Crappie.com - 2015 Hobie Outback

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 "anti"dextrous 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 up to load her up and go.

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. 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.

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 lol!

Can hold 8 plano boxes, or 4-5 and my 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.

---------------------------------------------------

Well it was definitely a non-windy day, which was alright to get a feel. I definitely was ready for bigger wind. The best few minutes when the breeze kicked in, I got up to 4 mph. You can feel instantly when the sail takes over...took my back to my youth for sure. The Outback is super stable. I don't think outriggers will be necessary for me. The hull has that second stability so after the sail engages strong, its like there is a new platform that takes over. Plus if it got hairy, not hard to point and furl, especially with that big rudder.

Overall with the sail, I averaged 2mph without pedaling which was pretty good considering there was very limited wind. Pedaling with the sail was just sweet.

Now for the con...not a great set up for bass fishing with the sail. My 6'6" rods were tough to cast with the rigging and it is quite an ordeal to pass the rod around the sail as needed. Limited cast angles lead to a heck of a birdsnest! There is definitely trolling potential with the sail. I want to figure out how to build something to put in the front two rod holders that I can then mount a scotty rod holder onto so I don't need to drill.

The water temp was 91 - 93. The action was sloooooow....BUT I did manage not to get skunked

------------------------------------------------------

This kayak is really coming together. Can't wait for the cooler weather. Did some trolling today and found the action. Think I am going to add the Scotty rod holders in the front side recessed areas. I trolled with the rods in the vertical built-in front holders and didn't take long for my neck to hurt staring up at the tips....and was only using 5'6" rods. So going to set it up to get the rods parallel to the water...might even try some planer boards.