Bluegrass Yakmasters

This is going to be an extremely exciting year for kayak fishing in Kentucky, and it will largely be due to the formation of a new club that goes by the name of Bluegrass Yakmasters. I began hearing rumors of these guys back in the fall. My Dad messaged me one day and told me to look them up on Facebook, a bunch of guys he works with had been talking about them. I looked them up and did the usual "Like", but didn't see much activity until closer to the end of the year. They had apparently just went official and were in the process of pulling together sponsors and a 2013 tournament schedule, and they definitely did not disappoint.

One of the major sponsors is HOOK1. HOOK1 has quickly become one of the leaders of the kayak fishing movement, providing all of the most highly sought after and sport specific products that kayak fishermen are looking for. What impresses me most about HOOK1 is their customer service and overall presence in the sport of kayak fishing. I've dealt with them several times when ordering accessories for my boat, and will be placing an order here soon for a new boat for my wife. I directed several of my buddies to HOOK1 for their needs, and one of them was especially impressed just lately with how quick they received their brand new "Knot Right Camo" Wilderness Systems Ride 135. 13 hours from order to receiving their boat at a local shipping hub! (It should be noted though, that this time can vary according to your shipping location. It helps that in this instance, the boat was going from TN to KY, but the 13 hour time frame was still impressive regardless. It takes most places 24 hours just to process an order, much less ship it out, so this is still an impressive feat!)

Chad Hoover, the frontman of HOOK1, is basically everywhere. When he's not filming episodes of KayakBassinTV, he's in the HOOK1 shop answering phones and taking orders, or he's out fishing or attending trade shows. In all fronts, Chad and the rest of the HOOK1 crew have been great advocates for kayak fishing, and is recognized by many as being one of the driving forces in bringing more visibility and interest to the sport.

Other sponsors lined up for the Bluegrass Yakmasters include Shimano, Hobie Fishing, NuCanoe, Kayak Angler Magazine, Cabin Creek Bait Company, BullfrogBaits.com, Logic Lures, Power Team Lures, Bending Branches, NRS, The Rod Glove, and ALE81. It's especially exciting to see some of the local companies such as Bullfrog Baits and Cabin Creek Bait Company on there. Those guys make some great baits and it'll be great to see some local places get more exposure.

I'm also very happy to see NRS and Bending Branches step up as a sponsor. I've used NRS for years as my go-to supplier of whitewater gear, and I LOVE my Bending Branches Angler Classic paddle (check out my review HERE). It's also impressive to see a big company such as Shimano step up as a sponsor. It goes to show, these guys mean business!

Now that we're done giving some much deserved credit to the sponsors, lets talk about the 2013 tournament schedule for the Yakmasters! There are several locations on the schedule that most people are familiar with or have at least heard of. Lake Cumberland and Green River Lake are well known for their quality of fishing, but I'm even more excited to be fishing the Elkhorn Creek and Cedar Creek Lake. The Elkhorn is quickly becoming THE go-to spot for smallmouth bass fishing. It's been proclaimed by many as the best creek in the state, if not the nation, for smallmouth bass fishing.

Cedar Creek Lake is quickly becoming one of the premier lakes for bass fishing. It was built with the sole purpose of being a trophy bass lake, and is already popping up on the radar as one of the top bass fishing lakes in the US, coming in at number 30 in the 2006 Field and Streams list of “The 35 Best Bass Fishing Waters in the U.S.” To give you an idea of just how impressive this achievement really is as well as how well this lake has been managed, Cedar Creek was impounded in 2003. It took just 3 YEARS to make the list as one of the best, and it's only gotten better since! I will be posting a completely separate article on Cedar Creek soon with more info and recent pictures/videos of this impressive body of water.

Here's the official 2013 Tournament Schedule for the Bluegrass Yakmasters, as copied from their Facebook page.

--- April 6th, 1st Annual Bluegrass YakMasters Open Tournament @ Cedar Creek Lake For the following 'Qualifying' events, participants must be a registered club member
--- April 27th @ Lake Cumberland
--- May 18th @ Green River Lake
--- June 8th @ Elkhorn Creek*
--- June 22nd @ Stoner Creek
--- July 27th @ S. Fork of the Licking River
--- August 10th @ Elkhorn Creek*
--- August 24th @ Beaver Lake
--- September 28th @ Guist Creek Lake
--- October 26th & 27th Bluegrass YakMaster Classic Championship @ Cedar Creek Lake+
* Tournament will be joined with the Elkhorn Creek Fishing Series, and will be open to the N. Fork, S. Fork, and Main Stem.
+ To fish in the Classic Championship, club members must participate in 5 of 8 Qualifying events.
For the coveted Angler of the Year Title and healthy prize package members will be trying to earn as many points as possible through the season. Members will receive 'Participation Points' for every event they fish. Members will also receive 'Placement Points' for how well they finished. Anglers can count all 'Participation Points' but only their best 5 'Placement Points' toward that total.
We will factor in water and weather conditions before each event to ensure safety of our participants.

One other thing that has been announced on the Bluegrass Yakmasters facebook page, is the raffle that will be after the 1st Annual Bluegrass Yakmasters Open Tournament on April 6th...

"BIG Announcement: We are going to have a raffle after the open. The Grand Prize will be a Wilderness Systems Ride 115 rigged by Chad Hoover of HOOK1. http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/angling/angling_kayaks/ride_angler_2012/ride_115_angler_2012/ You can purchase tickets 1 for $10 or 3 for $25. Additionally if you sign up as a member at or before the open you will receive 1 ticket as well! Everyone has a chance to win this and other great prizes but you must be present to win!!! "

As I mentioned above, I'll be writing another post exclusively on Cedar Creek Lake, but I'll also be writing periodically on some of the other locations listed on the tournament schedule.  It's going to be a big year for kayak fishing here in Kentucky, so you'll definitely want to stay tuned...maybe even come out and fish with us!  The 1st Annual Open Tournament on April 6th already has 43 people listed as "going" on its facebook page, with well over 50 expected to register, it's going to be a huge event!  Click HERE to check out the Bluegrass Yakmasters, and HERE to check out the 1st Annual Bluegrass YakMasters Open Tournament.

See you on the water!

Quick and Easy DIY Mount for a Humminbird PiranhaMax 160 Fish Finder

Once I got the initial setup on my boat with all of the rod holders and anchor trolleys, I contemplated adding a fish finder. A lot of people out there choose not to add a fish finder to their fishing kayak, mostly because they fish rivers and a fish finder is of little use and just gets in the way. Fish finders will work ok on larger rivers, but for many it's just not worth the trouble. My goal was to make it as little trouble as possible. I fish a lot of smaller lakes and reservoirs, and it would be nice to at least see the depth and temperature of the water I'm fishing in. Finding actual fish is a nice perk as well...

I opted to go with the Humminbird PiranhaMax 160 that AustinKayak.com carries. It has a dual-band transducer for 20 and 60 degree angle readings, allowing a good wide view of what's below you. It also has a very nice backlight and is waterproof. I'll get around to posting an in-depth review soon of the PiranhaMax 160, but I was once again impressed by ACK's prices, shipping, and customer service. They're actually one of the few retailers I trust that carry the 160 (most others only carry either the 150 or the 170 for some odd reason). I considered the 160 a steal for $90 shipped, especially given the dual band transducer, backlight and weatherproofing. I didn't want to go with something too expensive, mostly because I only really needed basic functionality for now. I may change my mind sometime in the future as I fish more lakes and really get to researching thermoclines, but the little 160 fits my needs perfectly for now.

I wanted to mount my recently purchased PiranhaMax 160 in a way that it was easily removable for when I do not want it or need it on river and creek trips. I researched a few ways to mount it by purchasing adapters for a rod holder base, but in the end I decided to make my own. The total cost? About 50 cents.

I was going to purchase a mount made specifically for the Piranhamax series by Scotty, which is very nice, but it didn't have the option of routing the cables through the actual mount, which is ultimately what I wanted. I was then going to do the same as Paul from Palmetto Kayak Fishing and make a custom mount base like his, but it also wasn't designed to have the cables routed through the mount.

I decided to start with a Scotty Flush Mount Bracket, which has a nice low profile and a plug that you can remove from the bottom for, in my case, routing cables. I still wasn't sure how I was going to interface the base of the fish finder to the flush mount bracket, until I got to peering at the bottom of the fish finder's base. As it turns out, below the hole in the base of the fish finder, there is a 1/2-1/4" long tube or shaft that extends down. The circumference of that little tube appeared to be the same as the outer circumference of 1/2" PVC. I tried a 1/2" PVC coupler and it fit perfect! Snug enough that it takes a pretty good grip to pull it back off, but one could probably secure it with a little GOOP or Lexel for added security. I then cut a small piece of 1/2" pvc (maybe 2.5 to 3 inches long) to go in the other end of the coupler, long enough to fit in one end of the coupler and extend down into the bottom of the Scotty flush mount bracket.







As evident from the pictures, I painted it gloss black (the visible portion anyways) to give it a nice sleek look that matched the fish finder and flush mount. The 1/2" pvc fits down into the flush mount base perfect. It has a little "play" at first, but once you work it past the notch that's down in the flush mount bracket, it locks in pretty decent with enough resistance to keep it from moving around or falling out if you happen to flip your boat. As an added measure of security, I may eventually drill a small hole through both the pvc shaft and the shaft of the flush mount big enough to put a small lynch pin or PTO pin through. Keep in mind that if one does go with that method of securing their fish finder to the base, pull the cables before you drill the hole, then push them back through after drilling, and use a small enough pin that won't pinch the cables when you push it through to lock it all in place.





Once everything was secured, I routed my transducer and power cables up through the base and plugged them into the PiranhaMax 160. [Pro-Tip: Run the transducer cable up first, then the power cable] When I'm not using the fish finder, I simply pull the cables back down into the hull and secure them with a twist tie, then flip the rubber cap down on the flush mount to keep water out or stick a Scotty rod holder in there.

I'm currently working on creating a waterproof battery box, to power my fish finder and a few other accessories that I plan on adding on later. The box will be secured in the center of the hull between the two "towers" formed by the scupper holes (Ride 135 owners will know what I'm talking about. As for the transducer, I opted to "glass" it to the hull using a carved out foam block and some Lexel. I'm not sure how I'll like the transducer mounted like that though. I've heard it has no signal loss, but it does throw the water temp reading off a bit. If it becomes a huge issue, I'll opt for a flip down transducer mount. For now though, this setup should work ok for me, now I just need to get it on the water and try it out this weekend!

More pictures

2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 135 Review

I've been shopping around for a new kayak for a while now. I've always been into fishing, but it's either been from our bass boat or the bank. The kayak fishing scene has blown up over the last few years, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. My first attempts were a little frustrating, mostly because I was attempting to fish from a whitewater crossover or hybrid boat that you sat in and used a bungee skirt. It was a 10' long boat, but due to the sit-in nature of it, it just didn't have the storage, freedom, and flexibility that I wanted and needed for fishing. Enter the sit-on-top options...

There are dozens of sit on tops out there, available for all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of colors and options. Most seem to be pretty good, and about every high end or reputable kayak brand out there has at least a couple models of SOT's in their lineup. Some are better for fishing than others. Some are better for standing up. Some are better for sitting down. Some are a great combination of many factors, and that's why I chose the Wilderness Systems Ride 135. I was VERY strongly considering another boat from a competing company, but the combination of features, size, price, and stability put me in favor of the Ride 135.

I am no small guy by any means. I'm 6'4" and around 300lbs, I needed a good boat that would be stable and track well for flatwater but still be maneuverable in moving water such as on rivers. I can stretch out completely on this boat and still have plenty of room. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I believe guys up to 7' tall or possibly even taller, would have no problem fitting in this boat. The seat and footpegs are adjustable to get your front to rear trim fine tuned, and there is infinite adjustment in the seat for the backrest and leg lifters. The Phase 3 seating is one of the most comfortable seats that I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in. While sitting in the Ride 135, it feels very solid with none of that tippy feeling you get from some other boats. I did briefly try standing in it, and although it felt a little sketchy at first, I can see myself getting used to it very quickly. Finally, a kayak that the big boys can stand in!

Storage is very impressive on this boat as well. With the large hatch up front and medium hatch mid way back, there is plenty of room to store all of your gear. With proper gear management and packing, you could stick a weeks worth of gear and supplies in this boat, with room to spare. I use the left side of the hull as my rod storage when I'm driving to and from the lakes or rivers. It keeps them out of sight from the prying eyes of potential thieves as well as protected from any bugs or road grime. It's very easy to stick at least 4 or 5 rods down the side of the hull when going in from the front hatch. One could stick several more down the other side as well. There is no real limit as far as size goes either. There is at least 11-12' of space, so all of my 6'6" and 7' rods are in no danger. The hatches have rubber and foam seals, so water seepage shouldn't be a big issue.

The color of this boat is my favorite of all the boats I've looked at. Almost everyone offers a camo color, but Wilderness Systems really pulled it off the best. At 88 lbs, the weight of the boat is pretty heavy but you have to take into account that it is 13'6" inches long and nearly 32" wide, it's not going to be light by any stretch...nor should it be. I'm going to be paddling this boat on lakes, rivers, and creeks. It's going to encounter a few bumps along the way, I want the plastic thick enough to handle it, and it is. Despite the heft and length, this boat is still reasonably maneuverable, which is important in moving water. While being maneuverable when you need it to be, it tracks really well on flatwater, requiring very little corrections to keep it moving straight ahead.

The Ride 135 has a bunch of little features too that are particularly handy and really prove that a lot of thought has been put into this boat. Features such as loops inside the hatches to lash gear to, recesses for smaller items in the cockpit, self draining in the recesses, cup holders, and hatch rims, a paddle holder on the side and the front deck, bungee disconnects in the rear tankwell for proper fitment of a crate or other large pieces of gear, bungees on the back of the seat to keep it from flipping down when you stand up, flat areas for Scotty and Ram mounts, pre routed cable housing for the optional rudder system, etc.

The only thing I would like to see is the availability of an add on lock cylinder for the hatches. It would be great to be able to lock them. Granted, it's a plastic boat (albeit a ridiculously thick and tough one), a persistant thief could break into it with a saw if they really wanted to, but it would just add that little bit of extra security when sitting unattended on top of your vehicle or at the put in when you go take a leak or something.

Overall, I'm VERY happy with this boat and I got an absolutely screaming deal on it through AustinKayak.com with free shipping. I normally do try to get my gear local and support my local outfitters, but I couldn't find this particular boat anywhere reasonably close to my home, so I opted to have it delivered. It was shipped via freight to my workplace, so I wasn't expecting it to arrive for at least a week or so, but it only took 5 days! It was packed extremely well by the guys at ACK, so there were no bumps or scratches from shipping.

Check out the videos below for a visual walkthrough. I was only going to do one video, but decided to do another to cover a few more features a little more in depth.