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Rigging a sit-on kayak for spearfishing?

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TiminYorkshire said:
Some nice tips above, I'm looking forward to my Yak arriving sometime this week. It's nice to hear that people both drift dive and anchor their yaks whilst spearing. When doing either do you flag your Yak?
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My advice is to always have the flag up and visable for all to see. I have mine fixed to an old fishing rod. It also stops the damn thing flapping in your face when you change spots roflrofl

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Reactions: poildeq
my advice is always ring your local coast guard before you leave a kayak unattended in the water. I normally ring them and tell them I will be in and out of it, where, and what colour etc, that I will be flying the flag but jo public won't see that from 1/4 mile with no binocs and ring you anyway! cheers. and they usually appreciate it but don't forget to check back in.

One of the pilots in wales is a spearfisherman anyway so he knows what he is potentially looking at. I have felt the thump of the big yellow fun bus above me whilst down once, only to surface and find it right above me havin a look with the winchman smiling and waving at me. quick wave of the speargun and they were away. Cheeky swine probably checking out dive spots on the job!

Mucho respecto to those guys.... try not to send em on wild goose chases if you are diving off a yak.
 
grantl said:
I do. I have a rocket style rod holder that I put vertical with a 1.5 m rod with a dive flag on. It's great for attracting jet skiers and kayakers who think they've bagged a drifting yak
What type of yak have you bought?
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hahaha!

Once looked up from some deepish water scalloping in North Wales (remarkable vis on that particular day thankfully) to see what the persistent commotion was only to see a jetski doing donuts round my dive-bouy! very tempting to spear myself a fibreglass fish that day but refrained! :ko .......but still not as close as the power boat near-miss near Pwllheli! come up slowly and always have a look around on the way up!
 
Last summer I was maybe half a mile out or so and I could see a kayaker paddling along the shore. As soon as he saw my yak, and flag, he turned 90deg and charged towards me flat out.

I surfaced from another dive and Id swear I've never seen such a look of disappointment on someone's face I'm sure he thought he was about to salvage a nice yak for himself
 
out of interest has anyone used a Fatyak Kaafu for spearing from? Any advice? I've just picked one up, looking forward to giving it a go.
 
No bit the absurd name had me looking it up
It looks ideal for shorter trips and has plenty good reviews. I'd imagine it will be good for diving off.
 
I've been getting the Fatyak set up sorted for spearfshing, still to load/fit the reel to the rod and arrange final anchor attachment. The paddle holder looks great for holding the speargun (I need to set up a leash to it too).

Will it scare the fish away?











And the dive flag furled:

 
Reactions: Mr. X
Looks like you've been having fun
why do you have a float? you already have the yak with a flag.
have you tried sitting in the yak and pretending to paddle with that rig? it looks like the speargun will interfere with some of the paddle strokes?
can you rig any bungy on the forward deck - loads of space there for your gun.
Where will you clip the paddle when you're in the water? and have you got a paddle leash [highly recommended].
Looking forward to the trip reports
 
I would also suggest you bungee the gun onto the forward deck if for no other reason that you can always see it ( losing stuff off a yak is incredibly easy)and it will be less vulnerable to getting scraped along rocks etc. As Johnny said it may also hinder some of your strokes where it is sitting just now?
Also if its on the forward deck you can have it tethered to the bow and there is no need for an additional float - just grab the gun, jump in and use the yak as your float.
Plenty folks anchor the yak and dive around the area but generally I am always connected to it as I tend to use it either where there are strong currents or in inaccessible areas where the last thing I would want is to lose contact with it and get pushed out with a current or have to swim for miles.
The only other suggestion may be to get a deck compass? I never used to bother with them but bought one about 4yrs ago and its saved me from getting absolutely disorientated at least twice in sudden thick fog and a few times when coming in at night.
 
Cheers for the above, I did think that the speargun isn't in the best position, but it looks good in the pics! I'll have a look at putting some bungee on the front. I've a paddle leash, so sorted there. Compass is a good idea but I want everything fully removable so I can use it in the surf. Maybe just a small simple one.

As to using the yak as a float, I like this idea, does it not drag a bit if the wind/currents are up? - However having it available if you do drift is a bonus for getting back.

I was thinking if I'm on outer scars I may be a bit away from the anchored kayak, so the SMB may be useful in this case?

Any more feedback appreciated, I'm looking forward to the vis improving and getting back in.
 
I wouldn't worry about a deck compass in the surf - they are totally fine. It appears your yak has a moulded depression for mounting one in anyway.

I don't find the yak any hindrance at all to tow about and mines a 16ft long composite which weighs approx 30 kg with all my gear onboard. It just glides around behind me quite happily.

You'll find what works best for you but I find boats , jetskis, kayakers etc. invariably come for a look to see why there's an empty yak drifting about, even with the dive flag. It attracts them in rather than give you a 30 or 50 m exclusion zone!
If I'm tethered to the yak I always know where it is and I can get to it easily and quickly enough. Some of these concerned people may come in very fast and I'd be wary of having an anchored yak and another SMB as you may end up further from the yak than you think and you're then quite vulnerable as they will be focussing on your yak as they charge in.
Ideally a yak with a flag means 'give me space' and if your lucky people will respect this. Having a yak and a float is saying 'give me even more space' which may lead to boats not respecting either SMBs?

I don't think there's a right or wrong way and its whatever works for you is the best solution.
 
Some food for thought there, I guess I just need to give the various options a go and see what works for my kit and the location I'm spearing in.
 
I once met a Rasta in Jamaica paddling around the reefs near tourist hotels selling conch shells. Nice chap and I was impressed by the ingenuity of his homemade raft-kayak. I forget the details but I think he may have used a plastic barrel at either end for buoyancy.

Anyway, it looks like others have been making similar craft & posting footage on youtube:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwaeZS9P6GI]canoe kayak from pvc pipes - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF6pcWjctSA]pvc pipe kayak - YouTube[/ame]
Looks fun, I can't vouch for the seaworthiness of them though

Pedal power may be the future though (surprisingly fast):
 
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TiminYorkshire said:
Some food for thought there, I guess I just need to give the various options a go and see what works for my kit and the location I'm spearing in.
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Hi, did you get out much on the kaafu and was it any good? As I'm looking at getting one this weekend to sper from. Cheers
 
Been out in the Fatyak a few times rod fishing, good, but I've also got an RTM Tempo which is speedier but the Fatyak is good and capable and a fair bit cheaper than the Tempo.
 
Ive nearly convinced myself to go for a kayak. So a few questions. I will have to carry it on roof racks, either on a Fiat Panda, or a BMW 3 series saloon (E46). Both of which i would have to buy racks for, Panda has roof rails (new car). is is feasible to transport a 13ft kayak on the roof of either of these? I would only have a journey of 5-15 miles most of the time to reach my usual marks, and dont drive there at high speed.

Also i would store the kayak in the garden over winter (and probably summer sometimes too depending on work). Would the rubber seals on hatches etc perish, if so are they easily replaced? Would the kayak deform in the sun if left at the bottom of the garden for a while (i work at sea so away for 4 months+ sometimes)?

Many thanks for any help
 
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