Kayaks and fishing

[oly884]

Who here has done it?

I had a kayak back in MT and sold it shortly after moving back to WA:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/Photography/_DSC9187.jpg

I had it set up for a fishing rod holder and did some awesome trout fishing in it. Definitely had a good time with it. For the record it was a Prijon Combi 359:

http://obchod.cvok.cz/images/Prijon_Combi359.jpg

The only complaint was that because it was designed for both white water and lakes, it sacrificed a bit when it came to paddling straight on the lake. It was some effort to get it to track straight and when I came out here, and took it out on the sound, I decided that it was just not the right thing for around here.

Anyways, fast forward to a few weekends ago. I got the chance to ride some nice 15' sea kayaks out in the sound. Damn, they were nice! Went on a 5 mile trip in no time, it was quiet, relaxing, just a really cool time. Anyways I ended up finding one of these for sale on craigslist:

http://www.malibukayaks.com/kayak_extreme.asp

After reading a bit about it, I decided to bite and hopefully on Saturday I'll be heading out to get it. It's all set up for fishing including 2-12 volt batteries to power both an illuminated compass and a fish finder. I figure that it'll be a pretty sweet setup for getting out and doing some awesome fishing as well as camping or just paddling. I'll definitely have to post up some pics when I get it.

Anyways, anyone else kayak, be it fishing, paddling, exploring, etc?

[some_odd_girl]

Man I haven't kayaked in a while, now I want to go again! Even thought I'm not very good at it.

[corax]

Haven't had a chance to in a lonnggg time, and then it was just paddling around/exploring in the Florida Keys. I'm hoping to try some mild whitewater or just river exploration this summer. The PNW definitely seems like a good place to get your paddle on

[04 Rocko Taco]

Been trying to find a canoe or open top kayak for river and lake around here, all flat water paddling, so I don't need any whitewater stuff. Can't find anything that fits what I really want fore the money I want to spend right now, so I'll just keep looking.

[4x4mike]

There are a lot of trade offs when selecting a kayak. If you want a fishing one get a fishing one but it's only going to be really good for fishing. Most of my fishing is fly fishing and it sucks in a kayak. Float tubes are much better but you can't cover long distances very quick. I know a guy here in norcal that specializes in kayak fishing and has made quite the business for himself.
I can't seem to find his website but this is his blog.

http://greatwhitekayakcompany.blogspot.com/

[oly884]

Yep, there are constant tradeoffs with each type of kayak. I obviously wanted something best suited for fishing and exploring. If I end up scoring this kayak, I'd say I lucked out quite well.

I had a float tube but found out it was far more of a PITA for me that I thought it would have been. They are awesome for small lakes, but around here so many of them are filled with boats that I found it to be too much work for the reward.

[Okie81]

Sounds like a fun fishing rig

[Robinhood4x4]

I've been wanting to try kayaking for a few years now, but want to either rent one or go on a tour with one first. It looks like a lot of fun.

Mike, how come fly fishing in a kayak sucks? I've been eying kayaks for that purpose since it seems like a good way to cover more water than in a float tube.

[oly884]

Here she is:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2190/5746718326_8848510615_z.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/5746172443_ea262869a6_z.jpg

[4x4mike]

I've been wanting to try kayaking for a few years now, but want to either rent one or go on a tour with one first. It looks like a lot of fun.

Mike, how come fly fishing in a kayak sucks? I've been eying kayaks for that purpose since it seems like a good way to cover more water than in a float tube.




I've tried in open and closed cockpits. In my experience my line gets tangled on everything. Moving from point to point is great but some boats can be a bit tippy when casting and I never got used to casting with my legs out in front of me. Trying sitting on the ground and cast. I can't get the distance as if I was in a float tube and my form is out the door. Pulling in fish is a bit harder too as I like getting them up on my lap to get the hook out. On an enclosed kayak you have a spray skirt or raised/curved deck to contend with. To each is own. FWIW I love spin casting out of a canoe, reminds me of when I was younger.

[Crinale]

iv never fished from a kayak, but ive done whitewater kayaking.. soooo much fun! if there was a river near here i would probably have a whitewater kayak..

like this one:
http://www.coloradokayak.com/core/media/media.nl/id.19710/c.437148/.f?h=a193d60dcb88b98384a5

[oly884]

I've never tried white water kayaking, but I'm planning on getting a kayak on the river for salmon fishing this year. Not sure whether I want to try it with my kayak, all the areas I'm planning on going are large enough to have a good size boat on, so no whitewater or anything. Hopefully sometime this week/weekend I can get out to do some fishing!

[oly884]

Well, it fits on the camper roof! Far from ideal, but it'll work until I get my rack made up for it!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/5764518435_6f3fbe3505_z.jpg

[Erich_870]

I've fished, surfed, duck hunted and just paddled around in my green LL Bean Manatee kayak. I was looking for photos, but they are all pre-digital camera days. :(

I really like just slowly creeping along the shore and casting under trees and stuff. You can really get into spooky fish that way.

I also have trolled around high mountain lakes for trout running small flashers on my ultralight pole. I stuck the reel in my lap and pointed the pole out back under my arm. I've caught dozens of fish that way.

Erich

[oly884]

I've taken it out about 6 times now and dang what an awesome investment! The thing is stable enough to stand and paddle around in (like those paddle boards, but better), can go pretty quick (6.5 MPH on flat water according to my GPS), and having a fish finder/GPS on a kayak is pretty damn awesome.

My brother is currently making a kayak rack that bolts to the camper with removable mounts that run across the top of the camper so I can still pop-the-top when I get to camp and get the kayak off the rig. Should make for a nice little setup to get around!