prowler hatch, the Ultra will be shipped with the standard neoprene hatch seal, to close the hatch you’ll see there is a new four-way buckle, this is an Ocean Kayak designed item and makes for a much better fitting system.

Before you get into the cockpit there is a small bungy set up for securing any gear on deck.

In the photo above you will also see you have a standard Scotty rod holder mount and the new flat section allows for two more flush fitting rod holders if you want to fit them later. In front of the Scotty mount you’ll find the transducer access scupper. Also on either side of the foot wells you have two small areas that can be used for storage, these are scuppered.

Now the bit you have all been waiting for, the cockpit…

Yes that’s right you are seeing a fishing kayak, what do you mean “where’s the fish finder?”. Time to introduce the multi-function hatch cover… Time to turn it over…

Ah there you go, time to go fishing!

The hatch cover is double sided you lift, rotate, and place back down! One side for safe surf entry and exit one side for the serious stuff, so yes that does mean there is a well inside and yes it is sealed.

Plenty of room in here for a truck load of gear, place for up to two 7Ah batteries, this is where you will also get access to the optional rod tube, the rod tube goes back under the seat all the way to the stern, will take a couple of eight foot rods.

There are two more rod holders on the sides of the cockpit too, great place to drop you rod in while rigging up or unhooking your fish.

There is also storage areas under your legs fort a couple of small boxes, good for softbaits.

The side handles have also been replaced by flush mounted solid handles.

The seating area has been raised, to keep you dryer. The standard seat on the Prowler Ultra 4.7 will be the Deluxe Comfort Seat.

Behind the seat there is a new well, which can with an optional kit be converted into a live bait well, and the two rear rod holders.

The kit comes with cover, manual bilge pump, and scupper bung for the unused scupper, the well is symmetrical so the pump can be fitted to either side to suit the paddler. Of course if you are not interested in a live bait well this area can be used to store your gear or your anchor.

Moving further back we now have the BIG WELL, yep this is BIG, 1.1m long, bring one those big fish!

And for all those old Swing owners who miss their pods for putting your fish in, take a look at this…

That’s a full roto-molded foam insulated fish bin, roughly sixty litres, and only weighs in at around 5kg. The opening hinge is reversible so will suit left or right handers.

Nearly finished, the rear lifting toggle has also been replaced with another solid handle.

And finally the rudder, this is the standard Prowler rudder we are all used to.

Well that’s the top, now lets look at the hull, the hull has also been re-designed, the bow has been narrowed and flared giving much more lift and keeping the ride drier as the kayak will ride over the waves and chop and shed water.

The hull has retained the tri-formed hull for stability and tracking but much harder and fuller chines have been added. The Transducer scupper is retained but will now take the Humminbird Sideimaging transducer out of the box.

One final change to the hull is at the stern where there is now a sacrificial wear strip.

Specifications:
Weight: 35kg (unruddered)
Length: 4.7m
Capacity: 250kg+
Width: 74cm

Pricing:
Standard Prowler Ultra 4.7 kayak with rudder: $2599
Rod Tube kit: $99
Live Bait Tank kit: $129
Ice box storage pod: $399

Availability:
Will be available nationwide from November 30th – if you want one before the holidays I’d suggest you talk to your dealer sooner rather than later…

So all that out of the way, I then took it for a paddle… This test paddle was done on Lake Pupuke, in Auckland.

This is a different kayak, you are not just getting in another Prowler, I paddle a Prowler Elite on a weekly basis, this boat is faster (apparently 15% faster), and although you sit higher in this kayak it seems more stable, way more stable, probably from the filled in chines. I was able to lean further out in this than my Elite before it got tippy. The biggest thing I did notice though was how quiet the hull is, the slap had gone, may be it was the lake factor, so I jumped in an Elite and yep there it was…

The cockpit is a better layout, will be good to see how it works in a real fishing situation, the hatch was easy to un-clip and flip over, everything seems to be within reach and no concerns turning around or sitting side saddle but again this was a lake…

I have requested a full sea trial and will post that review as soon as I can secure access to a kayak for a weekend, fingers crossed this weekend…

watch?v=Fq7aLvOL4WY&feature=player_embedded

/ Source: Steven @  www.kayakfishingnz.com

Something changed for Richard Ofner recently.  He went from diehard kayak fisherman to record-holding diehard kayak fisherman.

Ofner was joined by a couple friends for a blustery day on the Thames River in Ontario, Canada hoping to tangle with his very first muskie.  After only 30 minutes of effort, he was rewarded with this beautiful 48″ specimen that actually broke two lipgrips in the process of trying to safely remove the hooks.  Not wanting to put the giant fish in harm’s way, the hooks were removed and Ofner slid the fish up onto his lap for a quick picture.  The fish was placed back in the water boatside and swam away strong.

www.CanadianKayakAnglers.com administrator Russ Jones validated the catch and has put it atop the leaderboard in the musky category of his website’s Hall of Fame, the official Canadian kayak-caught fish registry.   Since kayak fishing has been catching on here in Canada, Jones has been scouring big kayak fish reports from fishing websites across our nation and adding them to the registry.   Fish are validated according to length rather than weight and tackle is a non-issue as long as the fish is caught legally, in season, and from a kayak.

Congrats Richard on your new personal best, or rather, Canada’s personal best!

Photo Credit: Russ Jones

Humminbird takes the guesswork out of rigging kayak electronics with its 385ci Combo Kayak package, which includes a 385ci fish finder/GPS with a built-in antenna, dual-beam (83/200 KHz) transducer and installation kit for in-hull mounting, 12-volt battery (should last 12 hours on a charge), charger, dry bag and protective covers. The 385ci combo features SwitchFire Sonar, which displays in clear and max modes. Clear mode filters returns and displays only fish and structure; max mode shows more detail, including thermoclines and subsurface currents. The combo’s 16-channel WAAS GPS also comes equipped with Humminbird UniMap cartography and an SD card slot for optional Navionics and HotMaps charts. The 385ci’s screen measures 3 1/2 inches; resolution is 320×240 pixels. The kit costs $499.99 and will be available in January 2010

SEBILE® brings Magic to life in new SOFT Swimmer

The SEBILE® Magic Swimmer jointed hardbait has changed the way the angling world thinks about artificial lures. Without a doubt, it is the most realistic baitfish imitation in looks and action to ever hit the water, and nobody has been able to duplicate it in another bait. Well, at least not until now, and it seems only logical that Patrick Sebile himself is the one who did it. New is the Magic Swimmer Soft, the first soft plastic bait on the market for SEBILE. The new version comes with all the advantages of the famous Magic Swimmer hardbait, PLUS it can be fished weedless. The Magic Swimmer Soft is a jointed soft plastic bait that swims as good as the original, something many said couldn’t be done. The hand-painted color finishes for the soft version are also equally impressive accomplishments. Together the intricate details and realistic swimming action bring life to the lure.

Available in two sizes, 105 mm and 130 mm (approximately 4” and 5”, respectively), both models have the same design features that put the Magic Swimmer Soft as best in class of all soft plastic swimbaits. The body has an “envelope” area molded in with an opening at the belly that receives and conceals most of a 5/0 worm hook inside the bait, requiring the hook go only through a small section of plastic in the upper back portion for enhanced fish-hooking efficiency. Rigging is easy because “hook holes” are molded into the lure at both the entry position in the nose and at the exit location in the back. When rigged, the hook’s point is concealed in a recessed groove in the top of the lure’s back, making it weedless.

The Magic Swimmer Soft ProPack comes with lure bodies plus the innovative new SEBILE Soft Weight System, also designed by Patrick Sebile. The system includes a super-sharp 5/0 offset worm hook of a wire size that perfectly fits the special 1-gram tungsten barrel weights. With a hole through the middle and special coating, the weights can be “screwed” on or off the hook’s shank for the easy addition or reduction of weight.

Also, since the weights’ coating holds them snugly in place, they can be moved forward toward the head of the bait to create an angled fall of about 45 degrees, or slid back toward the bend of the hook to weight the lure’s belly so that the bait descends almost horizontally or level. Of course, the Magic Swimmer Soft can also be fished weightless and casts easily by its own weight. The lure can be rigged with a variety of hooks and jigheads and be fished many different ways in fresh and saltwater.

When rigged weedless, the lure can be cast into just about any kind of cover. The lure also makes a great “skipping bait,” for skipping under docks, mangroves and many other overhanging obstacles. The Magic Swimmer Soft can also be Texas-rigged, Carolina-rigged and fished on a drop-shot rig. The Magic Swimmer Soft 105 mm ProPack comes with four bodies and a SEBILE Soft Weight System consisting of one hook and four adjustable tungsten weights. The Magic Swimmer Soft 130 mm ProPack comes with three bodies, one hook and six tungsten weights. The SEBILE Soft Weight System is also sold separately.

-Sebile Soft Magic Swimmer Press Release

Wilderness Systems is making 25 carbon fiber “concept” versions of its new Commander 120. “The materials were, up until now, unheard of in a kayak,” said Wilderness Systems in its press release this summer. The deck is infused with Innegra S, the lightest high-performance fiber available, a material used in body armor and Formula One race cars. The deck rails and handles are stained hardwood. The kayak weighs 45 pounds. Is the “concept boat” a marketing gimmick borrowed from the auto industry to get attention, or a sign that the kayak fishing market is developing an appetite for premium materials? If Mark Castlow of Dragonfly Boatworks is correct, the kayak fishing market has reached the critical mass to spur a group of consumers with refined tastes ready to upgrade to a premium product. But for now, most of us are content with plastic, an inexpensive material that takes a beating and keeps on fishing.

Written by Tim Shuff of Kayak Angler

As the kayak season slowly comes to an end here in eastern Canada, we’ve declared the XShot camera extender the Camera Accessory of the 2009.  Many of us do alot of self-photography while out fishing and this is product has been a real saviour this year.  It beats having to take a pic of the fish flopping on our laps, we can now actually be in the picture.  Many folks used to rely on the old Hail Mary method of “hold camera out front with one hand, grip fish and grin” method – which almost always produced a photo of a tailless fish or the top of your head cropped out.

Couple all this with XShot’s new Ram Kayak mount for the extender and you’re off to the races.  I have two mounted on my yak and can get some real intersting pics and video footage from my P&S cameras.  This way I can set my cameras to shoot video and let them record my outing the entire time, catching those prized catches, missed blowups and monster hooksets.

Buy an XShot camera extender today, available at xshotpix.com We know you won’t be disappointed

Congrats go out to Jim for taking on his new role of blogger for WFN’s kayak fishing blog.  Jim’s new show, appropriately titled “The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons” premieres on WFN in January of 2010.

Here’s what WFN has to say about the new show.  It’ll be a great one for sure.

“Kayak Fishing is exploding in popularity! The reasons are simple. Kayaks are safe, exciting to fish from, inexpensive to purchase and to maintain, easy to transport, and less damaging to the environment. Best of all-anyone can do it.

The Kayak Fishing Show is the first show of its kind, and its designed to entertain, educate and inspire anglers, whether or not they have ever considered fishing from a kayak. The Show follows world renowned kayak angler Jim Sammons around North America (and beyond) on the fishing adventure of a lifetime. Battles with marlin in Baja, Halibut in Alaska, Tarpon in Florida, stripers in Chesapeake Bay, muskie in Canada, and tuna in Panama are just some of what you can expect to see in this exciting new fishing show.”

Jim’s WFN blog: http://www.wfn.tv/blog/Jim/3116/