Stand up bar on the Jackson Kilroy.

A few of us on the fishing team have adopted the Kilroy as our Inland Bass Yak. This yak won us over because of its lighter weight, speed, stability, comfort and fishability. The lack of scuppers makes this boat glide through the water far better than its 12' sit-on-top counterpart the Cuda 12, and because of the low center of gravity it is significantly easier to stand in. Even so, we wanted more. We love the new standing bar that comes standard on the Big Rig and we wanted to see if we could adapt something like this to our Kilroys. So Bam took the tape to it only to find out that the dimensions for the stand up bar would work perfectly on the Kilroy. So we started taking apart a Big Rig we had in stock and adapting it to Bam's Kilroy. The extra point of contact that the bar makes when it meets your hips creates even more stability, as well as making it easier to stand up and sit down. The front pieces mount to the flat part of the deck in front of the dashboard cover, and the rear supports were easily adapted to the track using Yak Attack T Bolts. Here is the finished product. 

Looks factory

Bam was happy with the result. 

It fits perfect on the deck and we added a little clip to bungee it down. 

Stowed position.

This is how we adapted the rear clip to the track.

The front mount.

It's important to note that this mod will also work on many other Jackson models including the Coosa and Cuda series. Here is a Cuda 12 we just got done tricking out for a customer.

Bam and I shot this little video walkthrough at the shop to show you how it all works! We will be selling this as an add-on for existing Jackson customers. The Mod will cost about $150 if you want to have it rigged here for free or shipped to you. Hit us up at:
Headwaterskayak@gmail.com
www.headwaterskayak.com
The Headwaters on Facebook
Headwaters Kayak on Instagram
@headwaterskayak Twitter

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DEMO VIDEO

Spring Kayak Fishing Trips

     February fishing on the Delta has been successful, yet different than usual. The strange, constantly changing weather patterns that we have been experiencing have the delta in a different condition almost daily and the fish are in different places every time we go out. With one day providing excellent striper action, the next has been a day of searching. This has not slowed us down, as we have still gotten on quality fish from our kayaks with a little bit of hard work. The fishing will be picking up in the coming weeks with warmer weather and the spring striper run. The Headwaters Kayak Shop is looking to share this experience with all of you. This spring, kayak fishing trips with Bam Miller will be offered from the Delta to the Sierras, chasing stripers to Brook trout, and everything in between. These trips will include a fishing kayak, a paddle, a PFD, and kayak fishing instruction. Learn the ropes of fishing from a kayak from one of the area's premier kayak fisherman, and guests from the Headwaters Kayak Fishing Team. The first trip will be Wednesday, March 12, 2014 on the Delta for bass and stripers. Space is limited to four paddlers per trip as one on one attention from Bam and fishing team members remains a priority, so sign up now!

Fly fishing from kayaks is a great way to catch fish

Be sure to use quality hooks when striper fishing to avoid this!

 

Crabfest 2014

Crabfest 2014
Victor "vwool"

Crabfest 2014 was a huge success, and this was the biggest Crabfest to date! Despite there not being a great amount of Dungeness crab, there was not a lack of good times.
 
On tournament day I awoke from my teardrop trailer rental at 5:45 am and noticed what looked like a line of cars waiting for the gate to open. I couldn’t believe the amount of cars waiting for Crabfest. At this point I knew it was going to be a great day.  With minimal wind, we were able to get the day started and anglers registered starting at 7:20 am. The line in the morning for registration seemed like it was never going to end, but Narisa and Bill were able to keep the line moving. 

Getting the morning started

Dan and Family

Sun on the Jetty

About an hour and a half into the event the first Dungeness crab came in for measurement. It had been caught after a 30 min soak. Shortly after that more and more crabs were brought in for measurement. In the end there were an equal amount of Dungeness and Rock crab brought in for measurement. At 12:30 pm most of the kayaks were on the beach and the potluck started. There was a great array of food that five star restaurants can’t compete with, NCKA potlucks are in a league of their own. 

Eddylines on the Beach

Shortly after the potluck, the awards were given out for largest Rock crab and 1st, 2nd, 3rd largest Dungeness crab. 

The largest Rock crab measured in at 6.23”, 1.38 lbs and was brought in by Scotty Swehla. 

3rd place Dungeness went to Nate Lee (Spinal tap) with a crab measuring in at 6.6” and 1.48 lbs

2nd place Dungeness went to Tracey Ziomeck (sctrace) with her catch measuring in at 6.66” and weighing 1.82 lbs. 
 
1st  place Dungeness came in measuring in at 6.78” and weighing in at 1.93 lbs. The winner of the biggest Dungeness went to Aaron Peters. 

This year’s Grand Prize was a Eddyline Caribbean 14 donated by Eddyline kayaks. It was great to see all ten people at the end up there waiting for their number to be called. Wendal took home the prize and was super stoked, which was awesome considering it was his first NCKA event.
  
This year’s raffle proceeds went to the Diabetes Youth Families (www.dyf.org), an organization close to my heart. The raffle raised over $1600 and will support families and children living with Type one Diabetes. 
This event would not have been possible without all the work behind the scenes, a big thank you goes out to: Dan Arbuckle, Ashlie Arbuckle, Bill Beckett, Jack & Kay Arbuckle, Joe & Terri Arbuckle, Ron and Suzanne, and my lovely wife Narisa. There are probably a few that I missed but know you are appreciated!

This event has been free since day one and it is all because of the great sponsors: Headwaters Kayak Shop, Eddyline Kayaks, Promar/Ahi, A.Bachar, Yakattack, NRS, Malone, Vacations in a Can, Costa, Liquid Image Company and Kala Brand Music.

And the biggest thank you goes to all the participants who make this the biggest kayak crabbing tournament in the world. 

Sea Kayak Fishing Course at Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium

Well it has been awhile since I have posted. I have been busy learning to use a sea kayak so that I could aid in instructing an Introduction to Sea Kayak Fishing course at the annual Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium. Dan and I were graciously invited by Sean Morley to co-teach with JF Marleau.

I had the best rigged kayak for fishing.

Utilizing the buddy system.

The day of our class was of course the worst weather we had had all weekend. It was raining, and the wind was blowing about 16mph. Determined to make the most of it, JF, Dan, and myself agreed that our best option was to start the day off with some classroom time and see if the weather improved. We had been looking forward to the class for months and there was no way we were going to let a little foul weather get us down. This was after all, the first time a fishing course had been offered at Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium (GGSKS) and we were determined to make it a memorable event. We introduced ourselves to our student and then shared our knowledge of kayak fishing. Unfortunately when we wrapped up our talk the weather had not let up. Despite the weather, we headed for Baker beach, hoping that the southwesterly wind was blowing over the top of San Francisco, creating a wind shadow at the beach.

Dan's best crabby face!

When we arrived, we were pleased to see that indeed the wind was barely blowing at Baker Beach. We had lunch, geared up and hauled our kayaks down to the surf. The plan was to drop crab pots and fish for surfperch out of the 'yaks, since most other sportfisheries are closed this time of the year.

Our one and only surfperche caught by JF Marleau.

We launched the kayaks into the surf and paddled out with determination. First we dropped the crab pots. We had been seeing people catch crabs off the beach using snares all weekend, so we figured this would be our most successful endeavor. On a comical side note, Dan, JF, and I were so engrossed in the rest of GGSKS that we did not manage to pick up proper crab bait. We are resourceful fishermen however, and scrounged up some left over chicken salad and cold cuts from the event kitchen.

Stowing crabs in Dan's kayak.

With the crab pots launched it was time for surfperch fishing. We helped each other remove our fishing gear from inside our kayaks. Unlike a sit on top, the best place to store your gear is inside the hull, so the buddy system is often required. Once we had our rods put together we paddled ourselves into shore where the waves were breaking and began fishing. After about 30 minutes JF hooked up and landed the one and only surfperch of the trip. The crab pots, proved much more successful. We ended the trip having caught around 20 crabs, 3 of which were legal. Overall the class was a success, having educated our student and accomplishing our goals of catching surfperch and crabs. Can't wait until next year!

Awesome end to the day.