Kayak Instructions

[Turtle135]

I fished out of a Tarpon 160 twice for Rockfish this past season. Nice kayak with a whole lot of speed. When I would reach into my crate behind me I would shoot both legs over either the side of the kayak like a couple of pontoons. This stabilizes the angler pretty well. I was also pretty comfortable sitting side saddle in the 160 as the initial and secondary stability are very similar to that of my Tarpon 100.

[nw2yak'n]

I really like the 160, I can cover a lot of water pretty fast. It is a rather large boat (16' and 75 lbs.) and turning is like being at the helm of an aircraft carrier. My paddle is pretty long though and a couple of sweep strokes and I am turned around. The rudder helps too. I'm thinking I may need a smaller craft if I plan on fishing smaller rivers. Oh and if I am going to straddle the 160 I think maybe some yoga classes are in my future, don't need a torn groin first day fishing....OUCH!!

[J.A. Veil]

There is an alternative to twisting around to get to the back of the kayak. If you can limit the amount of gear you bring with you and look at other ways to store rods, you don't need to turn around -- you can store one or two trays of tackle in the cockpit. I think I am in the minority by not carrying a milk crate or other storage bin in the rear well. I also do not store any rods in the vertical position.

[Brian]

Dramamine

[nw2yak'n]

I will have to experiment and see what works for me. I do not see a need to overload my boat with tackle or equipment I will not need on any particular day. When you go out fishing, are you targeting one specific type of fish? For instance if I am only targeting Striped Bass I do not see a need to load up on equipment for perch or blues. Oh and one other question...since I have purchased my boat I have seen myself kayaking for a long weekend "expedition style" and camping along the shores of the bay or it's tributaries, is this possible? Finding a place to "wilderness camp" is very difficult. Or am I relegated to finding a "private" campground (State Parks do not allow alcohol) and use that as a base?

[Cowpokey]

I will have to experiment and see what works for me. I do not see a need to overload my boat with tackle or equipment I will not need on any particular day. When you go out fishing, are you targeting one specific type of fish? For instance if I am only targeting Striped Bass I do not see a need to load up on equipment for perch or blues.

We catch blues and stripers on the same tackle.

[nw2yak'n]

I have quite a bit to learn, looking forward to "on the job training".