I left my Cuda 14' sitting right side up, on a Yakima roof rack, with pool noodles on each bar. It sat there for 3 days. When I took it down, there were 2 indentations, that went right through the contours of the hull. Luckily they came out. I have a pulley system, and always hang the yak upside down.

I'm going to cut some tie downs to fit my rack, and yak. My idea is to make something with an s hook, or j hook on each end, make it with shock cord, or wide strap, and make it to a length that when stretched over the boat, it will have the correct tension to hold the boat to the rack. Custom tie downs.

Always be aware of your gear, and its positioning. If you have a rod mounted horizontally, vertically, or extending off the boat anywhere, it will invariably catch a stump, tree, overhand, dock, or bridge, as you pass by, or under. I've almost broke my entire arsenal when going under a dock, with my rods sitting vertically on my crate.

I rarely use a ramp. There's almost always a place where I can drag, or carry my boat, and gear to the bank.

USE SUNSCREN. I've found it better to wear long sleeves, sungloves, neck buff, ettc, Cover as much as possible.

Practice loading configurations that balance the load.

I don't have an anchoring system, but I will soon. The anchor need to have a quick release. A deployed anchor can create havoc in the right situations, and it happens fast, leaving you with few options.



Make sure you can pull your anchor in both directions.



I'm going to try a plow style anchor. I've had a ton of problems with the claw style, or hinged claw style.

A lot of BTBers use the claw or bruce anchor like the one pictured above. If you want to set it up with a quick release, tie your rope to the hole at the end of the anchor (the little round hole at the top of the picture), put the rope next to the length of the shaft and put the zip tie through the big hole on the front of the anchor.

If your anchor gets stuck, pulling hard on your rope will break the zip tie and will allow you to pull the anchor from its rear.

Kayak Wars... I know there is alot of people that participate but how do you go about getting into it? I thought you had to have at minimum of three man teams. Can someone give the barney style version of what needs to be done?

Easy Question - I'm drilling the first holes in my yak to mount a scotty mount, but am unsure of the hardware needed...what kind of screws are recommended? Any silicone/sealant needed as well?

Use Marine Goop as a sealant.

What hardware to use? That depends. Are you mounting it somewhere that you have access to the underside?

Silicone isn't the best option for sealing holes on a polyethylene kayak - Marine Goop is the easiest to find safe sealant to use. Lexel is another good sealant option. Silicone is great for fiberglass and many other materials but does not play as well with polyethylene.

As a rule of thumb......If you can get inside - Nuts (Nylock nuts if possible) and Bolts with backup plates or washers are normally the strongest. Pop rivets and well nuts are reasonable options when you can't get inside to use a nut or backing. Self tapping screws are normally the least strong option though YakAttack has sourced some that are pretty darn strong when mounted properly. I think Scotty mounts accept up to 1/4" fasteners.

Considering only kayaks designed with fishing in mind, what makes one better than the other?

Never mind.

This tip can save a trip. Take a small bag of instant light charcoal to make a fire on those extremely cold days. Ya know those days when your hands are so cold they feel like they are on fire..and when your bait dip net freezes as soon as it comes out of the bait tank! Anyways sure makes it easy to get sticks and logs going quickly instead of fighting with wet hands and matches and wood tender!Always carry in a high grade heavy duty ziplock to keep extra dry. And always have a five gallon bucket to wet fire after done.And in case of embers getting in dry grass.Im telling you its the best thing to save a cold day fishing.Not to mention if ya fall in a get wet!

Lots of great info here and I need to go back and read them all.

If it hasn't been suggested, I'd think a pen/pencil and pad of paper would be a great idea. You never know when you may need to write down a note for yourself, record a boat number, or leave a note to help someone locate you.

Brad

Jerry for president!!!!

This country is not ready for that!
I'll stick with MSKFC President for now!

ok so i know im lazy so no need to point it out!!! and it takes me forever to find online!!! 2015 PA 14' with flippers
1. whistle
2. life vest
3. lights after dark? red and green front and white in the back?
4. flotation device? the seat cushion type?
????
Thank you in advance!!!

You do not need the red and green lights only the 360 light on the back. Only floatation devices needed is a life vest. I heard you don't need the whistle but I've never checked because I'll always carry one. Just make sure it works after it gets wet because a lot don't. Even the water ones.

Started kayak fishing about a year ago, and I fell in love with it immediately. I've definitely learned alot over the year and have seen me become a better Fisherman. Thanks for the tips.