How many kayakers do we have
- This topic has 23 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated Jul 27, 2010 at 7:37 am by
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I like to fish with a yak. My advice would be to get a rod leash and holder. You don’t want to lose a fly rod and you’ll need a place to keep it when you paddle. I have a Scotty rod holder and like it.
Good luck and have fun.
I fish from a kayak 100% of the time. First things first, take every precautionary measure to be sure you arrive home safe at the end of a trip. Always pack food and water because you just never know.
Take your kayak out on the water with a buddy and just take a couple of falls from it and make sure you can reenter while by yourself. I could go on and on, but most of all just have fun!
Thanks for the advice. I guess there is a lot to learn, even though I have been on and around boats most of my life.
Tarpon 140.
Love my Ultimate.
Like any personal watercraft there are Pros/Cons or tradeoffs. There’s no 1 solution however the Native Ulitmate is the closest I’ve come.
Do some research on SoTs and SiKs. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. Because I bring and am risking bulky expensive camera gear, as well wanting something I could overnight in if the occassion arose I opted for the hybrid.
A Sot might suit your needs more.
I do a lot of fishing from a SOT kayak. Frankly, this is the best fishing investment I’ve ever made. It opens up so much water (you can take it anywhere from 10ft wide creeks, to large rivers, to the flats and surf) and is very low cost (pretty cheap up front and zero maintenance).
Lots of good comments above. I’ll second the thoughts on strapping gear down. I haven’t dumped, but have seen it many times. At least half of these were on completely flat water. The common themes are moving very quickly to reach something (usually a rod) somewhere behind the seat and tossing an anchor down in current. In general, I go into any small watercraft with the expectation that I will get wet- so dress and pack accordingly. I also don’t anchor with any substantial current- just slide the boat up on a rock, hold a branch with a hand or the paddle, etc. I do sometimes use a drag chain, but it’s covered with plastic, hangs directly behind the boat, and I carry a knife just in cast it snags.
I also agree with keeping it simple. My usual set up is one spinning rod and one fly rod (spinning rods make great fish finders and are easier to fish while paddling up stream for those do-it-yourself float trips). I usually have the spinning rod in a rod holder and the flyrod between my legs (I’ve snagged the rod holder I have positioned in front of me too many times). I strap a backpack and small cooler in the tankwell and that’s about it. If I’m doing and extended trip or targeting a lot of different species, I put the extra gear under the deck where it’s out of the way.
I’ve only brought a waterproof P&S camera on the boat so far, but am looking to increase my investment in photography soon. My plan for additional camera gear is to keep in under the deck in a waterproof bag, at least when I’m not on calm, still water and to take it out when wading.
There are great tips of rigging and fishing from these boats here: http://riverbassin.com/ and here: http://texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/
Most yaks are very stable contrary to popular mythbeleif.. Ive stood up in my ultimate to cast and that was with my camera gear on board and the Pelican case open. For fising I bring my body, 24-70 f2.8 and 400 f5.6. Ive taken my 500mm in it and feel safe doing so. Thats 15g worth of body/lens when I do that.
Also hence why I chose the Ultimate. Very stable but also lots of room for my gear and equally important being able to get at the gear quickly for shots.
Normally when I go fishing I bring one spinning rod and one fly rod..As Jason said you can cover alot more water, alot faster with spinning gear to locate fish.. Also there are times/situations when casting to a likely spot would be very difficult or near impossible with a fly rod but less so a spinning rod. For my fly rod I use the Sage LM with 340 grain spey line from SA. It shoots big plugs like a Canon.
I dont know if there’s a “best” it really boils down to how you plan to use them, under what conditions and so on.
Keith,
Drag that hunk of plastic over to the Coosa or Tallapoosa rivers in AL and have a ball with spots.
I do most of my fishing from a kayak or with kayak assist.
Take advantage of the 100 degree weather, pile all your gear on a rock, and practice dumping and re-entry.If you go on the big lakes, get a flag for visibility.
Take a slow approach to customizing. Fish until you see what you want and where it should go. Most of my “customizations” are made with pool noodles, pvc pipe, and zip ties.
G
The Caper is a great boat- you won’t regret that purchase. It handles very well in rivers and the stability is great- you can fish while standing up and pole around on the flats. I have a WS Tarpon 120 and really wish I’d bought something more stable. The Caper (along with a Native Ultimate) are at the top of the list for my next kayak.
One tip for the flats- if you like to get out and wade, have a rope off both the bow and stern. Tie the bow rope to your belt (or around your waist) and a 2lb dumbbell to the stern rope. This allows you to tow the boat around, even if you work with the wind at your back.
A couple of the Caper in action:
Jason
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