Hobie H-Crate on the Hobie OutbackStorage crates are very useful on a fishing kayak. Stowed in the rear cargo area, you can chuck all your tackle boxes, anchoring kit, lunch and more into a crate and reach this relatively easy from the seat. For the last two years i have been using the Hobie H-Crate and this is by far the best crate i have used on a kayak. It is super strong and sturdy and features decent straps and clips to attach the crate firmly to the kayak using the Screw-In Padeye XL's located at the corners of the cargo area. It has 4 upright rod holders in the corners of the crate which are perfect for carrying rods whilst on the move on the water. These rod holders have integrated bungee rod retainers too. The handles of the crate are sections of H-Rail. This allows you to add H-Rail accessories mounts, such as the H-Rail 1.5" Ram Ball Mount i have fitted for a camera pole, and the H-Rail MiniPort i have fitted for a Railblaza Safety Flag or Visibility Kit. The walls of the crate have a grid layout of pre-drilled holes for easy attachment of further rod holders and accessory mounts. The Hobie H-Crate fits easily in the rear cargo area of the Hobie Outback, with plenty of room spare for carrying extra gear. I have cable tied a section of 4" tubing to the side wall of the crate for use as an anchor holder. I also have some sections of bungee cord on the inside wall to retainer a chopping board, filleting knife and other tools. The H-Crate is one of my favourite accessories and is used practically every session. Hobie Livewell on the Hobie OutbackFishing with live baits can be deadly for some targeting some species. I particularly like using live Mackerel for targeting Tope, Bass, Pollack and Ling amongst others. The Hobie Livewell is a superb piece of kit for keeping live baits in top condition for long periods on the water. The Livewell is a flow-through system and provides the fish in the Livewell with a constant supply of clean, cool and oxygenated water. Water is drawn up an intake pipe inserted and protruding from one cargo area scupper hole, circulated around the livewell and an overflow pipe drains water down the other scupper hole. The livewell uses an Attwood Tsunami pump that is self priming with the forwards motion of the kayak. This pump will provide a flow rate of 250 gallons per hour with the supplied 6V 10Ah sealed gel battery, but can be ramped up to 500 gallons per hour by using a 12V battery! The live well has a capacity of 8 gallons / 36 litres of water, which is plenty enough to keep around 8-12 joey mackerel happy, or lots of sand eels, crabs or shrimps. The livewell has 3 upright rod holders too and straps to tether down the livewell to the cargo area. There is still plenty of extra storage space around the live well when it is fitted. I have previously put together a detailed overview of the Hobie Livewell, however this particular model has since been superseded by the Hobie Livewell V2. The livewell will be a useful addition when fishing for certain species. Plano Waterproof Tackle BoxesKeeping your fishing tackle dry on a kayak is quite a challenge. Fishing kayaks are often wet environments and tackle will often get drenched. It certainly pays to have decent waterproof tackle boxes to keep your gear dry and in top condition. The best waterproof tackle boxes i have found are the Plano Waterproof Stowaway Utility boxes. I use 3 sizes: the small 3500 (yellow seal), the medium 3600 (blue seal) and the large 3700 (red seal) sizes. These are really good for use as lure boxes or for storing items of terminal tackle such as hooks, swivels, weights and more. The medium 3600 size is a perfect fit for the rectangular hatch bucket on the Outback. You can comfortably fit 2 x medium and 1 x small boxes in the hatch. The large box will fit in the side storage areas too, as will a medium and small box together. Ideal for keeping a lure box close to hand. The large box will also fit in the cargo area storage recesses too. Plenty of places to store tackle boxes on this kayak! A large and medium box will fit under the seat too! I have a whole host of these tackle boxes for my lures and terminal tackle - they are just brilliant! Hobie Vantage Seat Accessory BagSometimes i launch with minimal gear. Sometimes i launch with a shed load of kit for a big session. The Hobie Vantage Seat Accessory Bag is a useful accessory for both situations. This bag attaches to the Vantage Seat and is handy for carrying a couple of tackle boxes, or extra kit. When i am travelling light with minimal gear i can store enough tackle for a short session in this bag - perfect for half a day lure fishing, or fishing creeks for a bream. When i am on a big session, the bag is handy for carrying my lunch, suncream, and other small bits and bobs. An inexpensive but quite useful storage accessory. Gear Leashes on the Hobie OutbackThe side storage recesses in the cockpit of the Hobie Outback feature bungee gear leashes. These are a nice feature but they lack an easy way of attaching tools such as scissors, forceps and pliers. I simply clipped on some small stainless steel (316) karabiners which will make it easier to clip on my tools. Whilst the kayak is being transported or during storage the karabiners can be clipped to the small corner leash points in the storage areas to stop them from flying around. DIY Mirage Drive LeashThe Mirage Drive is your main source of propulsion on a Hobie Mirage Kayak. It is also an expensive piece of kit and not something you'd want to lose. Most of the time it will be clipped into the Click-N-Go ports whilst in use, however i do remove my drive and lay it in the foot well when launching and landing. There is a risk of losing the drive if i were to flip the kayak during launching or landing. The solution..... leash it! Hobie produce a Mirage Drive Leash Kit, however it is easy enough to make a DIY leash for your drive. I made mine using a short length of 5mm braid-on-braid cord and two small stainless steel (316) karabiners. One karabiner clips to the leash point at the front of the drive... The other karabiner can be clipped to the corner leash point in the side recess areas or looped around the H-Rail and clipped back onto itself, which feels like the stronger option to me. Hobie Mirage Drive Stow BagHobie product a specific carry stow bag for the Mirage Drive to keep it protected whilst in transport and storage. This is a very well made bag, with tough waterproof lining, and ventilation panels to allow the drive to dry out after use. There is a carry strap, a sturdy carry handle and a clip to hang the bag up during storage. The Mirage Drive 180 with Turbo Fins just squeezes into the bag. A Mirage Drive with standard size ST Fins is an easy fit. A neat piece of kit to keep your drive in top condition. Other Storage Accessories?Hobie produce a wide range of storage accessories, such as front hatch liners, fish cooler bags and more. The accessories i have described here cover just about all i need for my kayak fishing and will allow me to make the best use of the space on the Outback, and keep my tackle and gear organised and within easy reach during a fishing session.
Pretty much all of the accessories mentioned above can be brought from Cornwall Canoes, if you are in the UK, or any Hobie Kayak dealer. 5/4/2019 03:50:40
A Perfect Step up for fishing! I looking forward your thoughts of how to fish properly, thanks for sharing :)
thanks for sharing your vidoes as i find them really helpful. i have a few questions for you: Comments are closed.
|
AuthorLiam Faisey My Tackle ShopSPONSORSProudly associated with
Cornwall's only specialist kayak fishing shop
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
Add my blog to your feed reader by clicking the button below
Get blog updates via email
Kayak Fishing VideosCustom feed reader powered by FeedWind
Useful Links
Anglers Afloat
Cornish Shore & Kayak Fisherman Cornwall Canoes Palm Equipment Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet Info Saltwater Kayak Fisherman Magic Seaweed XC Weather |