Monthly Archives: June 2009

Using A Kayak For Fishing

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I used to wonder this same question, why use a kayak for fishing?  I always thought they were too small, that you couldn’t get to the areas that you wanted to fish, uncomfortable, pain to load and unload, etc.  I was completely wrong, in every sense.  It did take me a little while to get the hang of kayak fishing, but once I did, everything else fell into place.  My goal is to help you, so that it doesn’t take you as long as it took me to start catching more fish!

One reason to use a kayak for fishing is that you are only able to bring a certain amount of gear.  This forces you to become a better fishermen because you learn what baits work, and leave the fluff at home.  You can only bring a couple rods as well, not a full rod locker of 10-12 rods like you would find on a bass boat.  This all helps you become a better angler, by teaching you techniques that work.  You can then take these back to your bass boat buddies, and be the man.

I also thought that using a kayak for fishing would be very, very uncomfortable.  This was the case for a little while.  One of the things that almost pushed me away from kayak fishing all together.  I couldn’t imagine how people could sit in these things for 8 hours at a time, in the blistering heat.  After a few outings, having raw legs, sore back, banged up elbows, and generally in pain, I really almost gave up the sport.  Taking a 2 month hiatus (through the cold season, hey, I’m a fair weather fishermen!)  I learned a few things that I could use in the next season.  One of these things was comfort, and how to make your fishing kayak more comfortable.   When the weather started heating up again, my drive took over, and back to kayak fishing I went.  This time with a renewed vigor, and a few mods to my kayak to make it more comfortable.

When most people think about fishing, they automatically think about the perfect areas to fish.  They will travel all day long, searching for the honey hole, not realizing that they have passed up more fish than they have ever caught in their life, by boating around all day.  When you use a kayak for fishing, you can’t travel 100 miles in a day, so you are forced to anchor up, and fish a spot, move a few hundred yards, and repeat.  This will advance your fishing skill more than you can imagine.  Fishing after all requires patience, and driving around in a boat all day searching for fish isn’t my definition of patience.  Once you realize that you don’t have to travel 2 miles to catch fish, you will start catching more.  I have had more hookups next to the dock waiting for my friends to load their boats in the water, than I can count.  Just slow down!

Using a kayak for fishing does add a little more work to it, than just throwing the rods in the boat, and backing the truck up.  In my case, I use a small Toyota Corolla to tote my boat, tackle, gear, and everything else I can fit on the boat with me.  When you get to the spot that you are going to launch at, you do have to put all the gear onto the kayak.  Otherwise, it would just be a kayak, and not a fishing kayak!  It usually takes me 10-15 minutes to put the boat together, and about 20 minutes total, before I am on the water.  This is a little inconvenient, but if you built all of your gear like I have, or have taken pride in rigging your kayak, it is just another thing.

Using a kayak for fishing means stealth and silence.  When you are out fishing on a stinkpot boat, people are talking, banging rods, stepping down hard.  All of these vibrations and noises may seem like they don’t matter above the water, but once that noise hits the waters surface through the boat, it is amplified.  Even small noises are bad.  They may not scare fish away, but you will put them on alert, and make them nervous.  When was the last time you ate something thrown in front of you while you were nervous?  Fish are the same way.  So if you wondered why you should use a kayak for fishing I hope I have summed it up for you!

Kayak Stake Out Poles

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Kayak Stake Out Poles are a very useful accessory for your fishing kayak.  They are also termed anchor stick, stick it, push pole (with the proper handle), and dig stick.  The purpose of it is to keep your kayak in the same place in shallow water.  They are only good for shallow water though, as they are usually less than 6 feet in length.  The principal is pretty simple, just stab it into the mud, sand, rock, whatever type of bottom you are over, and tether it to the kayak.  You can then stay in the boat to fish an area, or use the stake out pole to keep your boat in the same spot while you go for a walk on the island or shoreline.

Some useful ways of attaching your kayak stake out pole are through an anchor trolley, using an anchor rope, sticking it through a scupper hole, or through the carry handle on the front.  Any of these ways work, some better than others.  Using an anchor trolley is my preferred method.  This helps you angle the kayak with the current and wind, to ensure the stake out pole is going to stick in the bottom, without being tugged out.  The next best method, but is hard to do while on the boat, is through the carry handle.  This usually places the tension lower on the stakeout pole, helping it stick to the bottom.

The anchor rope tied to the kayak and the stake out poles is almost unreliable.  When the wind and current pick up, it is going to cause the kayak to bounce against the stakeout pole.  Eventually this will pull the fishing kayak away, and if you aren’t in it, you are going to swim after your boat.  It is still used though, because you can easily store 7′-10′ of anchor rope anywhere on your kayak.

If you are using a sit on top fishing kayak, your boat comes with scupper holes, or holes through the boat to allow for water drainage.  Find a stake out pole that is small enough diameter to fit through this hole on your kayak.  This is by far the most secure of the methods used, but if lacks control in the direction of the boat.   If you have scuppers far enough forward, or aft, you can use it in the same manner that you would an anchor trolley, but you must make sure your fishing kayak is stable before you start climbing to the front of it.

Kayak stake out poles are useful for kayak fishing.  They are also relatively cheap, and easy to build.  Stay tuned for a tutorial on building your safety light / stakeout pole / day flag!

Kayak Fishing PVC Paddle Rest

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A PVC Paddle Rest for your fishing kayak is pretty much just some soft material placed on the rail of your sit inside kayak.  You use softer materials to keep the hard material of the paddle from banging against the kayak.  It may not seem like a loud noise above the water, but fish, having a lateral line, feel everything.  Even if you don’t spook them away, you will put them on alert – and when fish are nervous, they don’t eat.  Do you eat when you’re nervous?

In one of my last posts, Kayak Fishing Edge | Pelican Potomac Rigging I described how to do it.  In case you haven’t read that post, I’ll do a brief run through again for you.

That is the basics of what you need to accomplish.  The materials I used were some good old Ace brand duct tape, and a few pieces of the insulation you see for air conditioning lines.  I cut the insulation in half opposite the side of the slit that is already in it.  This left me with two identical pieces.  Cut about 4 inches off of each one.  Cut each of these 4 inch pieces in half.  This should give you 8 small pieces of foam, and 2 longer strips.  You are ready to go.

Grab your long strips of insulation, and lay them down on the rails of your fishing kayak, where you normally lay your paddle.  Now, rest your elbows where you would normally as well.  Make sure that these pieces are long enough to rest your elbows, and paddle on.  This will silence it, and give you a little padding!  Start taping it down.  Try to get all the pieces to seal, saltwater especially does a number on duct tape!

Now take the smaller pieces, tape 1 down behind where you place your paddle.  Tape another one down on top of that.  Now place one more piece down on the front side of your paddle handle.  Tape this down, and put the last one on top, and tape it down as well.  Make sure everything is cleaned up, and take it out to enjoy your new pvc paddle rest for your fishing kayak!