FISHING ANGLES

Winter 2008

Exercising the angling option

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Dan Armitage

This is a new column for WaveLength, and I hope to do justice to the space that Diana and Ron have dedicated to the subject of fishing from kayaks. The numbers certainly justify it: the popularity of fishing from paddle-powered watercraft, and kayaks in particular, is a phenomenon that even industry experts did not anticipate, and the activity now represents one of the fastest growing segments of sport fishing across North America.

If you’re aboard, and already combine fishing and kayaking, you likely “get” it and understand the fever that’s spreading from coast to coast. Chances are, the information I will be sharing in this column might be a bit basic to those of you already wetting a line from your cockpit on a regular basis. Bear with me; I’ll try to share tips each issue that may even benefit the veteran angler. But if you find that I am speaking to a level you’ve left in your wake, please peruse the web sites I share below; you’ll find plenty of advanced kayak angling information for the fishing fanatic in you!

Likewise, I’ll not be dedicating many words to tactics for taking specific gamefish species in specific places. There are plenty of resources available—both in print and online—that share regional techniques and specialized tackle for catching a particular species of fish. Most will work just as well from the cockpit of a kayak as from the deck of a traditional fishing boat.

And that leads me to one of the keys to kayak fishing’s popularity: any fish that you can catch from boat or shore can be caught from a kayak. That goes for everything from inland perch to pelagic billfish.

To use the words of offshore kayak fishing aficionado Ric Hawthorne, So Cal angler and marketing rep for Okuma Fishing Tackle, “The beauty of fishing from a kayak is its inherent simplicity. It can be as basic as simply taking a rod and reel along with your paddle.”

On the other hand, if gadgets and gear are what “float your boat,” you certainly won’t be disappointed by all the angling accessories now available for custom rigging kayaks for fishing. From floating fishing rods to PFDs that double as tackle vests, there are even lines of angling attire—both technical and trendy—designed for ’yakers who seek to fool fish.

Getting back to the basics: any kayak you currently own can be used for fishing. That includes sit-in as well as sit-on-top (SOT) models. The latter is the style-of-choice for most kayak anglers, but sit-in designs have their following as well, especially in areas where the angling may take place in cold, inclement weather.

Some of the common arguments in favor of sit-on-tops include: easier boarding and off-loading from beach, shore, dock, water or mothership; no swamping—and the resulting pump-out—when tipped over; more surface area for mounting accessories; more available storage space; and more maneuverability aboard, allowing the angler to move forward or backward, reach accessories, and sit side-saddle while fishing.

But again, any kayak can be used for fishing.

Ditto the tackle you may already have on hand. Granted, fly fishermen may face a learning curve until they learn to get a little more air under their back-casts from the low-to-the-water platform, but the under-the-radar approach offered by the low-profile craft compensates for the shorter casts that may, or may not, result.

If you already own traditional spinning, spin-casting or bait-casting tackle—and the basic skills to use it—you’re good to go. The tactics you may already employ to catch fish from traditional boat, dock, beach or bank will work from a paddle-driven plastic (or canvas, or wood) platform. In fact, that’s just what the experts suggest that neophyte ’yak anglers do: go to the same places you catch fish from shore or conventional watercraft, use the same tackle, baits and tactics, but do it from the deck or cockpit of your kayak.

Yes, it will take some adapting, and no, you might not be as successful as when you fish using your conventional approach, at least at first. But just as you learned to be comfortable atop the water in your kayak, you will eventually find the same comfort zone when fishing from our favorite style of watercraft.

And that’s when the fun begins.

Four Excellent Kayak Fishing Web Sites*

> Plasticnavy.com
> Texaskayakfisherman.com
> Kayaksportfishing.com
> Kayakfishingstuff.com

*There are dozens of other good web sites on the subject, many regional in nature, but these are a start. Following links available at each of the above will lead you anywhere you care to paddle angling-wise.

Next Issue: Basic Fishing Tackle and Tactics