WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » trolling

6’4″ 265 lbs Ex NFL Player 1st Time Standing in W Fishing Kayak, By Mike Hancock

W kayak — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:59:36 +0000

I took my kayak out for a test spin at the lower lake lagoon at Castaic Lake here in South California. It’s been raining off and on the last two weeks but I finally just went!

It took about 5 minutes of getting used to the balance of sitting up so high on the center saddle, but after getting used to it, I was fine! I weigh 265, now I can start working out a bit again, paddling.
It was a May Grey day and windy as heck, but I went all over the lagoon anyway. No problem at all except my large profile acts like a sail going straight into the wind, so I leaned forward and that helped a lot!

I couldn’t stand up in the w kayak in the rough windy center of the lake, but when I got in the calmer waters near shore, I could! The fact is, I just don’t have that good of “sea legs!” I even had trouble standing on the back deck a big fishing boat in Alaska last year when the water got rough.

I took most of these pics myself so angles are weird, especially standing shots as I could only shoot straight down, but right at the end of the day, I talked a guy on shore into taking a few pics of me doing a short spin out in the water. It had brightened and got calmer by then too!

I’m NOT a guy that likes to just paddle around for fun. Now that I know how easy this thing is to use, I’m going fishing from now on! The guys in the float tubes just drag 4 to 6-inch plastic worms while kicking along (I saw about 5 fish caught), one about three lbs.
I have the two built-in rod holders in my W kayak, but their angle seems better for holding spare rods then for trolling, so I’m going to try the clamp-on holders. I’m going to paddle around slowly dragging a worm myself, and fish!

The bass are way bigger in this little lower lake lagoon than in the upper lake they said.

I’m back IN THE GAME NOW. That lower lake lagoon was off limits to me with my big bass boat. No power boats allowed except small boats powered by electric. It’s only 30 minutes away…so with launching, it’s only about 45 minutes to world class bass fishing. I’m taking advantage.

Next time I’m going to fish!

Mike Hancock
South California Fishing Kayaks, Simi Valley

Motor Mount For Kayak Electric Trolling Motor, By Gary Thorberg, Minnesota

W kayak — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:32:51 +0000

Gary Thorberg is Wavewalk Kayaks’ dealer in Minnesota.
Here is how Gary mounted an electric trolling motor on his W500 fishing kayak:

1. Clamp-on motor mount – Quick and easy. Gary chose to make this motor mount from Oak wood. The vertical part, to which the motor is attached, is hinged, in order to prevent accidents in case the motor bumps into an underwater obstacle.

2. Electric trolling motor mounted on the W500 kayak. The motor is mounted on one side of the kayak, and the battery is placed at the bottom of the opposite hull. This balances the kayak without reducing its stability.

3. Detail: Motor mount clamp: All metal components are inexpensive, off-the-shelf products found in any hardware store.

4. Electric trolling motor setup – General view: With this propeller shaft length, Gary can troll both seated and standing up. Since the W500 kayak is totally symmetrical frond and end, Gary can troll with the motor either in the front, or in the back.

More technical info >>

Read more about motorizing your fishing kayak >>

Danilo Russolillo, Offshore W Kayak Paddler and Angler, Rome, Italy

W kayak — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:32:52 +0000

From the beautiful, sunny Mediterranean, Danilo wrote us:

Yesterday and today I tested the wavewalk.
I am happy with the W. It is very stable, I went far away from the beach, I enjoyed standing up, I think it’s going to be very important to people who own a Wavewalk, and also the ability to lie down and sunbathe.
It is fast like a normal touring kayak, and to me it is perfect.
I’m not a fisherman, but today I tried trolling. I hooked a big fish, but it broke the wire and ran away!
Danilo

Opener 2011 – Minnesota Kayak Fishing Trip Report With 18′ Mothership

W kayak — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:13:23 +0000

Gary, from MinnYaks wrote the following fishing report on his Minnesota Kayak Fishing blog:
Opener 2011 was a success! (see photo gallery) Weather was lousy, but that made for good fishing. We caught and ate a lot of crappies, caught and released a lot of bass and northern pike. Didn’t really fish much for walleyes, but managed to catch and eat a few anyway. The W500 was really fun to fish from. I was able to go anywhere I wanted, and was never tired, even after hours of fishing. Trolling, casting, bobber fishing, and fly fishing were all easily managed. We tried transporting the ‘W’ with our ‘mother ship’, our 18′ bay boat. It was too easy! The long run into the wind to the fishing spot took only a few minutes! We will be doing that again. All in all, I can honestly say that fishing from the ‘W’ was one of my more memorable fishing experiences to date!

Airjet Motor on W500 Stand Up Fishing Kayak – Movie

W kayak — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:18:41 +0000

This movie shows a ‘proof of concept’ test we did with the W500 kayak.
The setup includes a 32 cc, 1.2 HP, 4 cycle gas engine we took from a small leaf blower.
4 stroke engines are easy to start, and less noisy than 2 stroke engines.
They produce very little fumes, and therefore are not as stinky as 2 stroke engines are.
You can run for a long time on a 1 quart tank, and carry more fuel on board.

Clearly, the W500 would benefit from a more powerful engine

This W500 setup presents many advantages, including the lack of both rudder and immersed propeller, which makes it ideal for shallow water, as well as for water where seaweed is abundant.
Naturally, it also makes beaching and launching easy.

You can keep paddling while the motor is running, whether you’re looking for more speed, or for better steering. Needless to say, that you can troll and fish with both hands while the motor is running.
Killing the engine is easy, just by pushing a button on the throttle.
Starting the motor is easy as well, and so is refueling.

Read more about motorizing your fishing kayak >>