I've hung around and fished with kayakers for a long time now. I've borrowed kayaks to fishing a few times but today was my first time out for a day on my own.

A few things occurred to me

1. I was getting quite a bit wetter than I expected to. Mainly from the paddle.

2. The Jackson big rig was slow out of the hole; took Several Hard paddles to get her going but once she got up to speed it had pretty good top end.

3. Definitely need a dry bag for this cell phone. See #1

4. For sure have to get my anchor trolley and anchor figure it out. It was very difficult to fish in the wind with no anchor.

5. Ditto on #4 but regarding a fishfinder.

6. Have to be very tactical as to where you store commonly used gear;it's not convenient to turn around to get it

7. Need to continue to do research watch videos talk to guys except trying to get this thing down.

8. It was awesome! I spent most the time just paddling around because it was really fun actually!!

9. I'll probably be kayak fishing until I can't paddle anymore...then I will get a Hobie like the other old men haha

Dont worry your list will continue to grow.most kayakers will always be tinkering with their boat.

Man I cant wait!

I've been fishing out of pond boats and Float tubes for years. Really wish I'd picked up the kayaking sooner because it's awesome

My little boat is a pirogue,but I set it up like a kayak. Im always trying to set it up so its easier to fish.

Pics?

What kind of mods have you done?

Should of got the Hobie first, cause when I got older my knees went first, that's why I fish out of a kayak and a pontoon. Haha.

Dont have any pics. First thing I added is pvc rod holders, battery in nose of boat, a moveable seat on short pedestal, dog lease anchor,inside lights,8ft poor man power pole (window washer pole),and my crate is not finished yet. Also circuit breaker for trolling motor and triple 12 volt plugs for any needs. On my friends kayak we made a basket in back of seat. This basket holds 3 rod holders,light for night fishing and a atv battery for any on board power. The basket at front of kayak is also one rod holder and and several small plano boxes. The plano is easier to get into than tackle bag. The anchor we first made was pvc with rusty old hardware bolt and nuts,now we use 3lb window weights. I forgot about the troll motor rudder and troll helper to keep motor from twisting sideways.

Anchor trolley is a must have

The wind will always be an issue, but learning how to anchor is a must, and an anchor trolley will make life easier.
Also a rudder makes a big difference if you want to drift using the wind.

Anchor trolly is on the way... and the yak came with a rudder.

I just need to use how to use it, it was jerky, not smooth.

Cool! A couple of tips to help...

When I paddle my Ascend I have the "drip rings" you can slide on just below the paddle fin. I also apply a coat of "NeverWet" which makes the water run right off the paddle when I lift it out of the water. It keeps A LOT of water off of me well. You can buy the rings at Academy or any kayak store and the NeverWet is sold by Home Depot or Amazon or Ebay.
Definitely get an anchor and anchor trolley. Make sure it goes from the front to back so you can position the yak better. Another way to anchor is to get a stake out pole or anchor pole. You can make one cheap by buying an 8 foot 3/4" fiberglass tree stake on Amazon for about $13 and then you can buy a 3/4" PVC "T" to put on one end for a handle and sand the other end to a point. Mine has worked great!

Cool thanks for the tips!

My paddle has the drip rings but I guess I was getting to carried away with my strokes ha ha. Will try the never wet as wet as well.

Have the anchor trolley coming!

It is really cool when you are applying it. You can put it on one paddle and test it with water on both the treated and untreated and see the difference. I was blown away. You can apply more as needed if you use your paddle like a push pole like I sometimes do but shouldn't...lol

"6. Have to be very tactical as to where you store commonly used gear;it's not convenient to turn around to get it"
Stick your feet out the side and sit sidesaddle to retrieve gear from the tankwell. You don't even have to put your feet in the water; just stick them out to the side. As long as you keep your head inside the gunwale you won't turtle the boat.

Ditto on the anchor trolley. Make sure you put a float on the anchor line, and ALWAYS use some sort of quick disconnect system to secure the anchor rode to your boat.

Have fun!!!, and welcome to the addiction.

Thats a good tip; Head in the gunnel you are good to go!

The Big Rig is super wide. I almost think I would have to try to flip that thing.