Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3812 May 24- June 7 2019 | Page 7

VOL.38 • ISS. 12
5
May 24 - June 7, 2019
Spotlight On Kayak Fishing...
Sponsered by
Kayak City
in Citrus Heights, CA
Kayak City.Com
916.565.1400
Kayak Fishing:
A Full Year Behind The Peddles Of
A Hobie Pro Angler 14! By Cal Kellogg
Well it’s official, I’ve been a kayak fishing for an entire year! I’ve expe-
rienced hot summer days and bone chilling winter conditions. I’ve caught
hundreds of fish and I’ve shot many hundreds of hours of video from my
kayak.
Naturally, I have some insights to share with all the aspiring kayak anglers
out there.
First and
foremost, I’m
blown away by the
amount of interest
in kayaks and kayak
fishing. When I
cross paths Fish
Sniffer readers these
days I continue to
get questions about
kayak fishing in
general and my
Hobie Pro Angler
specifically. I’m
addicted to the
simplicity and
excitement of kayak
fishing and if you
give it a try, you’ll
Cal Kellogg’s Hobie Pro Angler 14 has a 600-pound capacity
get the addiction
and more than enough room for Cal and his fishing partner,
too. Let’s dive in!
Lucy the Labrador!
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
The Hobie Pro
Angler 14
When I decided to get a Hobie Pro Angler, my first challenge was deciding
on a 12 or 14-foot model. I went with the 14 because the large rear deck and
600-pound weight capacity provides ample space for my fishing partner, a 65
pound Labrador retriever named Lucy.
The Pro Angler 14 is the ultimate fishing machine with great stability, six
horizontal rod locker tubes, a huge front storage compartment and a super
comfortable seat.
The H-Rail that surrounds the kayak’s cockpit has proven to be a great
platform for mounting rod holders, camera mounts, downriggers and my
Lowrance sonar unit.
The Ego S2 Compact Slider Net works great for Cal when fishing out of the kayak.
The net is short of enough for easy storage, but when extended it offers plenty of
reach. Best of all the rubber mesh doesn’t tangle hooks or cause undo harm to fish.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
Bass fishing is fun, but at the end of the day I’m a trout angler. Early in the
spring when the water is cold I nail a lot of trout while toplining from my Pro
Angler. When the trout drop down, I use a high tech leadcore rig to target fish
holding from 10 to 25 feet deep.
When the fish drop down below the 30-foot mark I use a small Scotty crank
downrigger to get after them.
The unit I use is a simple yet highly efficient Scotty No. 1073 Laketroller
crank downrigger. The unit mounts right on
the Hobie’s H-Rail. The rigger features 100
feet or 150-pound cable. Every revolution
of the downrigger’s “spool” releases 1
foot of cable for precise controlled depth
trolling.
The unit is rated for weights up to 4
pounds. I’ve been running with a 3-pound
round weight with a fin and it works well.
I’ve got a steel rod that is ¾ of an inch in
diameter. I want to weigh the rod and cut
it to length, such that it weighs about 3.5
In addition to his EGO net call has
pounds. I think the rod will work even
several other EGO tools in his kayak
better than the traditional weight because it including this Kryptek camo lip
will create less resistance cutting through
gripper and measuring device.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer
the water when I troll quickly.
Staff.
Tools, Tools & More Tools!
Fishermen make use of a lot of gadgets and gizmos and this is doubly true
when it comes to kayak fishing. A lot of companies turn out tools that will work
for kayakers.
MirageDrive 180
My kayak is outfitted with EGO Products including an EGO S2 Compact
The Hobie Mirage Drive 180 is the propulsion system at the heart of the Pro
Slider net.
Angler.
The handle on the net rockets from 18 to 36 inches with the press of a button.
Weighing in at under eight pounds, the MirageDrive 180 peddle
The
model I chose has a 17 by 19-inch hoop and boasts rubber netting to
system produces full power in both directions and offers unprecedented
minimize
hook tangles. The net is also available with nylon netting and PVC
maneuverability.
netting.
With this system, I can pull one of two shift cables to pivot the drive’s fins
I’ve used the net a great deal and it has performed as exceptionally. It has
180 degrees, switching instantly from forward to reverse and back again.
been very tangle resistant even when dealing with
The dual fins provide shallow water
trout hooked on Rapalas bristling with tiny hooks.
access and easy shore landings by
In addition to the net I also got an EGO Kryptek
simply pushing one pedal forward.
Ultra Grip fish gripper with a 40-pound integrated
The drive is full adjustable with the
scale.
push of a button. It doesn’t matter if
The gripper allows me to quickly and easily reach
your 6’3” like me or 5’ tall like my
out and lip a fish, lift it into the kayak and get an
wife, you can tailor the peddle stroke
accurate weight on the fish before releasing it. The
to your body size.
Ultra Grip tool features the high-tech and super cool
When I’m bass fishing I’ll inch up
Kryptek camo.
on the structure, make a cast with
In addition to the grippers and net, I also tossed
a Carolina rig or jig and then use
in an EGO Kryptek 24-inch measuring board to
my MirageDrive to slowly back
quickly and efficiently determine the length of
away from the structure in reverse,
anything I might land.
dragging the rig through the strike
My most recent acquisition was an EGO fishing
zone. All the while, the action is out
backpack that I used to store the bulk of my kayak
on front of me and my hands are free
fishing gear. I won’t go into details about this
to work the rod.
Cal’s Pro Angler has proven to be a deadly trout trolling platform.
outstanding
piece of gear, because I devoted a
Note
that
both
Cal
and
Lucy
are
wearing
PFDs.
Floatation
devices
are
Getting Down: A Man Doesn’t
mandatory when fishing from any sort of small craft.
column to it about a month ago.
Live On Bass Alone!
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.