My X-13 rigging, tryout, and first report

[Fiskadoro]

Never posted here before but thought you guys might enjoy this.

Short report version:

Took the new yak local for a test run before the rains.

I ran into an old friend Sabaslayer in the harbor, had a few technical issues with the Yak but Saba took me to one of my spots and using his electronics we found some fish. I put out a marker, and then fished wide open action atro0und it for the rest of the day.

Maybe 30+bass all but five released, and additionally I hooked two mystery fish that cleaned my clock, and almost my Revo STX.

Longer Version:


I just got my x-13 from Andy and rigged it up, so I really wanted to get it out and try it before the rains.

I had time Wednesday and I like fishing before storms. The initial plan was to hit La Jolla but when I checked the weather at 3:00 AM I found conflicting reports, some with wind. They kept changing the forecast so I waited and procrastinated until about 6:00 Am when I decided to fish local, and then rushed out the door to beat traffic.


When I got to the harbor I was just about to launch when up comes a 18 Wellcraft. First thing Jim (Sabaslayer) said to me was "Little late" and then he added "I'll pick up some bait for Ya"

That's Jim!!! Always willing to help a guy out, and hey!!! By my watch he was just as late as I was, so talk about the fire calling the kettle black...LOL

So I rush to get everything rigged and ready in the process leave my Digital Camera in the truck...Damn!!!

This turned out to be one of several problems and mistakes I had for the day. They don't call these first trips shakedowns for nothing... At any rate all the pics below but one are Jim's.

Here's me paddling out to the boat.


The Kayak felt great right from the start. Fast, stable and secure. First thing Jim said was, that looks really fast. Something he repeated several times during the day. (I think I just paddle hard...LOL)

So I get out and tie along side Jim's skiff, and start setting everything up, and then I can't get the bait tank to go. I can get it to prime but it gets an airlock every time I turn it on. Finally I realize..... DUH!!!! That since I'm in Jim's boat the water line of the yak is lower as the kayak is sitting higher in the water then normal and my down tube water pickup for the scupper is too high to pick up water.

Rather then climb in the yak I just filled the tank with a five gallon bucket, turned the thing on and then it started pumping just fine.

Loaded it up with a whole bunch of bait and it worked great.

Here's action shots:





Trust me that was the technological high point of the day as far as electrical devices were concerned... LOL

That's more bait then I normally carry but I wanted to really test the tanks capacities. So one problem down Let's go fish... right!!!

Wrong!!

I then hook up the Garmin 398 and it's dead. It just won't power up. Check the fuses etc.. all good. Everything looks fine but when I tested the battery with a light bulb Jim had on board, all I got was a dull orange glow!?!?

Turns out I must of pulled the wrong (recently discharged) battery of my two identical 7ah 12 volts rather then the charged one off my charge shelf...Damn!!! I had one Charged and ready and grabbed the wrong one!!

So now I'm stuck with no fish finder or chart plotter.

I turn on the handheld Garmin 76 (my backup) thought about my options for a second or two and then asked a favor of Jim, something I almost never do.

I asked if he'd would be willing to take me to one of my spots so I could use his meter to find fish. The idea being I could then mark the spot with a marker float, and fish around it for the day.

Jim always the gentleman fisherman was more then happy to oblige.

Pretty weird getting towed out to fish though.......




Well when we got to my spot Jim metered bait and possibly some fish so I threw out a float, and prepare to jump ship.

To add insult to injury I then notices the bait pump seems to have got air in it, or at the very least ti is pumping at a severally diminished capacity. It's got it's own six volt battery so it's not the same problem as the Garmin, and I knew the battery was charged.

I figured it had to be the tow, that it somehow got air in the system, but rather the trouble shoot it right then I just kept loading my gear because I just didn't want to waste any more of Jim's day while working out my bugs on my kayak.

Meanwhile Jim drops a bait down and instantly hooks up, pulls up a nice bass and then he does it again and hooks another. I then drop a swim bait and hook up as well. I get maybe three and a row before I start messing with the yak again , and I think Jim had more then five six on bait before I climbed on the yak.

Rather then mess with the pump I just start pouring in cups of water (I'll tell you the cone shape is handy for more then dumping bait in the thing...LOL) and just started fishing.... Bass after bass it was just wide open.

Basically I'd pull up to my float, drop a swimbait and bait rod down and before they made it to the bottom both would be hooked up. I'd then drift maybe a hundred yards catching a fish a cast until I cleared the fish zone. I don't even know how many I caught, but to give an example of how good it was Jim originally planned to leave at noon and he stayed till maybe four. He just couldn't make himself leave. Who can blame him... LOL

Here I am early on, sitting next to my marker float with a fish on the 7ft long rod:



Here I am later fishing my shorter 6ft sticks (arms are wore out) with one of numerous doubles.



I completely trashed my thumbs and fingers releasing fish.


Just great fishing...

Most of my fish were between two and five pounds, no shorts at all. I saw Jim get some real toads as well, some larger then I was getting. I was working the structure in relation to my marker with no finder, but he was metering schools and following and targeting them. He found one bunch he hit many times just North of me that evidently was filled with big grumpy bass. I know I saw him release several nice fish off it. Definitely looked like he was having a good time.

So if that's not enough I hooked two mystery fish. One on a swimbait that screamed about a hundred yards off my Revo STX and then wrapped me in my marker float line (which in turn hung up) By the time I got to it that one had come off.

Later after Jim headed in I hooked huge fish one the same rig a Kencor 8-30 6ft rod, a Revo STX with 15 pound spectra and fluorocarbon this time fishing a big dine on a dropper loop. It bit soft then screamed line when I set the hook, and it took my thirty minutes to get it to deep color.

What I expected was a big Black Seabass what I saw looked white and five feet plus. It took off on another run before I could get a good look at it, but now I'm thinking I'm going to boat my first big white seabass for the new year!!! Talk about the icing on the proverbial cake.

Well that would of been nice, but it wasn't meant to be.

About the third time I got it to deep color it took off under the yak and then came up to the surface. I couldn't see it initially but when It came out from right under the yak where I could see it clearly and I saw spots, big ones, as it turned out to be maybe the largest leopard shark I have seen.

I sure wish I had had the digital Cam with me. It was a real beauty, and beast.

He was about ten inches wide at the head, had a mouth I could put my whole fist into, and judging by laying my rod along side of her she easily went 68 inches or 5' 8" plus. It measured to my first guide, just short of the rod tip, on my six foot Kencor.



Good thing the seasons closed on them or I just might of taken her. They do eat well, and she was awfully big...LOL Great looking fish I just wish I could of gotten a picture.


So there you have it fish wise. More bass then I could count and Mystery solved... big leopards wanted to play.

As to the Kayak... well other then the electronics it kinda fit me like a glove, and performed flawlessly.

I can only go by my experience but it felt very stable, more so then say a Prowler trident 15 that I once tried, it's faster then all my other yaks with the exception of my sit inside. I felt very comfortable fishing on it, and it's very clean and quite cutting through the water. Malibu has a new yak they call the stealth, this one might of better deserved the name it is one slick beast.

Capacity wise: with my weight at 185 pounds plus another fifty pounds of weight from the full bait tank, add all the gear batteries etc... I'm thinking 275+. With that much weight the rear recess and forward foot wells had about half an inch to an inch of water in them, seat was wet too. What can you say that's why I like waders. I guess I could get scupper plugs but for me this is a non issue.

When I drained the tank they all went dry. So I was within but pushing the limits. So it's no X factor capacity wise but it's a lot faster and can do what I want it to do. Paddling in I could easily maintain four knots without paddling too hard. Turn on the steam I could get it to five.

I'd call it a fast, stable, mid ranged capacity, a no compromise fishing yak....LOL

All joking and spam aside...It really is an exceptional fishing kayak, I like the stability speed, the fact it's light enough for me to throw easily on the truck, and I really like the fish hold because at the end of the day they hull was not full of fish slime....

Speaking of fish... my take home for the day five bass. (My Cam at the truck)



All and all with the exceptions of a few problems I had a great day on the water. Oh and by the way the pump had not air locked as I thought DOH!!!! but instead it had sucked up some kelp shards and clogged. Go figure... No doubt I would of taken the time to figured that out if the fishing had been anything less then spectacular...LOL

Last but important for me!!!

My thanks goes to Andy for setting me up on a great deal for a great Yak, and Jim: Man... you are the Man. Thanks for taking the time to help me set up the yak, bait me up and for towing me out to the spot.

Great time on the water... as always.

Jim