Riding the tide, swimmers paddled and kicked their way past us as Gary Hurley (Fisherman’s Post), Will Huffine (Great Outdoor Provision Company in Wilmington), Hobie Kayak Rep Michael Garet and I turned our bows south after launching from the soundside of Wrightsville Beach into Banks Channel.
On most of my kayak adventures, I try to plan my trip to head the way of the swimmers, paddling with the tide one direction to my destination and, after the tide change, enjoying the tail current on the way back, too.
This, however, was no ordinary paddle. In fact, it’s far more accurate to call it a pedal, as the boats we were in are propelled by Hobie’s patented Mirage Drive pedal system instead of a double bladed paddle. Mine wasn’t even technically a kayak; as Michael told me, Hobie has labeled it a Pedal-Powered Fishing Platform.
I had my butt parked comfortably in the seat of one of Hobie’s newest creations and their latest Mirage-Driven PPFP, the Mirage Pro Angler.
At nearly 14’ long and 38” wide, the Pro Angler has dimensions closer to a small jon boat than a kayak, and the width gives it far more stability and carrying capacity than even the largest fishing kayaks. I’d pored over every curve and feature of the Pro Angler at Great Outdoor’s Wilmington location and thought the craft looked incredible, but at 6’8” I wasn’t sure I’d fit in it.
My doubt was bolstered by the fact that when I was searching for a fishing kayak last year, my choices were restricted to just a tiny fraction to of the models on the market—not even the majority of the longer, wider kayaks marketed for the big guys would allow me to extend my legs and settle down comfortably.
The second time Will saw me eyeing up the Pro Angler at the front of Great Outdoor’s kayak section, he had some good news. He’d told Michael of my concerns, and the company rep was nearly certain the boat would accommodate me. >> Read the full story HERE.
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