So I got the Bigwater 132 and am hoping to get it in the water soon! Any gear I need to pick up?
I have:
Life vest
1- rod leash
1- paddle leash
Paddle (duh)
Small anchor and some rope
Kayak cart for ease of transport
Lights for the bow and stern
(Need to buy an air horn)
Anything by else you think I’m missing?
Things I’m considering:
Phone holder
Rod holder (ones that go on the raid and not just the ones that are in it from factory)
Orange flag
Posted by DrewSnek
6 Comments
Also worth noting I plan to use this in saltwater primarily incase that changes your recommendations
I watched a lot of videos before landing my kayak and accessories. The one piece of advice from the videos is to not buy everything at once and figure out your methods (paraphrasing).
For me, I knew the anchor system was a must. I fished in a “fishing” kayak that was mostly a recreational kayak. I got pushed around by the wind when I went fishing. My first accessory for my old town 106 was the Anchor Wizard. My maiden voyage was this last weekend and it was a huge upgrade.
My second beef was carrying limited equipment/limited access. I took a live bait set up and artificial. I put my preferred gear under my seat and backups in my crate (second upgrade from last year- crate with Riverruns bag).
I bought a cart, but at 77 lbs- I think I can haul it to the lake without much issue for now. I need to hit the gym, but it wasn’t a huge struggle. So if I were to go back, I’d wait on the cart.
So for you- get out and learn about what you need. That was my last summer creating a list for this summer and still realizing what I need vs what was advertised as a need. Oh also pole floats!
My advice: don’t overcomplicate it. Go out real simple the first time or two and see what you feel like you’re missing. Just take one pole, if anything.
Your list so far is pretty much what I’d recommend, other than the lights necessarily. In my opinion, if you’re gonna bother running lights, just go whole hog and get a trolling motor.
If you’re running an anchor, strongly consider an anchor trolley as well. Really helps with positioning. Just be careful running it in the middle in moving water, it’ll dump you. On that note, make damn well sure you can get back on it from deep water.
For your life jacket, I recommend looking for something kayak specific, with a higher back to accommodate the seat. Some of the fishing kayak PFDs are honestly super useful. I clip pliers to mine and keep extra hooks at hand.
Don’t forget sunscreen, a big hat and polarized glasses. Remember, you’re probably gonna be in *direct*-direct sun. I actually just recently bought one of those performance fishing hoodies and it was a game changer. Can’t believe I waited so long.
Anchor wizard, sonar and trolling motor is what I would do on a non pdl bigwater.
Fishing rod and a couple beers.
You don’t need any of this stuff other than a whistle just stuff I’ve used over the years, a small dry box and a dry bag, small first aid/survival kit, fish grip , vhs radio, pfd knife. I’ve got a sticker on the inside of my hatch with emergency contact info.