Kayak Truck Racks

Pro Angler is just right for enjoying the Show-Me state

With Missouri’s diversity of water, from the country’s largest rivers to enormous reservoirs to tiny farm ponds, it’s nice to have a form of watercraft that can be fun to use across the board.

Canoes, kayaks, jon boats and more will work, but I recently picked up a unique boat called the Pro Angler made by Hobie that combines the best of all three.

The Hobie Pro Angler first gained national attention when it won the overall “Best of Show” award in 2009 at ICAST, the largest trade show for the fishing industry. Since then, if you watch any of the outdoor networks, chances are you’ve seen fishing celebrity Hank Parker peddling around in a kayak-like boat. That’s the Hobie Pro Angler. St. Louis Cardinals football Hall of Famer Jackie Smith is another spokesperson for Hobie.

In the spring of 2010, on Lake Taneycomo near Branson, I had my first chance to fish from one of the Pro Anglers. What I instantly liked so much about the boat is the fact that you use your feet to power it, thus keeping your hands free for fishing, which is especially helpful when fly casting. My experiences with fly fishing from traditional kayaks on moving water have been frustrating because of constantly having to put down my rod to use the paddle. The Hobie Pro Angler and its patented MirageDrive system eliminate that problem.

The MirageDrive system consists of two pedals that drive a pair of underwater fins. The system was designed to imitate the way a penguin moves through water. Just like on a bicycle, you control the speed by how fast you pedal. There is a single retractable rudder for steering, which you move left or right with a simple lever.

The Pro Angler can hold up to 600 pounds, it’s 13 feet, 8 inches long by 38 inches wide, making it extremely stable and a popular standup fishing platform.

It’s large for a kayak, at 138 pounds, but can still be transported in the bed of a pickup truck or on roof racks. Hobie does offer a trailer built specifically for the Pro Angler.

The boat also boasts a comfortable, highback mesh seat, more than enough storage, rod holders and a number of other impressive attributes.

Rivers are my favorite place for using the Pro Angler. What I like most about using it in moving water is being able to hold my position. When I come upon a hole I want to fish, I can point the boat into the current, and then paddle with my feet to stay in one spot until I’m satisfied with the spot and ready to move on. In a canoe or traditional kayak, as soon as you stop paddling to pick up your rod, you’re left to the mercy of the current.

Thule Xsporter Truck Rack Review - Palmetto Kayak Fishing

If you have followed my addiction to kayak fishing over the past few years, you’ve probably seen at least one of my homemade transport racks.  There was the PVC model that I built just so I could get my first kayak home from the store.  It was re-engineered over time and worked well on my short bed Tacoma.  After moving up to a full sized truck, I went back to the drawing board and came up with a steel, no-welding-required configuration that utilized inexpensive yet strong bed extenders from Harbor Freight and some simple parts from Home Depot.  I used this for the better part of a year. While both of these rigs worked well, I wanted something that was “permanently” mounted on my truck and ready to go at a moment’s notice.  After all, one of the things that I love most about kayak fishing is the convenience of being able to load up my gear and be gone within minutes.   Excessive time spent in the driveway equated to less time on the water.  I needed a change. When it is time to load up, it literally takes seconds to lock the rack in the upright position and loading can commence.  I can’t begin to explain how functional this option is.  Although it took a month or so of scouring the internet, I was lucky enough to find my barely used Xsporter on Craigslist for $300.  For an extra $20 the seller threw in a pair of Thule J cradles – my man.   XT , Thule’s most recent, one-size-fits-all model,  there were two options to choose from.   The Xsporter 421 is designed for compact trucks and the 422 model is intended for most full sized applications.  The only difference between the two models is the top bar height when the rack is placed in the fully extended position.  I did a little research on these racks (ok, a LOT of research) before I pulled the trigger and bought one.  I chose the 421 which sports a 23” top bar height.   This model clears the cab of my full size truck just fine.  The 422 model would have added almost 5.5 inches to the overall bar height of the rack.  In my opinion this would be entirely too tall for my application especially after adding any sort of kayak saddle like the Malone Seawing cradle – more on that product later. In summary, the Xsporter is versatile, rugged and well-designed.

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