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 Post subject: Looking for advice
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:05 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 2:56 pm
Posts: 1
Hi my name is Ken. I just joined this forum.

I have a dilemma. I live in northern Virginia and do most of my fishing on the potomac river. I've had it with paddling and fishing as it is such a distraction and I just can never get settled in the currents let alone fighting a fish.

Would a pro angler or other hobie work in the potomac river with all the rocks, current and shallow spots? Overall, I do some trips to open water and I'm wondering how reliable the mirage drive is and how strong the hulls are. Are they worth the money?

Ken W


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 Post subject: Re: Looking for advice
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 4:30 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
Posts: 2763
Location: High Point, NC
Are they reliable and are they worth the money? That's a subjective question but as I currently own 5 Hobies, each with the Mirage Drive you could say I believe they are indeed reliable and worth every penny.

If you're humping and bumping along shallow, rock and shoal filled rivers then I'd say get something else. But anywhere you have the depth to use them (consistently more than a couple feet) they're tough to beat.

If I could only own one boat, it would be a 13 foot Revolution. If I did need to use it on a shallow, rocky river, I'd pull the drive and set the rudder to kick up and go on about my business.


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 Post subject: Re: Looking for advice
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 4:50 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:08 pm
Posts: 74
Hi and welcome.
I too live in Virginia and fish the Potomac often. I have owned several Mirage drive yaks, currently a PA12. Although there are places on the Potomac where a Mirage drive will do OK there aren't many. For example, if you put in at Brunswick and run upstream to Knoxville Falls you should be able to pick your way in normal to high water and the fishing is good. But I would recommend that you try to get comfortable in a paddle yak or canoe. I use a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 for river fishing. It does take some getting used to. Have you tried to find spots where you can get out and wade fish? That is what I try to do whenever the opportunity presents itself. You can also try anchoring below eddy's and in quiet water. Read up on anchoring if you aren't familiar with it, it can be very dangerous.

Have you considered joining the Potomac River Smallmouth Club? It is a great club for those of us interested in fishing the rivers of Virginia. Go to prsc.org to learn more.


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 Post subject: Re: Looking for advice
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 5:36 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:06 pm
Posts: 77
There was a M&G out of the Brunswick area last weekend. I was planning on going but I have a PA-14 and the advice was that that area would not be Mirage Drive friendly, so I went to the Potomac S/o DC (actually Mattawoman Cr) and the PA's and other Mirage Drive kayaks work very well. The PA does not paddle well either so shallow water fishing is not it's strong point. However, the Outback may be a good, dual purpose kayak. They are relatively easy to paddle so removal of the drive would not be a big deal in water hostile to it's use and they are well set up as a fishing platform. I had an Outback prior to the PA-14 and kind of wish I had kept it just for that shallow water use. But I really like the PA-14 for the fishing I normally do.

_________________
2012 PA-14 Dune; 2013 PA-14 Yellow.


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