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Despite this year being a complete $#!^show on so many levels, I was surprisingly able to do more fishing than usual. Not only did this year bring a constant threat of a nasty virus, it also brought me a new 13' Slayer kayak. Well, not actually new but rather an excellent purchase off this sites Tackle Shop. I still have my 13' Revo, which i have treated as a no-drilling minimalist yak that only requires a few tea leaves and a Zen sand garden to fish. I really like its easy, ready-to-go attitude, just grab it off the roof and throw it in and go. The Revo is like that hippy girl you had a fling with during college. The Slayer on the other hand is more like the wife, if you give it the time and things it needs, it will be a happy life. Unlike the Revo, the Slayer has these alien thingys called "Rails". The rails are like baby birds with their mouths constantly open, screaming, "Feed Me'. And feed my Slayer I did, which brings me to the 2020 Gear in Review - something I hope others will add own 2020 reviews.
First up is Scotty's Fender Rings used as a Stick Pole Holder. With the Slayer I upped my ante on a stick (anchor) pole, no more modified tomato stakes that bend after three trips. I went with the $50 YakGear Floating 6' Stake Out Stick which is awesome stick. It's the right length, solid, but somehow light enough to float. The problem is with stick pins is they are an unyielding pain to store, that are always getting in the way. I picked up this hack from Kayak Hacks, where you use two Scotty Fender Rings to hold the stick. They are the perfect diameter to hold it tight and still allow for easy access. I know two dinky $9 items shouldn't really qualify for a major gear in review list, but to me its the cheap little hacks that make the most difference. I wish I had a picture on the yak, but I think you get the idea with the rails.
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For years on the Revo I kept to her Bohemian ways and always did a poor mans anchor by grabbing the nearest spartina and weaving it into a friendship bracelet with my paddle holders. It worked ok, but the Slayer required a more sophisticated, dignified holder, so the YakGear Bush Grabber was bought. Yes, I know it sounds like something you get at a Nascar rally, but when fishing for reds in Georgia the name works. The Grabber holds tight on to anything (heck, look at the picture, those grass blades are from three weeks ago in Beaufort!) . There were so many trips i relied on that to hold me me in place. Unlike the stick pole, the Grabber is for quick no-brainer holds, three or four casts to an eddy. By the way, i tie one end to a tent stake pole, with that $3 Amazon float in the middle. The stake pole is good for mud banks.
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For my last Gear in Review I am going with a Christmas present I haven't actually tried yet, but this may be one many of could use. I often fish alone, not solely because of my horrendous personality, its difficult finding companions to drive eight hours after work to Tybee, sleep in the car, fish from 4 to 11am, catch nothing and still call it a great day. These solo trips often result in the inevitable crouch fish pictures that border on porn. We all do them, and they all look terrible. We spend countless hours trying to convince our friends that the fish was bigger than it looks and that really is my hand holding the bump board ruler. Either way, my pictures needed to improve, and I just don't have the braincells or patients for a GoPro. Thus the Ram X-Grip Phone Holder. I know four cups of water, a tablespoon of salt and dash of iPhone is a recipe for disaster, but I need to go from this to this without bugging my buddies and this may be the ticket (By the way a nice four spotter in GA this year)
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There are many other things I bought, but I don't want to Hog up this thread. So what are some of your 2020 purchases that were rockstars or even duds?
Happy New Year
First up is Scotty's Fender Rings used as a Stick Pole Holder. With the Slayer I upped my ante on a stick (anchor) pole, no more modified tomato stakes that bend after three trips. I went with the $50 YakGear Floating 6' Stake Out Stick which is awesome stick. It's the right length, solid, but somehow light enough to float. The problem is with stick pins is they are an unyielding pain to store, that are always getting in the way. I picked up this hack from Kayak Hacks, where you use two Scotty Fender Rings to hold the stick. They are the perfect diameter to hold it tight and still allow for easy access. I know two dinky $9 items shouldn't really qualify for a major gear in review list, but to me its the cheap little hacks that make the most difference. I wish I had a picture on the yak, but I think you get the idea with the rails.
thumbnail_IMG_4837-1.jpg
For years on the Revo I kept to her Bohemian ways and always did a poor mans anchor by grabbing the nearest spartina and weaving it into a friendship bracelet with my paddle holders. It worked ok, but the Slayer required a more sophisticated, dignified holder, so the YakGear Bush Grabber was bought. Yes, I know it sounds like something you get at a Nascar rally, but when fishing for reds in Georgia the name works. The Grabber holds tight on to anything (heck, look at the picture, those grass blades are from three weeks ago in Beaufort!) . There were so many trips i relied on that to hold me me in place. Unlike the stick pole, the Grabber is for quick no-brainer holds, three or four casts to an eddy. By the way, i tie one end to a tent stake pole, with that $3 Amazon float in the middle. The stake pole is good for mud banks.
thumbnail_IMG_2787.jpg thumbnail_IMG_4841.jpg
For my last Gear in Review I am going with a Christmas present I haven't actually tried yet, but this may be one many of could use. I often fish alone, not solely because of my horrendous personality, its difficult finding companions to drive eight hours after work to Tybee, sleep in the car, fish from 4 to 11am, catch nothing and still call it a great day. These solo trips often result in the inevitable crouch fish pictures that border on porn. We all do them, and they all look terrible. We spend countless hours trying to convince our friends that the fish was bigger than it looks and that really is my hand holding the bump board ruler. Either way, my pictures needed to improve, and I just don't have the braincells or patients for a GoPro. Thus the Ram X-Grip Phone Holder. I know four cups of water, a tablespoon of salt and dash of iPhone is a recipe for disaster, but I need to go from this to this without bugging my buddies and this may be the ticket (By the way a nice four spotter in GA this year)
thumbnail_IMG_3610.jpg thumbnail_IMG_2111.jpg
thumbnail_IMG_4838.jpg
There are many other things I bought, but I don't want to Hog up this thread. So what are some of your 2020 purchases that were rockstars or even duds?
Happy New Year
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