# Jackson Big Rig...My kayak journey



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

I joined OGF back in the spring of 2012. I didn't post much that first year but I learned of something quite astonishing back then...kayaks looked amazing! I watched as you guys regularly posted your trips and fish caught on the river from the float. I thought perhaps I could do that too! You see I had been wanting to float the river for YEARS. I used to wade often as a kid with my dad on the Mad but longed to float!

Fast forward to late summer 2013... I paddled my first kayak out at Eastwood lake. A 14.5 Native if I remember right. I liked it. A lot. But I wasn't sure how yaking the river would work. I didn't personally know anyone who floated but OGF came to the rescue. 

I bought my first boat in the fall of 13 on deep discount at Dicks. Field and Stream Eagle Run. I didn't pay much at all as I was unsure if I would really like floating in the river or not. I planned to take it to kiser and panfish a little....









Spring 2014. I noticed a post by Flannel_ Carp about yakin over at Huffman dam and the rest is history! We soon got a paddle or two in on Kiser and as soon as the river cleared up it was on! From July to October we floated at least once a week. I was in love! So much so that I didn't even bowhunt early season and if you know me you would have thought I was kidnapped by aliens or something! 

By fall I quickly realized my little sit in wasn't going to cut it. I needed more space, stability, and function. Jackson fit the bill!

Based on the input of so many of you experts I brought home the rig today. Speechless at the quality and fit of this boat!









It's so amazing even the dog loves it!









Big THANK you too all that have given advice to me for the past two years!

I wouldn't be as near involved in this sport as I am without the knowledge of the infamous SMBhooker! I wouldn't even be able to get out 1/2 as much without my main man Flannel. Thanks guys. 

Special thanks to Bubba as his firsthand knowledge convinced me that the BR was best choice for me and to Yakkin4bass for putting me on a KILLER deal at the Cincy boat show!

Is it spring yet??????


----------



## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

For those that don't know that 3rd pic is a full grown Mastiff dog sitting in the seat, that's how big the big rig is!   

It is an awesome boat, you will love it ML and won't regret a minute of it. Compared to your old yak It will feel like going from floating with just Tom's arm floaties to hit the water in a luxury liner cruise ship! 

And after I get you standing and fishing in it you probably will never find your way home off the water again. :what:


----------



## bassyakker (Feb 12, 2013)

Congrats on the new rig...


----------



## canoe carp killer (Apr 2, 2014)

Wow that thing looks awesome!!! If anything happens to my cuda 12, that will be my next yak!! Great post


----------



## DC9781 (Apr 3, 2009)

Awesome. Congratulations on the new Kayak. Spring can't come fast enough eh? With as comfortable as those seats are in the Jackson Kayak it will be very tough to come off the water.


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Who found my floaties.


----------



## Flannel_Carp (Apr 7, 2014)

Congrats my kayak brother!


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

DC9781 said:


> Awesome. Congratulations on the new Kayak. Spring can't come fast enough eh? With as comfortable as those seats are in the Jackson Kayak it will be very tough to come off the water.



It's still sitting in the living room floor! I can't bear putting her in the garage just yet. And you are right...the seat is so comfortable I was kicked back watching TV while sitting in the yak lol &#128526;


----------



## Yakkin4bass (Oct 28, 2013)

I can't even tell you are excited man! Lol! Glad you came down to get that BR and we'll see Flannel_carp again tomorrow! Oh, and how does the wife like the rig in the living room?


----------



## reyangelo (May 28, 2014)

Very Nice!!! If time/money permit, I may get that same one...mainly due to the stability factor and ability to stand on it. Nice choice


----------



## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Sweet yak!


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

reyangelo said:


> Very Nice!!! If time/money permit, I may get that same one...mainly due to the stability factor and ability to stand on it. Nice choice



Thanks Rey and Yakfisher!

You know what surprised me most on this boat is the fit/finish. I couldn't believe the quality of the finish especially! I am very impressed but sad I had to move her out to the garage...she deserves better! Lol


----------



## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

Congrats on the new boat! I know your going to love it! Now you need to get to some of the Kayak fishing tournaments! Lots of local events to get involved with. Oh and Kayak Wars.


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

yakfish said:


> Congrats on the new boat! I know your going to love it! Now you need to get to some of the Kayak fishing tournaments! Lots of local events to get involved with. Oh and Kayak Wars.



I know you guys have a blast at those man! I just don't have the time between work, church and family schedule. We still need to do that kiser lake trip though we talked about last summer!!!!


----------



## Tombo (Jul 23, 2014)

Congrats on the new boat!


----------



## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

Congrats on the boat and I got a good chuckle out of the pm lol.


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

shwookie said:


> Congrats on the boat and I got a good chuckle out of the pm lol.



Haha glad you enjoyed it man. What you gonna spams your $ on lol?


----------



## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

ML1187 said:


> Haha glad you enjoyed it man. What you gonna spams your $ on lol?


I'm gonna try and not spend it all in one place, but if I do.... Stripclub.


----------



## Coot (Jan 27, 2006)

Did you compare it to the Kilroy ?


What were the deciding factors in choosing the Big Rig ?


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Coot said:


> Did you compare it to the Kilroy ?
> 
> 
> What were the deciding factors in choosing the Big Rig ?


Great question Coot. So the Kilroy is obviously a sit in vs the Big Rig sit on top. My old Field in Stream Kayak was a sit in as well. For me in was a HUGE pain in the rear on the river. I'm a big guy (6 ft 293 as of this morning ) so getting in and out of the sit in is more difficult than the very stable BR.

The second main issue is lack of DRY storage. While the Kilroy has plenty of storage the entire boat is open. This means everything has to go in dry bags and is in the way. We do alot of overnight camping on the river so having dry storage inside the boat thats stored out of the way was a huge deciding factor.

Third issue would be the ability for standing fishing. While I'm sure one could stand in the Kilroy the Big Rig is made for standing. I hope to practice this art and master it.

Another big plus is the rod troughs on the side of the rig. It's made to put just about your whole rod/reel in the channel with a rod protector at the end of the boat. The rivers we fish can be very fast with tons of overhanging branches and bushes. I got SO tired of having to move rods around all the time in my sit in.

Finally and one of the most important for me would be the self bailing action of the sit on top design. I got real tired of water being in the bottom of my sit in. This happens when one is wading the river and then hopping back in the kayak (we do a lot of this on the river, 1/3 fishing time is probly wading vs floating).

Hope this helps friend!

ML


----------



## Coot (Jan 27, 2006)

Some great points that I had not considered. While most of my kayaking will be on lakes I can understand your thinking. I'm not as nimble as I used to be so getting in and out of the Kilroy might be a consideration.

Do you trailer your BR ?


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Coot said:


> Some great points that I had not considered. While most of my kayaking will be on lakes I can understand your thinking. I'm not as nimble as I used to be so getting in and out of the Kilroy might be a consideration.
> 
> Do you trailer your BR ?


If you are fishing primarily lakes you won't have as much concern with some of the points I mentioned obviously. The biggest one will def be getting in and out for you. 

I have a full size F150 so no trailer needed and hauling isn't a problem. It would be a very difficult boat to car top however, especially if you yak alone frequently. 

I also will buying a cart soon, most likely the C-Tug.


----------



## CavemaNdisguisE (Jul 10, 2012)

Congrats on the new Jackson! You're going to love it... especially when you actually get it on the water. Speaking of that...What's your capabilities for hauling this 92lb giant to and from the water? I've been fishing from a Big Tuna for the last 2 years and it weighs in at 80lbs which is HEAVY. I manage to get it on top of my car rack alone and without scratching up the boat too much, but not without the use of a trolly cart. This little cart i have made by Sea to Summit (i believe) is great. It fits in the scupper holes and makes moving the boat around relatively easy. I have had problems with the innertubes leaking from the extreme weight (i presume), but the company sent me replacements free of charge. I had to figure out a little different method to get the wheels off the very back of the boat for loading onto my car. Without this method it would be a hassle and I would have scratched my boat considerably by now. Anyway, I hope you are plenty strong and have considered the disadvantes of having a kayak this heavy. Portaging, loading/unloading from vehicle, etc. If you want me to elaborate on anything I've learned from using my 80lb yak feel free to ask.


----------



## CavemaNdisguisE (Jul 10, 2012)

ML1187 said:


> If you are fishing primarily lakes you won't have as much concern with some of the points I mentioned obviously. The biggest one will def be getting in and out for you.
> 
> I have a full size F150 so no trailer needed and hauling isn't a problem. It would be a very difficult boat to car top however, especially if you yak alone frequently.
> 
> I also will buying a cart soon, most likely the C-Tug.


Guess I should have read this last post first. Glad you are thinking about these things before taking the plunge on such an expensive boat. It's totally worth it though!!!


----------



## Coot (Jan 27, 2006)

I had pretty much decided on a Kilroy but the chat on the BR got me thinking.
After I thought about it I thought the seat configuration was the same...It's like sitting in a lawn chair. I've been in a Kilroy but I have not even looked at a BR yet.


----------



## monsterKAT11 (Jun 20, 2004)

Coot said:


> I had pretty much decided on a Kilroy but the chat on the BR got me thinking.
> After I thought about it I thought the seat configuration was the same...It's like sitting in a lawn chair. I've been in a Kilroy but I have not even looked at a BR yet.


I was in the same situation, I can't even tell you how decided I was on the kilroy (100%) and just threw a deposit down on a BigRig, but my decision was river driven.


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

monsterKAT11 said:


> I was in the same situation, I can't even tell you how decided I was on the kilroy (100%) and just threw a deposit down on a BigRig, but my decision was river driven.



Yep Kat you hit the nail on the head. I'm 90% River so that was a main factor for me. 

Oh and BTW I saw your boat last week when I went to pick mine up. It's wrapped up in plastic just calling your name man! &#128513;


----------



## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

AWESOME yak ML!!! Ive had the pleasure of floating the Mad river with you last summer and cant wait to hit the river again with you and Flannel this year! Lookin forward to seeing the new rig get some fish slime on it!


----------



## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

ML1187 said:


> I know you guys have a blast at those man! I just don't have the time between work, church and family schedule. We still need to do that kiser lake trip though we talked about last summer!!!!


Anytime man. Let me know when it works for you and we'll go! Just have to wait for the ice to clear and I'll be there. My last time out there was in December and there was ice to deal with! You can still find open water in January BTW!


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Stream made some great points. The Coosa HD would have been a dream come true. I chose the big rig over it because I was able to save $500 and because I'm 300 lbs. 

I would definitely check out the HD before I made a decision if I were you coot!


----------



## BaitWaster (Oct 25, 2013)

Awesome new yak ML! I have again been researching more into fishing kayaks as of late. The problem is I am wanting to get into hunting as well. I can't afford both hobbys at this time due to a baby on the way this summer..... tough decisions! All of the great overnighters posted by you guys and others made it tough! I hope the new yak brings more good adventures to you and the crew! Can't wait to read your posts this year!


----------



## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

BaitWaster said:


> Awesome new yak ML! I have again been researching more into fishing kayaks as of late. The problem is I am wanting to get into hunting as well. I can't afford both hobbys at this time due to a baby on the way this summer..... tough decisions! All of the great overnighters posted by you guys and others made it tough! I hope the new yak brings more good adventures to you and the crew! Can't wait to read your posts this year!



Hey BW!

This dude says " please, please come and hunt me!!!! "









Haha got him on my trail cam year before last. Watch out man....hunting is every bit as addictive as fishing... Just ask SMBhooker!


----------

