Well, I picked up my Caster 12-6 last weekend and took it out for a little trip last Sunday. It was a blast and while I didn't get a ton of fishing in, it was good just to be on the water. It also made for a great test run to see what I needed to add and change about my rigging.

First off, I wanted a fishfinder on my yak. So I picked up a Humminbird Piranah220 and attached it. I made two mistakes: I used a hard-setting epoxy for my transducer and I used a car battery to run the whole thing. So within being on the water 10 minutes, the transducer popped off and obviously that was way too much battery (power and weight) to run a simple FF. I fixed both of these issues this weekend by using silicone to mount the transducer and going with 10 rechargable AA batteries in a Pelican box. Super simple set up... should have reserched it better from the beginning. Live and learn.

The next thing I figured out really quick is that an anchor trolly line is a must have. Even the slightest wind puts you off-spot in a matter of minutes. So, I rigged up my trolly line from bow to stern this weekend as well. I didn't get a chance to test it in the water, but my dry test was silky smooth.

My next step to build a super crate out of PVC for the back. Once I'm done with that, I think I'll stop rigging and spend all of my time fishing. See you all out on the water!!!

Have you tried the fishfinder since mounting the transducer with silcone?

Where did you get your caster from, and if you don't mind, how much was it?

Thanks,
jd

Beech - I didn't get to put it on the water yesterday like I was hoping to do, but I'm pretty sure it is working. There's not a great way to test it for sure, so I'm just assuming all is good until I find out otherwise.

JDavis - I picked my Caster up at Dick's Sporting Goods and it was $500. It came with a Scotty mounted pole holder, an achor and a pretty decent seat. It is technically an Islander Caster, but as my research has concluded, the company that bought Perception bought Islander and I think you can only pick up that model at Dick's. MSRP on it is somewhere between $800 and $850. Pretty good deal, IMO. It has a 400lbs weight limit, so my 300lbs butt gets a little wet, but the thing tracks great, moves quick and is pretty stable. For the money, I don't think I could have picked a better kayak. If money wasn't an issue, then I would have probably gone with something with a 500+ weight limit. Good starter, no doubt about it!

I've been looking at that model as well, let us know how you like it.

Let me know after you've taken it out for sea trails. I've been told silicone won't work, but I've never tried it myself.

I have the same fish finder in my Tarpon. I sent the transducer to Hummingbird with $20 and they swapped out the thru-hull transducer. It has a long threaded shank on it. I run it through one of the scupper holes so the transducer is on the bottom of the yak. It sticks out a bit, but doesn't matter for lake fishing.

I came close to going that route, but I wanted to at least try the inside mount, just for the sake of it. It is giving me a reading out of water, though obviously not a real one, and when I hold my hand against the hull underneath it, it changes the signal, so I'm hoping that is a good sign. Obviously it is working to some degree. I read a lot of stuff before I did it and several people have had lots of luck with it. I'll let you know later this week if it's true.

Heres a write up I did on my FF I installed in a Caster I had a while back. This worked great, read water temp quick, and didn't hang any debris due to its recessed feature
http://austinkayakfishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw those non-thru holes. I probably should have gone that route, and if I have any problems with my current set-up, I'll probably do that. Great pics and descriptions! So far I'm very happy with my Caster and some of the features it offers. Now, if this wind will just stop blowing so I can get out and try it.

Thats the best thing about the Caster...its low profile made it work great in windy conditions. My buddy's Tarpon would be spinning circles in the wind and I'd just sit there The only things you'll notice about this boat is that you'll get wet from water sloshing in. Perception fixed the Caster's minor short comings with their new Search model (which I have). If yours didn't come with a rudder, you should definitely consider one...it really needs it whereas the Search does not. For 5 bills, you got a great boat. Good tracking, great glide, stable, lots of storage space and a well laid out cockpit!
BTW-I'm not a big fan of anchor trolleys as the ropes are a big time hook catcher. I've found installing 4 padeyes (2 near the feet, 2 behind the seat) allows you to position the boat just fine. Also, use a drift sock on windy days and you can easily fish in 20 MPH winds

my heritage was alot of fun on the creek just a few things to tune up ..Small anchors are going to be a must ...i used a tree gabber but not much luck floating back and forth ....Also GLAD I HAD MY CHEST WADDERS on I suggest wearing them keeps your legs dry ..Just from splashing and paddle Drip....BUT MAN I HAD A BLAST...ME and My Kayak are going to become GREAT FRIENDS

Primo,
Go to a hardware store and buy three or four 3/8"x4-5" Eye bolts and a bag of concrete. Get a plasitic cup and drill a 3/8" hole in the bottom. Put a bolt in the cup and run the threaded end through hole. put a nut on it on the outside of the cup. Then fill the cup up with concrete mix and water and center the bolt in the cup. Let it dry. Once dry, remove the nut from the bottom of the cup and pull the everything out of the cup. Once removed, put a 1-2" washer on the threaded end and put the nut back on.

You can make 10 of these for the price of an anchor, and if you lose it, no big deal. I've nearly flipped my yak a few times when the hook on a conventional anchor got caught up. This thing just hits the bottom and keeps you in place.

thanks for the Idea i will make some i got some extra sacrete from my bamboo condo's
any time you want to hit the creeks let me know ...
I had such a wonderfull day in mine NO FISH BUT WHAT A BLAST

Just as a follow up to my original post, I took my kayak out last weekend for a few hours. The transducer mounted in the hull with silicone worked like a charm. The 10 pk of rechargable AA batteries lasted 10 hours of testing and 5 hour on the water... still no sign of them running low. I'm planning on running them to failure just to see how long I can go. The anchor trolley was great too and I was able to sit right over a mountain of baitfish for quite some time. The only downside was the fish had lockjaw and I didn't get so much as a nibble. Looks like this weekend is going to be a bust with this weather rolling in.

A suggestion for using a regular folding anchor is to tie your rope to the bottom of the anchor. Using a tie wrap, attach the working part of the rope to the top eye so that it will deplow normally. When it gets hung up you can tug hard enough to snap the tie wrap and then you will be pulling the anchor from the bottom end, which the folding cleats pivot away from.
To state this another way (since I cant post a pic for a while), use a tie wrap to attach the rope to the top of the anchor leaving enough rope to tie a knot to the eye on the bottom of the anchor. Not quite a thousand words....