Kayak Fishing Blog

Hook 1 Sale

Our sale will end on December 25th, so shop now to get 15% off all products !!
We’ve added a new hat to our line up - our sand camo hat with the Hook 1 flame logo! Long sleeve T-shirts are fully stocked in all colors and sizes.   www.KayakFishingGear.com
Have Happy Holidays!!

the Killer Tuna recipe

Okay, this is the best!  Well we like it and I think some of you will.  We make a big batch when we go camping and eat it on crackers for lunch!  It would also be great to eat when you come in from kayak fishing.

Try it… you might like it !  Here are the ingredients:

Here’s the recipe:
12 ounces of canned tuna
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 lime – Fresh, squeezed
1/3 to 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced / pressed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce – to your liking
1/3 cup of finely chopped Cilantro (1/2 bunch)
1/2 cup Mayo – start with this and you can always add more - or try some plain yogurt.
How To:
Drain Tuna and combine with all other ingredients.
Stir well. Really mash up the tuna and get all of the flavors blended.
Chill
Eat

The new Wilderness Tarpon 160

We got a sneak peak at the  new Tarpon 160 for 2009 and thought we would share a few photos:

Visit the Wilderness website HERE

A Recipe for Fishing in Michigan..

I’m not much of a chef, just ask my wife.  Too much of this…. too little of that… I can screw up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  However, this year’s Lake Michigan Kayak Salmon Slam had all the right ingredients.

Michigan Kayak Fishing. com hosted its annual event on the scenic Lake Michigan shore in northwestern Michigan.  The outing blended the beautiful national seashore, rod bending strikes, tasty fish, a smoldering campfire, and friendly people.  Take all of that and bake at 68 degrees with light winds for 3 days.

Now for the meat and potatoes of the story…  The falling water temperatures brought on by fall, concentrate the fish (Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Steelhead) relatively close to shore.  This means that the kayaks can be launched from the beach and paddled a very short distance to the fishing grounds.  Most of the salmon fell to “Storm Hot ‘N Tots”  trolled at 1-2 MPH, but a few were taken with home-made salmon spinners.  The targeted fish can be found throughout the water column, and that’s why a fish finder / GPS combo is a must.

The weekend sounded so appetizing that it attracted both beginners and pros from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Ontario, and of course, Michigan.  The meal did not disappoint and everyone that attended can’t wait to taste it again next year.

Chris LeMessurier

Here are a few pictures from the fishing tournament: 

Kayak Fisherman Magazine

Since the summer of 2004, Tony Cox - the Publisher, and Audria Ruscitti - the Editor in Chief, have been putting out the Kayak Fisherman magazine four times a year.  With the help of top kayak fishermen and women all over the world, this magazine is always full of great articles and, of course, the recipe column by little ol’ me.  I look for a recipe from someone in the sport and I’m always looking for new recipes!  If you have a recipe you would like me to take a look at, please send them to me: karen@kayakfishinggear.com   Anyway… back to this magazine -  The Kayak Fisherman website recently got a facelift and you can now read past magazines on-line.  Visit the website HERE.

Thanks Tony and Audria for a great read!

You can find this magazine for sale on Hook 1 Kayak Fishing Gear - see link at the right side of this blog, at a local kayak shop or contact Tony.

Kayak Fishing Tales

There’s a new movie coming into town ….”Kayak Fishing: GAME ON” … which will come out next Spring.  They have just put up a website called Kayak Fishing Tales

From the website:  “After shooting the first few segments of the epic new fishing movie, Kayak Fishing: Game On, we quickly realized that we were capturing more great content than we could ever use in a single movie.”

This website is full of extras (great info and scenes) from their shoots.  You can also sign up to get e-mails of the next issues of these short clips.

Karen

Scotty’s Adjustable Rod Holder Extender

Scotty has just added a new product that answers the concerns of your rod holder being too far away from you.  This adjustable rod holder extender is able to be positioned to bring your rod holder closer for your reach.

Here’s how it all goes together:  I’m starting with a Baitcaster Rod Holder with the #244 Flush Mounting Bracket.

Visit our website for more information about this product.

Tournaments

When we started our on-line store in 2002, you could count on two hands … maybe some toes, the number of kayak fishing websites.  Now, in 2008 there are so many it’s hard to keep up.  It’s great that the sport has grown and become so popular.  With the new websites developing, comes kayak fishing tournaments.  We sponsor a bunch of them and are proud to do so.  I thought I would blog today about the ones coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Plastic Navy is a website in Southern California and has a tournament series appropriately called the Plastic Navy Tournament Trail.  Their next tournament will be held in Mission Bay on the 16th: Plastic Navy

Another local group in Southern California is the Baytubers.com - a group of float tube and kayak fishermen.  Their BIG annual tournament is on the 23rd.  This group has tournaments throughout the year and a monthly halibut submission.  Baytubers

On 8-22 & 23, the second in a three part tournament trail is being held by the Georgia Kayak Fishing site.  This tournament will be held at Lake Lanier.  Check out their website and the tournament trail page for the list of great prizes given away at each tournament.  Georgia Kayak Fishing 

If you live in New England you know about the Mass Bay Striper Shootout!

GTS Pro - Surf to Summit’s Top-Of-The-Line-Seat

We received an e-mail from our friend, fellow kayak fisherman and Hook 1 Crew Member Cabo John -  

Hi Mark & Karen,
Just wanted to say hello and tell you about my new Surf to Summit GTS Pro seat and the great experience I had with the company.

First of all, I want you to know what a great company Surf to Summit is!  I gotta tell you what they did for me.
My original Surf to Summit GTS Elite seat finally broke after countless miles and years of use.   The rear straps wore out and finally broke.

 I love this seat so much I was ready to pull the trigger and buy a new one, but first I wanted to check with Surf to Summit to see if it could be repaired? 

I called and spoke with Brandon at STS.  I explained what happened.  He asked me to send him the seat and he could probably repair it by putting new straps on? 

I told him if it can be fixed, just go ahead and do whatever it takes it and I will pay whatever the cost is, just send me the bill, and also if he could rush the repair because I am not comfortable using any other seat.  I explained to him that there was no way this should be covered by any warranty…I expect to pay then entire cost for repairs and/or a new seat as I used the living piss out of this thing!   

Anyway, long story short…I got a call from Brandon the next day.  He said they have my seat and its already been repaired, He said its being sent back to me now.

He said, don’t worry about the repair cost…we were really glad you are so stoked with our equipment and appreciate the kind words and feedback!  Hearing stories from happy customers is good to hear.   In fact, we are sending you another brand new seat called the GTS Pro for you to try.  Its our most comfortable fishing seat…let us know what you think of it.  

So the next day I get a box with a couple seats!  They sent me a couple stickers too.  (I put a couple Surf to Summit stickers on my kayaks they sent me)   I went fishing on Saturday and I tried the new Surf to Summit GTS PRO seat…whoa, HANDS DOWN THIS IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE SEAT I HAVE EVER USED!  My back never bothered me once, and the ass pad was soooo thick and comfy. 

Mark & Karen, you got to get the entire Hook1 Crew to try this seat…once they do, the will never use anything else!!!   I will loan you my seat to try, BUT I WANT IT BACK! lol   IMHO there is not a better seat made!  Don’t get me wrong, the GTS Elite seat is awesome, but the GTS Pro seat is soooooo much more comfy cozy, and it’s the best kayak fighting chair I have ever used!  The seat doesn’t move or slide at all!   The GTS PRO is the holy grail of kayak seats.

I got to put the Surf to Summit’s GTS Pro seat, aka fighting chair, to use on my first day using it…I ended up getting a thresher shark.  I was comfortable in my seat the entire day!  I have used my GTS Pro seat a couple times now…there is no substitute.  I sent Surf to Summit a picture of my fish as you could see the STS sticker on my kayak.   They were stoked I was happy with the new seat. 

Surf to Summit…I can’t say enough good things about the company and their customer service.  I will gladly use and endorse Surf to Summit products.

As Always,

John Near
cabojohn 

Thanks Cabo John !!  We love to hear feedback on the products we sell and know that our suppliers are making customer’s happy!

New Gear Added - 7-7-08

We have just added some new Gear to our site.  First we have added two bait tank containers.  Mark has made his new bait tank out of the Gamma40 and we have the How-To on the site and a link to it from this blog.  It is a great container, light weight, nice large opening, places to add rod holders.  We have also added a smaller size, the Gamma15.

Details on both:
Gamma40 - Holds up to 11 gallons; 15.5″H x 18″D x 12″W

Gamma15 - Holds up to 4.7 gallons; 9.75″H x 12″D x 12″W

Pics and Links:

Gamma 40

Gamma 15

We have also added a new DVD and our first Kayak Fishing Book:  When we first saw the DVD we knew it was a great find for kayak fishermen and women. 
This is a great DVD with expert instruction by Scott Null and Joel McBride for new and experienced anglers. It is a complete guide to kayak fishing in saltwater and freshwater. You’ll learn about:
All the necessary equipment
The fundamentals of kayaking
The essential strokes
Fighting and landing fish from a kayak
Freshwater kayak fishing
Saltwater kayak fishing
Kayak fishing safety
Tips and tricks from the experts
and much more !

The book is packed with the information plus tons of pictures !

Link to more info