For the past 2 years Jersey Cape Kayak Fishing (JCKF) a New Jersey based kayak fishing club has organized a Jamboree for kayak anglers to get together have fun while camping and fishing the Susquehanna River Delta at the Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace Maryland. The Jamboree’s format is not that of a tournament but much like the boondoggle except an entry fee which supports a roast pig dinner with sides an event shirt and all funds left over benefits Heroes on the Water Chapters of Maryland, Central Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As always there is a few calcutta’s which are voluntary. The class is Striped Bass, Large Mouth Bass, Catfish, and Slam. Longest catch photo release wins entire pot per category.

This year Jim Dolan president of the Heroes on the Water organization joined us. It was an honor to have him spend the weekend with us and also have a few veterans from previous HOW outings join in too.

Fishing was uneventful for most during the event. The photo of Gary ‘Fishenfool’ on the left describes it well! The lack of fish or fish that were feeding was blamed on the amount of water flowing through the Conowingo Dam and as a result the 48 degree water temps on the flats.  It was expected after a cold winter. A few catfish Large Mouth Bass & Small Mouths were reported. Only four total Striped Bass were reported to be caught and released. Although the Calcutta weigh in board stated one cow was 46 inches.  The raffle was immense this year with many sponsors donating product and swag to benefit HOW.

For me it was just relaxing to get out on the water with a fishing rod for the first time this season. Wake up call was at 4 am. Ended up being the first one out of camp as the gate wasn’t even open yet.  On my way to the park where the decision was made to be the launch I made a stop at Royal farms for coffee and ice. Arrived at the ramp around 4:50 and there were a lot of bass boats showing up. Parked close to the boat ramp and begun to gear up the Big Rig. Being this was the first time taking it fishing I had to figure out where all of my gear was to be stored and also attach a few Ram Mounts here and there. It took me about 45 minutes to figure everything out and finally drop into the water. Must say everything went smoothly. Although missing the sun rise was a bummer.

The Torqeedo on the Big Rig performed well for trolling. I did paddle for about an hour though to get used to the size of the Big Rig. It seems the Torqeedo will run all day at slow trolling speeds. I fished from 7 AM til 12 PM and only used 40% of the battery! I need to figure out how to export the GPS tracks on my Lowrance chart plotter. Trolled 2 rods with Xraps Yo Zoris Bombers Ratl Traps you name it. Should have dragged that tube and worm behind me. Two feet of water 10 feet of water marked massive carp in the channels and also saw them jumping.

It was great to see those that fish these events and meet new people as always! Looking forward to the upcoming mid-Atlantic saltwater season. The Striped Bass should be off the shore and in the back bays of New Jersey soon.

Thanks to JCKF for all of the hard work to put this event on in elite style!

Creating a semi-permanent install for multiple kayaks is a challenge. Since most of us fish on a budget two separate fish finder units is not feasible. For about 1/4 the price of a new Lowrance Elite 5 HDI unit you may purchase a new Transducer, Power cable, and the neat Lowrance kayak scupper mount kit. This application is only for sit on top kayaks like the Big Rig with round scupper holes. The mount and this particular transducer as of 2014 other Jackson Kayak Models will not work due to the oval scupper shape and being that the bottom of the supper is simply not wide enough to accept the transducer mounted flush.

In the photo to the left shown is the un-boxed scupper mount and the transducer and cable. This transducer has been a challenge to mount to other kayaks until the Big Rig with its enlarged hull scupper clearance as it is Raymarine ready.

To install simply using the bolt washers mount to the bottom of the scupper mount as you would the transom mount. Once this is completed pull the plug end of the transducer wire from the bottom of the scupper through towards the deck. Once all of the cable is pulled then insert the threaded plastic into the scupper. The transducer should face bolted end/cable to the bow. Then slide the gray fitting down the threaded shaft and tighten the thumb nut all the way down until snug. Once fit you may cut the shaft and place the Lowrance cap on top. Done!!

This is the best way to install any transducer out there. You get accurate temperature readings and a completely better signal for clarity rather than the shoot thru hull option.

I prefer to hide all of my wires and cables within the hull of the kayak. Just less mess less things to snag your hooks on and the best way to protect expensive electronics cables. Due to the 1″ diameter colors on the Lowrance HDI plugs we need to drill a 1″ hole to get these cables inside the hull. Now that’s a huge hole. It took a while to find a part to seal this with for a really clean install. I’m not the type that likes to run cables through hatches. West Marine makes a hull pass through that worked perfectly for this application. I have never seen these used on a kayak before but they are excellent. Low profile watertight and clean!

To start use a 1″ boring drill bit. The hull pass through fitting includes a rubber grommet. I used this as a template placing it exactly where the fitting would be placed. Marked the center with a punch and drilled. See drilled hole to the right. Run sonar plug through and using the thru hull cap press firmly with a screwdriver and screws will self tap. The rubber will push out and this when it is tight. Do not over tighten as the screws will strip out the plastic therefore becoming loose.

Do the same steps for the opposite side but this time with the power wire and the transducer plug through 1 hole. This one bring the sonar plug through the hole first. Then snake through from the outside the power wire. The power wire will be then run to your battery location. Mine will be in the stern. The white wire in the photo runs back to the stern for the battery box hook up. I will splice that into the power wire for the unit.

Along with the standard molded in center Gear Track on the Big Rig and paired with a Ram Mounts Electronic Mount for Lowrance this is an excellent system! There are now multiple places to position the unit. The option to slide forward or back or mount to the side Gear tracks however is most comfortable.

If you have any questions about this install or anything else please leave me a comment.

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