Kayak Fishing Expedition Season

Bryce with a superb bluenose from a previous White Island mothership trip – new kayaks and new camera systems and a few new tackle tricks will see us out there trying for new PB’s, and also attempting to catch them on paddle from shore missions.
Expedition Season, by Stephen Tapp
The next few months is going to see a hectic schedule trying to fit in a series of kayak competitions and expeditions. In little more than a week we begin with the Top Catch Cove to Cape kayak contest, September will see missions… more

Quick Guide - Garmin Echo 151 DownVu transducer installation into the Reloa

(Garmin Echo 151DV and accessories out of the box)
It proved to be a quick and simple process to install a Garmin DownVu transducer into the Reload Tackle Pod. Unpacking the sounder showed the usual Garmin accessories. The transducer is supplied with a separate mount plate (different to the transom bracket) that needs fitting before proceeding. This plastic plate simply screws directly to the transducer using the five screws and washers provided 
(Detail of the machine screw and spacers fitted to the Garmin Transom… more

Exploring the concept of kayak fishing using a trailer boat as a mothership

In this guest blog post from Paddle Guy we take a look at a different perspective on mothership kayak fishing.
Exploring the concept of kayak fishing using a trailer boat as a mothership
Here’s a different take on kayak fishing mother ship trips, yesterday fishing with my boys for Father’s Day in the 6m Fyran, I loaded the 2.7m Viking Kayaks Ozzie into the boat with the intention of using it to paddle into the shallows and gather a feed of Green Lipped Mussels.

This was a test run to… more

Kayak Fishing with Small Frame Reels

(Milkey is another angler who enjoys fishing small but powerful reels, and on a breezy Northland day had no problems skull-dragging this prize from the stones!)
Small frame fishing reels, by Stephen Tapp (written for the August 2014 issue of NZ Fishing News Magazine)
Winter kayak fishing and having awesome fun seems almost a contradiction to the uninitiated. They can’t fathom why any person in their right mind seeks to surround themselves with an ocean of cold water while every little breeze chills unprotected… more

Cove to Cape "The one that got away! "

When ask for a trip report from Cove to Cape Stephens reply was breif --"The only story I have is a fisherman's one..."
The wind on day one (30knots gusting 40) kept us from executing "Plan-A" so we headed off to our reserve location. Here the wind can make for hard work but there are more safety options if something unexpected happens. Fishing was initially slow but not without opportunities, and unfortunately I can claim the classic "one that got away" wooden spoon award...
On the sounder I saw a beautiful arch… more

NEW RailBlaza StarPort HD mount : A more stable mounting option for camera

RailBlaza have introduced another product that’s giving me even greater scope to achieve what I want when filming from my kayaks. One of the difficulties with rotationally molded product is the flex inherent with polyethylene. While often not an issue when fitting a wide variety of other accessories this can be a problem when mounting cameras.

The new StarPort HD has a bigger footprint and doubles the number of fastenings to four. This results in a much more stable mount even when not using a backing plate.… more

Viking Kayaks at Outdoor Retailer 2014

This year Viking Kayaks NZ were excited to be showcased at the biggest outdoor trade show stage out, Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City Utah. For those that don’t know much about this show, Outdoor Retailer (OR) is for Trade only and is without a doubt the most important show on the calendar for manufacturers and distributers in the outdoor industry. It is here at OR that the newest products on the market are shown to current and potential new retailers. In most cases this is where products never seen before are… more

Long or short rods for kayak fishing

Big Cuvier Island snapper from the deep on short rods are much easier to land, and this saves the arms for paddling!
The Hutchwilco Boat show is always a great place to be, with plenty of opportunity to check out recent innovations in everything from large craft (for carrying your kayak of course) to the smallest items of terminal tackle. For me one of the more exciting aspects is the opportunity to talk in person to a diverse group of anglers and find out what they’re most interested in. This year was no exception,… more

"Double Trouble" Kayak Fishing with Sportsmans Choice / Northland Kayaks

Join John from Sportsmans Choice/Northland Kayaks out in his Viking Profish Reload for some soft bait action...John gives us double the action while fishing 2 rods at a time and gets multiple double hook ups ! very entertaining to watch one rod twitching away un-noticed while he is working the other rod.

If you want to oin John fishing up North then click on the logo below to head over to his website for more info
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Top 5 Kayak Fishing accessories that keep the Maniyaks smiling

They say the best accessory a person can have is their smile, here are our top 5 accessories that keep us smiling.
 The Viking Profish Reload Tackle Pod
A world first! How often do you hear that? Well if you are a kiwi you hear it quite a lot actually. We’re a pretty ingenuitive bunch of people that come up with some brilliant ideas and this is one of them.  A completely removable pod that houses your battery, sounder, transducer and a crazy amount of tackle. It’s so cool that you can prep all… more