Fishing Kayak Rigging

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Finally got around to installing a FF/GPS combo unit on my kayak. It's a humminbird 176i. It has dual beam technology and internal GPS for marking waypoints and creating tracks. I had some other things to fix on the YAK from the last time out this past June during Circus Mexicus week. The live bait tank had stopped working. Bought a new battery and shes turning on a least. Now I have a separate issue with the bilge pump not mustering up enough juice to suck the water all the way up into the tank. All in all, everything is pretty well complete. I have a pretty nice dry/speaker box that has excellent sound for playing music while I'm out there. I have the live bait tank, and now the FF/GPS combo. Going out to Plez this weekend to test it all out and play around with it. Looking to hit Lobos for YT sometime in February, perhaps sooner.

Cheers!













 

JoseAz

Well Known Member
Hey Mexico Joe, we have a 12ft aluminum boat with a 5hp Mercury out on Las Conchas. We go out a couple hundred yards and do a little fishing/drinking for reef fish. Sometimes we actually bait the hook :)

I was thinking of getting a fish finder but heard that the scan width in relatively shallow water wouldn't really give us an idea of whre the fish were

We fish with lightweight gear so even bigger triggers would be fun if we can find them.

Any advice?
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Hey Mexico Joe, we have a 12ft aluminum boat with a 5hp Mercury out on Las Conchas. We go out a couple hundred yards and do a little fishing/drinking for reef fish. Sometimes we actually bait the hook :)

I was thinking of getting a fish finder but heard that the scan width in relatively shallow water wouldn't really give us an idea of whre the fish were

We fish with lightweight gear so even bigger triggers would be fun if we can find them.

Any advice?

Others on here know a lot more about depth finders than I do but the reason why I wanted one was to be able to see what the bottom looks like. I wanted to know the depth that I was fishing and what the bottom structure looks like. Too many times I'm wasting away fishing over sandy bottoms when I believe there is rock under me. I want to know for sure that there is something under the boat that could possibly hold fish. Now I'll know whats under me and not waste time fishing sandy bottoms. I also wanted the capability of marking waypoints. That way when I do find something on the bottom I can return to that exact location without having to guess where I was last. I can't wait to try it out. I think it's going to make the fishing better and give me more quality trips out. I would recommend one. I know the Humminbird Pirhanna Max series can be had for as little as $65. I paid $100 for mine but it has the built in GPS.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
To add to what Joe said:

The term "Fish Finder" is misnomer. Can they really show you where the fish are? The answer to that is "How much do you want to spend?" Joe's stated purpose is spot on and is the best way to use any sounder -- to look for structure, rocks, reefs, etc. While my GPS is extremely accurate, the value a sounder adds is to show you exactly when you're approaching or on top of a reef or other structure. You can also see bottom composition on most sounders - soft strata (sand, muck, etc.) appears as one color (usually a light blue) while hard bottom (rock, reef) appears in a different color (usually red). As far as showing you individual fish down there? Well... perhaps, but it's not something you can rely on to any degree. Some sounders will show arches to indicate a fish, while others will show you a fish icon, size based on the degree of return signal from supposed fish. My sounder (a Furuno unit) will show bait schools suspended at various depths and often indicate individual or groups of fish hanging near the bottom, even on the deeper reefs to 300 ft. or so. The smaller sounders like Joe's are not as powerful, but do a fine job in shallower water. Well worth the investment of $100 or so for a kayak or smaller aluminum boat. The biggest advantage you get is not wasting valuable fishing time on non-productive areas, i.e., sandy bottoms. Unless of course, you LIKE catching lizardfish!

Like any piece of electronics, it's only valuable if you take the time to read the manual, go out and use it, and learn to interpret the information it's showing you. Experiment with different ranges and modes, if yours has those features. Commonly, bottom lock is a feature on most sounders that is valuable because it keeps the beam focus on the bottom. You may also have a zoom feature which amplify and enlarge the picture for you. If you have the ability to change frequencies (commonly 50khz and 200khz), make sure you try both those modes to.

Final piece of advice? Unless your transducer is mounted in the middle of your kayak/boat, keep in mind that what you're seeing on the display you've already passed over! Mine's on the stern of my boat, so this is very true, given speed and processing time. Turn around and go back over the object to relocate it, then mark it on the GPS. Have fun!
 
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ckyevanjay

Well Known Member
man you got that thing dialed in now. good luck hope to see some good pics after or better yet gopro footage. I need to get some accessories on the ocean kayak we keep down at the condo. Im just lucky my rod sits nicely in one of the scupper holes for when im paddling.
 

asprinkles

Well Known Member
There was a shark in the bay in Lobos, by the cliffs, the same size as the Kayak, following us around in a 14 foot cartopper. I was like holy shite. Never saw a shark that close to shore. So much for swimming that day.Ha Ha
 

asprinkles

Well Known Member
Joe ,boat looks real nice ,Good job. Going down 13th thru 15th ,coming back 16th of Feb. Come on down. You can camp at our place .Plenty of room.Leigh
 

jmcdtucson

Well Known Member
Wow, that's a nice rig. That live bait well is making me jealous.
I have the pirhanamax 170 FF on my 'yak. I wish it had gps so I could mark the good spots. I guess I could use my phone.
Still sometimes it seems that chasing birds is about as productive as anything.
You might want to flip that kayak in fresh water, really get water in there to make sure all your connections are watertight. Last time down, the salt water got into my battery box and that was the last of the fishfinder for that trip.
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Wow, that's a nice rig. That live bait well is making me jealous.
I have the pirhanamax 170 FF on my 'yak. I wish it had gps so I could mark the good spots. I guess I could use my phone.
Still sometimes it seems that chasing birds is about as productive as anything.
You might want to flip that kayak in fresh water, really get water in there to make sure all your connections are watertight. Last time down, the salt water got into my battery box and that was the last of the fishfinder for that trip.

I dont do anything half ass, it's water tight. Marine GOOP is your friend...
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Joe ,boat looks real nice ,Good job. Going down 13th thru 15th ,coming back 16th of Feb. Come on down. You can camp at our place .Plenty of room.Leigh

Leigh, I think I'm going to take you up on that offer! I need to catch a YT!!!!! No more wasting money to fish RP. I'm coming down! The whole shark the size of a kayak thing has me a little worried though lol
 
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