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Last Monday I joined my family for a week down at the beach. We stayed at the in-laws condo in Ocean Pines which is a stones throw from the community boat ramp which made it convenient to launch. I went out Tuesday morning at 6 am and tried jigging the pilings of the Rt. 90 bridge but had no luck. Wednesday was cloudy, so instead of hitting the beach, my son and I went crabbing off a nearby dock. Two hours and we caught 20 crabs using handlines and chicken necks.
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My son was dying to take the kayak out, he had never been in/on one before. So after a little instruction he was off and paddled around for about an hour. It made my wife a little nervous when he ventured out into the bay, but he made it back without incident.
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I went out again on Thursday morning but didn't have any luck. I realized that I need to get a fishfinder asap. It felt like I was fishing blind and I think being able to see drop offs and other structure would be a big help. Saturday was the last day I'd be able to fish so I bought some squid and paddled back out to the bridge to try my luck with cut bait. On the way out I saw this guy doing a little fishing of his own.
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After about an hour and a couple of missed bites I finally reeled in my first fish from a kayak. Nothing big, but at least this 6" croaker broke the seal. It's on now!
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I'd had enough and decided to paddle over to a secluded little cove and put my new yak through some tests. I took everything out and paddled out in about 3 feet of water and tried rocking back and forth to see how far I could go before it felt sketchy. I was happy with the results because I had read reviews of the Cobra Navigator that said it had great initial stability, but not much secondary. I was able to get it to where I had water coming in the front flush mounts before it felt like it would tip. Next I wanted to see how it would be to access the front hatch while out on the water. I was able to straddle both legs over the side and shimmy up front and open it with no problem. Lastly I wanted to see it I could stand up. I had no problem getting up and was able to stand for a minute before some small waves sent me over the side. Overall I'm very happy with my choice of kayak and I'm getting a little more comfortable every time I take it out. The one thing I did find out is that the seat is not the most comfortable, but I had some foam pads I had put under my kayak when I transported it down in my truck bed. l traced the outline of the seat on the pad with a sharpie and cut just inside the lines. I used my homemade cushion on the last two days I had it out and the 1/2" foam made a huge difference.
IMG-20130624-00062.jpg IMG-20130620-00009.jpg
District 3 Berlin-20130619-00007.jpg
My son was dying to take the kayak out, he had never been in/on one before. So after a little instruction he was off and paddled around for about an hour. It made my wife a little nervous when he ventured out into the bay, but he made it back without incident.
IMG-20130621-00049.jpgIMG-20130621-00054.jpg
I went out again on Thursday morning but didn't have any luck. I realized that I need to get a fishfinder asap. It felt like I was fishing blind and I think being able to see drop offs and other structure would be a big help. Saturday was the last day I'd be able to fish so I bought some squid and paddled back out to the bridge to try my luck with cut bait. On the way out I saw this guy doing a little fishing of his own.
IMG-20130622-00056.jpg
After about an hour and a couple of missed bites I finally reeled in my first fish from a kayak. Nothing big, but at least this 6" croaker broke the seal. It's on now!
IMG-20130622-00057.jpg
I'd had enough and decided to paddle over to a secluded little cove and put my new yak through some tests. I took everything out and paddled out in about 3 feet of water and tried rocking back and forth to see how far I could go before it felt sketchy. I was happy with the results because I had read reviews of the Cobra Navigator that said it had great initial stability, but not much secondary. I was able to get it to where I had water coming in the front flush mounts before it felt like it would tip. Next I wanted to see how it would be to access the front hatch while out on the water. I was able to straddle both legs over the side and shimmy up front and open it with no problem. Lastly I wanted to see it I could stand up. I had no problem getting up and was able to stand for a minute before some small waves sent me over the side. Overall I'm very happy with my choice of kayak and I'm getting a little more comfortable every time I take it out. The one thing I did find out is that the seat is not the most comfortable, but I had some foam pads I had put under my kayak when I transported it down in my truck bed. l traced the outline of the seat on the pad with a sharpie and cut just inside the lines. I used my homemade cushion on the last two days I had it out and the 1/2" foam made a huge difference.
IMG-20130624-00062.jpg IMG-20130620-00009.jpg
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