Kayaks and fishing

My rigs are prety simple. I take out one of these (usually the pink one)

SkiQuiver.jpg


And paddle about 40m off-shore trailing 10m of line with either a spinning lure or bare hook. When the herring are biting they'll commit suicide on almost anything. I euthenaze the fish and then dump it in the font hatch. I normally only catch 3-4 and then head home for breakfast.
 
Guyon: Awesome rig, thanks for taking the time to post all the pic's. I like the anchor rig, that will probably be one of my first additions. Once I get over the trauma of drilling holes in a perfectly good hull...
 
Blue Sky said:
Guyon: Awesome rig, thanks for taking the time to post all the pic's. I like the anchor rig, that will probably be one of my first additions. Once I get over the trauma of drilling holes in a perfectly good hull...
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Measure twice. Drill once. You can patch mistakes, from what I understand, but it's a bit of a hassle.

The anchor trolley lets you move the anchor line to the bow or stern. The anchor line goes through a small clip (carabiner). If you hook up to a big fish and the kayak needs to move, you can just unclip the anchor line and go, provided you have a flotation bouy on the end of your anchor line. You can then come back and fetch the anchor after landing the fish.

Trolley4.jpg
 
Ming...sorry if I've asked you this already....but what is your exact location in W.A?

I lived in Albany for a year and loved it. Caught tons of fish but never went out in a boat once. I speared them while snorkelling and caught heaps with a handcaster from the shore. Also speared a few cobbler at night using a light. Fantastic part of the world. If I'd had a kayak then I could have fed the whole town!!

I like the look of your kayaks. They are open-cockpit boats right? About how long?

Thanks...Coote.
 
coote said:
Ming...sorry if I've asked you this already....but what is your exact location in W.A? I lived in Albany for a year and loved it. .
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I'm in Myalup Coote - a small town (about 200 people) 170k's south of Perth.

The yellow and pink boats are 5m ski's. The red one is 4m and the blue one is a 4m flat water boat that I've had for more than 20 years.

The little red boat is called a Spirit CTR and is a very versatile piece of kit. It's stable for fishing, has reasonable glide and can even turn on a wave.

http://www.spiritpaddle.com.au/

The pink racing ski is my favourite - I did a lot of miles on it this past summer. It took a while to get balanced on it because it's pretty tippy - but it's fast and responsive.

Fishing from a ski has always been viewed by the locals as a pretty eccentric act - but I've noticed in last couple of years, more people getting into it. There is a club n Bunbury (30k's south of me) that goes out to the estaury mouth and fishes from Kayaks a few nights per week (weather permitting)

Albany eh? Very underrated part of the world. Reckon I'll end up living there one day. I don't mind the cold and I love the option of ocean, bay, estuary and river down there.
 
Thanks Ming. Dang, 200 people isn't many. Are you involved in the fishing industry yourself?

Albany is a wonderful spot. I was sorry that I didn't get to experience the the influx of the seasonal fish that I'd heard so much talk about. I recall visiting a place (I think it was called Betty's Beach) where there were a bunch of fisherman's huts set up for when the salmon (Aussie salmon...totally different to N.American fish) were running. There were fastenings on the rocky shore that I believe were used for attaching big nets. And I never got to see the Blue Manna crabs that evidently appear at a certain season....I was really keen to have a go at catching them.

I worked at a small engineering repair workshop on the waterfront. Wallace Engineering was the name. There were some great blokes there...although it only took a short time for them to start on the Kiwi jokes. I really like the Aussie sense of humour.

I suppose it is a bit colder at Albany compared to elsewhere. I do remember seeing a couple of frosts on the ground. We got a bit of rain too.

My kayak seems to be a bit different to yours. My missus and I bought a couple of them. I tie them to an ordinary roof rack on my small wagon. In the photo below you will see a thin mattress jammed between them....but that was when they were brand new. Now that I've realized that they are virtually bulletproof I don't muck about with any fancy padding. I lock the 'yaks together by jamming some sturdy plastic tube up through the drainholes on both boats. A rope goes down through the tube and is tied to hold the tube in place. Several ropes are taken over the kayaks to tie them down to the roof rack. I think that these boats together weigh quite a bit less than 50 kilograms which is the specified maximum for the roof rack.
gpkayaks0001.jpg
 
You can also look into a trolling motor for your kayak. Alternately, you can get a square stern canoe which is my fishing/ waterfowling rig.
 
The pungo is a very stable entry level boat that can be easily moded to fish. Cabelas has all the stuff you need. I suggest a combination of bungees and velcro to keep anything on the deck. A couple of large S hooks made from brazing rods hung off the cockpit combing hold your rod or your paddle, depending on which youre using. Troll by mounting a rod holder directly in front of you and straight up. you can still paddle that way.---Have fun and remember that there,s a reason they call it fishing, not catching!
 
Don,t attach the anchor at the side of the kayak. I will flip you in a current or waves.
 
kvaughn said:
. I will flip you in a current or waves.
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LOL, you're pretty mean! But seriously, it is something you should think about. I keep me SE salt 1 clipped in a handy spots when my anchor is out. I usually don't even bring it, but depending on where I'm fishing, I need it for fishing main lake humps.

Instead of an anchor, you can also try a heavy link chain tied to a rope. It won't stop your boat like an anchor, but it will slow your drift if you're fishing a large flat and don't want to be blow off it too quickly.
 
I used to rent a kayak for fishing on Corpus Christi Bay/Laguna Madre. For whatever reason, the redfish would follow along as I paddled to the grass flats. When I would stop, the fish would swim out to casting distance and wait their turn to get caught. I'm so spoiled by that idiot-proof fishing that I can't do it any other way. Good luck on your quest!:thumbup:
 
Maquahuitl said:
For whatever reason, the redfish would follow along as I paddled to the grass flats. When I would stop, the fish would swim out to casting distance and wait their turn to get caught. I'm so spoiled by that idiot-proof fishing that I can't do it any other way. Good luck on your quest!:thumbup:
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The exact kind of luck I don't have! LOL
 
I am not the worlds greatest fisherman and in fact may well be in contention for worlds worst. I can however highly recommend kayak fishing. Many people seem to think of kayaks as unstable and some of the racier models may sacrifice stability for agility but to me kayaks are much more stable than canoes and much easier,properly rigged with a good back rest, on bad backs. The best part is yaks can get you into places where even the lightest technical poling skiff can not. You can also travel in shallow enough water that the jackasses who have no boating etiquette can not go fast enough without risking rocks etc. to bother you. Enjoy your new boat
 
To go right along with Angle Iron, IMO the kayaks biggest strong suit is the fact it can go where nothing else can. Fishing a big resevoir there are boats that are much better suited, but for tight, technical creeks and out of the way places is where kayaks excel.

I asked my neighbor, who also fishes, about a local creek his answer was that you can't fish it, it is too rough to wade and too small for a boat. I fished it in my kayak and cleaned up, I don't think the majority of those fish had ever seen a hook. This stream goes through a suburban area that honestly 1000s of people see it and drive over it everyday. It is truly unbelievable how much unfishable water I pull nice redbreast, bass and cats out of, all with my kayak. Chris
 
The rotomoulded plastic boats are definetly a marvel. They'll take all kinds of abuse, never break down in the sun and don't need to be babied. Their only down-side is that they are heavy when compared to the glass boats.

In Australia we have a strong surf club/surf rescue heritage and what most people would call a long, skinny, unstable, fast sit-on-top sea kayak - we call a surf ski. If I'm looking to just tool around holes in the reef and sit fishing for a while I'll take the CTR which is 4m (12 foot) long and about 65cm (2 feet) wide. If I want to cover some distance I'll take the racing Ski which is 5m (15ft) long and only 52cm (20 inches). You never completely relax on the racing ski, so sitting and whiling away a few hours is not an option. However trolling a hook along is often the best way to catch herring and whiting anyway - it's primarily surf fishing, just done offshore.

Angle Iron and Running boar are right - most people underestimate the versatility of fishing from a Kayak. Much less hassle than a motor boat in many ways - just less comfortable if you are spending a whole day out I guess. It's perfect for me though because the last thing I feel like doing is spending the whole day on a boat. I'd rather be doing somehting else. A few hours is plenty for me.


Coote - no not in the fishing industry mate. Just live down there when I'm not doing my travelling consultancy thing.
 
You guys are great. Guyon, you ever get nervous out in the middle of a lake with power boats around? How does the Ocean Kayak handle the wakes from power boats and jet ski's? You have any trouble paddling upstream on the rivers below the TVA dams when there is moderate water flowing (ie. generating electricity)?

I'm leaning toward the Ocean Kayak. They are fairly expensive. I want to use it on lakes and on the Hiwasse and Clinch Rivers in East Tennessee mostly. I don't plan on white water of any kind if I can help it. It will be for fun and fishing mostly. My wife will probably want her own too.
 
I use an old net off a basketball hoop and put a large flat rock in it when I get where Im going. Leave the rock when Im through. Doesnt have to be too big. If it gets stuck, cut the line. Minimal loss.--
 
Try the Wilderness Systems Tarpon line of sit on tops. Less expensive than the Ocean Kayaks and quicker--
 
22-rimfire said:
You guys are great. Guyon, you ever get nervous out in the middle of a lake with power boats around? How does the Ocean Kayak handle the wakes from power boats and jet ski's? You have any trouble paddling upstream on the rivers below the TVA dams when there is moderate water flowing (ie. generating electricity)?

I'm leaning toward the Ocean Kayak. They are fairly expensive. I want to use it on lakes and on the Hiwasse and Clinch Rivers in East Tennessee mostly. I don't plan on white water of any kind if I can help it. It will be for fun and fishing mostly. My wife will probably want her own too.
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If I buy another boat (and I probably will), I'll likely go with a brighter color. When I bought that yak, however, I was thinking two things: (1) Bass Pro only has the green and it's on sale!!! (2) I really don't want to stare at a bright yellow or bright orange boat the entire time I'm on the water.

Still, while the green is a lot easier on the eyes in terms of glare, it's simply not as visible--thus the white crate and box. I've also gotten a bike flag that I mount to the milk crate to raise visibility a little more. Some folks even put reflective stickers on their yaks for night fishing.

Have I personally had problems? No. I use the flag, and I do have a small hand-held air horn that is easily accessible, but I've never had to use it (yet). The boat handles wake quite well. Better than a canoe in my opinion.

Haven't done any river fishing with it yet, so I can't speak to the flow and paddling question. This summer, I am going over to float the Buffalo, so I'll know a little more after that trip.

If you're looking at OK's, check out the new Trident. Here are a few pics. Has some nice features... http://forum.kayak4fish.com/viewtopic.php?p=44224#44224
 
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