Hey yall,

Yesterday, Ive done my first kayak trip. Although it was slow (mainly because I was on the water at noon instead of early morning), I still had a good time.

I do have some questions though:

- Where is the best place to tie an anchor? I had a 3 pound anchor to keep me steady, however the kayak kept shifting around putting me in a backwards angle to where I was trying to cast. I had it tied on the side.

- Do lots of yall have to correct often when paddling? I have a Castaway 116. When paddling, it often turned to the left or right. Is there something I need to do?



I went to West bay and only caught 1 Flounder (18") on an HH 1/2oz Shrimp (Red with White Tail). Other's that were using live shrimp were also having a hard time.

An anchor trolley will help on adjusting direction with wind or current, it also works great with drift socks, anchor poles, fish stringers and drag chains. I have a castaway 116 and they are not a bad yak and they get the job done, but not the best tracking yaks. It does not take much of a breeze or current to move a yak, and at times in a stiff breeze if feel like I'm paddling more than casting.

nice catch! You can attach your anchor line to the far front or rear of the yak will keep your yak from spinning around unless your in strange current or shifting winds. Pelicans are known for their tracking issues as well

Buy it here

Thanks yall, I guess an anchor trolley is the next item to get.


Another question:

I have a 2005 F150 Supercrew.
When I was transporting, I had the kayak in the bed with the tailgate up. The kayak was sitting right side up with about 4' sticking out the back. I tied it down with a ratchet strap and tied red flagging at the end to warn drivers behind me.

Would you have transported your rigs this way if you would not happen to have a rack or bed extender?

If not, which way would you recommend.
Sorry for the questions, but Im still a rookie at this and Im trying to keep costs at minimum (I cant fish much if I dont have enough gas money).

Tailgate down & strap down with the pull type straps. The ratchet ones will deform your yak if too tight in hot weather. I use a bed extender from harbor freight. My yak sticks out about 5ft from the bed of my truck with the tailgate down.

This is the way I rig my anchor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOMotan5Go

I don't care for the idea of an anchor trolley.

I have a 14 foot kayak and I just hang it out the back of the 6 foot bed (tailgate down almost 8 feet).

Castaways are known to have directional stability problems.

1 18" flounder is not a bad first trip.

You can make an anchor trolley out of rope, cat5 cable, nylon paracord, a sturdy keyring, two carabiners, and 4 75lb zip ties. Dirt cheap. Some folks dont like them, but I love mine.

With practice your paddling technique will improve and so will your tracking. From what I have seen, most beginning kayakers tend to stick the paddle in the water too far from the kayak and pull the paddle too far, which will cause tracking problems. Try shorter strokes with the blade close to the side of the kayak. Another tip - try using your torso and your legs to power the paddle stroke more so than your arms - you will be amazed at how that helps with your endurance.

Thanks to all of yall again.

JCG57,
I was definitely sticking the paddle in deep.
I'll apply this paddling method next time.

I also have a 05 f150. I need to use a bed extender on my 14' cuda. But I think you should be okay laying it flat on the bed with out a bed extender with your kayak.

shooooot I'd trade you a dozen cats and full limit of crappies for that flounder. Nice job!