Solo Loading Kayaks

As with every new vehicle the question is always in my head how am I going to load my kayak on this?  I didn't give it much thought with my new F150 with a simple answer as I'll just slide it right in the bed of the truck and strap it down.  Easy right?  Well after a month of having it I decided to buy a truck cap for it so I had more bed storage.  New problem.  How am I going to get an 80 lb boat on a truck roofer taller than me?

I did figure a few  ways out to get it on the roof however none of them were pretty, and I even scratched my new cap after a week.  *****!! I went down to Shank's Mare Outfitters and talked to them about some different loading options.  I really went into the shop looking to spend some $$$ on a top dollar Thule rack that may or may not have worked for what I needed.  After discussing it with them they talked me down to a much cheaper option being a single roller that suction cups on my back window.  The price for this was around $40!  EVEN BETTER!  I got home and immediately tested it out.  Watch the video to see the ease of use on this roller.  This was my FIRST time trying this and I didn't even read the manual....

Head down to Shank's Mare Outfitters to pick up yours today!

Lake Clarke 10.18.13 Report

I went out on the Susquehanna River at Lake Clarke in Wrightsville on 10.18.13 and launched from Shank's Mare Outfitters.  Last time out I had great success going down river towards the dam so we tried this at first.  NOTHING!  We then decided to go upstream and hit a creek mouth.  The winds were 10-15mph constant with white caps on the river.  It was a tough paddle but we made it up there.  Once in the creek mouth I started throwing Lure Concepts Spinner Baits and started to hammer some nice smallies!  SUCCESS!

We each caught several fish in here until we decided to go on the other side of the bridge.  Bridge was low and water was high we had to take down all rods, gopros, and visi carbon poles to get under.  On the other side we found some nice water but could not locate any fish.  On the way back under the bridge I forgot my gopro was on my blackpak and made a nice scratch across the lens case.  This ended up being a $40 mistake...OOPS.  We then hit the bridge again from the side where we started and the fishing shut off.  We made the paddle back to the launch in the waves and called it a day.  Although I am still learning the lake this is quickly becoming a close to home favorite of mine to hit.  

Ram Tube Jr. Product Review

I was lucky enough to have Shank's Mare Outfitters pick me up a Ram Tube Jr. to test out for them.

When I first got this I just though OK, another holder by Ram, what's so different than the other one's I currently use.  Well once I got it out on the water I realized the potential with this thing.  It is actually a three in one holder in my book.  First off for spinning reel guys it is notched to hold the spinning reel perfectly!

Second for the bait casting crowd, if you flip around the hold to the opposite side it has a notch for the "trigger" of the bait caster and will hold in place even when trolling for big fish without the need for extra ropes and cords used for leashes.

And last, but certainly not least!  This is by far the best feature on this holder.  Stake out pole holder.  YES, a stake out pole holder!

I did all of the adjustments on this from the seat of my kayak without having to get out.  This is something I will be replacing all of my ram holders with in the very near future.  And as always check out Shank's Mare Outfitters for this great product that is coming out in 2014!

Quick Loop Tie Down Review

I've recently purchased a new vehicle that is a lot larger than my last.  When it came time to load my kayaks on top I realized that the kayaks sit so far back on my f150 that I needed two ropes to reach the front tie downs on the kayaks.

So I went to the drawing board and headed down to Shank's Mare Outfitters and picked up a pair quick loop tie downs.

These are one of the easiest products I've ever had to use.  Simply pop the hood, put them in place, shut the hood and you have tie downs much closer than before.  These also are a perfect addition to vehicles that do not have front tie downs and you do not want to tied around a bumper or grill.  

Make sure you visit Shank's Mare Outfitters in Wrightsville to pick a pair up for yourself!