By Kent Johnsen
I love fishing in Hensjön, in Edsåsdalen. This time I fished for char with my Wavewalk 500.
Month: November 2017
End of the fall season in Idaho, fishing in my electric Wavewalk 500 kayak
By Sid Perry
Here are some photos from this fall.
I added a motor mount and used a 30 hp trolling motor. At lowest speed it’s a very nice trolling speed. Caught some awfully nice fish this fall.
I continue to enjoy how the Wavewalk gets me to places I normally couldn’t reach.
I get lots of looks and questions!
Four people having fun in three Wavewalk S4 skiffs, Key Largo
This is a video that shows people driving their S4 skiffs standing, riding the saddle seat, and sitting side-saddle, with and without a passenger on board, on flat water, in the chop, and in the ocean, in 2 ft waves. No problem whatsoever – Just fun, fun, fun!
Stability is non-issue in the S4 – It’s neither a problem in the physical sense, namely how the boat reacts to external forces, or in the ergonomic and psychological sense, namely balancing oneself as a driver or a passenger.
Driving is easy and intuitive, with or without a tiller extension, and the boat does what you want it to do, and feels almost like an extension of yourself.
Driving standing feels like skiing, except for the fact that you fully control both speed and direction.
Unlike standing in a Jon boat or on the flat deck of a common skiff, you stand in the S4 with a foot at the bottom of each hull and the saddle serves you as extra support and balancing enabler. In this sense, it’s more like riding a big personal watercraft, a.k.a. jet-ski, waverunner, etc.
A person who had never driven a boat before can drive an S4 standing within a short time on their first trip in it.
Many thanks to Captain Larry Jarboe, who made this possible and so enjoyable 🙂
Starring in this movie are (alphabetically) Dave, Larry, Orit and Yoav.
Thanksgiving speckled trout
By Jill Toler
North Carolina
What do you get when you put a Sunshine W700 on a local creek, add a Dubiel Pop-N-Fly, a 7 wt TFO BVK fly rod, some Rio floating fly line spooled on a Lamson Guru 3.0, and a 20 minute paddle to just the right spot… a fat, sassy 18″ speckled trout.
What a trip. I went to the infamous Northwest Creek with a similar plan that I have unsuccessfully executed on four previous occasions. Fortunately, trip number 5 turned out a lot better.
I paddled into the wind to get to a point that I was hoping would be holding some fish, and cast the Dubiel Pop-n-Fly toward the reeds and grass. Pop, pop, pause, pop, pause, pop, pop, pause; over and over again while drifting and trying not to be overrun by the trolling motor brigade. I decided to make a move and fish between some docks that had some very unhappy bait flicking around. Cast, pop, pop, pause…FISH ON! Went on a little sleigh ride before I was able to gain control and scoop her up. Best feeling ever!
It’s been way too long since I have enjoyed my Wavewalk and I am very thankful for a little break and a great trip.
The W700 is still the lightest boat for duck hunting in the mud flats
By Chris Henderson
Light is the name of the game.
I have been hunting hard and had another great hunt in the W700. I haven’t found the time to get the motorized S4 ready. I need probably another 4-5 hours of work on it but have been struggling to find it.
I hunt mud flats. They are not like your typical muddy beach. These flats are the result of silt and mud that is deposited at the mouth of a river meeting Puget Sound. These kind of mud flats are incredibly rich in sea life and have huge shrimp and clam beds. The result is a mud that can be firm one minute and the next you are up to your knees. Much deeper than that and you are stuck. In addition, the tide moves in and out at a very good pace most days. Sometimes it will move up to 14 feet in 6 hours. That means you have to move, a lot. Motorized boats are able to hunt the edges of these flats but really can’t take advantage of the flats themselves. They can get stranded if they don’t move their boat fast enough. If you go high and dry in a boat over 100lbs. you will not get it out until the tide comes back in. I met a fellow at the boat ramp who was admiring the W700 and said he spent the night last year out on the flats because the tide did not come back in far enough for him to get his boat out.
This is where the W700 shines. It drafts shallow, cuts the waves when the weather turns nautical, and it is light! I can easily drag it across even the soft mud and not get myself stuck. It is the perfect tool for where I hunt. Plus there is no trailer to mess with! On this hunt you can get a feel for the mud and how it is the right tool for the job.