Somewhere kayak fishermen are on the water catching fish right now. Unfortunately, I live where the water turns hard during the winter so all I can do is dream about it—for the next three months at least—and I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.
I took up this great sport three years ago for a handful of reasons. First, it’s a simple and relatively inexpensive way to take your fishing offshore. It’s something I can enjoy solo, with my wife or son, or with a group. I can get into backwaters that are off limits to bigger fishing boats. And I love that, when you’re fighting and landing a fish, the action is virtually in your lap.
The fact that it’s one of the hottest things going in the fishing world was another major attraction for me. With so many beginners out there (as well as fishermen on the verge of taking the plunge) here are a few things I’ve learned that might help you out.
1. Dress Smart
I learned this lesson the hard way on the first day I brought my kayak home. I was eager to get it on the water, so drove to a nearby lake. As I entered the water to climb aboard, the old sneaks I thought would be the perfect kayaking footwear immediately filled with sand and grit. By the end of the brief shakedown cruise, my paws were hurting.
I also quickly discovered that blue jeans aren’t the best choice. When they get wet they tend to bind and chafe in the tenderest regions of your lower body.
The solution: Wet shoes and quick-dry nylon pants. Sandals and pull-on mesh shoes are acceptable options, but my choice is something like
Rugged Shark’s Swordfish Power S shoes. The heel strap and bungee lace snug them up so you don’t have to worry about losing one. But more importantly, the large drain holes mean you can dislodge most of the junk that inevitably intrudes just by swinging your feet through the water. If you get something big and stubborn that requires manual extraction, they go off and on pretty easily, too.
Lightweight nylon pants are easy to find and there are many styles from which to choose. My recommendation, though, is to go with a version with detachable lower legs. Kayak fishing is largely a warm-weather activity, and you’ll probably use them as shorts most often, but you’ll thank me for the zip-on lower halves when the sun starts to fry the skin off your shinbones.
2. Invest In Electronics
One of the most attractive things about kayak fishing is that, once you make the initial investment in a ‘yak, costs are relatively minimal. Whatever you do, though, make sure your get-in-the-door purchasing includes an appropriate sonar unit.
Top choices in my book:
Humminbird’s 385ci Combo, which you can get in a “Kayak Kit” that includes materials for simple and easy through-hull transducer mounting. It’s a sonar/GPS unit with a 3½-inch color display.
Garmin’s Echo series includes the 500c and 300c (both color displays), as well as the 200, 150 and 100 (monochrome), allowing ‘yak anglers a big range of price/feature options.
3. Be Efficient
And that means in every way, so you can minimize the weight you’re carrying and cover more water during a fishing trip. Don’t think a half-, or even a quarter-pound can mean all that much? Imagine a small jig box filled with leadheads. Now mentally multiply that weight by a couple thousand paddle strokes. Get the picture? If you never used a jig from that box, it means you pushed around a ton of weight you didn’t have to.
First, organize lures and terminal tackle in trays devoted to species, water types or whatever is most logical for the way you fish, so you can easily select what you need for a day on the water and leave the rest behind.
Think about lightweight gear, too.
Abu Garcia’s Revo MGX is a good example. The low-profile baitcaster weighs 5.4 ounces; it’s actually lighter than the box it comes in (no lie, we put them on a scale). Now, the MGX isn’t cheap—suggested retail runs over $300. But consider all the paddle strokes multiplied by how many fishing trips over the next four or five years. I’m not saying this math is going to work for you. Just that you shouldn’t disregard good gear because of a higher price tag—not until you analyze how it might fit into your long-range fishing program.
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Efficiency comes in different forms, too. Last summer one of them fell into my lap in the form of
Berkley’s NanoFil unifilament line. By now you’ve probably heard or read enough about the line’s specs and characteristics. The one that became most important to me, though, was castability. It’s designed specifically for spinning gear, and the stuff is so slick, it easily increased my casting distance by 30 percent. On trips where I used spinning tackle exclusively, it meant I covered 30 percent more water! That’s important to me.
If you’re a ‘yak angler, you may or may not agree with my points. Either way, let me know. And if you’ve got advice on maximizing efficiencies, let’s hear them. If you’ve yet to join the kayak fishing ranks, here’s a good place to ask questions.-- Kurt