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Space and comfort
By installing this central motor in the stepping well, I reclaim space in my fishing area, as there are no longer any stepping arms. It's also more comfortable for the legs, which don't have to work as hard. The space I've reclaimed means I can put my box of lures in front of me. What's more, when you take a fish out with the landing net, it's easy to put it down in front of you to land your catch.
This slightly longer outing, of around 20 km, was therefore an opportunity to test this motor on a fishing session. For trolling, it's ideal: you remain stable at the chosen speed and the motor's wake obviously doesn't bother the fish. It only took me a few minutes to land my first bass, hooked on a 3DB Jerkbait in 4 meters of water.
To start with, I chose a speed of between 3 and 4 km/h. The rod is held in my hand. As soon as the fish is hooked, I cut the motor and turn to starboard, holding the rod with my left hand. The kayak is perpendicular to the line, so you can work it properly.
Mackerel
After this first catch, I'll do 3 more with the same technique in the area and then start my crossing of the Rade. The sea is flat, there's not a hint of wind and I can push a little. I increase my speed to 5 km/h with a deep diver swimming between 3 and 4 meters deep. I took my Kendoza 701 MH in 10/40 grams power. This time, I'm going to be joined by a few mackerel, which are quite big at the moment. There are huge shoals of sprats in the harbor and they're having a field day.
For those who know the Rade de Brest, I headed for the harbour embankment and then crossed the Rade towards the Caro and Ile Ronde. Stopping short of île ronde, I switched to a soft lure with a 12-gram combo, Astufish Profyler head and Yum pulse body in 9 cm.
Gurnards
There's 12 meters of water, and as you scrape along the bottom, you'll come across some pretty perlon gurnards. The perlon is one of the 4 varieties of gurnard found in the harbor, along with the red gurnard, the camard gurnard and the gray gurnard. These fish are superb and always provide a good photo opportunity.
Arriving at the Round Island, I take out the jigs and this time it's the horse mackerel that are interested. There's a twenty-metre drop to the bottom, and on the way down the jig catches a Udaï, whose gliding action on the way down makes all the difference. It's also very good for fast fishing on chasers, throwing far.
Back to the shore on the Brest side, this time I put the rod down and set a speed of 7.5 km/h to cross. It's certainly faster than using my legs for propulsion, but more importantly, it keeps the distance. Off to the beach for the traditional snack break, then back to the slipway.
As the weather's really nice, I'm extending the pleasure, and I'll do a few more teenage bars in front of the floating pontoons at the sailing school. Before going out, I'll give myself another treat by pushing the engine...
In conclusion, during this session, I sailed around twenty kilometers. I set off with the battery fully charged, and spent seven hours on the water. One hour at an average of 7.5/8 km/h, the rest of the time at an average of 4 km/h, consuming 32% of the battery. I'd hoped to meet bonito, but they don't seem to have settled in yet. On the various fishing pages, a few catches are reported, but nothing significant yet, and the bluefin tuna are still in the shallows in front of the Narrows... The predicted peak in heat over the next few days should work in our favor.
In the following video, I show once again the removal of the motor from the shaft and the propeller, which folds in on its own, facilitating movement. This retractable propeller is really a great idea.
