JL Marine Systems, Inc. is blazing new trails through the water with of-the-moment technology. Power-Pole, the original pioneer for shallow-water anchors, just launched the Micro Anchor-a compact, all-electric powerhouse built to stop small crafts on a dime.

Nothing holds small crafts better in shallow water than Power-Pole’s Micro Anchor. Designed for no-fuss fishing, this Micro-with an 8.5′ spike-will stop you on the spot in less than 7 seconds flat. So, no matter how much the wind and water move, no matter what sand, rock or mud is beneath you, you won’t budge. Natural rubber wheels feature Water Evacuating Tread (WET) with rugged drive train that won’t jam or clog in any environment, from salt flats to Mississippi muck. It’s Power-Pole’s signature hold, guaranteed.

And you’re in charge. The MICRO’s wireless C-Monster operating system puts flexibility at your fingertips for a smart, seamless extension of your every whim. The remote gives you the freedom to fish your way with all the speed and directional controls in the palm of your hand. There’s a USB Connector – for software updates and downloads, you’re connected through Bluetooth and you can even call the shots through our smart phone app.

For captains of smaller boats or kayaks, the electric-drive MICRO runs right from your 12v battery. If your vessel does not have a battery on board, there’s a Battery Pack & Charger kit, too. The “Soft Drive” stealth gearbox is engineered with sound deadening composites for ultra-quiet operation. And it’s built to perform in the water. Low-friction Spike glider bearings give you years of smooth performance. No coatings or paints mean no chipping, peeling, cracking or fading over time. And the fully adjustable mounting bracket makes it easy to install any transom or horizontal deck surface.

The Micro Anchor is the first Power-Pole of its kind-crafted for the ultimate fishing lifestyle.

For more information on the complete line of Power-Pole shallow water anchors and accessories, go to www.power-pole.com

Lake Athens and Mill Creek 5-13-12

After I worked the paddle sport show this past Saturday, I wanted to get some fishing in before the weekend was up.  I talked to Gutcheck Saturday night, and he said he fished Mill Creek that morning and then Athens that afternoon. He told me the numbers that he caught at Athens, which were impressive, and I decided that was where I wanted to go.

I arrived around 9am, ready to get some points for kayak wars.  The first place I started fishing, I hooked into a nice fish but it showed itself and spit my lure right back at me.  I thought to myself, "No big deal."  I worked my way around the far south shore line without a bite.  Then I found some good looking lily pads on a point, and started fishing it. I caught my first fish of the day, a really skinny 21 incher.

I worked my way through the pads without another bite, so I  searched for new water.  I started fishing around some docks with grass on them and came up with number two, a nice little 17 1/2 incher.

I then fished my way around a point and lost another.  So far the score was Fish 2, Me 2.  Around 2pm i)I decided that it was time for a move.

I loaded up the kayak and headed to Mill Creek. When I got to Mill there were a few boats out there, so I went the other end of the lake. I caught two right off the bat off a point but were both around 14 inches and wouldn't count for Kayak Wars so I didn't take a picture.  I went to the other side of the arm and connected with a fat 20"er and a 18"er with in two casts.

The fish were holding tight to wood and were looking for shade.  When I figured this out the rest of the night was on.  I really look forward to fishing both of these lakes this summer.  

I ended up having one of the best days I've had in quite sometime.  My best five were close to 100 inches.

Hobie Pro Angler - Hatch - Wrap

Well I just got my Hobie Pro Angler back from Doozy Wraps today and it looks great.  I decided to keep it simple and clean so I could get the message across. Couldn't be happier.

"NEW' Hobie Pro Angler 12

Description

The new lightweight, more compact, Pro Angler 12 is the most versatile fishing boat we’ve ever designed.
This 12-foot boat sports a 500-pound weight capacity and is packed full of “must have” features that kayak anglers demand. From lakes to rivers to open ocean, this boat has no boundaries — stand and fish with incredible stability, securely store six rods (four horizontally, two vertically), and access your tackle with ease.
Integrated dual-steering controls for left or right-handed accessibility while under way. Vantage seating provides ultimate comfort and adjustability in a lightweight, easily removable form, along with Boa® system lumbar support technology. The “Lowrance Ready” installation system makes adding a fishfinder a breeze. Powered by our patented MirageDrive® with Turbo Fins, the Mirage Pro Angler 12 has got the giddy-up! Looking for an affordable, durable, lightweight, ultra-stable, “built-for-anglers” personal watercraft?
Anticipated availability in June 2012

Specifications

• Length: 12' / 3.66 m
• Fitted Hull Weight: 98 lbs / 44.4 kg 
• Fully Rigged Weight: 120 lbs / 54.4 kg 
• Width: 36" / 0.91 m
• Capacity: 500 lbs / 227 kg
• Hull Construction: Rotomolded Polyethylene

Features

• MirageDrive with Turbo Fins
• Vantage Seating
• Under Seat Tackle Storage
• Large Rectangular Hatch with Pivoting Tackle Management System
• Lowrance^® Ready; Optional Adapter Available for Other Fishfinder Models
• Retractable Rudder System
• Horizontal Storage for Four Rods
• Replaceable Mounting Boards
• Large Front Hatch with Removable Liner
• Anchor Trolley System Ready
• Front & Rear Carrying Handles
• Livewell Ready Cargo Area

Options

• Livewell
• Plug-in Cart
• Aluminum Trailex Trailer
• eVolve™ Electric Motor

Available Colors

Color : Dune     

Color : Olive    

Color : Yellow 

All Colors, Graphics and Specifications are subject to change without notice

1st Place - NTKT - Lake Fork Tournament

Well I woke up at 2:30 am to a whopping 46 degrees after the cold front blew through Friday here in North Texas. Took off to Lake Fork at 4am to make the check in at 6:30 with a good group of area kayak fishermen. 

I didn't make up my mind until I was in the parking lot to where I wanted to fish.  I felt like I over thought what I was going to do all of last week and put too much stress on myself to have a good finish.  I decided to go to the same area that I have had success last summer and knew that the fish in that area should be in all phases of the spawn.  With post frontal conditions and blue bird skies the fishing was pretty tough to say the least.

I made it out to the fist secondary point and caught three right off the bat and by the time I worked my way around it and looked back there were two boats in that spot.  There were three different power boat tournaments on the lake the same time so it did get crowed for a while in that area.

I decided to go to some deeper water that I had some success with last summer to try to get some post spawn fish and caught my limit as well as culled a small fish I caught off the point.

By the time it started to warm up I went shallow again with a buddy fishing the same area to try to get him on some fish and noticed fry in the shallows.  I missed one and he picked up two fish along the way that were guarding them.  As we started running out of time and making our way back to the boat ramp to load up I started noticing bass on the beds in the back of the cove that had moved back up that were deserted only a few hours before.   

I didn’t think I had enough to win and wasn’t sure if I would even place in the money but my 84.5 inches won it. My largest fish was 20 inches and missed big bass by ¾ of an inch. Had a great time and looking forward to the last tournament June 2^nd. I’m tied for first in point for AOY with one tournament to go.

Ray Roberts and Moss Lake Kayak Fishing

Lake Ray Roberts Big Bass

Ray Hubbard 2-26-12

Lake Fork 2011

Yak Attack Gear Trac

I recently ordered a few things from Yak Attack for my 2012 Wilderness Ride 135 and wanted to show you how easy this product is to install on your kayak. I know that there are a lot of people out there that are afraid of drilling holes into their kayaks but I'm hear to tell you that this is a piece of cake.

The GearTrac is a track system that anyone can put on any band of kayak on the market today. It is a way to mount accessories to the kayak that has not be available until now. I know that there are some kayaks on the market with track systems but not all of them. My Ride 135 has it on the front but not the back where I wanted to mount a couple of rod holders as well as my transducer mount. The kit comes with everything you need except the drill and screw driver to tighten down the screws. The drill bit that is packed with the screws will allow you to pre drill the holes for the GearTrac as well as the stainless screws.

First off, you need to figure what size GearTrac you are going to need. I went with the twelve in sections for the rear of my kayak. Place the GearTrac down where you want to mount it and hold it in place. There are going to be two rows of pre drilled screw holes on the GearTrac where you are going to use the screws provided. I started on one end and drilled out the inside corner to start. Then go to the other end and drill out the corner closest to you. Take a couple of the screws and tighten them down with a hand held phillips head screw driver. Now that the Trac is held down on both ends you can drill out the rest of the holes for the rest of the screws provided. You want to make sure the you hand tighten these screw to make sure that you don't strip out the screws to the kayak. After making sure that all of the screws are tight you are finished and ready to use some of the accessories that are available for the GearTrac.

I mounted the VisiCarbon Pro and PanFish on port side (left side sitting in the kayak). Then I mounted a rod holder and transducer mount on the starboard side (right side).

The options for the GearTrac are endless and can mount it anywhere on a kayak. GearTrac makes your kayak not only adjustable, but fully configurable, enabling you to change your setup from one outing to the next. Trolling today? Fly fishing tomorrow? Shooting ducks next weekend? GearTrac gives you the ability to go from a fully rigged kayak fishing machine to a flat deck in
minutes.

Yak Attack Gear Trac Installation

2012 Wilderness Ride 135 Rudder Install

2012 Wilderness Ride 135 - STS Installation

STS- Silent Traction System - 2012 Ride 135

I decided to add the STS - Silent Traction System to the kayak after going out for the first time because I was hitting the kayak with my paddle and just moving around in the kayak seemed to be too loud.

I picked up both the kit and the two large square sections of the STS to rig on my kayak. I decided that the kit would go inside of the cockpit area and I could customize the square pieces for the rest of the kayak. I did notice that after I installed the rudder that sometimes it would slam on the kayak when I would lift it back on the kayak.

The first step for anyone that is going to install the STS would be to thoroughly clean the boat. I've taken rubbing alcohol and followed up with warm soap and water. I then laid out the the kit to where I could see that my boot were rubbing on the foot wells of the kayak to start. I also added some to the areas around the hatch because I found myself throwing lures in that area of the boat when I would retie or just to store clippers.

I took a large rectangular piece and cut it in half for where I would stand up in the kayak for better traction when I would stand up in the boat. After carefully placing all of the pieces of the STS I pealed off the backing and placed in where I wanted it. I then moved to the area of the kayak where my paddle will rest while fishing. I took some blue painters tape to make a template and then cut out the sections of the large square pieces of the STS. Make sure that you lay the template down on the black side of the STS because if you do it on the back it will be backwards. I did this in this area because it was going to be on both sides.

Next it was time to move toward the back of the kayak where the rudder sometimes slams into the kayak while lifting it. I laid out the painters tape for the template and cut out a section that I wanted covered. I had to cut out a little hole for the rudder line guide and everything lined up perfectly.

I will be adding more but wanted to get out and fish a little more to see where I will need it. Installation on this product was a breeze and would highly recommend it to anyone that is wanting to dampen the noise in their kayak.

2012 Wilderness Ride 135 Anchor Trolley Installation

2012 Ride 135 Anchor Trolley Installation

It's time to rig out my new Ride 135 from Wilderness Kayaks. One of the first items on the list is to install an anchor trolley. I ended up taking two different sets and combining the two to come up with the best trolley I could come up with.

First, I laid everything out so I could see what all came with the kits and what I needed to get. The only other items that I needed to get to complete the installation was a few well nuts and stainless screws.

One of the first things I had to do was to decided where I wanted to install the Harkens pulleys and marked with a pen to drill the holes. After drilling the holes I inserted the well nuts into place and tightened down the stainless screws.

After getting everything aligned with the back pulley I started the same steps for the front but I used a washer and locking nut to secure the pulley. I ended up putting some line guides on the kayak so that the trolley line wouldn't ride up on the kayak.

Make sure when using the guides that you run the line though them before screwing the stainless screw into the well nut.

I then ran the line though both the front and rear pulleys and tied them off to the bungee.

I have a 2 inch nylon ring to complete the trolley that I don' t have on there yet. I'll be able to use my ParkNPole from Yak Attack in with out putting the pole though the scupper hole. Keep in mind that just about anyone can do these modifications to their kayaks. If you have any questions please let me know.