Grizz wrote:
1. Can you easily navigate a lake bank both with and against the wind?
No, the Outback does not do well on lake banks. They were designed to operate in water. You'll have to get out of the kayak if you want to navigate on lake bank.
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2. Facing into the wind, can you hover in place while fishing an area or landing a fish?
Ahh, this is an easy one. The Outback is designed to use in water. A hover craft hovers, planes land and fish get caught. Hehehe.
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3. Would the mount base (with rod holder removed) be in the way of the main sheet?
I would not recommend trying to fish and sail at the same time.
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4. On my other kayak, I strip line onto the deck between my legs.
This sounds kinky.
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On the OutbackFisherman, what does the line usually hang up on?
People hang up, not lines. Avoid lines by using a cell phone.
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5. When stationary in a wind, are you blown sideways or does it track for and aft?
When stationary in a wind, you are not moving. However, if the wind is strong enough, you will be blown in the direction it blows you at which point you will no longer be stationary in the wind.
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6. When sailing (not fishing), quartering into the wind with a pretty good chop, do you take water over the bow or quarter?
Depends on whether the chop is 1 foot or 4 foot and whether the chop is breaking over the bow or not.
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Does the bow tend to sail under?
The bow sails under whatever you go under, like a bridge, or whatever.
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I am a heavyweight (300) and fill up a kayak pretty good.
All types of people enjoy the Outback, including heavyweights. Um, the Outback is human powered so filling it up is not necessary. Filling up the car to take you to the lake may be appropriate.
Sorry Grizz, I couldn't resist. Cuss me out if you want.
On the serious side, the Outback must be paddled (not pedaled) in the shallow areas (less than 1-1.5 foot deep), so if you are fishing beside a bank and it is shallow, expect to paddle. You can't cast and paddle at the same time. Grasses also get hung up in the pedal mechanism, so if you are in a grassy area, expect to clean out grass often.
Anywhere else and you can do circles around other kayaks. The Outback sits pretty high in the water so a little chop doesn't get you wet.
If the wind is blowing strongly and you don't want to be moving, you'll have to throw out an anchor. How you face when the wind blows is dependent on many factors like rudder position and current.
The Outback has 4 built in rod holders so you can be trolling and casting at the same time. It is the most stable kayak I've ever been in and when you are fishing, stable is good.
You should see some of the ways fishermen are customizing the Outback. GPS, fish finders, depth finders, live wells, custom hatches, and more.
You can't beat the price considering you are getting a stable kayak, a fishing kayak, a paddling kayak, a pedaling kayak, and a sailing kayak all in one package.
Good luck fishing and be sure to take photos and post them here!