Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3905 Feb 14-28 | Page 22
20
Feb 14 - 28, 2020
VOL.39 • ISS. 5
Spotlight On Kayak Fishing...
Sponsered by
Kayak City
in Citrus Heights, CA
Kayak City.Com
916.565.1400
Accessorize Your
Adventure!
By Kevin Hofer
The sport of kayak fishing has been growing rapidly the last few years and
along with it, companies are designing and providing us anglers with all sorts
of fun gadgets to accessorize our adventures.
Recently Wilderness Systems has come out with an array of products and I
have had the pleasure of putting them to the test.
Many of you may think “are they worth the added expense?” or “do I really
need this stuff to catch more fish?”
My answer is… it depends on the accessory, some items are pretty much
just luxuries, but others I do believe can help make a big difference in a day
of fishing. Let’s
look at a few of
my favorites and
how they have
impacted my days
on the water.
I guess I will
start with the
biggest game
changer for me,
pedals over
paddle! The Helix
pedal drive with
instant hands-free
reverse is crucial
when trying to
control big fish.
Another huge
advantage to a
pedal drive system
is the ability to
cover more water
with ease.
No matter which brand you choose, being able to maintain 3-5 mph even
against a headwind is just awesome. The day I finally decided to “go pedal”
was when I was working my butt off paddling and I look at my buddy next to
me… he’s kicking back eating a sandwich and just cruising along. I could go
on and on about how awesome pedal kayaks are but I want to move on and tell
you all about a few other things.
The next item may be small, but don’t let size fool you, having one could
make or break your day of fishing.
On a kayak we do not have a whole lot of extra room on deck and occa-
sionally either by mistake or from a fish flopping around, things can end up
overboard.
I have had it happen to me and I’ve heard countless stories of lost items. You
don’t want to be the guy in middle of a bass tournament who drops his phone
in while trying to take a pic of a monster fish! This is where the retract-
able tether
comes in oh so
handy.
I clip it to my
vest and attach
the other end
to phone or
whatever item
I want easily
accessible but
don’t want to
end up on lake
bed. I also like
the retraction
feature over
just tying
things off with
rope because
I if I were to
somehow flip
the kayak, I don’t want a bunch of tools dangling around to get tangled up in.
To maximize your time on the water and spend those precious minutes
catching or at least trying to catch fish, you can’t waste time being unorganized
and looking for things.
Digging around for a Plano box with the lure you want in rough seas can be
frustrating, and on tournament day you can’t be looking through a scattered
mess to find what you need.
Wilderness has come up with
a few different solutions to
the tackle storage issue. My
favorite is the mesh storage
sleeve that attaches to the back
of your seat. I keep my box of
terminal tackle and spools of
leaders in there.
If you are the type who likes
to bring multiple rods and at
least as many tackle boxes each
trip then I suggest checking out
the Wildy Kayak Krate. It can
really help you get organized
and fish more efficiently, which
could equal a few more casts…
which we all know could equal
the fish of a lifetime!
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