Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Weekend Outdoorsman Fishing Kayak Prep

It’s snowing here in Michigan right now but spring is just around the corner, I can feel it in my bones despite the white stuff falling from the sky.  I have a sit on top fishing kayak and it’s my main method of getting on the water; bottom line is fishing from the shore stinks and with a young family a boat isn’t in the plan right now.  So, I prepare.  

The Seat 

The kayak was OK the first few years that I had it and I could spend hours paddling around the lakes and catching fish.  Sure I would take a break once in a while, beach it on an island or the shore and use the bathroom and get a drink.  But it wasn’t a big deal to sit in there for the day.  Things have changed, I’m getting a little older and my butt and back starts hurting after a couple of hours of riding the plastic.  So I’m installing a new seat, something with a pad on the bottom and a much higher back than what came with the kayak.  I hope it adds comfort so that I can again spend the whole day out on the water with no issues.  Seats can be had in the price range of anywhere from $30 to $300.  I’m more of a $30-$50 guy at this point.  



The Bag 

My mom gave me a new kayak bag for my birthday last year.  I threw it in the bow storage compartment and totally forgot about it until I climbed up on the ladder last weekend to give the rig a once over before the season.  It’s a pretty sweet set up with two rod holders, a spot for all my tools, two mesh pockets for boxes and or plastics, and a cooler.  Now, I’ve developed a habit of thinking ahead (it’s a product of screwing up a lot and my day job as a quality engineer) and I can see that Ice in this cooler would be a problem.  The cooler doesn’t have a drain plug and you are not going to want to turn the bag over once it’s full of tools and baits.  Therefore, a set of ice packs will be in order to keep things cold then I can simply wipe out whatever condensation develops with a rag and leave the lid open to dry between trips.  I can’t wait to use this thing.



 

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