Gravel Grinding Bait Caster

Yesterday, as I launched out through the waves at Shipwreck Point past mile marker 6 and before marker 5, I almost lost my grasp on my Hobie Outback.  I hung on at the last second but the boat lurched hard and almost went over.  I thought everything looked fine but when I looked for my pole, I realized that it was at the end of its tether line in the water.  I didn't think anything of it and put it back in the Hobie pole holders in the kayak.  I got the Mirage Drive in place, hopped on and took off vertically through the incoming surf, no problem.  When I got to the first significant kelp bed, I drifted into it on the ocean side, grabbed my rod, and tried to cast.  The thing wouldn't move.  So I tried pulling some line off with the trigger pushed.  I then knew that the reel had hit the sandy bottom on my launch.  It's not expensive, but it's a nicely performing bait caster with an eight foot bait casting rod, a combo from Cabela's that replaced my Lamiglas and Ambassadeur combo I lost in Ocean Shores last year.  I dunked it a few times and managed to get the thing turning, dunked it more, got it looser, and got it working so I could fish.  No way was I turning back at that point.  I fished with it and it did okay, but when we got back to Curley's Resort in Sekiu, I spent several minutes rinsing it and bathing it.  It seems to be running smoothly now, and Jim at Curley's gave me a number of someone who could do some clean up on it, but I don't have the time.  Secure your loads on launch; that rod should have been in its milk basket holder when I left, not the rod hole in the yak.

Secure your loads on launch; that rod should have been in its milk basket holder when I left, not the rod hole in the yak.

Yep

But you done good!
The rod was still at the end of the LEASH and you still got to fish!

Another bit of advice that I love to dole out and hardly ever follow is to leave your reel stowed when you go through the impact zone.
I hardly ever follow it because I generally launch in light surf and its a bit of a PITA to rig on the water.
That said, I'm an apt student of Zen and the art of reel maintenance and I get lots of practice disassembling and cleaning my reels.
Sometimes they still function.

I've been playing with quick connects to help facilitate on the water rigging lately with some success. But a good reel cover would probably be a better idea.
Bottom line is that reels, salt, surf, and sand don't play well together after a while and have to be separated.

INSAYN has a thought going through his head right now that could be the next kayak friendly invention.  

Picture a 8'-9' x 6" dry bag with several "D" rings attached along the length.  

Slip this condom over your rod, squeeze out some (but not all) excess air ,  roll the end and buckle it closed.
Secure this sucker to the side of the yak and head through the surf.  No mess, no fuss!

May even be able to squeeze two or more rods/reels into one bag by putting them in opposite directions.

Even better!  Make both ends have the enclosures, so you can drop a rod through one end, buckle shut, turn it around, unbuckle the other end and slip another rod in, and buckle back up.

INSAYN has a thought going through his head right now that could be the next kayak friendly invention.  

Picture a 8'-9' x 6" dry bag with several "D" rings attached along the length.  

Slip this condom over your rod, squeeze out some (but not all) excess air ,  roll the end and buckle it closed.
Secure this sucker to the side of the yak and head through the surf.  No mess, no fuss!

May even be able to squeeze two or more rods/reels into one bag by putting them in opposite directions.

Even better!  Make both ends have the enclosures, so you can drop a rod through one end, buckle shut, turn it around, unbuckle the other end and slip another rod in, and buckle back up.

you find someone to make it and I would buy the first one.

INSAYN has a thought going through his head right now that could be the next kayak friendly invention.  

Picture a 8'-9' x 6" dry bag with several "D" rings attached along the length.  

Slip this condom over your rod, squeeze out some (but not all) excess air ,  roll the end and buckle it closed.
Secure this sucker to the side of the yak and head through the surf.  No mess, no fuss!

May even be able to squeeze two or more rods/reels into one bag by putting them in opposite directions.

Even better!  Make both ends have the enclosures, so you can drop a rod through one end, buckle shut, turn it around, unbuckle the other end and slip another rod in, and buckle back up.

you find someone to make it and I would buy the first one.

Yeah right!  I'll be the first one.   

Actually I may tinker with making one later this year when the rain starts falling again.  I have some ideas. 

You'll probably wanna disassemble it and give it a good cleaning.  I don't beach launch/land with anything rigged - has saved me the headache/heartache of wrecked or lost gear.

Of course, my first trip out off a beach was with FFTW, so I take everything easy.

Madoc, do you have your reel in a bag under deck, or something like that?   

Insayn....................... wanna give me some more idea's on what your thinking and i can put some of it to good use while i am semi-unemployed.

Could do one out of canvas to...

alfonzo.. i have a roll up type bag that looks something like a shoe holder that i made to put some of my rigged salmon stuff in

SG

Good heads up.  Thats why I like my OK T-13 so much....the RodPod amidships is big enough to hold my Cabela's Fenwick / Ambassadeur BC combos, and those rods are one-piecers!  So in the Pod they stay until I am out of the Big Gritty......

INSAYN has a thought going through his head right now that could be the next kayak friendly invention. 

Picture a 8'-9' x 6" dry bag with several "D" rings attached along the length. 

Slip this condom over your rod, squeeze out some (but not all) excess air ,  roll the end and buckle it closed.
Secure this sucker to the side of the yak and head through the surf.  No mess, no fuss!

WOW! that's a really good idea!!!!  It probably doesn't quite need the integrity of a dry bag, but close enuf. I like that a lot better than my rod socks (although it is a tad riskily than stowing it in the hull)

Thanks mtom938 for dragging that up from the archives! Your rod pod is the lick for getting your rig inside though.
In fact, I looked hard at a T-13 today and that is indeed a fine, well laid out boat! The only critique (other than not having pedals) is where do you mount your forward rod holder?

All those blind holes in the hatch cover to the RodPod are Scotty compatible.

Good heads up.  Thats why I like my OK T-13 so much....the RodPod amidships is big enough to hold my Cabela's Fenwick / Ambassadeur BC combos, and those rods are one-piecers!  So in the Pod they stay until I am out of the Big Gritty......

Absolutely right!

@ Mr. Portagee:

Do you have a fishfinder installed in your T-13?

Do you have a fishfinder installed in your T-13?

I do. 

http://www.demonick.com/kayak/FF.GPS/Mount.html
http://www.demonick.com/kayak/FF.GPS/Power.html
http://www.demonick.com/kayak/FF.GPS/Transducer.html

Demonick

I know this is off topic for the original post, but you tackled the same issue I have been pondering....do I really want my 597 way up forward under that shield where it will be a pain to get to, or do I bring it closer where it will be in the way when I tend my crab pots?  Decisions decisions.  And that's just the beginning....STILL evaluating the transducer strategy.  The down imaging design complicates everything.  I might go with the closed cell foam puck and ultrasonic gel couplant....I just hate giving up accurate water temps...SO important when fishing the lakes......

Again, decisions decisions....