Jackson Kayak has really simplified the installation of fish finders for the end user first with the Big Rig and now with its new offshore kayak the Kraken! Like the Big Rig the Kraken is Raymarine Dragonfly ready. This means the Lowrance HDI skimmer also fits really nice in this scupper with the Lowrance Scupper Mount Kit! This article covers how to install a Lowrance skimmer transducer & Fish Finder on the Kraken in a scupper hole so the transducer is in the water.

Things you will need:

• Lowrance HDI Skimmer
• Lowrance Scupper Transducer Mount Kit
• (2) West Marine Wire Cap
• Drill with 1″ hole saw
• Philips head screw driver
• 2 waterproof butt connectors
• 3/8″ diameter x 4″ long heat shrink tubing

Install:

First unwrap the transducer cable from its packaging and twist tie. run the wire from the hull through the scupper up to the deck . Unboxing the scupper mount simply follow the diagram. With the HDI/Chirp skimmer you will simply slide the transducer on the track at the bottom of the transducer mount. It needs to be positioned forward on the mount so slide the track all the way up to where the wire goes inside the transducer. Now Slide the foam insert and then through the top bracket that will fit perfectly to the scupper. Using the wing nut thread it all the way down to the top bracket to snug it up. Once snug you may now clip the threaded plastic off flush with the bracket and clip the cap over.

Now to run the transducer wire to the inside of the kayak.  Using a 1″ diameter hole saw drill through the radius area of the hatch. BE careful as the plastic is ver thin here. Once the hole is made runt he cable through the wire cap and screw the wire cap in using the screw driver. The screws will self tap.

Next for wiring back to the fish finder unit and battery. This is really up to you where you would like the location to be. I tend to keep it out of the way of where fishing line cannot fowl with the wires and also so adjusting the location of the fish finder on the fly. Also take into consideration the factory installed battery box tray between the front day hatch and the center hatch (7). In my case the fish finder location is to be on the center hatch tracks and being fully adjustable to slide the entire length of the track. The decision to run the wired through the deck in front of the center hatch in my case was the conclusion. This location allows the wires to swing and not get int he way when operating the hatch. The next step will be fabricating a track mount console that will allow me to mount the fish finder to the center of the hatch.

To connect the battery using a plug connector first slide a 3-4″ x 3/8″ diameter heat shrink tubing over the bare wire side of the Lowrance power wire. Crimp the butt connectors to the wires with the  correct polarity and heat shrink the connectors. Then slide over the 3/8″ heat shrink tubing and shrink  the connectors in. I prefer to use clear heat shrink tubing due to all of the use int he salt water. Sometimes connections fail and have water seep in. This speeds up the trouble shooting as now the corrosion is detectable visually.

Complete!

The Jersey Paddler Classic Demo Paddle is a demo day where $8 gets you a paddle and a PFD and the ability to just about demo paddle everything one of the largest largest kayak shops in New Jersey has in inventory.  Along with company reps and on my side fishing guys representing the products to answer any type of questions you may have prior to purchasing a kayak. The demo was for a full Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM – 3 PM.

Saturday Morning was a cloudy day. Not much of traffic early but as the day went on the sun eventually filled the sky and it was busy for a good 2 hours. There was a lot of interest in the Jackson Kayaks I had brought my brand new 2015 Kraken for demo. Not even paddling the boat yet and that’s what its for! I also brought my personal Big Rig with the Torqeedo Motor for people to demo which may or may not have been the best idea. There was a ton of interest in the Torqeedo as well as the kayaks.

Jersey Paddler provided me with a Coosa and a Cuda 12 demo. It seemed like a slow day but I was told they had over 180 participants registered. In all it was a good day. I packed up everything and went home to take care of the dog.

Sunday was picture perfect weather and it showed. The crowds rolled in in droves! I saw a few people from the day before whom were still undecided. A family strolled up looking for a Big Tuna and thinking they had stocked me with all demos from the shop i told them i didn’t have one but would check on it. They tested out the Big Rig for a little while and while doing that my request for a Big Tuna and a Coosa HD appeared upon request! The family was totally happy after running them through the seating positions the were headed back to the shop the purchase one!

The day went on and the Big Rig was in the water just about the entire time. I feel the kids riding it paid their entry fee just to cruise. It was hard to retrieve the boat. I was sidetracked by questions and all kinds of them.  As i sit back here and type this article i find the amount of experience over the years has equipped me with the tools to help those who look to get into the sport. I’m glad to help and share the info I learned by trial and error.

Love doing these days even though it takes up fishing time. To everyone whom I met at the event tight lines!

While planning my next fishing day I have a few techniques for research. My first rule is to try to stay out of the weather. With weather forecasts of strong storms in the late morning to early afternoon and a stiff S-SW wind my plan was to stay close to shore and the launch with in an area the land blocked the wind. This day was to be the calm before the storms.

Arriving around 6 am in Keyport I dropped the big rig down from its truck top dry dock and loaded gear for targeting multiple species. This time of the spring there are 4 different fish typically targeted.  This means bringing more rods than typical but also need to carry a landing net. Fluke or Summer Flounder tend to spit the hook more than most fish because the way they naturally swim. Netting these fish is the safest way of landing them.

Once out on the water making the decision to fish back in the creek. Marking fish I set up for jigging whatever it was that I was marking. It looked like large bluefish with bass under them. Some fish were breaking the surface and I tried a popper for a few casts using my new Bull Bay Rod and Abu Revo Inshore. Around the 20th cast and adjusting the reel casting got backlash in the reel. It was not so bad at first but kept getting worse and worse. An hour later and about 150 yards of brand new 20 lb power pro cut and stripped it was time to go fishing again. I should have just put the rod down this was the first time  ever cutting braid on a reel due to a backlash and it was a bad decision. Never again will that happen.

The tide by now had dropped a foot or two. Paddling out more to the open bay. Using a 1/4 oz bucktail with a white teaser and 3″ white gulp on both my first drift was successful with a 21″ fluke! IT was a great fight and an excellent first fish of the season!

I kept making the same drift but the bite was slow and so was the tide. I managed loosing a fish at the boat that was borderline and missing a few hits. I decided to call it a day when the NW winds came in and the tide was at dead low. A successful day bringing home dinner. I regret not fishing the area I typically fish this time of hear due to the forecast. The storms however did settle in around 7 PM and they were pretty heavy duty. Lasting for 4 days and over 2.5 inches of rain.