kal77

I think I would go with a low power fish finder without lots of fancy features or extras like GPS that will run the required time off your small battery. Then get an Android or iPhone cell phone or Android or iPad tablet with a built in GPS receiver (all iPhones & android phones will have GPS, not all tablets) and buy the Navionics app. You don't need cell phone service for the GPS to work and even an Android that is running v3 or an early model of v4 can be found pretty cheap used. With the voice and data services turned off the battery should easily get through an average fishing trip. Worst case, get a spare battery to charge and bring along.

I have been using my iphone with navionics for gps but it really eats through the battery and is difficult to mark a waypoint quickly when I hook up or mark a bait pod. It makes me nervous about having a dead phone battery while out offshore in case if I need to make an emergency call. Navionics has been great for ice fishing though since I don't need to have it on all of the time.

Thanks for that link Kyle. I think I'm going to start out just using the 9 ah battery I have and bring a backup along for longer days. That solar charger might be a hassle on a kayak but you've got me thinking about getting one for weekend camping trips to recharge my fishfinder battery.

Brandon pm me your email and I'll send you some detailed pics.

Found some open water down in Indiana so strapped the yaks up and joined a buddy to go for some browns. I ended up going about 7 for 15 on browns, losing a lot kayak side (left my net in the car). Buddy landed about the same. A lot of cookie cutter 17-19 inchers but we each had one over 24". They bit in flurries and must have been schooled up. A few jigging and a few on cranks. Overall a good start to 2014. Some fish porn attached.

(2) Reef runners

(2) Old thundersticks had the back hooks ripped out by kings

(1) Shad rap

(1) Stinger spoon that I dropped out of the yak because my hands were shaking so much after landing my first fish...

(1) Mag moonshine spoon

(1) Torpedo diver that I dropped through the scupper hole...

(2) Nets lol - Kings swam/bit through both. I learned and upgraded to a bigger, higher quality net now

(1) Rod - snapped it off trying to lift a king up by the tail after losing my net...

(1) Paddle snapped at the point of connection - I now carry a backup

Caught a king that was dragging around a dipsey diver

Found a tackle box of lures that nobody claimed. Most were rusted but a few were still usable.

This was my first year so I was pretty limited on tackle and rarely ran any flashers but my top 5 were:

1. Sneaky Pete Mag PK

2. NBK Mag Mich Sting

3. Red Hot Tiger Deep Thunderstick (fall harbor kings)

4. Green Dolphin Regular Mich Sting

5. Tiny Pink & Lime Green Michigan Stinger Spoon (slayed the browns all summer long)

Nice Kal , it will continue all winter like that , even better if you can get out. Tomorrow may be the last day for a while as the cold is going to move in.

Over at our spot guys were catching browns all morning, only a few perch though.

Thanks Jim. I'll probably give it a try through the ice this weekend. This extreme cold spell needs to end!

Thanks for all of the input. I think I'm going to avoid the dragonfly for now due to some of the reviews I have read but if given the opportunity I will check it out. To solve the battery issues I might upgrade it a bigger battery or bring along two 7ah batteries.

The only thing with the dragonfly is that I'm pretty nervous buying into any new technology such as CHIRP until they have worked out the kinks in the first few generations. I will check out some reviews and see how people have been liking it so far. That chirp technology sounds pretty cool and effective though.

Looking for input on which fishfinder/gps combo to get for the yak. Right now I am running an early 90s lowrance with no gps that the old man had sitting in the corner of the basement. Looking to upgrade this year as it's a pain trolling with no gps. I have been looking at the Lowrance Elite-5 HDI & the Humminbird 597ci HD DI. I would say 75% of my fishing is on Lake Michigan while the other 25% is spent on inland lakes, mainly Lake Winnebago for walleye (max depth 20ft, lots of nearshore structure). Any input on the two above units or recommendations in that price range (~$500)?

Some things I am looking for:

-Ease of use. Any time I spend messing with my fishfinder on the water is time that I am not paddling/aka trolling.

-Speed/gps accuracy at low speeds. I do not care if the sonar washes out at speeds greater than 5mph. If I get going any faster than that I can assure you all I'll be doing is holding onto my paddle for dear life

-Can it mark fish and can you distinguish if it's a bait ball or a salmon

-Any advantage to having down imaging on the great lakes and does it take a larger transducer than a basic unit? The smaller the ducer the better for me.

-Transducer frequencies/cone angles for deepwater fishing?

-Energy usage - I currently use a 7ah 12v battery and sometimes fish for 12-16 hours straight. I would need something that wouldn't chew through batteries like crazy.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be great. If any of you have any used units in this range I would be open to buying used. Just looking for something reliable.

Great catch, that brown spawn is pure gold!

Yep it's all cured up in the fridge for next time

I had never had any success with spawn before this so I was very surprised to see my rod doubled over 10 seconds after dropping it down.

Thanks guys. I'm glad the fish were biting because I wouldn't have lasted long in the cold if they weren't.

Thanks Matt.

Thanks Mike. I was able to get in Milwaukee yesterday and found a lot of browns and a steelie. Looking forward to a good 2014 season.

Finally found some open water to get the kayak out and finish the 2013 season and had a great day. Launched around 730 and trolled spoons for a half hour without any luck. Decided to anchor at the discharge to jig and as I was winding up I had two browns follow my spoon up. Pulled a quick figure 8 and hooked up with the first fish of the day, about a 5# brown. Once I anchored at the discharge i didn't go 10 minutes without a fish until I left. I tied up a dozen spawn sacs last night and they were gone by 10 am going 5 for 12. 1/4 oz darter jig with various colored 4" and 5" gulp got hit nonstop casting right at the discharge. Ended up landing 52 and losing at least twice that.

Highlight of the day was seeing a brown jump five or six times right next to the yak before noticing a spawn sac in the corner of its mouth and winding it in.

Five browns were between 10 & 12 pounds with most being in the 3-5 pound range. Also pulled a beautiful 8-1/2 pound steelie that put up a heck of a fight. Kept one big brown that was still full of eggs and the steelie that had skein. Overall a great way to end my first year on the big pond. Hopefully the harbor stays open enough to get out a few times early next year.

Nice work Ed!

Thanks for the info Jim. I live near the harbor so I keep a close eye on the conditions. Hopefully I can sneak out there for a few more trips this year.

Ya yesterday when I went down on my lunch break it was open but I just checked it and the east wind jammed up all of my launch spots with ice today. Was hoping to get out tomorrow but it looks like I'm done until spring unless if we get a midwinter thaw.

Thanks for the welcome guys. Now if I only could find some open water I could post a fishing report. Looks like ice fishing for now.

Welcome Kal! I always thought it would be fun to land a big king while fishing out of a kayak!

Ha we call it a sleigh ride. I've had fish tow me a 1/2 mile + when the fresh ones started staging outside of the harbor. Can't beat the rush when they start towing you around and you have no control over where they take ya.

Nice yak! What wilderness model is that and how long?

Thanks! It is a Tarpon 120 which is 12'3" if I remember correctly. I have liked it so far but am looking to upgrade to a hobie or native propel drive in a year or two for some hands free trolling.

Be careful Kalvin, the big pond five miles out is a long swim back. Welcome aboard.

Yes, pfd is on at all times with VHF, flares, and knife strapped to it. Kayak is lit up like a xmas tree at night. I make it a rule for myself that I need to be within sight of power boaters at all times out deep and am always with other kayakers. We have been out in 4 footers and know we can handle it but if anything over 1 ft is forecasted we're staying in the harbor or not going at all.

Since the water cooled off I've been staying within a 2 minute swim of shore and have jumped in with my wetsuit on to see how I handle the cold (not a fun test)

Here are a few of my setup. I'll be making a few changes this winter to help with organization.

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz342/kalvin_clein77/IMG_1122_zps6cc92734.jpg' alt='IMG_1122_zps6cc92734.jpg'>

Hello all,

I started kayak fishing on Lake Michigan in early July and it has become an addiction. I fish out of Milwaukee and my main targets are kings and browns although I have landed a few coho and steelhead out of the yak as well (no lakers yet). I grew up fishing Lake Winnebago for walleyes, sauger, perch, and crappie so the big pond is a big change for me.

I fish mainly in and around the harbors during the colder months but venture out to deep (5+ miles) during the summer so some of you in the Milwaukee/Port Washington area may have seen me out there this year.

I am on a few other forums but stumbled onto this one and have been impressed by the helpfulness and honesty that I have seen by the members on a variety of threads. Looking forward to sharing reports and info this coming year.

-Kal