I had some time to spare yesterday so I went for a drive to Adventure Outlet to see how Craig and Bart are progressing with the layout of their new shop. With kayak fishing getting more popular with many more kayaks becoming available every month there was a need for Adventure Outlet to find large premises so they could stock more of the latest gear and kayaks. Not only that the new store has better parking and pickup is now a breeze compared to where they once were on the very busy Gold Coast highway. Driving from Brisbane it is so easy to find with plenty of parks at the door. Inside there are racks and racks of kayaks, free standing and on the walls, a huge range of accessories, outfitting gear, clothing, paddles, roof racks, Go Pro cameras, camping gear, the list goes on. Check them out, their new address, Adventure Outlet Unit 5, 3 Jackman Street( Southport Trade Centre) Southport Ph 07 5571 2929
Recently I purchased a new product that I had been eyeing off on the internet for some time from Yakattack in the States and I pleased to find my local supplier, Adventure Outlet now has them in stock. When I originally fitted out my Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 I used a genuine ram ball on the sidetrax system secured with a ss bolt on each side screwed into my DIY plates along the Track. It was a good solution at the time allowing me to then fit my ram accessories onto the ball such as rod holders and ram tubes. The only problem with it was that I was not able to adjust the position of the ram ball while out on the water without the need for a hex key driver. The new Yakattack Screw Ball, can be fitted by hand, loosened and tighten by hand and naturally this enables me to move the ball along the track to any position while out on the water. Also on the front side trax I can make the decision to take the complete rod holder with screw ball on and off the kayak for transport or storage, in my case I leave them on, but it would take seconds to take them off. The screwballs come in different sizes and I have purchased two sizes, the 1" and 1/1/2" Ball sizes, as I have a the rod tubes and holders use the larger size and a camera mount I have made uses the smaller size. In any case it has been a huge improvement to my earlier DIY option and this is another reason why I think the WS Tarpon Series is so good, it is very easy to customise. Check out the pictures below.....
I recently sold my Mantra Palani to progress on to another kayak in the Mantra kayak range. I have had my eye on the Mantra Kai for a while and although this kayak is not promoted as a fishing Kayak I thought with some kitting out with suitable accessories it would be ideal as a fishing platform, So I have been busy adding flush mount Rod Holders, an Anchor lock, a Scotty Powerlock Rod Holder, a grab handle and a paddle park. I still have plans to mount a camera somewhere on the kayak by using a Yakattack Mighty Mount and Screwball. The Mantra Kai is 295cm in length, 79cm wide, weighs 22kg and has a capacity of 150kg.It has two grab handles at either end, and two screw type 15cm hatches as well as six scupper plugs. In standard form it comes with a paddle and seat and retails for around $670 add an extra $30 to include an all directional rod holder. I paddled it recently at a Kayak Demo Day and It paddled well. Once fully fitted out I plan to hit the water for a session of whiting popping, I think it will be ideal for this style of fishing, small and light enough that I will be able to wade the flats with the kayak in tow in search of some whiting. Check the Picture of the Mantra Kai below.
Well I have been on a holiday again to target Summer Whiting in South East Queensland.. I did not do as well as last year but with the recent conditions that has produced an over supply of rain and run off into our river and estuary systems I think I fared well. Full report soon but in the meantime here is some pictures to wet your appetite. Whiting on Poppers, does it get any better!!!
Well the Toga King, Eric Dunshea has been at it again, after the recent rains he returned to his favorite dam to check out conditions after all the rain. This event only happened about two weeks ago. When the rivers and creeks receded Eric was able to make his way to the dam and check out if the Saratoga were on the chew... yet again the same area has had over 300 millimeters of rain dumped on it again this week. To check out his latest report, techniques and pictures go here
The location today for the Adventure Outlet Demo Day was at Budds Beach in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Its a local estuary on the Nerang river that offers great parking, BBQ"s, Tables, toilets and heaps of grass with a gentle sloping sandy beach into the waters edge. Really its an ideal location for a demo day like wise with the tournaments, KFT launches from here too. Craig from Adventure Outlet had a great line up of kayaks, some from his stock range, hugely supported by the Linday and Mike from BLA who were displaying the full range of Ocean Kayak, Old Town and Necky kayaks. As well as Palmy Mick from Stealth Kayaks with a range of the Stealth Kayak fishing skis... Not a huge turn up today but there was a steady flow of new comers, one couple I noticed tried just about every kayak on hand, they will have a tough choice but they kept going back to a Prowler or the Tarpon 120. Steven M and I were there and in between roll ups we were trying out all the different kayaks as well. Steven and I both now have new kayaks on our lists that we wish to buy... So all I can say that next time Craig holds a demo day get down to Budds Beach and have a go, Craig has Demo Days regularly so watch his website for the next one, http://www.adventureoutlet.com.au
On Sun 4th Mar '12, the team from Adventure Outlet are having a 1 Day Sale with discounts and savings on all kayaks. We have organised our suppliers of some of the leading brands such as Ocean Kayak, Old Town, Jackson, Wilderness System, Stealth, Mantra Kayaks ( http://www.mantrakayaks.com.au) & Native Watercraft to have the largest range of kayaks ever seen on the Gold Coast, ready for you to test paddle. This “on water” demo day is a great opportunity for you to find the kayak that most suits YOU. Our demo kayaks will include the new Ocean Kayak Prowler Ultra 4.3 as well as the Native Watercraft range with the Propel Pedal Drive system which are comfortable, stable and have the ability to be pedaled both forward and reverse. The new Mantra Kayaks are extremely stable and great value for money with great fishing kayaks starting from $599. Also come and check out the new Jackson Coosa http://www.youtube.com/user/jacksonkaya ... -1nq7m97loAs a bonus for attending, at 10:30am, Craig from Adventure Outlet will run a short forward paddling session to show you how to get maximum propulsion with the least chance of injury. (Craig is one of Queensland’s leading sea kayak instructors). Date: Sun 4th March '12 - 8:30am to 12:00
Location: Budds Beach, River Dve. Surfers ParadiseBookings: For assistance on the day please confirm your attendance by emailing us at info@adventureoutlet.com.au or give us a call on 07 5571 2929 to discuss kayak options. All those wishing to try kayaks on the day must sign in at the Adventure Outlet tent. Please check out our kayak fishing range at http://www.adventureoutlet.com.au/fishingkayaks.htmlHope to see you there!
I finished my fit out of my new Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100 recently and after fishing from it on my first outing it is much better than the older style Tarpon 100 I owned. The Seating provides a much more comfortable day out on the water, the hatches are excellent and the sidetrax systems makes it so much easier to add ram balls and rod holders and the like. I have added two flush mount rod holders to the flat area just behind the seat, a Scotty rod holder mount on the furtherest most recessed cut out on the console and a Yakattack Screw Ball on the Rear LHS sidetrax to allow me to fit a Ram Tube rod holder to carry an extra rod I also installed a Scotty Anchor Lock to my Tarpon 100, check out the install here  The Tarpon 100 on its maiden voyage....
With recent weather patterns along the eastern coast of Australia I have experienced a lack of fishing, bit of a bugger really when I have had a lot of leave from work as well. So I decided to build a kayak rack to conveniently store my kayaks in my back yard.
I managed to build a rack over two weekends in between the showers of rain that we have been experiencing. I concreted two 50 mm posts into the ground and bolted on two crossbars for extra strength. I had always owned a pair of Aquaracks, so I thought I would use these to mount at least one kayak and luckily I picked up another pair of Aquaracks second hand on Gumtree in Brisbane. I bolted the aquaracks to the uprights and my new Kayak rack was finished.
I must say it is a whole lot better having my kayaks stored individually now as up until now they were all leaning against each other on their edges, locked up. So if I wanted to use the kayak at the front I had to move two other kayaks before hand. This way it will save time when I'm on the go for a planned kayak trip and also protecting them a bit better stored apart rather than all stacked against one another.
If you able to weld or have access to a pipe bender you could easily make a kayak rack such as this on the cheap rather than buying the dearer Aquaracks as I have done.
Also as some of you may have seen on the kayak forums last week I sold my 2008 Tarpon 100 . I did this to upgrade to the same kayak in the latest 2011/2012 model. The hatches, the seating and the side trax accessory rails are a huge benefit over the earlier model. I am fitting that out at the moment with Scotty Rod Holders, Flush Mount Rod Holders, Scotty Anchor Lock and some ram balls. Pictures will be on the site soon.
|
