Your nearest groundhog may or may not have seen its shadow this year—RIP Milltown Mel—but warmer weather is around the corner. And with spring nearing, tournament anglers continue to setup for 2022 season. In this video, Bonafide pro Gene Jensen takes us through an extensive tour of his upgraded rig. Join the Flukemaster to get “down into the dirty as to…what I have on here, why it’s where it is and how it’s set up.”
Touring Jensen’s 2022 Tournament Setup
Motor Mount and Rigging
First up is a MotorGuide xi3 trolling motor and quick-release base attached via Bonafide mounting plate. A foot pedal engages the motor, but Jensen’s seat is far enough back from the bow that he had a find a clever solution to reach. Using a carabiner, he threaded a pull rope from the underside of the pedal through the boat’s bulkheads. It exits out of a nicely finished port within easy arm’s reach.
Jensen can pull the rope to deploy his motor, but how to get the pedal to pop back up? The key is a bungee mounted underdeck that acts like a spring, pulling back on the rope to give the pedal enough slack to rise.
Always Pack a Paddle
A keel guard protects the kayak at the launch. Jensen packs a brand-new Bending Branches Angler Pro paddle in copperhead. “Always have a paddle,” he advises. “I don’t care how many motors you have on the boat, how much battery you have, something can always go wrong.” A high-quality, lightweight paddle makes it easier to get a heavy motorized boat back to shore.
Cutting-edge Electronics
The tour continues with a look at Jensen’s Yak-Power system with dual battery switch, custom wire covers from TRC, buttons, battery indicators and more. Dual Garmin 93sv fish finders with sonar package cap off the kayak’s electronics. “If you’re not using LiveScope somebody’s beating you with it,” he says.
We’ve only scratched the surface of Jensen’s setup, so make sure you watch the whole episode for more rigging tips geared for the 2022 tournament season.
