[ TACK LE] 2
POWER AND PUCK Fishfinders are designed to run on 12-volt DC batteries. Without the motor-driven recharging systems found on motorboats, kayak anglers need to carefully consider power consumption. A color sonar with GPS will devour an eight AA power pack in just a few hours. The same eight AA batteries might last for 30 hours in a basic black and white unit. The math is similar for other battery types.
POWER PIGS DESCRIPTION
Two features significantly increase power consumption: color screens and GPS.
Color screens are incredible for some applications but use twice the juice of black and white.
DETAILS
Talking to satellites in space also requires energy, and GPS is similar to color in its appetite for battery life.
Combining pigs means bringing a pig of a battery!
TRANSDUCERS
How to mount a transducer or puck in a kayak is one of the most commonly asked questions. The answer depends on the type of transducer you choose.
Transducers that are small with a flat or gently curved bottom are easier to install.
Humminbird has designed trans- ducers that fit in the scupper of Ocean Kayak brand ‘yaks. While currently limited in scope, this fully integrated system is simple to install and works incredibly well.
CONNECTIONS The head unit is connected to the inputs from transducer, GPS and power source through a cable or series of cables. How those connections are made is an important consideration in the water-soaked world of kayak fishing.
THREADED TERMINALS
The cable WHAT IS IT?
connections are secured by a
threaded collar. Each input generally has a separate connection. While clearly the beefiest there are disadvantages.
PROS
Secure and very water resistant.
CONS
Assembling this style beyond the surf zone can be cumbersome and risky.
Beefy connectors require drilling beefy holes.
SUMMARY
A true Sophie’s choice!
PUSH-IN TERMINALS
Similar to the
threaded connection but involving a simpler push-in style plug. Many fish finders with this style also frequently integrate all of the connections into one plug.
Easier to install on the water.
No collars means smaller holes.
This type involves push-in style
terminals captured in the mounting base. Making the connection is as simple as snapping on the head unit.
One click and you’re fishing.
Shielded connections. Smallish hole(s).
Not as beefy as threaded connections. Lacking beef.
A semi-grand compromise.
A very slick setup but not very secure.
INTEGRATED TERMINALS
CHEW TOYS 1] IS IT NATURAL, OR IS IT GULP?
Since Berkley’s bio-engineers first cooked up Gulp, a non-plastic soft bait with a memorable and effective fish-catching scent, the company has steadily worked to replicate everything edible that swims, floats or crawls around water. With the newest deadly dozen, they’re that much closer to making the fuss and muss of natural baits a thing of the past. Bait action and detail continue to improve. There’s something to entice every breed of fish: Paddle-tail Ripple Mullets for reds; hellgrammites for smallies; tiny yet fully featured crickets for panfish; even shad guts for cats.
www.berkley-fishing.com • $4–$20
2] TASTY! RAPALA’S CLACKIN’ RAP
Make some noise. Rapala’s versatile Clackin’ Rap is now available in new colors and sizes. Size 07 is 2-3/4 ounces; the larger 09 is 3-1/2 ounces. These finely detailed lipless crankbaits are built around a sound chamber that houses a steel ball. In action, it starts a’clackin’. Almost too pretty to cast, these flashy baits feature trans- lucent, textured bodies and internal holographic foil. The VMC Sure- Set belly hook and Round Bend tail hook pack plenty of sting.
www.rapala.com • $12–$15
3] FEROCITY SQUARED? SOUNDS YUMMY
Yum has a new perfume for its life-like soft baits. This ain’t your mother’s Chanel. Designed to attract, enrage and engage bass, F2— ferocity squared—is an infusible, water-based scent that works with traditional plastic. Scientifically tested by Mississippi State University for effectiveness, it won’t dry out or lose its flexibility. F2 is available in a wide variety of preexisting Yum bait styles as well as several new patterns such as the Wooly Bullee (flipping), the Mighty Bug (creature bait) and the Salleemander, a six-inch swimming lizard. If bass eat it, there’s an F2 variety.
www.lurenet.com • $5
4] SEBILE’S TAKE ON THE SPINNERBAIT
Sebile Innovative Fishing has lived up to the company’s name dur- ing its short history, producing baits that shatter conventional lure design. Sebile’s Pro-Shad Spinnerbaits superficially look like the old standby, but the fish-catching is in the details: shad-shaped blades that spin at any speed; bodies with unprecedented realistic finishes; and jointed frames that swing out of the way of a biting fish. Single- bladed Trophy models sport an interesting second skirt that trails behind the blade, making for a much larger footprint. You know what they say, “Big bait, big fish.”
www.sebileusa.com • about $15
www.kayakanglermag.com… 23 1
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TRIGGER A FEEDING FRENZY WITH THESE NEW OFFERINGS THAT LOOK, TASTE AND SMELL LIKE THE IDEAL FISH MEAL PAUL LEBOWITZ
PHOTO: PAUL LEBOWITZ
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