sore back and stiff legs.

John at the outset suggest you read the paddling technique post at the head of this section which will be of benefit.

A Berkley mount on the side gunwale is certainly a good improvement to the boat [keep within 90mm of you foot position, and still allows good stroke] and makes watching rod easier.

To get in behind you, the easiest way is to swing side saddle with one or both legs overboard, and the yak will still be nice and stable.

I always take regular breaks from the boat stretching legs, after many months of yakking, although there is rarely any soreness now.

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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Good ideas guys.
Dodge, I will have to find a sheltered spot on the Bermagui river next time and see what happens going side saddle, venturing out of my seat and heading up to the bow of the Cobra.
Red. Thanks for the video link and I will pop into Clark rubber in Fyshwick this Saturday for a water proof cushion.
Davey G. Looks like some soreness is part of the fun. Funny though how it goes away after you've just landed a bigin.
Peter M. Yes handlines are great in a yak and there's nothing like feeling the bite directly on the index finger.

Good ideas guys.
Dodge, I will have to find a sheltered spot on the Bermagui river next time and see what happens going side saddle, venturing out of my seat and heading up to the bow of the Cobra.
Red. Thanks for the video link and I will pop into Clark rubber in Fyshwick this Saturday for a water proof cushion.
Davey G. Looks like some soreness is part of the fun. Funny though how it goes away after you've just landed a bigin.
Peter M. Yes handlines are great in a yak and there's nothing like feeling the bite directly on the index finger.

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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Thanks for the invite Red but it's a bit tricky to even get the yak to Canberra. It's too long for the Transit van and too high to lift onto a roof rack. I also trade at local markets every Sat and Sunday in the ACT so have little daylight hours for anything else.
Thanks anyway.

knot-too-fast said:

Dodge, I will have to find a sheltered spot on the Bermagui river next time and see what happens going side saddle, venturing out of my seat and heading up to the bow of the Cobra.

Click to expand...

One of the more pleasant ways to fish on a hot summers day is side saddle with feet in water cooling :wink:

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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No worries John - what do you have on your stall? The wife will grab any excuse to wander down to the markets, so I'll have a chance to say a quick G'day between customers at some point.

Red.[/quote]

The Canberra Farmers Markets (EPIC) on Sat mornings and Old Bus Depot Markets on Sundays. I have a specialist Herb Nursery, ''Marshall's Nursery." Come and say hello one morning.

When trolling using the rod holders behind me I just loosen the drag and listen for the reel to start spooling.
Brian

Just came back from the Bega River near Tathra and made a few alterations to the yak in order to make fishing more enjoyable.
I freed up the seat strapping so i was able to push my back on more of an angle and also put a 5cm thick piece of foam under the seat. This helped a fair bit with longer stays out on the water.
I also mounted a Berkly rod holder to the gunwale so i could paddle, fish and look for strikes at the same time. It also saved the twisting thing of having to turn around and reach for the rod in the rear rod holder. This is a great addition and i will be putting a second one on the opposite side next week.
:lol:
It's all a learning curve every time i venture out. Also caught my first keeper for the Cobra, a 39cm flathead

Congrats on the keeper John.

I was getting a sore back on Sunday so let out the seat straps and relaxed back into the seat. Was fine after that.

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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John good to hear the comfort, and lizard capture made for a happy outing

Maybe this helps.. I was getting a sore back and hammys when i was first paddling. I found that i had my legs too bent, the foot rests were too close to the seat. I went to the next possie so as my legs were slightly straighter and found this much more comfortable. This mainly helped with the legs. My back was getting sore due to reaching too far with my paddle stroke. I now put the paddle blade into the water about equal with my knee no further and have found that this is much more comfortable.

:wink: