Fishing Encounters

• You get some exercise while being outdoors
• Very quiet, you will be amazed at what fish you sneak up on. Often you will get a fright as they take off next to you.
• You can fish and launch almost anywhere.
• No big fuel expenses.
• Cheaper then a full on fishing boat and you can get up and running rather quickly
  
• No need for a skippers ticket
• A plastic kayak is almost indestructible.
• No parts that will rust and stop working.
• Able to fish where no bank fisherman can fish.
• Able to fish where bass boats can't get to.
• No need to panic if you go over a few rocks, not like your fiberglass boat.

I decided to make my fishfinder portable so that if need be I could swop it between boats. The first mission was to get the battery into some water proof container, manage to find a nice size clip lock container. I added some foam on the sides and the top to make sure the battery did not move around. I managed to find a water proof plug system so that I could disconnect the battery from the fishfinder with out having to open the whole box. The next time I am going to silicon the wires through the container and leave the connector loose. The reason for this is that when I attach the connector to the battery pack it sits to high and could easily get broken off.

I mounted the fish-finder screen onto a piece of wood and at the bottom of the wood I stuck some geko feet. This would prevent the screen from slipping around the deck. It works like a champ. I got the geko feet from a material shop and I have found 1001 uses for it, it is the best thing since sliced bread.

The next thing was the transducer, I mounted this in some foam that came from a computer box. I shaped it a bit like a boat, cut out the center to house the transducer. I secured the transducer with some cable ties. Added some rope to the front of the foam and a clip on the front of the rope so that I could attach it to my kayak easily. I cable tied the transducer wire along the rope, so that it would pull the rope and not the wire.

Have a look at all the pictures to get a better idea. This setup works so well for me and I have used it on many boats. 

(download)

Click here to download:

Fishfinder_portable.zip (1.27 MB)

On the boat I was fully loaded, the only 2 things I forgot was my hat and water. I had my tackle box, 2 rods, GPS and my fish finder rig. The kayak had no trouble with that load and I soon found the right colour lure and was soon into more bass. Never fished this dam before I had to just explore and cast to where I thought I bass would be. A few times I managed to fish between the reeds and the bank, the water was amazingly clean and you could see right to the bottom, well the depth was only about a meter deep. In the end I paddled 7.5km in 5hrs and I felt like I was only getting warmed up. I got this info from my gps and plugged it into google earth. It was only then did a really see how big this dam is and some spots that I would love to fish are hidden away. So a mission needs to be made to go and visit Rhenosterkop again. I will definitely do it in a kayak again. It was so nice to get into spots that other boats could not. Having the freedom to move around was also the best, just next time I must not forget me hat and water.  The hunterski kayak was also very comfortable, and stable. Next time I want to take my rig for my rods so that I can have them upright because when you move through the reeds they tend to get hooked up.

At the end of the day Brain managed to land 18 bass, I forgot count after 10 and non where under the 1kg mark. This was must first real bass fish of the season and it has started well. I look forward to hitting the water soon.

I have attached 2 pictures one of the full dam. In that one you can see where we fished by the dot in the top right. The other picture is the track that I fished I know it is a bit hard to see, but not sure how to change the colour on google earth. Until next time enjoy the fishing and kayaking. I will be sharing my fishfinder rig with pictures soon, so look out for that story.

(download)

Click here to download:

bass_kayak_fishing.zip (294 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

P2010032.AVI (17.55 MB)

I have 3 kids, 2 girls and now a boy. My boy is only 20 months old but he is showing signs that he is keen to get fishing. He walks around my father in laws dam with a stick and pretends he is casting and catching fish. The 2 girls being older 10 and 7 have been fishing for a while now and they love it. I think the one main thing to making fishing exciting is fishing in dams where there are lots of fish. We have been lucky in that regard. My father in law made a dam on his property and stocked it with lots of tilapia. You throw you bait in and a few seconds later you are on. So it has been great to show the children how to fish. I feel the on downfall of this kind of fishing is that when you go to other waters they get bored because they are just not catching any fish. They are learning about patience and I must say they are doing very well.

I have attached a short clip of my eldest a few year ago casting and catching a fish. This was in Rosendal in the Free-state. Thanks to Sue Christie for the free accommodation. The dam was crystal clear and full of bass, we had a most relaxing weekend there.

26 kg of highly durable polyethylene ready to change the way you fish! Loads of deck storage and hatch storage for the adventurous paddler. Utility trays on either side of the paddler for temporary storage of lures, pliers etc. Exceptional stability.

Length: 3.45m
Width: 0.83cm
Weight: 28kgs

Sit on top kayak

• Wet cockpit area drains quickly and efficiently, thus inevitable splashing does not enter the hull.
• Fisherman can enter and exit cockpit with ease, from just about anywhere, even in the water. The wide stable design also assists with easy access.
• The wet deck, sit on top kayak design, makes it extremely versatile, for example, it can be used as a buoy and catch box while spearfishing.
• It will never sink!
  

• The upper half of the kayak has a non-slip surface molded into the polyethylene. So, even when wet, the paddler has total control over the vessel.
• There are four different length foot rests for different height paddlers molded into the deck of the boat.
• There is a very large storage area on the deck behind the paddlers back. The flat nature of this area means that hatches can be fitted anywhere here. Live bait buckets or cooler boxes, its big enough to fit just about anything.
• Long thin storage trays on either side of the paddler allow safe temporary storage for lures, films, bullets or whatever else. These trays also have a molded in cup holder on each side.
• Three or more hatches of different sizes can be fitted on the deck that allow storage within the hull of the kayak. Although the inside of the hull does get wet in choppier water, leakage is minimal. On calm water, the inside can be used as dry storage. These hatches also provide access to the steering cables on the inside for easy maintenance or modifications.
  

• At 86cm wide the Hunter Ski provides phenomenal stability. With some nice weather and good balance you are able to stand up on the kayak.
• Such stability will increase the confidence of any level of paddler and better and more daring exploration will take place.
  

• A durable stainless steel rudder is attached to the stern of the Hunter Ski.
• This rudder is directed by a lightweight aluminum foot steering system.
• The aluminum foot steering system can be controlled while paddling.
  

• Behind the paddlers seat there is a rectangular storage recess with two drainage holes. A cooler-box, bait-box, diving gear or anything else can be stored here.
• These drainage holes are extremely useful. A set of wheels can be plugged in from underneath. The wheels available from Hunter Ski as an accessory are welded from stainless steel. This is brilliant for when a lot of kit is on the kayak and carrying it will be quite difficult. With the wheels the kayak can just be reversed into deep enough water to take the wheels out. The stainless steel will avoid rusting.
• Once launched, and the wheels removed, a T-top canopy can be plugged into these holes from on top. Hunter Ski has developed this canopy from lightweight aluminum and the sun is blocked out with durable rip-block material. The canopy has a swiveling point and can be moved out of the way for casting etc.
  

• Built for comfort. Paddling without a seat can be very taxing on the lower back and hamstrings.
• The seat is adjustable using the two straps on either side of the paddlers that are clipped onto the boat.
• Strips of polycarbonate are built into the seat to provide support and strength.
• The deluxe seat version has an extra pocket, an extra cup holder, an extra rod holder, and a belt clip to hold tools that normally go onto your belt.
  

• Up to 12 rod holders can be installed onto the Hunter Ski , these can be used for trolling, rod storage, to connect one kayak to another, and in many other creative ways.
• Under the paddlers legs is space to tie down a tackle box. This allows for easy access and the fisherman can keep his deck tidy.
• The utility trays on either side of the paddler allow for temporary storage of lures, bait or anything that may be convenient close at hand.
• Rods can be tied down either in front, or behind of the paddler, on the storage decks. This may be necessary when launching and there is a possibility of capsizing.

Well it is exciting. I am officially listed on the hunterski site as a kayak dealer. Check it out here http://www.hunterski.co.za/cp/6358/hunter-ski-dealers

You have just one month left  of Hunterski Kayak Special Launch price of R5900 to be collected from Hunterski. Outside of Joburg there will be shipping fees, give me a shout if you need to know more lantz@fishingencounters.co.za or 083 691 9281 or If you are not quite ready to buy yet. Please fill in your details here to receive a discount code, you can use this code until the end of October 2011.

More fishing stories after this ad break :)

Every now and again I go to Sodwana, I must say I don't go there often enough. Sodwana is a place of warm sea and lots of fish. It is one of the top dive sites of South Africa with awesome accommodation at Coral Divers where they will take good care of you.

My story is about a few years ago when I was there with my Kayak (fishingski) I would wake early in the morning and head out to sea early in the morning, before all the diving boats. It is a bit of a run between the wave breaks but if you time it right you slip out beyond the big waves no problem. I attached my white/red halco and off I go paddling.  Lucky there is reef not to far from back line. I am soon into a fish but unfortunately I am unable to slow it down and it ends up in the reef below and cuts off my line. I did not have another lure like that and did not have another touch.

Back on the beach I meet and chat to a guy from Coral Divers and he tells me he is also in kayak fishing and suggests I join him for a kayak fishing session. He also suggests we catch a lift with a dive boat to 9 mile reef where they will drop us off and we can paddle back from there. So we set a date and go a separate ways.  A day later I hear he had a shallow water black out from spearfishing, lucky his mates saw him and got him to the boat. So we had to postpone our trip for a few days. Well finally the day arrived. We where on the beach before sun rise and the guys loaded up our kayaks onto the rubber duck. They fitted very well on the sides of the dive boat. Soon we where off and racing to nine mile reef. It was nice not to have to paddle that far and lucky the current was pushing from North to South so we could almost just drift back to the launch area. Soon enough we arrived at the reef and there was surface action going down so I was supper excited to get into the water and start fishing. Put on a little lure and started paddled around the surface action and soon enough the reel started screaming and I was in. My mate that I was with was soon also into a fish. It was bonnies, which are ideal as live bait for the big boys, Cuda or Tuna. So I hooked it onto my live bait rig and let it out. My mate did the same. Not to long and I was into something big but I think my break was too tight as I got snapped up. All the time you are drifting along away from the reef, so it was back to the reef to catch some live bait and start the process again. This time it took a bit longer and again I lost it. My mate manage to and land his fish, but it towed him a long way. It was a nice yellow fin tuna. All the time we are moving back down the coast, it was such fun. Hooking and missing and hooking and bringing them in. I did not manage to get a tuna but had lots of fun with the bonnies.

All to soon we where back at the beach, but very happy. My mate got a good crowd round him as he pulled out his tuna. The people at Coral divers where going to eat well, he cut a bit off for me. That was a once in a lifetime trip, but I am always keen to try that again. My story ends on a sad note. The guy I went with and that put it all together was eaten by a shark a few months later. They recon he blacked out again while spearfishing and his friends did not find his body this time. The shark took him and they only found a few remains. I was devastated to hear this sad news. 

I do a lot of bass fishing off my fishing ski. It is a lot of fun and it is amazing what you sneak up on. I have been given the fright of my life when some huge fish suddenly takes off right next to you, with a huge splash. I have also collected a lot of lures that people have cast-ted into trees and have just been unable to collect.

I remember once at Golden Harvest paddling round an island and there where a lot of dead trees in the water. Hiding in the shade of the tress where these most huge carp. I was fishing for bass so had nothing with me to catch the fish with or even some bread to throw to them to see if they would want to eat it. It is a plan of mine to one day go back and see if I can catch one of these big carp. I must say that is something that I also have not caught off my fishing ski yet. Time to go on a mission and see if I can catch, photograph and release some big carp.

I often go to Emmarentia for fishing and sometimes we as a family would go for walks and to feed the ducks. When we would feed the ducks we would see these huge barbel under the ducks eating the bread. It got me totally excited but I know you can't fish from that side so I knew I would have to make a plan with my boat. The day came and I got my bread and tackle ready. I decided to use circle hooks as I was keen to see how they worked and I did not want to be trying to get hooks out deep inside the barbel. So I launched my fishingski and paddled over to the side where the ducks where getting fed. I parked on the side in shallow enough water so that I could use my feet as an anchor. I made a bait ball with the bread and put it on my hook. I just had the flick it out as I was not far from the ducks. I left my reel on free spool and it was not long before the line started peeling out. I flicked over the bail and just held the rod. As there is no striking with circle hooks. I could feel the power of the fish and I lifted my legs so it could pull the boat. It did pull the boat all the way to the other side of the dam where I managed to pull it out and take a photo before letting it go. I then paddled back and did it again. I am keen to try that again this summer and it would be cool to catch it all on video.  All this talk of fishing I am keen to hit the water.