My New Coosa FD – Do I like it?

Here is one kayak that I was expecting not to like. Why? Because, I have paddled a canoe, boat, or kayak since I started fishing when I was 13. I try not to carry any prejudice against anything or anyone as I go through the years but, let’s face it we all have some bias and mine was to paddle, not pedal. Sure I was thrilled to get a new kayak. I even got an Orion cooler that matched the color of the Coosa FD. How long before that new kayak feeling would subside to another feeling?

The real test though would come on the water. How was this going to help me catch more fish? I’ve developed some good paddling skills over the years and I wasn’t sure how the Coosa FD was going to improve my way around a river.  Sure I could see the benefits of using it on a lake to troll for fish but, I rarely troll.  I decided to take the Coosa FD out for some short trips on the river. After my first trip I had to change my anchor point from the stern, like I used on my Cuda HD, to the bow. What this did was point my bow upstream and all I had to do was start pedaling to release tension on my anchor line by going upstream. This made a world of difference when cranking up the anchor. It made it easier. I like things to go easy! Conclusion 1. Coosa FD makes my time on the water easier. 

The next test would be to take it on a longer trip. That would be a 12 hour drive to remote waters of the Upper Michigan Peninsula.  I could test it trolling on a lake for Walleye and fishing for Smallmouth Bass.

 I packed the Coosa FD and other boats for the trip with 3 of my friends.

It was relatively easy with help from one of my friends to put the Coosa FD on top for the long trip. I checked the straps at all of our rest and fuel stops along the way (safety 101) no problems.

Once we unpacked for our stay we launched the boats to fish.

One of the tests I wanted to do was troll for walleye. There is a channel on the lake that always holds fish, a good place to start. The channel is about a quarter mile from the dock. This would give me an idea of how out of shape I was. I would have to pedal to the channel and see if I had anything left in the tank to troll for a while.  Using the GPS on my fish finder I maintained a speed of 2mph, which for me was a very comfortable pace, like walking.  I was in the channel doing a trolling run inside of 15 min. Conclusion number 2 I wasn’t in as bad a shape as I thought. Just kidding. Coosa FD is fast. I was able to make a dozen or so trolling passes and still had enough in the tank to pedal back. Conclusion 1 EASY Conclusion 2 FAST.

 This same test was also coupled with my 3 buddies taking the big boat and motor and doing the same trolling passes. Of course they got there faster, and they got the first fish. In the end the count was they had 3 walleye. I had 6 walleye plus 2 smallmouth bass and 1 Northern Pike.

 

Conclusion number 3 I’m a better fisherman than 3 of my fishing pals! Again just kidding. 

Conclusion 3 quiet.  Quiet enough not to scare the fish off to the side like a big noisy motor. That equals more fish.  

The rest of the trip was more of the same results. I caught lots of fish. 

 

When we got ready to pack up and go home I noticed this patent number

What does this all mean for the Coosa FD? 

Conclusion 1: It makes my fishing easer.

Conclusion 2: It is fast.

Conclusion 3: It is quiet and doesn’t scare away fish. 

Conclusion 4: With a patent, Groundbreaking Technology!

Conclusion 5: I like it! I will keep it.