New Melones Lake Trout Fishing on Hobie Pro Angler 14

After the recent rains here in the Central Valley Ca, the Delta is a mess.  Fishing options near me are limited in January especially after the big rainfall we had.  Finally a decent weather window.  I had heard now might be a good time to fish New Melones Lake so I decided to make the Trek.  This was my 1st time fishing this lake that I can recall.  It was an enjoyable solo trek fishing from my Hobie Pro Angler 14.  I managed to catch several Trout, did some exploring and learned a few things.

I launched near the New Melones Lake Visitor Center.  Just turn off on Melones Ct. off of Highway 49.  It is for hand launching only.  No boats with trailers.  Water levels are on the rise and there is debris in the water so drive slow as there are lots of trees and branches some of which are hard to see.  Non issue if you are in a Kayak.  Trolling required frequent stops to clear debris from the lines but I was still able to catch several Trout. 

I had success with about a three inch trout imitation lure however the best luck came on the Fly rod.  I trolled with an intermediate line 1.5mph ish, with what appears to be a trout imitation fly.  Not even sure where I obtained that fly.  It was the third fly I tried in my box.  Since it looked a little like a trout and since I had already caught one fish on the trout imitation I figured why not.  You can watch the video here.

I used my Hobie Live Well for the 1st time.  I learned it will not start pumping on its own.  I added about a three foot hose inside and primed it by sucking a few times on the hose to get it going.  Good thing it was lake water.  Ended up sucking up some water and debris.  I plan to install a longer hose next time which should help reduce sucking up water and will allow me to use the hose to wash out the Kayak.  Could have used the hose to wash out sand and fish blood on more than one occasion.  It will be a nice addition.  I was impressed though with the live well.  It ran nonstop for about 5 hours and kept a trout alive the whole time which is not easy as they tend to die easily.  Normally I would just put them on a stringer but I wanted to test it out.

I logged Sonar on my Lowrance Elite 7 Ti.  If you look close you might even be able to ascertain where I caught some of my fish.  What's nice about logging the Sonar and uploading it to GoFree is not only can you see the contours and sonar history, but you can recall where you fished, the water, wind and air temps.

As you can see in the data below I fished for 7 hours.  Didn't seem that long.  My legs held up well considering the length of time I was out there and the fact that I am not in very good shape right now.  It is a testament to how nice the Mirage Drive performs.  Love it!

Note to self.  Stop and explore.  Get out of the Kayak and walk around for a few.  There was a couple interesting areas where there was some old structures, running water and I hear there is some interesting crystal rocks or whatever they are called.  I tried for Bass using a Berkley Power worm in natural and dark with blue flake and only one take down on the blue flake.  I have some lessons to learn if I am going to catch Winter bass here.  Try to work improve on the Camera mount location and angle.  The GoPro Superview mode may be too wide.

 

Maiden Voyage on my 2017 Hobie Pro Angler 14 Finally!

I finally got to take out my 2017 Hobie Pro Angler 14 today for its maiden voyage.  Everything worked great.  I do have some kinks to work out, but the Kayak performed flawlessly.  I used the new reverse drive often and it worked great.  There is a learning curve to steering but after one day on the water I am getting the hang of it.  I wish I had taken more pictures but today was a day of many firsts and when I fish I am all business so taking photos was not on my mind. 

I was was a little nervous.  I am barely able to walk let alone lift heavy objects but I had a feeling based on what I have read and seen that I wouldn't have any trouble peddling.  If you read my previous post about my bone spur surgery you should know I am on day 45 since my surgery.  The fact that I was able to peddle all day for my 1st time says a lot about the Hobie Mirage Drive.  I was not able to push it, but I often trolled at 2 MPH with very little effort.  I was a little concerned when I 1st started because I had to peddle up current right off the bat.  I am sure I looked a little clumsy initially as I got my bearings. Learning to steer, checking out my depth sounder, pulling rods out, adjusting my seat and Miragedrive pedels etc.

The Boonedox Landing gear worked great.  I ran all day on a 15AH Duracell AGM battery hooked up to a Lowrance Elite TI 7.   I used the sonar and structure scan all day.  I still have a lot to learn but it worked great.  I was seeing a lot of fish.  Made me wonder what I was doing wrong.  There were no contours for the small reservoir so I logged sonar and uploaded it to Insight Genesis.  It will be neat to see my contours the next time I am at the reservoir.

I heard there was a good chance for catching Stripers, but I only caught one small one.  Caught a small Bass jigging a Hopkins spoon.  Had one blow up on a Frog that I tried for the 1st time but it didn't stick.  Tried several other lures and Senko's but the Hopkins was the only thing that produced all day.  I was not expecting good fishing so I didn't mind.  I was dying to get out on the water and had a great time.

I could not have done it though in my condition without help. My dad brought his small aluminum boat out along with a buddy of his and they helped load and unload the heavy Pro Angler.  I mentioned as we were loading it, "Maybe I should have bought the 12 footer.".  I am confident with some improvements and time to heal I will have no trouble loading and unloading solo in the near future.  I have some 3" PVC pipe at home that I need to use to allow the Yak to ride high enough in the back of my Truck so that it can clear the large Lowrance transducer.

I need to center the battery and move some heavy stuff from the front hatch the back.  The front and left side felt a little low.  I could use more vertical Rod Holders.  I was a little unorganized so I need to work on tackle management.  I think I can improve on the location of the two Cabelas rod holders also with a little tweaking.  I don't need them to set up so high I don't think.  I plan on picking up a GoPro so I can record my adventures.  Other than that I am good to go.

2017 Hobie Pro Angler 14 Has Finally Arrived

I just picked up my 2017 Hobie Pro Angler 14 In Camo.  Just thought I would share a few pics.  #hobiefishing

Anxiously Awaiting a 2017 Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 Kayak in Camo

I cant remember the last time I have been this anxious for a purchase.  It's worse than counting the days until school is out or waiting to open presents on x-mas as a kid.  I remember how much fun it was to peddle around in a Peddle Boat as a kid.  The float tube is fun, but now that the Wife has a stand up paddle board i can't keep up.  Being able to cover more territory would improve my fishing odds and allow me to go places that I otherwise might not ever go in a boat or float tube.


A couple months back I was thinking a lot about the Hobie Tandem Island sailing Kayak.  My wife and I rented one from California Canoe & Kayak in Oakland.  We launched from the dock at Jack London Square and cruised up and down the Oakland Estuary and had a blast.  It helped to solidify my desires but it still didn't make sense financially or practically yet.


Meanwhile I often found my self searching the internet for YouTube video's and used Kayaks on Craigslist.  Somehow I ran across some information about the new Reversible Hobie MirageDrives and I knew that a Hobie was the best solution for my needs.

Trouble is, would a Tandem Island fit in my Heartland Cyclone 5th Wheel with a 10' garage?  My thought was to poke through the sliding glass door opening, but even then at 18' 6" long I wasn't sure that would work.  The other issue was that the sliding glass door in the 5th Wheel Garage leading to the Kitchen opens from right to left.  You cannot walk from the Garage to the Kitchen through the sliding glass door if the slide outs are pushed in.  I solved that problem last weekend by reversing the slider so that from the garage it slides from left to right.  Now when the Slide outs are pushed in there is plenty of room in the center of the Garage for something longer than 10' to poke through the Slider opening.  An 18'+ Kayak is still debatable though.  Measurements indicate it would have to be lifted over the center island in the Kitchen and secured somehow.

Over this Labor Day weekend my oldest daughter read my mind and sent me a link to a promising fishing Kayak.  It has retractable stabilizers.  The ability to stand up and fish is important and it got me thinking seriously again.  I watched all their videos and they have a great idea, but feel strongly that I need a hands free solution for fishing.  My knees need the workout more than my upper body does.  Now that my wheels are spinning I take another look at Hobie.  The more I researched the more I knew the Hobie PA 14 was the way to go.  It would fit in the 5th Wheel garage and give me a workout that I need.  Since it's primary use will be fishing I can do without the Sail, or can I?  Turns out there is a sail kit that will work on the PA 14 and the videos look promising, so maybe I can have my cake and eat it too.

I play Soccer but I suffer from heal bone spurs and I am scheduled to have one of them removed in October.  I will have a boot for the 1st 6 weeks, but as soon after as possible I plan to use the Kayak as part of my physical therapy.  It seems like an excellent use case to me right?  Much more fun than an elliptical or stationary bike.

Normally I would look for a slightly used option or wait for a sale, but these things will sell fast.  The 3 that are allotted to Sunrise Mountain Sports for October are already sold and I am honored to be the recipient of one of them.  It's the only way to obtain the reversible drives.  The reversible drives won't be available for individual purchase until next year sometime so I can't just buy an older one now and retrofit it with the reversible drive.  Besides, the new Camo color looks awesome. 

I just put a deposit down to reserve one of 1st of 3 brand new 2017 Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 Camo colored Kayaks from Sunrise Mountain Sports in Livermore Ca.  They say it should arrive before the end of September.  I had to order the new one in order to have the MirageDrive 180 with full power reverse.  I float tube a lot with a Fly rod and I always end up paddling in reverse while fighting a fish.  I helps to take the slack out of the line, so I felt it was a necessity to have the ability to go in reverse. In the end I have justified the expense in my mind for the Hobie PA14.  Just to be safe I asked the wife and she didn't say no but I am sure this will cost me down the road.  :)  Cheers!