Summer 2014 update...

Summer 2014 update...


As I read and hear of other yak fishermen get out and about I toil away working which has been a busy period for me. I had a few of trips this summer mostly just to keep my paddle fitness up but not much fishing done.

As I sit now I am planning a deep water hit on some nice dinners in the form of the mack. They have not quite reached me yet and I anticipate them hitting my spot very soon.

I have spent a lot of time on a decking project in my back yard /garden which has used up what little free time I actually have, however, during this I have built some pretty neat storage system for the yak and everything else in my garage. The moken is now tucked away nicely taking up very little room and is easy accessed for a quick deployment.

On the flip side my mate Taff Tony has been cracking away with his free time getting the most from the current realatively settled weather and fishing on. The difference is his catch being of the shark variety. The following pics taken at the end of April are catch and release due to the nature of their current status as an endagered species and relatively small in numbers in our area, also being a first experience for him which I do not think he has yet hit earth again.... Nice one Tony.

Total for the day was 4 nice 6/7 footer's with others in the group hitting similar average numbers. To top that today, mid July 2014, he managed to pick up an ex display Ocean Kayak Prowler II for £220 GBP, that he managed to buy at a steal from a local shop who obviously did not see him coming, lol.... Taff Tony on this particular day landed the bargain of the century, good luck to him and the new yak and I hope its a good fishing yield for many trips to come......

I intend to hit my local spots over the next few weeks in my humble Moken 12.5, fishing for the best barbeque mack and whatever else hits my lures. I will also get some pics of my current rigging which has changed somewhat from the original pics posted. So far its been a quiet year for fishing but I intend to change that towards the end of the summer season. I might even join the Taff for some shark tinkering, which is very exciting but realisticly scares the crap outa me.... lol...

Until next post, tight lines

Dave...
Moken Yakker

 

Weather / Work & New Kayak Radio.

It's still wet and constantly windy here in the UK. I have seen a few calm days from my window at work which just makes it worse. Hopefully though, I intend to get out later this week for a spot of fishing. We have had some pretty high tides and because of the windy weather  and tidal surge, they have flooded a few places inland. I am really keen to see if this impacts on the fishing. In theory I am thinking that there might be a few more fish around due to the increased food getting churned up in the swell and tides, here's hoping. Lol...

This one of my local bays taken yesterday.

All the will in the world say's yes, but the computer say's Nooooooo !!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I am getting about 250 hits per day and its nice to get some feedback. Really it's all about the yak and fishing but I always find it easy to deviate away from the subject once I start a new post...

That said, I have been doing quite a bit of reading other yak fishing experiences across the world. A lot of time and thought goes into safety gear and really I could not agree more. Cost is a big thing these days so while I might like to pop out and spend a load of wad on safety gear I do have to be a little reserved and like most people build it up over time. My long time adventure and yak fishing mate Tony is a good planner and he won't leave the shore without thinking of where he is going, what risks are around, like weather tides and current and a get out plan. I think he even has it planned in his head without really thinking about it. He swears by his marine radio and I must agree that even when I am out with him I do feel a little more confident that we have backup if it all goes pear shaped.

It's all too easy to jump in paddle out, the wind direction changes and increases thus leaving you in a sticky situation. That was exactly what we did late last year and it was in the back of my mind we might just need to use the radio for help. Thankfully we made it back to the harbour albeit pretty exhausted after paddling up current into an increasing headwind. Lesson learnt.... I will go up wind first, fish on a drift back and if i feel like another upwind run i can do so knowing i will get blown back to launch point..

This brings me to the newest edition of my yak gear. 

This is a little Baofeng UV-5R radio I picked up from ebay for £25 delivered. It can transmit and receive on all marine channel frequencies and on top of that it can hit local repeaters on 2m and 70cm which is a bonus. there is a repeater which overlooks my local area and i get a good strong receive signal there with the slightly upgraded aerial attached. 

I have now decided to go and take my HAM exam which is now organised for mid February. As far as reading into the law regarding broadcasting on UK marine channels without a licence, you can transmit on any marine channel in an emergency regardless of marine radio licence, not only does this help crews to reach you a little faster but it costs less for the coastguard having to conduct a wide area search for my little 12ft camoflaged yak when they will already have my exact position. 

My only advice is to stay calm during a situation and if you need to call the coastguard give clear answers to the questions they will ask regarding location and your situation. Again for transmitting on HAM radio frequencies, you need to have completed an exam and have an official call sign according to Offcom, which i should have pretty soon, but I cannot see any problems using the service if there is risk to life

Although not a perfect fix for the comms it's a fantastically cheap way to improve your safety x2 as you can ustilise marine freqs and HAM both. All I need now is a little waterproof cover and its ready to hit the next fishing trip which is still pending... My mate, crazy Taff (Tony), is off to the Bonnie Scotland in the near future with his Perception Triumph 13 for a deep water Skate trip. I am donating some frozen octopus for his bait coctails. I wish him tight lines and I will include a quick update on that trip in my next posting...

Thats it for now, i know i have said it before but i am hoping my next Update is full of yakking and fishing..

Keep watching for more updates.

Dave

Moken Yakker

Winter Accessories Update

Well its been pretty crap weather here in the UK. I cant complain as all our stormy weather has come from the USA and they have had it pretty rough recently. Thankfully it seems to be settling down a little and I am confident of some more frequent fishing trips out on the Moken

I have been busy since my last post adding some bits and pieces. First up was the fish finder / sounder. I toyed with many variations of sounder but finally settled for the Lowrance Elite 4X DSI which I have to say I am delighted with. I read plenty about it and was very impressed by its down scan imaging. I started by first installing the main unit by cutting holes in the top storage compartment through to the hull for my cabling. I used a hole saw on my cordless drill which made a nice neat hole large enough to get the cables through. I set my cables where i wanted them to go and then used rubber grommets and marine sealant to set them in position while sealing the hole completely. The unit is powered by a 3000mah lipo battery which is in a sealed hard case within a sealed ice cream tub within the front sealed compartment giving me at least 3 or 4 fishing trips before charging again. I intend to add a little power outlet for charging my phone or something useful at a later stage.. This turned out sweet as a nut and I was well pleased with the finished job.

Next I mounted the base mount of the sounder unit just in front of the bottle holder on the top storage compartment. I used some M5 well nuts to secure it along with plenty of sealant and again I was well chuffed with the results.

The next part of the install was the transducer where I had the choice of going through the hull or mounting underneath the hull. I had read plenty of comments on various forums about how this particular sounder would not shoot thru the hull and some saying it did so. I really wanted it inside out of the way so I figured that I could install it this way and if it really didn't work I could change it later. I can now say for sure that it does easily shoot through the hull and I have tested it where I can see my fishing line and tackle at the bottom of the sea at any depth. The clarity of the Lowrance is to say the least, outstanding and its great to be able to see the bottom detail for wrecks and shelves.

I have added some other bits and pieces, most of which are all hand made or adapted to fit the purpose. I ordered a sliding mount from Austin Kayaks, it arrived very quick and I used a cut from a cutting board to make the mounting area a little larger for my GPS to sit beside the rod holder on an U bolt. It can slide towards me when i need it and when paddling its pushed up front out of the way. Very functional..

The other bits added so far have been an anchor trolley, a marine compass, some home made fishing rod leashes, an led light stick for night fishing and a few other lashing points for various bits and pieces. On top of that I now have some waterproof trousers with sealed ankles and a nice cag which completes my watertight clothing where I can adjust the clothing to suit the weather very comfortably.

Another little bargain purchase was this little 3000 size reel from Yoshikawa. Fantastic little all metal unit with 11 bearings. Has been out and abused a few times now and still performs well. Really cant complain for £14...lol..

My next post will hopefully be a fishing update as my last good trip out was November 2013 where I was still getting mackeral. Really getting to know my local ground now and the Yak is still impressing me. Its perfect for my needs so far and I really enjoy being out with it...

Thats all for now !!!