Thanks for the info will need some for my upcoming Brazos trip with my son.

Go to Lowes and get the 8" bolt cutter they have compression assistance and I have yet to come accross a hook they cannot cut. With the lifetime guarantee you can take them back once the hardened hooks have eaten up the cutting blades.

I use a floating fish gripper rather than the boga for the simple reason the boga will spin and the grippers will not. They are more economic than the boga but the control is the real reason I use them. You can get a good spring scale and it has holes drilled in the gripper if you must have a weight on your catch.

When I go fishing my focus is on catching big bass. I don’t want to be worrying about my equipment or safety. I am also a true do-it yourself type person. If I can build it cheaper and maintain quality I’m all for it. That was my mind set when I decided I needed a light for my Kayak. After several failed attempts (and a few wasted dollars) of making my own I found a product from Yak Attack called the “VISI-Carbon Pro.

The VISI Carbon Pro is built around a carbon mast that folds down to three 14” easily manageable lengths.


Inside the tube is an elastic cord that runs the length of the tubing allowing the unit to fold flat on itself. Simplicity at it’s finest! Mounted on top of the carbon mast is an extremely bright 360 degree, 2 led light. On the Yak attack website they boast 100 hours of life with the three AAA batteries used to power the light. I’ve had mine for a couple months now and it is still just as bright as the first time I turned it on.


The body of the light was specially designed to mount a flag secured by two small bungee cords to the shaft. The light is easily turned off and on with a quick turn of the diffused light cover. It’s a nice design that won’t allow the light to accidentally be turned on and drain the battery. On the body of the light you will find marine grade reflective tape. I didn’t realized how well it worked until I saw it reflecting light as I was walking up to my kayak at night. The orange (also offered in green) flag is 6”x18” and is constructed of two ply nylon. It’s a nice size of compromise between improved visibility and keeping the drag down from the wind. One end of the flag is sewn shut while the other is left open with two pieces of Velcro sewn in as to create a bag.

That’s correct, the flag also doubles as the storage bag to store the complete unit. What a great idea to save space!

Yak Attack offers different mounting options where the shaft connects to the kayak,. Ram, Mighty Mount, and Tallon are all available. The base is covered with a buoyant foam allowing the entire light assembly to float in case it is accidentally dropped overboard. They had the forethought to make the outside diameter to fit in the flush mount rod holders on my Outback kayak. In the event the kayak overturns there is an elastic tether securing it to the kayak.

I’ve been using the VISI-Carbon Pro for a few months and am impressed with the illumination provided by the light. It’s so bright that I also use it to illuminate the area while preparing my kayak and fishing equipment in place of a flashlight. While in the kayak the height that it is mounted behind me doesn’t blind me while fishing. Although I really appreciate the visibility the flag offers me I often forget it’s back there until I am fishing heavy timber. I love to fish back in heavy, nasty stuff that most people will go around. Sometimes the kayak will just barely squeeze though. Being mounted in the rod holder means that the light is kicked out to the side of the kayak like a rod would be. This is no problem in open water but if you are trying to squeeze through trees on both sides of you it will hang on the light/flag. This has allowed me to see the durability of this product. On numerous occasions I have hung up on trees, branches, vines, etc. I will tell you first off that the VISI-Carbon pro was NOT designed to scrape bark off a tree, be bent over backwards, or stressed out like I have done. However it has proven to be very durable and I have certainly put it to the test!

In conclusion, I’ll say that I’m extremely impressed with the design of this product. This light is well worth the investment and I would recommend it to anyone. It was money well spent!

Pros-- *Very bright light
*Long battery life
*Collapsible and compact design
*Fits in it’s own bag (The flag)
*It floats
*Reflective tape on the light
*Lightweight but extremely durable
*Tether to secure to the kayak

Cons-- *Haven’t found any

Shaun Russell
russell.Shaun@ymail.com
northtexaskayaker@gmail.com


EDIT:
While I was at the Grapveine fall G2G I had two boats come close to hitting me. I was fishing on that point across from the boat ramp and had a bass boat come by at 60+ mph straight towards me. He missed me by about 100yrds after seeing me later then he should have. And then later a group of drunken skiers came even closer that almost put me in the water. It can be crazy out there on a busy summer day at the lake. People just don't seem to take safety seriously. I don't want count on them paying attention to their driving to see me.

I'm sure you remember the man and family that got ran over last July4th weekend. That was at night.the officials reported that they had insufficient lights on their kayaks.
Last week in Californina there has just been another article of a guy being thrown from his kayak when a 30'boat almost hit him during the daytime. It goes on and on with stories of kayakers not being seen both at night and during the day.

Hey, I love kayaking. Most of the time I try to fish back in the trees away from boating traffic. But sometimes that's not where the fish are. I want to take every preventive measure I can not to become the next target for boaters that might be paying attention to kayakers in the water.

Guys this is a great product for improving a kayakers visibility that I believe in! I've been using it for awhile now and know it's built very sturdy and does a great job. If you don't get this product then please get some kind of product that will protect you both at night and during the day.

ANCHORS & ANCHOR RIGGING:

For lakes, rivers/creeks & BTB many of us use a claw style folding anchor.

They are versatile, inexpensive, light weight & don't take much room, making them easy to stow above or below deck.

Many BTB anglers say the

Bruce Claw Anchor holds in the sand better than the Folding Claw. Folding Bruce Anchors can also be found for BTB.

Leaving your claw anchor folded up then held closed with a large rubber band or bungee can be an effective way to anchor while river & creek angling. Others use Approx 3-4' of large chain attached to the end of a dog leash or rope while creek/river fishing These referred to as "Drag chains" or "Drag Anchors"
See a fancy Drag Anchor being made <-Click it

Letting out more rope will hold you. Letting out less rope can slow your drift. This allows you to cast many time into a river or creek hole. Some use this method to drift fish all waters rather than using a drift sock.

Adding a length of chain to any anchor will increase it's weight thus increasing it's potential to hold.

NOT RIGGED PROPERLY. $20 Bye Bye

A floating white nylon anchor rope at 50' length works well IMO. I have been able to hold in 30' plus even with 20mph winds. The trick has been to get the anchor to lay over, then get out all the rope before pulling to stick. The deeper & harder the bottom usually the more line & weight you'll need with any style of anchor. Dragging a anchor will most times get it stuck! Bouncing it off the bottom won't allow it to stick. How you rig it will greatly increase or decrease you chances of being able to retrieve it when it does...

Yep got to rig it right, lost my new 4 dollar one the other day.

Another thing I've done is rig up my own rod leashes that'll reach from the rear rod holders to the frot of my seat. If I dump over they'll probably come out of the holders but they won't end up on the bottom of the lake.

This needs a sticky! Alot of good info in here.

Be a lot better if MR would get on the ball.


C'mon Busta!

Holy Macaroni! What a slave driver!

Okay the thing about folding anchors is that you can get them back pretty easy if they get stuck on something in the briney deep. That is if you have rigged them right. The idea is if your anchor gets hung up you want to be able to break off where it is normally attached to and be pulling it from the top of the anchor which will allow it fold down and release from whatever is holding it.
Here is a drawing:



where you attach your anchor line with the zip tie you can use a small ziptie or a piece of wire. You want it strong enough to hold up to steady pressure of being anchored up but weak enough that you can give it a sharp, hard yank and break it free.

Thank you sir

Here is a short video showing the Bruce Anchor rigged properly.

I fish mainly rivers, and I made two mods that made my access and trip much more comfortable. I addded a "airhead bungee" between my anchor and boat, and added another to my bow line. This makes a huge difference, if you are ancoring in current or walking 1/2 mile plus upriver.

You will rarely need much more than a brick as an ancor to hold yourself in a kayak. I recommend just using cheap ancors. Bricks, dumbell, ...

xtools are a kayak and braid fishermans dream.

I prefer to make sure everything floats instead of having it teathered. You dump your boat with stuff tied everywhere, and bad things could happen. I understand that you can cut yourself free with a knife, but I woudl just avoid the whole fiasco.

Of 15 years of kayak fishing, I have only accidently turtled 3 times. Two of those I saw coming. Other than BTB launching of course.

Don't ever plan on paddling with a stringer or bait tank in the water.

Drift Socks/Chutes

Come in many shapes, sizes & colors. They can turn an very frustrating day into a successful day of catching. When winds are blowing too fast a drift chute can be deployed to slow you down. This will allowing you to present your baits the way you want. Another way to use this chute is to catch tides or current.

A drift chute is typically tied to a short length of rope or a shock cord between 2 and 6' long then attached to the kayak with a carbiner or clip.

Attach the drift sock to your trolley system or clip it to your pad eyes on one side of your yak. Using some sort of shock absorber is recommended. Attaching the sock to your trolley system will allow you to position the chute anywhere along one side of your kayak for a better drift. Don't forget to add floatation to the clip side of your chute or you WILL LOOSE IT!

You can send the chute to the rear of the yak to point your nose down current or down wind, in the center of the kayak for a perpendicular drift or near the front to put the nose up current or upwind. $20-$55 depending on size, manufacture & material.
.......

THANKS AGAIN to everyone that is contributing to make this thread work.

Please continue to ask your questions in a new thread. Thanks

More 360* light options:

Re-entering your yak
Of course the idea is not to fall out or "Turtle" as we call it
But, it happens to everyone at least once.
Today's Angler style Kayaks are pretty stable.
It's only happen 2x for me in fresh water
& the second time was in around 12" water (Old Sit In style Yak)
It usually happens when ya lean too far (off to left or right side)
or step out into what you think is shallow water
IMPORTANT to know your yak's limitations. They're all different.




We recommend you practice falling out and re-entering with any new yak at least a few times in a swimming pool or 4-5' shallow water 1st.
ALSO IMPORTANT: Practice with just a paddle, PFD on & your Yak. NO GEAR!
If it happens unexpectedly we hope someone gets a pic or video & post it here.

Hopefully youve rigged right & your gear is FLOATING all around you. If you can't get back in or on, Don't Panic! Simply grab what you can & throw it into the yak. Then, hold on to your kayak & swim/kick it back to the shallows or bank.


There might be a photo of Someone Turtling around here somewhere

This would make a good sticky IMO

Or... You could just get the Casio Commando Smart Phone like me. Its waterproof, and I have tested it many a time.

I use the Dry Pak for my cell phone. My cell is also in a Lifeproof case which is waterproof.

One thing I added to my winter gear was a box of waterproof matches and a firestarter. Being up creeks or across a lake if I take a spill I may need to get out and by a fire quickly. Both items together weight less than 5oz and are in a pocket on my pfd.

I think you may be thinking of Bull Dykes.

BigDozer66

I use a padded Dry Pak and my phone is in a Lifeproof case also!

The Lifeproof is waterproof and I have tested it inadvertantly.


BigDozer66

I like the shock value to people when you wash your phone off under the faucet.

I like the Lifeproof case. I need one of those.

BigDozer66

I have had people tell me that they qren't paying that much for a case ($60 instead of $30) and I say well when you have to pay $400 or $500 for a replacement that extra $30-40 won't seem like much will it!


BigDozer66

FLOATING FISH GRIPS!!!
Normally $13-$17


Why? Because big can bite hard & some fish have mouths full of big teeth especially saltwater fish. Grips help you control the fish with or without a net.
There are several brands out. Some work well a few times then fall apart or fall out and sink
Look for * FLOATING FISH GRIPS *

Why buy the expensive Boga Grips when you can a floating fish grip that weighs less, cost less & float too?

If you have Boga Grips already, attach a BIG float to them before you take them fishing or you'll be sorry!

We have found that plastic grips hold just as well if not better than the more expensive stainless grips.
Perhaps a few of you who use these can chime in on what brands work best ?