What are the basic benefits of the Hobie MirageDrive 180 for fishing and why is it so popular?
The MirageDrive 180 is a propulsion system for fishing kayaks that is powered by your legs. You pedal to go forward or in reverse, and steer with a rudder as you move along. It’s that simple…
The MirageDrive 180 allows you to concentrate on fishing instead of maneuvering your kayak. Your rod is in your hands where it’s supposed to be, and this means you make more casts. Simple math: more casts equal more fish! While you use the MirageDrive 180 to control your boat your lure can work how it’s supposed to and entice more fish to bite.
Stealth. The MirageDrive 180 is quiet. Its side-to-side motion is straight out of nature. There is no paddle to splash and slap. Mirage kayaks blend right into the environment, increasing the odds of sneaking up on fish.
The MirageDrive 180 also excels for trolling. Setting two lines and covering water is easy. You can even troll with your rod in hand to detect soft strikes. The MirageDrive 180 is easy to pedal and creates great power with little effort. It has revolutionized fishing forever.
The conditions are not always glassy calm when we head out. As anglers, we face wind, current and tides, which the MirageDrive 180 eats for breakfast. It’s got the authority of your leg muscles behind its moving fins, creating massive amounts of pitch and power with much greater surface area than a prop.
That power comes in handy when you’re fishing a bridge and the current is ripping. You can hold station and fire cast after cast while anglers in traditional kayaks get only one before they are gone, swept downstream. The same holds true in the wind; the MirageDrive 180 keeps on fishing.
What about pinpoint control? The MirageDrive 180 has that too. Work docks, rock and brush piles, timber and other structure, all with rod in hand. Shift from forward to reverse in a moment, and back that trophy out of cover at full power. The MirageDrive 180 is your human-powered trolling motor.
You’ve probably had a Hobie MirageDrive 180 fishing kayak scoot by you on the water and scratched your head wondering where the motor is. Well… there is no motor… just an elegantly engineered mechanism that hauls butt and requires next to no maintenance!
It’s at home in deep water and the shallows. The powerful fins fold up against the hull when it’s time to go skinny. They even work for propulsion with partial pedal kicks. Unlike a prop, the fins are resistant to picking up weeds and other snags.
The MirageDrive 180 weighs only 8 pounds / 3.63 kilograms. That’s next to nothing. It removes from the hull in seconds. Just unlatch and lift it out, and it clicks right back into place when it’s time to boogie!
Since 1997, the MirageDrive is tried, tested and proven to be the best. It’s responsible for some of the biggest fish caught and we’ve seen stealthy Hobies outfish big boats on plenty of occasions. It’s time to get a Hobie!
