Tour Jocumsen’s tournament kayak

Bassmaster Elite Series pro to also compete in kayak tournaments. Here's his tournament-ready rig.

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Photography by
Craig Lamb
Welcome to the Man Cave of Carl Jocumsen, who is preparing for two tournament seasons, as you can guess from seeing his Bassmaster Elite Series boat in the background. 
Jocumsen also plans to fish some of the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX and the Hobie Bass Open Series. 
For those events, he’ll fish from this Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 which is the kayak equivalent of a downsized tournament rig. 
You can see the evidence that it includes a transducer for using Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging. “I’ve fished for years from my Hobie to get away from the tournaments, go where bass boats can’t and go fun fishing and connect with the outdoors and nature,” Jocumsen said. 
“I went to the Hobie championship, and it was like going back in time,” Jocumsen said. “Everyone sharing information, the camaraderie and their passion really fired me up, and I wanted to be part of it. And now I have the tournament rig to do that.” 
The Dugout Bait and Tackle in Marietta, Ga., did the rigging, including the customized mounts and brackets and other accessories. 
At the bow are dual Humminbird Helix 10 CHIRP Mega SI + GPS units, complete with MEGA Side Imaging + MEGA Down Imaging. 
The units are on a custom removable slide mount bracket for easy removal for transporting. 
“I catch a lot of fish using MEGA 360 and kayak tournament anglers are using the same technology on their rigs, so it was just natural to put it on mine,” Jocumsen said. 
The MEGA 360 Imaging transducer is designed to mount to the Minn Kota Ultrex. A custom mount attached to Hobie’s H-Rail accessory mounting system allows the transducer to be removed for transport. 
On the port side a similar mounting solution is used for the MEGA Live Imaging transducer. 
Taking a closer look.
A key feature of the Hobie PA 14 is the MirageDrive 180 + Turbo Kick-Up Fins. 
The drive allows maneuverability of the kayak in any direction. The indicator is pointed in the forward direction. 
Below you can see the Kick-Up Fins in that direction. 
Or you can move the fins to maneuver the kayak sideways in either direction. 
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The drive is removable for easy transport. 
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When encountering the bottom or a shallow obstacle like a log, the Kick-Up Fins raise up and then retract, without the need to remove the drive from the hull. 
The Hobie H-Rail accessory mounting system provides customized options that are easily accessible, such as this Mini Bin for small items. 
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Located in the floor and in front of the Vantage ST Seat is the Hobie Fishing Hawg Trough Measuring Board for taking photos for scoring before release. 
Wearing a PFD while in a kayak is a mandatory tournament rule, and Jocumsen chooses Mustang Survival Inflatable models, just as he does when fishing in Elite Series competitions/ 
Weight is a major factor in rigging a kayak, and Jocumsen chose lighter lithium-ion batteries to power his electronics and other accessories. 
He uses these X2 Power Lithium Deep Cycle 12V 50 Ah 12 batteries that are mounted to the kayak in this custom box. 
The box comes complete with plug ins for the Humminbird units. 
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The batteries are charged in place with this X2 Power 1.5 Ah charger fitted with connections for the battery box.  
Jocumsen has three rod holders mounted on the the H-Rails on both sides of the kayak. 
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The PA 14 has a large forward storage compartment suitable for bulky items like rainwear and more.
Unlike his bass boat, Jocumsen will spend most of the time seated and that means comfort is a must. He gets that with the elevated, breathable and adjustable mesh Vantage Seating system, complete with lumbar support.