THIS RIGGING FORUM NEEDS A JUMPSTART!
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 2:39 pm
There's nothing like a good rigging hack. But, let's face it, the glory days of "low-hanging fruit" are largely gone. (Crates, trolleys, fishfinder hacks, etc., have almost been done to death.) Rigging posts over time have become a lot less frequent, but discussion and idea exchange are the lifeblood of ANY forum.
So I'm just gonna put one out there while I'm still AT the doodlin'/thinkin' stage....
The full heat of summer will be upon us soon, and nightfishing is a great way to beat the heat. And there's absolutely no doubt that docklights are proof that God/Cthulhu/Whatever loves fishermen. If you've never fished 'em, I weep for you. But maybe there AREN'T any docklights within a comfortable paddle. Or maybe they're on the private dock of some trigger-happy snowbird/methfreak. The obvious solution is:
"In People's Republic of Kayakfishing, dock lights come to YOU, comrade!"
I'm imagining some kind of extra stakeout pole, lightweight and waterproof (well, highly water-resistant anyway, e.g., will stand up to a howling rain), free-standing when driven in, floatable if it falls over, no tether needed (so it can be even cheap PVC, angle-cut to a point on one end), with some kind of downward-directed light (shielded from the side, so it doesn't night-blind you). Solar-powered -- maybe with a battery backup -- but good output. Should make a decent pool of light in the water, but doesn't have to make ship helmsmen claw at their eyes. Should be away from the kayak (to draw bugs away from you). Could be as simple as a cheapo LED flashlight taped/secured to the pole. Maybe one of those solar-powered LED gutter lights.
Or maybe an attachment that you could add TO your everyday stakeout pole.
You could also make (tethered/anchored, obviously) floating models, or hanging models (say, spring-clamped to or hung from an overhanging tree limb or mangrove). One type of "buoy" model might be, say, a tupperware-type tub with clear bottom/sides and a solid-color top, floated with a pool noodle "collar".
Maybe someone could weigh in here on legality/responsible-use issues, too. Obviously, you don't want to endanger OR annoy anyone. I can't imagine that sticking one of these in a flat on the edge of a finger channel/bowl/dropoff/etc. and then staking out/anchoring (with proper sternpole lighting on your kayak, of course) within easy casting distance would be a problem -- but I am not a lawyer (even on the internet ).
Alright, fire up those high-powered, homemade, DIY, jerry-rigged, pool-noodlin', duct-tapin', yak-riggin' frontal lobes of yours and let's get a keyboard-tappin' BRAINSTORM going here.
OK, fall out. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.
Ol' Sarge
____________________
"I knowed you was crazy when I seen you staked out there. I knowed what was in store for me." -- No Country for Old Spotjumpers
So I'm just gonna put one out there while I'm still AT the doodlin'/thinkin' stage....
The full heat of summer will be upon us soon, and nightfishing is a great way to beat the heat. And there's absolutely no doubt that docklights are proof that God/Cthulhu/Whatever loves fishermen. If you've never fished 'em, I weep for you. But maybe there AREN'T any docklights within a comfortable paddle. Or maybe they're on the private dock of some trigger-happy snowbird/methfreak. The obvious solution is:
"In People's Republic of Kayakfishing, dock lights come to YOU, comrade!"
I'm imagining some kind of extra stakeout pole, lightweight and waterproof (well, highly water-resistant anyway, e.g., will stand up to a howling rain), free-standing when driven in, floatable if it falls over, no tether needed (so it can be even cheap PVC, angle-cut to a point on one end), with some kind of downward-directed light (shielded from the side, so it doesn't night-blind you). Solar-powered -- maybe with a battery backup -- but good output. Should make a decent pool of light in the water, but doesn't have to make ship helmsmen claw at their eyes. Should be away from the kayak (to draw bugs away from you). Could be as simple as a cheapo LED flashlight taped/secured to the pole. Maybe one of those solar-powered LED gutter lights.
Or maybe an attachment that you could add TO your everyday stakeout pole.
You could also make (tethered/anchored, obviously) floating models, or hanging models (say, spring-clamped to or hung from an overhanging tree limb or mangrove). One type of "buoy" model might be, say, a tupperware-type tub with clear bottom/sides and a solid-color top, floated with a pool noodle "collar".
Maybe someone could weigh in here on legality/responsible-use issues, too. Obviously, you don't want to endanger OR annoy anyone. I can't imagine that sticking one of these in a flat on the edge of a finger channel/bowl/dropoff/etc. and then staking out/anchoring (with proper sternpole lighting on your kayak, of course) within easy casting distance would be a problem -- but I am not a lawyer (even on the internet ).
Alright, fire up those high-powered, homemade, DIY, jerry-rigged, pool-noodlin', duct-tapin', yak-riggin' frontal lobes of yours and let's get a keyboard-tappin' BRAINSTORM going here.
OK, fall out. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.
Ol' Sarge
____________________
"I knowed you was crazy when I seen you staked out there. I knowed what was in store for me." -- No Country for Old Spotjumpers