>>Hopefully get some new ideas<<
Good thread..
Glad you're enjoying your new yak. I have a few of them and have been fishing out of them for about 15 years off and on. Here's a few quick things that came to my mind as I read the posts so far:
-- I built my own yak drift sock from a chunk of blue tarp, a grommet kit, a few 3/8 oz worm weights, a couple chunks of foam and some paracord, using an old beater sewing machine. The prototype was duct-taped and it worked fine too. It was very handy fishing for barracuda in a rented yak in a lagoon in Cancun. (hey that rhymes!). Helped satbilize the boat with my back to the wind and slowed my rate of getting blown to somewhere I didn't want to be and would have to paddle back from.
--I have one paddle that is great for not dripping on me,the others-- not so much. It's a difference in how the blade curves along the bottom on the side nearest you. For some reason, I don't see many paddles like that in stores. I've put strips of sticky foam along the lower edge of the blade to encourage water to drip off on some of the other paddles.
--For easily accessible gear while I'm in the yak without having to reach around to the aft storage box, I look for medium capacity butt packs. Find one that you can wear in front of you, with the ability to move the buckle or clip to your side (so you won't have to lean back on it).
--I've thought of getting a more comfortable seat for my SOT that suspends my butt a little bit, like the one you have. How is the stability? I find a notable difference if I even put a thick foam gardening pad on the seat. AS mentioned before, you can flip a yak, and my SOT, while it has advantages, seems a little more likely to do that than the Sit Inside versions.
--I also use a moving water "anchor". It's a piece of chain that I carry draped over the side where I can get to it easily. The anchor line passes through a carabiner that's attached to the cord on the aft T handle, so the pull keeps the yak streamlined. I can adjust the length of the anhor chain from the cockpit so I can let just a little drag to slow me down some-- or drop the whole thing and get stopped. To retrieve the anchor, another (different colored) line goes from the cockpit to a separate carabiner that's attached between the T-handle carabiner and the chain anchor itself. A change to that setup this year will involve using a cheapie retractable dog leash to adjust the length. I've only fished hear Reno a few times and don't remember if the river I fished (Truckee perhaps?) was conducive to something like this. I fish local rivers for smallmouth and will go quickly from hole to hole, get the yak moving backwards against the current and make perhaps 4 or 5 casts. If I get a bite, I quickly set the hook, control the rod (paddle is already across my lap, chuck the chain (you want to throw it back behind you so it catches quickly before you run into the sweepers on the outside corner coming up!) and then fight/land the fish. Note that if you get the order wrong, you'll throw your fly rod overboard, drop a heavy metal chain onto your crotch, and wind up in agony crashing into the sweepers on the far side of the bend so you might want to practice the sequence a little bit first.:doh:
