Kayakey xmas gift ideas

Author: josh

Category: Kayak fishing accessories

Created on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 06:34

Written by Josh

It's that time of year again where we take a look at some of the yak-fishing accessories that might just suit as an ideal Xmas present for your kayak fishing pals or partners. Whenever compiling such lists there are always several considerations, primary among them being utility and secondary, affordability. The following products are either relatively new in the marketplace and or highly functional and a fairly safe bet to buy a loved one as a present. So whether you're looking for a gift idea for the yak fisho who seems to have everything, or otherwise something that is pretty much guaranteed to enhance the kayak fishing experience for them, read on.

A particular item that many kayak fishos like to use - particularly those that fuss over table quality of catch - is a reliable cooler box that will fit into the storage well of a kayak, without being so small that it would struggle to fit most fish. Waeco's 22lt Cool Ice cooler fits the bill really well, and is molded with as much precision as the kayak it is perched on (which is to say a lot better finish than most rotomolded ice boxes). You'd have to look pretty hard to find a more suitable fish storage solution for inland kayak fishing. 

One newly released product from Hobie that owners of Outback and Revolution kayaks would be keen to have are the new hatch liners, which are essentially a large drop-in bucket that fits into the rim of the front hatch perfectly. If your beloved kayak fisho has been strugging on a clean and simple fish storage solution, these are well worth looking at.

Along similar lines is the new XL deep gear bucket, which Hobie have designed to appease the many requests they've had for a deeper and spacier hatch storage system. Compatible with any model Hobie other than the Quest and Pro Angler, the larger gear bucket can be used for a variety of items that might otherwise not fit into a standard gear bucket. There's not too many Hobie kayak fishos who couldn't find a way to put one of these to good use.

Perhaps they could use some form of storage bag for kayak camping trips and expeditions and of these the tapered style work really well for storage of clothes, sleeping bags, pillows and other lightweight items that can be compacted into a compressed bag. Tapered style drybags are designed to fit neatly into the bow, providing a much better fit than traditional drybags. There's a few options going in this department, the best we've seen being the Big River Tapered bag from Sea to Summit (a perfect fit for Oasis, Odyssey, Revo 11 & 13, Quest 11 & 13, Adventure/AI/TI) or the Kodiak Tapered Dry Bags from Sealine, which do a better job of compression.

If you're thinking it might be nice to make the kayak fishing experience just that little bit safer, an excellent product to keep in mind is the new Visicarbon Pro safety flag and light combo. These might just be the best safety flag/light combo available for kayaks and it's certainly the snazziest. Incorporating carbon fibre pole sections, a flag that doubles as a carry bag and the light module is both efficient and relatively bright. Compatible with any kayak (or canoe for that matter) this is one safety item that most users would be more than happy to attach to their yaks.

Another handy little item that offers as much utility as it does safety backup is the Petzl E+Lite (pictured top of article) which comes packaged as a functioning head torch, but can just as easily be secured to a PFD. They are small, light, efficient and relatively bright, with multiple light modes, including flashing. On top of all that they are waterproof and seem to just keep on keeping on. Handy for illumination in various low-light conditions, one of these might just make all the difference in the event of emergency.

Maybe they've been dropping hints about a more suitable fishing net... something with a reasonable sized handle for kayaking, something that won't inadvertantly catch wind and act as a sail, and something that won't get tangled up with hook barbs. For this we'd recommend just about anything made with a silicone rubber style net, much like this one from Berkley Fishing.

If you're just looking for something to throw in the stocking that won't be re-gifted when you're not looking, it'd be hard to go past a GSI Dukjug. These stainless steel bottles are high quality, fit most Hobie models nicely (Revo 11 & 13, Oasis, Odyssey, Adventure/AI/TI, have a handy little sipping lid (no more spills down the neck) and have a recessed provision for emergency tape, and or leader line. These are available in 2 sizes - .75 and 1lt variants. The former is a great fit in the Oasis and Odyssey due to their lower profile (less likely to get in the way) and the latter are much the same size as the standard bottle that is supplied with those models. 

On the other hand, if you're looking for a high quality stainless steel bottle that will keep drinks hot or cold, then look no further than the Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel insulated bottles. 

It might be that the most valuable item you could bless your yak fishing partner with is some sort of accessory to make car-topping the kayak easier. if you've sat back watching them struggle to do this, or you're sick and tired of being asked to come over and help lift it on, you might want to look into the various kayak car-topping solutions available.

Finally, if that person has been watching YCKFS and muttering sentences about wishing they had the sort of lures we're using to haul in the winner fish, you should look into which Rapala lures have been bringing home the bacon.

If anyone else has any ideas for Xmas gifts for kayak fishos, please share your thoughts here!