Best bang for the $$

[DaveO]

I would like to get your ideas on who generally offers the best deals on kayak candy like flush rod mounts, scotty rod mounts and holders for my Tarpon 140 track system, and other accessories one may want to rig his new Tarpon 140 first fishing kayak?

thanks very much!

[JohnE]

You should have front and back factory mounted tracks on that one...so Scotty powerlocks in the front, Scotty rocket launchers in the back. Mount them on Yakattack Mighty mounts. 1 gear head mount with a visicarbon stuck in it and you are good to go. Maybe a depth finder if you like that sort of thing.

[Backdoc]

www.amazon.com

[DaveO]

JohnE and Backdoc: thank you both; greatly appreciated! Rigging begins! The tracks on my Tarpon 140 are mounted port and starboard, with the port side already having one scotty moveable rod mount. need to get another but not certain how to phrase it exactly right - I continue getting everything but the sliding mounts I'm seeking.
Best//Dave
Cheers.

[imagine29028]

personal preference...but Id rather have RAM.

[JohnE]

Yeah, personal preference. Pros and cons to each. I hear rams slip with larger fish, and scottys can be a pain in the butt to pop up to adjust positioning after extensive use. I also had a power lock top fall off on me out a cbbt a few weeks back and had to buy a whole replacement, but they are not all that expensive.

Mighty mounts are good sliding mounts, but a little on the expensive side. I did make some of my own mounts out of cutting board at first and tapped threads into flat bar aluminum for thumb screws.

[mweber02]

When I bought some accessories I priced Amazon but ack.com was cheaper with shipping and discounts applied. I was really happy with the quick service from ack and you get a cool sticker to throw on the yak.

[kevinfry]

1.cheap fishfinder...depth finding more important than fish finding but very helpful
2 Rod holders--flush or otherwise. trolling is an effective fishing method in the bay. No rodholders? no trolling
3. quality seat
4 anchor trolley

[JohnE]

Oh yeah, I agree that anchor trolley is definitely a must have, especially if you have a paddle kayak. I hardly use my depth finder, but I do like the gps feature on it.

[kevinfry]

Oh yeah, I agree that anchor trolley is definitely a must have, especially if you have a paddle kayak. I hardly use my depth finder, but I do like the gps feature on it.

trolling for specs (staying at a constant depth) and searching for an edge to troll for rock is really hard without depthfinder....so if you don't troll a lot you could be right. I also use it to make sure I am at right depth for my anchor to hold while winter catfishing.

[JohnE]

trolling for specs (staying at a constant depth) and searching for an edge to troll for rock is really hard without depthfinder....so if you don't troll a lot you could be right. I also use it to make sure I am at right depth for my anchor to hold while winter catfishing.

Yes, for places like the middle bay, I agree it is definitely handy, but depends where you fish. I am almost always fishing structure or inlets, mostly a bridge and inlet guy...so I hardly ever run mine. Bridges pilings, rocks around bridge island, flats, inlets, river mouths...etc are my go to areas and the fishfinder plus battery just becomes extra crap I don't really need to be carrying.

I am trying to fish the middle bay areas more often and will definitely be transferring the fishfinder over to the outback for those areas.

[CAGE RATTLER]

+1 on ACK
Good prices and fast shipping.

[JohnE]

I have also bought a bunch of stuff from ack. Typically if I order by tuesday, I can rely on the stuff getting here by Fri. Great prices and get your stuff quick, but I also have Amazon prime with the two day shipping and get stuff off there as well.

[PigPen]

Yes, for places like the middle bay, I agree it is definitely handy, but depends where you fish. I am almost always fishing structure or inlets, mostly a bridge and inlet guy...so I hardly ever run mine. Bridges pilings, rocks around bridge island, flats, inlets, river mouths...etc are my go to areas and the fishfinder plus battery just becomes extra crap I don't really need to be carrying.

I am trying to fish the middle bay areas more often and will definitely be transferring the fishfinder over to the outback for those areas.

I like the chart features on my DSI for finding deep spots, channels and such in the bays. Also comes in handy if you're trying to hit the same spot repeatably. I doubt I saw a quarter of the fish I caught so sonar resolution isn't all that helpful. Is nice seeing bait below the surface.

[Pat Smith]

I just got a new kayak as well. I would advise not making any permanent modifications to the yak until you have been out in it a couple times. I know that how I THOUGHT I would want my kayak setup turned out to not be what I wanted... glad I waited before drilling a bunch of holes in my new Yak.

I decided to try the sea-anchor type of anchor... to my mind, it has a lot of the advantages of an anchor but is easier to deal with. Check out some videos on the sea anchor and see if it might fit your style.