I had a chance to take the newly acquired Hobie Outback for a peddle on Lake Simcoe after work today. Despite some reports of the whitefish changing locations in the warming weather, I still found them in the same area. It wasn’t gangbusters, but it was a slow stream of interested fish bringing me to 3 for 4 in about 2 hours of fishing time before sunset.

I began by anchoring up, but then I realized I could just use the peddle drive to stay in one spot as I jigged. This meant I could try a lot of different spots/depths without wasting time setting up anchor. I got my last fish this way after my initially anchored-to spot seemed to have dried up.

It sure was choppy out there this afternoon and the peddle drive allowed me to maintain a proper angle with the waves. An insane advantage to having the peddle drive is the ability to move and steer while fighting a fish. I had both hands free to fight the fish while I used the rudder and pedals to keep myself pointing into the annoying waves. This is a HUGE advantage. In the Tarpon, I hadn’t figured out a good way to keep pointed into waves while keeping an arm on the rod. I would end up taking waves broadside for most of the fight which was not too comforting.

In the summer to come, being able to maneuver the kayak while fighting a fish allowed me to land this carp from an area of heavy current and plentiful snags.