There was a nice break in the weather here yesterday which gave me an opportunity to test out this new kayak. I took it to Lake Remembrance since I’m pretty familiar with that water.
I had just a few things that I wanted to do: make sure it floats, test how it paddles, and setup the fish finder. Short version, success on all fronts!
Longer version …
Once I got this thing launched, I immediately beached it to mess with the fish finder. I’d played with it a bit at home, but that’s totally different than bobbling around on a boat. In those few minutes I learned a ton about how things are displayed. This is directly the result of the clear water and knowing things around the bank.
With that done, I took it for a paddle. There was a pretty heavy wind at 8-10 MPH and some stronger periods upward of 15 MPH. In those conditions, I was extremely happy to have the rudder! The boat wants to bow into the wind and releasing the rudder put a stop to that. This is a feature that I didn’t really know that I wanted.
The boat feels slow, but I was easily going 2-3 MPH with a very casual paddle. It’s just so much more stable and smooth than the Ascend FS10T that I’ve been paddling. I’m pretty sure it’s still slow compared to the Old Town Vapor 10 we have.
While looking at the speed, I notice that the overly for depth was at 5.1 ft. where the sonar was showing nearly 20 ft. I paddled to some shallower parts and it didn’t move. I removed the depth overlay and re-added it. Changed the range on the sonar. I spent way too long dinking around the menu. Then my IT brain took over and a just rebooted the dang thing! It worked perfectly from then on.
In that short paddle, I was able to see exactly why had success fishing in some of the areas. Drop offs, small points, pieces of cover. It’s going to be great to have that information!
I wasn’t out to fish for real (I only had about an hour) but I did cast a few times. Sitting, even on the high setting is effortless. And by effortless, I mean I didn’t feel like I was doing anything to keep the boat stable. I could put complete focus on the cast and retrieve. Standing was a little more wobbly, but I could easily walk around, cast hard, turn around, grab things from the back. I did have to use the strap to pull myself up. But that’s more from the COVID inactiviy. I’ve GOT to start exercising again. Also, I had on rubber boots. In the summer with sandals or sneakers, this will be easier.
Next up is working out the anchor situation. I have a 10 lbs. kettlebell, but that seems like overkill. I see people use 3-5 lbs. kettlebells, drag chains, and the grapnel anchors. The grapnel anchors seem like they would get hung up a lot. I definitely need to research this.
At this point, I’m completely happy with this purchase and can’t wait to get some real time on the water … and catch some lunkers!