2019 Outback crabbing/fishing report

a frosty but sunny and light wind day here on the Oregon Coast in early December gave me a chance to really test out the fishing capabilities of the new Outback and pick up a limit of dungeness crab.

Location- near the mouth of CoosBay, just in from the dangerous North Jetty, there is a long curved jetty coming up about 15' from from the bottom, the top is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. There are some strong tidal currents in this area, and it was ripping in to an 11am-8.9' high, so after crossing the bay I focused on the slightly sheltered area marked with a white oval:



heading out fully rigged at sunrise (7am), boat felt good, not overloaded, I estimate we started with about 310# on board against a 425# capacity, boat felt just as good coming back about 25# heavier



there is a kelp forest along the jetty that gets pushed by the tide, some of the kelp hiding a foot below the surface, the Outback let me fish it well with the following observations:

1- I like to work into the tide towards the submerged jetty, trying to find gaps in the kelp, the steering responsiveness and dual steering controls really shine. I was gently bouncing the sand bottom with squid, trying to get in close to the actual rocks, and I like to work from both sides of the kayak, swinging the line around the front of the boat based on sonar and kelp, dual steering controls really help.

2- backing out quickly once I hooked a lingcod was a combination of the MD180 drive and the Outback steering, I am really impressed with how easy it is to move backwards at speeds up to 3mph.

3- except when there is a need to maneuver quickly, I like to fight and land fish kneeling, I find it a better 'athletic' position that puts the whole netting process forward, providing side-to-side flexibility...the kneeling position on the outback just behind the drive is outstanding and the hull stability makes moving around on the boat easy. Flat bow area is a great work surface for landing fish, I have used a black sharpie to mark 22" (lingcod minimum), 20" (coho jack to adult transition) and 16" (cabezon minimum) so that just laying them there gives me quick input on size.

4- during the times we got into strong tide currents and eddies around the submerged jetty, the boat behaved just as expected, no surprises.

here is the full video from our very successful outing:

https://youtu.be/ASHQXebJLik

When I studied the design and layout of the new Outback, this is what I was hoping it would let me do- fish and crab confidently on big water with the option of taking along a good sized canine companion on the rear deck. I love this boat. cheers, roger

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

Great write up Roger! Those are a couple of nice lings. I really enjoyed watching the video of you landing that ling. It sure seemed nicely behaved once you got it on the front deck - it was probably in awe of your new Outback

Thanks again for the detailed reporting on the behavior of the kayak. Every time I see you post something I feel the pressure to open my wallet build. If all goes well I should be able to make room in my garage the weekend after this one. I think I have a plan in place that will work to free up the room I need to store YAK (Yet Another Kayak).

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Fish tremble when they hear my name

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

Great video! Did I see your pup swimming in the upper part of the video or was that the seal? Not to insult you but you're no spring chicken, what age are you? I'm 73 and I would never attempt to go out in weather like that alone.

no swimming in this video for either of us but we have been swimming in cold water recently in our self recovery practice videos, they are up at YouTube on my channel....I am 57* and know CoosBay well, including that there will always be power boats in the area (plus the Coos Head Coast Guard tower looks over this area). I actually thought the weather was excellent, nothing wrong with a little chilly air...what I avoid are windy days (>12mph or so) and, when going onto the ocean, I can fish in swells over 4 feet but they limit me to about 3 hours before the barfing starts... cheers, roger

*57 is the new 30, right?

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)