New Guy in the Severn Area

[jmt1980]

Hello!

I've been dying to get into kayak fishing and I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Moken 12.5 Angler from ACK. I live in Severn near Ft. Meade and was hoping some of the folks close by could recommend a few places to get out and fish and get used to the kayak.

I was also curious if anyone has a crew cab truck and carries their yak on their roof with foam blocks? I plan to get a bed extender and transport primarily in the bed. When my family takes trips to OC though, my wife and daughter have enough stuff that I'll need to use the bed for their "stuff" and transporting on the roof would be more ideal. Any real world experience and tips/tricks would be appreciated!

Last question I swear! I've heard/read some folks say there are certain rivers/lakes/ect that they wouldn't eat fish from them due to polution. Its the internet so everyone has their opinion and preferences and some people's have been totally opposite. Is there any legitimate concern to this?

Thanks!

-Justin

[Yakinzak]

Welcome to the family!

First off I would like to say that you are located in a very good position to do some excellent fishing. You are about halfway from the Potomac and the Bay Bridge. Meaning that you could go either way and find some good fishing! Keep in mind of the great launch points from where you are to the annapolis area. There is Jonas Green which is right next to the Naval Academy on the opposite side of the Severn River. Then you have Ft Smallwood which is a great place to get your taste of any type of water. Ft. Smallwood lets you experience flat water all the way up to a strong current and white caps depending on the day. Beverly Triton beach which is now open to the public is another great free spot to launch from. You are going to be out on the bay but you have about a mile of coverage from any strong currents.

I like to get together with anglers once a week being on a Saturday or Sunday (sometimes both!) . So I'm looking forward to meeting and greeting you sometime soon!

As far as the fish quality for consumption goes, I like to make sure there are no chicken farms around if I'm on the bay. Chicken run off can really affect the hormones of the fish. But if I'm in the South River, Severn River, or Potomac I seem to notice the water quality is better than that of the Patapsco River's. So with that being said, if the fish doesn't come from the Patapsco River or any dead creek I'm open to consuming the fish.

Again Welcome to the Family and if you have any questions/concerns please feel free to contact anyone here! We are all here for the same reason and that is to enjoy the nature/wildlife that Delmarva has to offer! While also being able to connect with the environment in a non-harmful way!

Ps. I would also like to recommend a fellow snaggedliner's book he wrote on light tackle trolling the Chesapeake. His name is Alan Batista and his username on here is YakFish

[Dimo]

Hi Justin, welcome! I'm a new guy on the bay as well but I have experience transporting on the roof with foam. I would say if you remotely care about the condition of the paint and or safety, foam is not the way to go for a regular-use application. Also, from a structural stability standpoint, you want to make sure you have enough supportive length of roof top to prevent the yak from tipping due to wind. You might want to look into relatively inexpensive bed rack or half rack systems, similar to these: http://usatruck.net/adarac-truck-bed-rack-system.html. Even a ladder rack ( with sufficient width to hold the yak would work very well. http://www.realtruck.com/dee-zee-ladder-racks

[mikelreidd]

Just curious as to what make and model truck you have. I had similar issues with my Tacoma Crew Max and my yak. I was totally surprised at how cheap I could get a Toyota OEM roof rack and how easy it was to install in the pre drilled/threaded holes under the trim strip. Now I still have the bed and a secure place to transport the yak.

[jmt1980]

I have a 2015 Ram Crewcab 1500 with a 6' 4" bed. I also have a soft tonneau cover which makes things even more interesting. I could get a tower and bar setup for the roof instead of the foam blocks, or a rack system like Dimo suggested. I don't know which I like more, but it looks like the Adarac Bed Rack that he suggested will work with my tonneau... that's just more cash than I'd like to spend right now!

[Pc4sun]

Hi Justine, and welcome to the site. Dimo gave good advice on truck racks. Myself, I have a Tacoma short bed crew cab and use bed extender when transporting one kayak. I have kayak trailer to haul more than one kayak. Fish quality is important to me too, so I go to this site for advice: http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/...ish/index.aspx.
Hope to see you on the water soon!

[FL Boy]

I have a 2011 Ram 1500 crew cab with the 5'7" bed, when I carry my Pro Angler which is 12 feet I just put it in the bed of the truck with the tailgate down with foam blocks under it and one in the bow with two straps pulling it forward and two straps criss crossing the bow. I recently bought the Yakima bed rock system and put a cargo basket on it to carry things In that when I have my yak in the back. I have been meaning to post some picks of it up to show people. I might do that this weekend so you can see what I'm talking about.

I also have a Pungo 120 (wife's yak) and an Old Town Next for a paddle kayak. I carry both of those on the roof, I have a single set of the of the Yakima outdoorsman towers that I put in the bed then a single Q tower set that goes across the front of the cab. It works perfect. Carrys both yaks with no problem, I will be using both set ups this weekend so I'll take pictures and post up.

[jmt1980]

FL Boy I'm interested in seeing those pictures. I would have thought with a 12'+ boat you'd want a bed extender at least... but I'm new to this game so what do I know!

... and thanks for the replies all! you've been most helpful. According to tracking my yak will be here Thurs so I'm hoping to take it out for a test ride Saturday AM... can't wait!

[RavensDfense]

I also have a Ram 1500 crew cab. When I had my PA 14, I transported it without a bed extended. I do the same with my Revo 13 and Outback. I run an "oh shit" strap through the handle on the bow and connect it to the two cleats in the front of the bed. Then I run two separate straps either through the scupper holes (on the Outback) or through the handles (on the Revo) and ratchet it down to the tailgate. I put a flag off the rear so other cars can see it. No problems so far. Even got pulled over by a cop for speeding when the PA 14 was in the back. He didn't mention anything about the 6 ft of yak sticking out the back end.

[golfmack]

I have a Ford F150, Ford Ranger and I let them hang off the tailgate. Be sure to have something Red on the end. I just purchased a thrule roof rack rod and getting a bed extender going to go over top.
Welcome I am in Severn/Hanover over by the MALL.

[FL Boy]

FL Boy I'm interested in seeing those pictures. I would have thought with a 12'+ boat you'd want a bed extender at least

Here is the link to the post with the pictures. Hope it helps or give you ideas.
http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...105#post112105