Light It Up!

Safety is one of the biggest concerns when kayak fishing. There are a many different things to keep in mind when going out on even the smallest of trip - turn the lights off, and the precautions add up very quickly.

 

Recently we worked with YakAttack to provide some safety gear tips for the new Sportsman's Best: Kayaking Fishing book. One thing I would like to elaborate on in this blog is the need for good lighting on your kayak for night fishing.

I will be talking about the installation of YakAttack's new accessory, GearTrac, in combination with their popular safety flag/light combo, the VISICarbon Pro. The GearTrac is a rugged, USA made, military grade coating surface mount trac system. It can be used for basically anything that YakAttack carries as a sturdy, stable base to start attaching your accessories to. The VISICarbon Pro is a collapsible, reflective, light and flag system that meets or exceeds USCG requirements.

Personally, I like to make anything that I install removable and mobile. It makes it easier to move to another kayak if needed, remove for storage, or for just a clean look when needed. I decided to modify my good-old egg crate to be the foundation for my install, which is also easy to remove and store when not in use.

I started by taking a 2x4 and cutting it the width of the egg crate. Taking a couple screws on each end secured the 2x4 to the bottom of the egg crate, this gave me a mounting start to screw the GearTrac onto. Using the included stainless steel screws, I drilled holes through each hole on the plate and installed the screws. It was very sturdy and wasn't going anywhere.

 

 

Next, the pole of the VISICarbon Pro easily straightens itself out via a bungee throughout the shaft of the pole. The universal screw on the bottom of the 'Pro slides into the track of the GearTrac and tightens by screwing into place. It only takes a few seconds to screw in place and remove when needed. The 8" GearTrac allows for a few different attachments to be added on a single GearTrac, so I was able to slide the VISICarbon Pro along with my camera mount and secure on the same piece.

 

 

It was a MUCH better upgrade from my homemade PVC light install. It is more bright, visible, and has multiple uses. Also, if it for any reason does fall in the water, the shaft will float, which is definitely a plus.

 

 

YakAttack is also one of our sponsors for our kickoff kayak tournament, which is going great so far!

Visit www.yakattack.us to view their full product line.