A new fishing kayak is like a blank canvas, ready to paint with a personal touch. Modern boats are outfitted with gear tracks, mounting plates, open spaces and removable pods, begging for rod holders, cup holders, electronics and other accessories. With all those accessories, the question is how best to mount them on the kayak.

Where should you use a gear track, flush mount or a deck mount base? Each choice has advantages. Get it wrong, and expensive gear goes into the water. Follow these tips to get it right.

VIEW ALL MOUNTS, TRACKS & ACCESSORIES

3 Ways to Mount Accessories on Your Fishing Kayak

1 Gear tracks

Gear tracks and fishing kayaks go together like peas and carrots. Transporting and storing a fishing kayak requires accessories to be quickly removed. A gear track uses a long, metal groove mating with a T-bolt on the accessory. Slide the T-bolt into the groove and turn the accessory to tighten the bolt.

YakAttack GTSL90 Gear Track 12"
YakAttack GTSL90 Geartrac 12″ Black. | Image: Courtesy of YakAttack

With gear tracks, an accessory can be mounted anywhere on the track and pointed in any direction. Loosen the T-bolt and the accessory slides out of the track. Most accessories are compatible with other manufacturer’s gear tracks so it’s easy to mix-and-match brands.

[ See also: Rigging Guide—Mounts And Gear Tracks For Fishing Kayaks ]

Many kayaks come pre-rigged with gear tracks in strategic locations along the stern well and the cockpit. For custom rigging, tracks can be mounted with self-tapping screws.

Gear tracks are the most adaptable but least sturdy connection. The small T-bolt and thin track provide limited support. To increase strength, some accessories use a double T-bolt mount.

Fish finder mounted on track on fishing kayak
Track mounts and kayak accessories go together like peas and carrots. | Feature photo: Courtesy of Scotty

Gear tracks work best for light duty accessories. Cup holders, rod holders not used for fishing, fish finder display or camera mounts are a perfect fit for the gear tracks.

VIEW ALL TRACKS & RAILS

2 Flush Mount

The strongest connection for an accessory is flush mounted to the deck. With the rod butt or mounting spline below the deck, the center of gravity is lowered for a solid connection that will take a lot of pressure.

Scotty 244 Flush Deck Mount
Scotty 244 Flush Deck Mount. | Image: Courtesy of Scotty

Flush mounted rod holders are best for trolling or soaking baits. Angle the rod holder away from the kayak to spread out the rod tips. To install a standard flush mount, use a two-inch hole saw, stainless screws or pop rivets and plenty of marine sealant. Be sure to use flush mounted rod holders that are sealed at the end.

[ Read more: How To Troll From A Kayak And Catch More Fish ]

Some accessories can be mounted flush to the deck. Flush-mounted accessories use a base that goes through the deck. The accessory mount uses a spline that clicks into the recessed base. Installing the accessory, like a fish finder display or rod holder, places most of the pressure on the deck of the kayak. When the accessory is removed, the mount is below the deck so it doesn’t interfere with casting or paddling.

Flush mounts are strong and low profile, but they can’t be adjusted or easily removed. Cutting a large hole in the kayak is hard to repair.

Flush mount rod holders in the bow and behind the seat are perfectly positioned for trolling or soaking baits. A flush mounted fish finder display in front of the cockpit is a solid connection out of the way and easy to remove.

VIEW ALL FLUSH MOUNTS

3 Deck mount

Deck mounted accessories use a spline connecting to a base mounted to the deck. The spline clicks into the base for a solid connection, then unlatches to be removed. Another option is a ball and socket connection. The ball is mounted to the kayak and the accessory clamps to the ball.

Scotty 241 Combination Side/Deck Mount
Scotty 241 Combination Side/Deck Mount. | Image: Courtesy of Scotty

Most deck mounted bases are attached to the kayak with four bolts, making it easier to repair or replace the mount. Use a backing plate inside the hull to provide extra support for the accessory.

Deck mounts can accept compatible accessories within the brand, but most won’t take a spline from a different manufacturer. In other words, you can’t use a rod holder from one company with a base from another company. However, the bolt patterns often match so when you switch accessories you can switch bases without drilling new holes.

Anglers choose deck-mounted rod holders to elevate the reel away from the water. The rod holder can be turned any direction then locked into place.

[ See also: Guide To Kayak Rod Holders—Mounts, Brands, Reviews & More ]

A deck-mount base is a good choice for accessories that aren’t removed after each trip. Paddle clips, electronics brackets and other semi-permanent rigging features will stay in place until removed.

Ball mount bases allow the accessory to be adjusted quickly on the fly. Attach a fish finder display to a ball mount and loosen the socket enough to move the display with a little pressure. The display can face down when the angler is sitting or angled up to stand and fish.

VIEW ALL SIDE OR DECK MOUNTS

Mix and Match for Even More Flexibility

Combination mounts offer the best of both worlds. Spline-mounted accessories connected to the kayak with a track mount are a great compromise. The track mount allows the accessory to slide forward and back while the spline mount permits the accessory to be adjusted 360 degrees and removed quickly.

[ Read more: 9 Essential Mounts And Adapters To Rig Your Fishing Kayak ]

With so many choices for accessory bases, and so many uses for accessories, there’s a setup perfect to rig any kayak for your fishing needs.

Track mounts and kayak accessories go together like peas and carrots. |  Feature photo: Courtesy of Scotty

 

Previous article3 Rod And Reel Combos To Cover All The Bases
Next articleThe best tactic for winter smallmouth is not what you think
Ric Burnley
Kayak Angler editor Ric Burnley has been kayak fishing since the dawn of the sport. In 2007, Burnley wrote The Complete Kayak Fisherman, with chapters on how-to make a PVC rod holder and glue a fish finder transducer to the hull. In 2013, he landed his dream job as editor of Kayak Angler magazine. Burnley is a regular contributor to Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Outdoor Life, In the Bite and other print and online publications. Burnley lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, adult daughter, daughter’s boyfriend and daughter’s two cats. Experience In 2004, Ric Burnley stole his first milk crate from behind a 7-Eleven and fashioned it into a gear crate for his Ocean Kayak Prowler 15. Many years and many milk crates later, Burnley has witnessed the rise of kayak fishing from a bastardized fringe element to a legitimate industry with millions of devotees. The journey to becoming an angler started early in Burnley’s life. His father, Eric Burnley, is a renowned outdoor writer and former fishing guide, so the boy grew up in the cockpit of a charter boat and in the pages of national magazines. After college, Burnley lost easy access to his father’s boat, but not his passion for fishing. Once he had exhausted the limits of land-based angling, Burnley decided to try out a new thing called kayak fishing. About the same time, Burnley was looking for extra work to pay for his expensive addiction. His father, editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman Magazine, offered him freelance assignments for the weekly publication. That led to a position as regional editor at Salt Water Sportsman, publication of The Complete Kayak Fisherman and editorship of Kayak Angler. Meanwhile, Burnley and his partner-in-crime, “Kayak Kevin” Whitley were exploring the boundaries of kayak fishing. With the bountiful Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean as their playground, the two anglers were the first to target big red drum, cobia, trophy striped bass, monster black drum, sheepshead and many other species. Once inshore species were exhausted, Burnley loaded his kayak onto motorboats and fished for bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, king mackerel and amberjack. All the while, Burnley shared his experiences and knowledge with anglers through print, photos, video, radio, seminars and online. Almost 20 years later, Burnley continues to fish obsessively and share the stories. His recent projects for Kayak Angler cover the latest trends in forward-facing sonar and remote-controlled electric motors. Over the past two decades, kayak fishing and Ric Burnley have come a long way from PVC rod holders and stolen milkcrates. Education ● Radford University: BA English; Virginia Teacher’s License. Highlights ● Other Interests: Mountain biking, traveling, hiking, surfing and skateboarding ● Day Job: High School English teacher at an alternative school for at-risk students Fun Fact Ric’s name is a contraction of Eric. Ric is named after his father, Eric Sr. To differentiate between the two Erics, Mrs. Burnley removed her son’s E. To this day, she writes the boy’s name ‘Ric, with an apostrophe replacing the E.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Leave a Reply