Most of the spots I fish are a mile or more from any launch. With this in mind I wanted an easy paddling, fast, and stable kayak. The Heritage Fisherman Pro 14 more than fits those requirements. However, beyond the two rod holders, there is little rigging available for other fishing gear. As a start I knew I had to add a crate, Scotty Rod holder and a GPS.

The first and most difficult thing I had to do was convince my wife that rigging the Yak was more important than repairing storm damage in the house (we compromised). I spent the morning on the house.

I found a crate that was square rather than rectangular and about an inch smaller in diameter than the ones I could find in local stores. The one I bought at the office supply would have worked, but it would be a long reach to the back of it. I attached a commercial rod holder that included slots for pliers and a knife to the front of the crate. It is important to mount the holders first because the position of the rod holders on the crate will interfere with the built in ones if mounted too far forward. I added some other holders in the back for a net, Boca-Grip etc.

With no recessed cavity to set the crate in, I had to "create" a recess. I decided to use Igloo Cooler Brackets. I mounted them over and slightly forward of the rear hatch.

First I put two rods in the built in holders to make sure I did not mount the crate too far forward. I set the crate and brackets on the kayak and maneuvered them around until I found the best spot that would not interfere with the built in holders or seat.

Once I was positive of the location, I marked the corners of the bracket locations with a sharpie. I put a spot of 5200 on each screw location, set the bracket in place and secured it with stainless steel screws. I bought some shorter screws than the ones that came with the brackets so they would have less chance of snagging anything I put in the rear hatch. Do not over tighten the screws. With the 5200 just getting them snug is enough.

The straps that came with the bracket feed through openings in the crate. You can then pull them snug (they don't need to be real tight). The way they secure will not allow the crate to move or shift in any direction.

I also wanted to add a Garmin 76 GPS mount. I had to keep it close to the cockpit so I could interact with it on the water. The location was less than ideal because it is not a flat surface. However, with no real weight or stress on it I simply added some 5200 to the screw locations and did not screw the two back ones all the way in (just far enough to hold it flat). Otherwise it would have distorted the shape of the mount.