sd bay report for 10/14

[tehburninator]

planned on leaving the house around 6:30/7 seeing as to how i left all my fishing gear at the buddies house.... got to his house at 8:45... hehe oops

got to shelter at 9 and got on the water by 9:15 with newly built bait tank, and hooked up hand me down fish finder. a 20 or so minute paddle to the fishing grounds that have been producing on the boat.... water was glassy, tide going the right direction and minimal winds :luxhello: i thought.... met up with my friend on the 17ft boat.. mooched off his live bait which were anchovies in the most beautiful condition i've seen in a long time and also to see them holding a 17lb and 15lb halibut... man i was so jelly....

fished the drift there 3 times... pulled up a total of 8 halibut, 4 lizard fish, 3 spotted bay bass, and 1 of something that ripped 15lb mono off my reel like panties off a stripper. broke at the hook = teeth on the feesh, felt much like a classic hali tugs with dead weight coming up and runs back down. ='( i'll get that trophy hali just yet!

drifted halfway down the jetty and started making my way back..... OH MY GOD the wind picked up, the water got super choppy and the current very powerful!

so i paddled for maybe another 20 mins... and couldnt do it anymore... dropped anchor and waited it out to get calmer.... it didnt.... so waited for my buddies to come back in.. they gave me a tow back in :)

deeply consider putting a trolling motor on the kayak at this point...

any comments on the trolling motor?

on the side note, i started with about 15-20 anchovies at about 4-6 inches long, the 3 hours i was there, the bait tank had no issues at all and none of the bait died :)

sorry no picks, no worth taking pics of... but they are definitely biting!!!!

oh side note, buddies pulled up 1 un marked lobster net, and bait guys gave them another one, :P now we have 8 between us! woohoo

[blitzburgh]

Thanks for the report. The Big Bay will get a bath tub effect going when the wind picks up or there is a lot of boat traffic. Even more so when there is both. I don't know if you really need a trolling motor. I would pay more attention to the tides and pattern your day around them, using the current not working against it. In the bay, tides are pretty much the biggest factor to a successful day on the water.

[ful-rac]

Just try not to exceed your abilities....you can get into some deep dodo real fast. well you learned somethin'! You don't need no stink'n motor either!:D

[kixchad]

I'd love to get deep in dodos on the kayak! DooDoos another story. Haha

[DanaPT]

Just try not to exceed your abilities....you can get into some deep dodo real fast. well you learned somethin'! You don't need no stink'n motor either!:D


Yep, he's right. The trolling motor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. My minkota motor isn't light and requires an expensive deep cycle battery that is also heavy (that's what I used). The only plus was the hands free aspect. Running out of juice OTW and having to paddle you + the extra weight = no fun.

[tehburninator]

yeah, i hear you guys on that for sure... maybe it's time to turn in the kayak and save for a powered skiff =( i have a lower back injury that acts up when i am strained in physical activities that require twisting motions... i can fish for a while from land and be ok, and fishing from a boat as long as im not dooing too heavy of casting.

the current was actually beautiful while fishing and while going out, no keeper butts but still was spectacular with the ammount of fish i was catching! i would say 1 fish every other drift or so it seemed. so what ever was going on worked! by the time the wind and tide picked up i was screwed... if i didnt decide to head in when i did i would have drifted off pretty far.

what other options do i have to combat this wind/fatigue/ current situation.... a sail? i know nothing of sailing =P but im sure a motor i can do... if i were to put a motor on the kayak, i would also be headed to home depot for the yellow foam insulation spray for buoyancy =)

[tehburninator]

Yep, he's right. The trolling motor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. My minkota motor isn't light and requires an expensive deep cycle battery that is also heavy (that's what I used). The only plus was the hands free aspect. Running out of juice OTW and having to paddle you + the extra weight = no fun.


how heavy is your motor exactly, the one i saw was 30lb thrust and 25lb or so weight

[KatFish]

Really glad your buddy was there and your safe! :D

[Biggameaddict]

Glad your bait tank worked out it, any finished pics? Ive been stuck in the wind before and its not fun, for a motor ive seen people use honda trimmer motors, i dont know how fast they go but your completely hands free and it runs on gas so youll make it back to shore safe. Ive also seen people using outboard engines but thise are expensive.

[tehburninator]

thanks kat. i was also very glad they were around. i didnt get a chance to take pics because it was pretty wet after being towed around like a wake board.... :D

but i'll make sure to take some soon fully rigged and all for ya.

i was actually thinking the same thing with the trimmer motor. i can do welding and what ever fabrication for the prop and mounting needed, i just need to figure out what i plan on doing. there is a minn kota motor for about 100bucks, the only thing of course is weight of the battery, with the kayak at 275lb max load, im sure if i fill the yak with foam this number will be different, and there will definitely be more weight to the yak.... like... enough to make me wanna get a trailer for it. well... i'll let you know.

the 500gph pump ran at 6 v. was brilliant for the anchovies =) well have to see what happens with sardines =P

[Biggameaddict]

thanks kat. i was also very glad they were around. i didnt get a chance to take pics because it was pretty wet after being towed around like a wake board.... :D

but i'll make sure to take some soon fully rigged and all for ya.

i was actually thinking the same thing with the trimmer motor. i can do welding and what ever fabrication for the prop and mounting needed, i just need to figure out what i plan on doing. there is a minn kota motor for about 100bucks, the only thing of course is weight of the battery, with the kayak at 275lb max load, im sure if i fill the yak with foam this number will be different, and there will definitely be more weight to the yak.... like... enough to make me wanna get a trailer for it. well... i'll let you know.

the 500gph pump ran at 6 v. was brilliant for the anchovies =) well have to see what happens with sardines =P

You can make pontoons for ur yak Like these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BnYDoBB4Wg that will add some more weight capacity. The trimmer motors work good because you can operate them in any direction thats why they use em on bikes and stuff.Or get one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGnnxAivEhA. :D

[Sdspeed]

thanks kat. i was also very glad they were around. i didnt get a chance to take pics because it was pretty wet after being towed around like a wake board.... :D

but i'll make sure to take some soon fully rigged and all for ya.

i was actually thinking the same thing with the trimmer motor. i can do welding and what ever fabrication for the prop and mounting needed, i just need to figure out what i plan on doing. there is a minn kota motor for about 100bucks, the only thing of course is weight of the battery, with the kayak at 275lb max load, im sure if i fill the yak with foam this number will be different, and there will definitely be more weight to the yak.... like... enough to make me wanna get a trailer for it. well... i'll let you know.

the 500gph pump ran at 6 v. was brilliant for the anchovies =) well have to see what happens with sardines =P

here is a great place to start !
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/boa/3341630320.html

$100 not bad, don't like it ya sure won't loose much!

[tehburninator]

good idea indeed. here are the logistics im still sorting out right now.

1.) trolling motor will require a good sized marine deep cycle battery perferably mounted solid somewhere
2.) trolling motor outfit will run most likely anywhere from 50-75lb?
3.) limited amount of run time off battery charge and also the possibility of an unstable battery not keeping charge.
4.) trimmer motor is fairly inexpensive even new, depending on what i get
5.) trimmer will already have shaft, all i need to do is attach a prop (think canoes in third world countries with motor driven canoes
6.) if i bring enough gas, i can go where ever i please and get back in with my arms still attached
7.) extra weight shouldnt be an issue if i choose to fill the yak with spray foam

so as of right now i'm leaning towards the trimmer motor, my only concern right now is the ability to handle salt water.

[steveooo]

good idea indeed. here are the logistics im still sorting out right now.

1.) trolling motor will require a good sized marine deep cycle battery perferably mounted solid somewhere
2.) trolling motor outfit will run most likely anywhere from 50-75lb?
3.) limited amount of run time off battery charge and also the possibility of an unstable battery not keeping charge.
4.) trimmer motor is fairly inexpensive even new, depending on what i get
5.) trimmer will already have shaft, all i need to do is attach a prop (think canoes in third world countries with motor driven canoes
6.) if i bring enough gas, i can go where ever i please and get back in with my arms still attached
7.) extra weight shouldnt be an issue if i choose to fill the yak with spray foam

so as of right now i'm leaning towards the trimmer motor, my only concern right now is the ability to handle salt water.

There is certainly alot going on in the post above.

First, what you just described is a boat. Not a very good boat, but it is a boat. Plenty of aluminum skiffs for sale right now for under $1,000. I'd lean more toward one of those for what you are trying to accomplish.

Some things to think about.

Carbon Monoxide?
Gas on the Kayak?
Every little thing that can corrode on a kayak will. My weed wacker is finniky without ever seeing the ocean.
Adding floatation foam will do nothing except add extra weight to the yak. Might help you if you sink though?

I would guess that most people that kayak here do it for the simplicity of it, plus a few other inherent reasons, maybe even the exercise. None of those reasons involves strapping a weed wacker to the yak.

Please post some pics if you do try it though :cheers1:

[StinkyMatt]

It's called a Bayliner.:D


There are plenty of places you can fish without putting major miles into your kayak trip. Go out a few more times before you create a boat.

[tehburninator]

It's called a Bayliner.:D


There are plenty of places you can fish without putting major miles into your kayak trip. Go out a few more times before you create a boat.


touche sir!

haha well, i've been considering getting a boat for a while now, the kayak was a gift from the ladyboss.

i know weed whackers can be troublesome... but with the newer 4 stroke models that put out less emmissions and considering that it's a completly open area of operation on the kayak, carbon monoxide doesnt seem to to be much of a factor....

that being said... i might just trade in the kayak for a small 15ft boat that can fit 2 people comfortably.... that way there will be more incentive for her to come along :D and bugging tooo..... and anyone else that wants a ride!!! woohooo!!!... anyways... back to the drawing boards

i'm a mechanic for the last 10 years.... strapping a motor on something and making it go/go faster is just habitual hahaha