Kayak Fish Nation

FINALLY! We have our new camera (HD, yo) and we’re filming videos again. This is a request and dedication style shout out to Greg from Chicago. He picked up a Hobie Pro Angler from us and wanted some help installing an anchor trolley kit. We used my Revolution as the guinea pig for this install video but we also talk about the modifications required for installing on the Pro Angler. The anchor trolley lets you move an anchor or drift chute from the front to the rear of your kayak. This will let you choose your drift or position when fishing. In California we drift most of the time and the drift chute is indispensable when the wind starts up. Controlling your kayak results in more fish.

A note about the graphics on the front of the kayak: Our friend made these for us as a special one-time shot. We’re working with him to get some more made along with different designs. More on that later.

• Heading out to camp Catalina at a kayak-only beach. Lots of pics and video coming next week! #

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Kenny Beckstead is a local environmentalist and inventor who is looking out for our coastlines. He brought this product by the shop a few days ago and we really dig it. Depending on where you live there are civil ordinances that levy fines against homeowners who let anything run out of their yard and down a storm drain. Also, at least here in CA, storm drains lead directly to the ocean and are not filtered en route. This can lead to some nasty water on days after rainstorms and a lot of it is preventable. His simple idea is a self-managed filter for your own runoff. Drop it in your gutter on rainy days, when you wash the car, wash down your kayaks after a fishing trip or whenever you will have water runoff and the Gutter Critter does the work. As kayak anglers we like to practice catch and release in our sport fisheries and we support sustainable consumption, too. We also need to be aware that it takes more than C&R to maintain a fishery and this is a good step for reducing potential damage from runoff. 

Nautilus Environmental, an indie environmental testing company, checked it out and liked what they found. Total suspeded solids were reduced up to 66% – that’s a good thing. 

Check out his video (now in HD!) for an explanation.

In this weeks report, Kayak Kevin and his buddy Lee paddle 3 miles out to the first island in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to fish for Tautog (or Tog for short).  Kevin is a Virginia saltwater expert and shows us where to find these fun and fiesty fish. Enjoy Kevin’s Video Report and stay tuned for more East Coast fishing reports from Kayak Kevin on KayakFishNation.com.

• Road tripping to Lake Pleasant dive event. My first freshwater dives! #

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• http://www.kayakfishnation.com/?p=229 <–Video of Hobie going from the shop to the demo day. Epic weather! #

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Wow! What a fun day on the water. We had a couple hundred people come by and demo the Hobie Kayaks fleet and the Hobie Standup Paddleboards. It was epic weather with just enough breeze for the Adventure Island to get some speed. The GoPro Hero cams are our favorites again and this video shows off the wide angle lenses.

The kayak fishing crew that launched early was swept by Matt Kim with a nearly 7 pound calico bass. That guy finds big fish way too often and he picked up $500 for his troubles. The Pro Angler was popular but I think the Adventure Island and the Outfitter tandem were the most requested demos of the day.

• It’s Oceanside Paddlefest Day! We’re setting up now – come see us: http://www.oceansidepaddlefest.com/ #

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This is part one of a surf launching and landing attempt with the Pro Angler. This isn’t the tallest surf we get here but it was pretty gnarly with the 0 second intervals. I tried to hot dog it too much with the single-blade paddle and paid for it. Nate was on this for the perfect landing until he tried to turn down the face and catch the barrel. The Hobie Pro Angler can absolutely launch and land in most moderate surf conditions and we’ll show you that in part 2.

• We are at the CSU San Marcos Health Fair today. Sharing the Scuba bug. #
• CSUSM Health and Wellness Fair. Sharing the message and recruiting coed divers. http://twitpic.com/3q8qk #
• Donated blood today. The promise of free cookies will get me to do most anything. http://twitpic.com/3qibv #

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