2015 Hobie Outback Crappie Fishing Machine

I have really enjoyed the kayaking scene for the last couple years now. I love my boat and taking family and friends out, but there is something very serene and relaxing about floating low on the water alone. I have nothing against paddle yaks, but I seem to be antidextrous trying to paddle and handle a fishing rod. I came from a ProAngler that was an incredible machine. However, it was much more of a boat than a kayak and I noticed I really had to build some motivation to take her out.

I visited my local dealer, David, at Action Watersports in Auburndale, FL. If you're in the greater Central Florida area, I highly recommend them! The new Outback has the same, staple hull of its past. On the top end, a big redesign, including the vantage seating. What a comfort. Right up there with the Wilderness Systems seating. They only had 2 left in stock and then the '16 models wouldn't arrive until November, with a bigger price tag and no changes.

While I love speck fishing, I am getting more and more into bass fishing. There's some great fish to be had around here and lots of areas to get into that you can't with a boat. That will be my primary hunt in this kayak, so I planned the rigging accordingly. The great thing about this setup is I can switch gears to just about any type of fishing or recreation quickly and easily.

I am usually cussing about the wind down here....so I decided to embrace it...with a Hobie sail! A third propulsion method and will help me cover some ground to get to hot spots on those bigger lakes. I installed a furling kit...may require some tweaking. I was a jib man back in my youth on the Long Island Sound.



Built two 3" pvc cradles. One for the truck bed and the second for a mobile table in the garage. The table height is perfect and lets me slide the kayak in and out of the truck with no lifting.



I upgraded to the sail rudder which makes a huge difference in fast response to turns. Also have the anchor trolley and 8' stake-out pole.



Got the Helix DI/GPS model installed on a ram mount. The ball actually provides a nice curved area for the furling line to follow. Got a LakeMaster card and the AutoChart program on the way. On a side note, I am going back to Humminbird on my boat and my goal is to map some of my small local lakes this year.



The kayak has 4 built in rod holders that are just fine. I don't anticipate adding any other holders in the near future. I want to keep the rigging as simple as possible. On my first trip out, I trolled an ultralight rod from the front holder with a beetle spin and picked up a speck and gill.

Perhaps my favorite accessory is this simple cooler setup. I took measurements of the rear deck and went shopping. Three stores later, I located this Igloo cooler at Target. Perfect!



No I don't bring 6 rods, but I like my options on where to store 'em!



Can hold 8 plano boxes, or 4-5 and a small cooler for food/drinks. A cooler within a cooler...very Inception! Clips for soft plastics. $3 at target!



Best of all it fits perfect, doesn't block the scupper holes for the cart. And it straps down with the stock bungees, no mods needed. Now I'm heading to the Bass Fishing sub-forum to figure out how to catch bass! Hey I did teach myself to use a baitcaster last month...that's a start