One Summer Nick and I dropped into Phil’s Hole on the Ottawa with our All- Stars and our fishing poles in hand.
We surfed the big hole and then surfed out and were able to fish the top eddies from our play boats. While the
Coosa is a good boat for doing smaller rapids, the really big rapids require a sit-in kayak with a spray skirt. The
Rock Star is the perfect boat because it is super short and small, and easy to surf waves and holes, and you can
reach the entire boat from the bow to stern. Jackson Kayak has partnered with Sea-lect Designs for our final prototype
Photo provided by Ryan of Sea-lect Designs
of the first ever freestyle fishing kayak.
Many fishermen have never paddled a short boat before, so the rudder is standared
instead of optional as the Rock Star does not track very well without it. Beginners will like the fact that you can carry the
boat with one hand, and throw it in the back of your truck. Experts in whitewater will love the places this boat can take you
and the fun you can have on the way down. While cartwheeling and looping with your fishing pole mounted is more difficult
it is still quite fun. The best fishing tends to be in the eddies that you can only get to by whitewater kayak, too!
World Kayak plans on a full freestyle/fishing competition season starting in the fall of 2012 called the Hometown
Freestyle Fishing Throwdowns. Drew Gregory and Nick Troutman will be heading up the rules committee as this
is an entirely new sport. USFKA is looking to expand their user base and bringing fishing into the mix with the Bassmasters
Tour is an incredible opportunity. The Mon-Star is going to be the most popular size, since the fishing team has more XL and SSL
than the whitewater team.
Here are some photos of the first “pre-production” boats…
Cartwheeling is harder, but dropping into a bowstall while reeling the big one’s in helps keep the boat in place!
Best boat design EVER!!!!
😉
This is way better than the old way of fishing and a refreshing new story to read on April fools day.
what da.. are you serious
As soon as you make a 2XL version I’m in!
Kat is going to rule this new event!
Posted the first day of April……it’s a beauty!
this is awesome. we do this at the coosa all the time. amazing you made a boat for it.
April fools I like
Interview with Ryan from Sealect on Jackson’s new Rock Starfish: http://youtu.be/DMECpsWy7qw
Cant wait! Finally an edgy, loose boat that the angler can side surf and cast a fly rod at the same time.
You’ll sell millions. 😉
To read more on how the revolutionary design came to be
http://www.sealectdesigns.com/blog/archives/2012/03/16/huckin_loops_castin_lures_freestyle_kayak_fishing_is_born
I love it … and would be really interested to know if this little piece of hi-jinx actually results in any orders for the boat. Over the years I have encountered some crazy hardcore (often South African) paddlers who, after reading about something like this, are quite likely to become totally and utterly convinced that a Rock Star Angler version is exactly what they need. Good luck with the new model.