(^108) FEBRUARY 2015
ANYONE who read the September 2014 issue
of Fisho will know I’m currently running a
TABS 4800 Territory Pro with a 75hp E-TEC
on the back. I’ve been running this rig for almost
six months now and it’s put in plenty of on-water
time and caught some nice fish. I couldn’t be
happier with the hull and motor combination
- it’s just about perfect for the inshore and
estuary work I do these days. The Lowrance
sounders fitted are amazing and round out what
is a great fishing boat.
The plan was always going to be to fish out
of the boat for several months and get a good
feel for it and what needed to be improved or
added as time passed. I didn’t want to rush in
and fit stuff that I didn’t need or that took up
valuable space and served no purpose. I knew
I’d need some rod storage and an electric
motor up front but the best thing I did was
take some time and look at various options
before spending money and fitting anything.Rod Holders
The TABS came with four gunwale mounted
rod holders plus three vertical rod holders in
the rear bait board option that I selected.
You would think storage for seven rods isplenty, but the problem with those rod holders
is they get in the way when full. It’s difficult
to cast, fight and land fish around and
through those rods. The TABS has a port side
shelf under the gunwale that’s 2.1m long
which can carry a couple of spin outfits but
I don’t really class that as rod storage.
Ideally I would have liked concealed
horizontal rod lockers for six or eight rods but
this wasn’t possible without a lot of
aluminium work and welding that would have
meant a new paint job or getting a wrap down
each side to cover up the burnt paintwork.
Also with a starboard side console and motor
controls fitted there’s very little room under
that gunwale for any storage.
Next best thing was vertical rod storage
around and in front of the side console. This
would keep the rods out of the way when we
were casting lures or f ly rods from the front
casting deck and lure casting from down the
back. I looked at several options including
getting a couple of stainless or aluminium rod
racks fabricated. Then a mate put me onto
Kamikaze rod racks. He had a couple fitted to
a Quinnie Top Ender and he gave them a big
wrap. I did some looking around and found
them on EBay. I purchased a four rod rack and
mounted these in front of the console and a
three rod rack that’s mounted on the side of the
console. The Kamikazes are UV protected high
impact plastic with a f lared top and a slot for
spin reels. They were dead easy to fit and do
the job admirably. They also have slots for
scissors, knives and pliers.Electric power
It didn’t take a lot of estuary fishing to
confirm that the TABS required a bow
mounted electric. We fished a couple of
sessions chasing jewies on lures in the local
river and to be honest I was quite over having
to position the boat every five minutes due to
tide and breeze using the main motor. The
Minn Kota couldn’t come quick enough. I did
a bit of homework before deciding on the
Riptide 55 12 volt unit with iPilot. The 54
inch unit fits the TABS perfectly for height.
I went with the Quick Release Kit because I
won’t need the electric on offshore trips and
I don’t want it getting jolted around. It takes
about two minutes to remove it if we’re
heading offshore or it’s going to get in the way
when f ly casting to pelagics. The iPilot unit
comes with the small control panel that can
be worn around your neck with a lanyard and
this is dead easy to use whilst fishing. I also
invested in the Minn Kota foot pedal which is
very convenient when fishing one up and lure
casting up front.Sportfishing Fit-Out
Greg Finney talks about the essential accessories
that go into making a great sportfishing boat.