Tips for fishing baits from kayaks
The sport of kayak fishing has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade. The phenomenon covers beginning anglers, and anglers moving from fiberglass or aluminum power boats to plastic. And it includes anglers who just want to expand how and where they fish.
Overwhelmingly, most anglers fish with one rod at a time when kayak angling. These anglers may carry a dozen or more pre-rigged rods with them. But they switch from one rod to the other when fishing.
Multiple rod fishing tactics are more common in power boats. They usually have plenty of room to affix rod holders around the boat and utilize an electric trolling motor to propel it. But multiple-rod trolling tactics from a kayak are not out of the question.
Kayaks surprisingly have plenty of room for multiple trolling rods
While it takes a little more advance planning and different skill set, trolling from a kayak is a growing trend among the plastic fleet of anglers. The advance planning is in the form of configuring rod holder set ups along the sides, or less preferably, in the rear of the boat. The planning should also include allowing enough room for the paddle stroke.
It is somewhat easier to troll from a pedal-propelled kayak. Pedaling with the legs leaves both hands free for steering and setting/adjusting rods and reeling in fish and propels the boat from underneath. In either scenario, it is preferable to place trolling rods where the angler can at least view the rod tip without having to turn around in the boat. It is much simpler to use one rod on each side. But as confidence and skill increase, so can the number of rod holders and rods along the gunnels of the kayak.
The other option is to attach an electric trolling motor to your kayak and let the motor do the work of propelling the boat. Space and weight considerations have to be made for storing and transporting a battery in your planning and boat set up. Rod holder placement would remain relatively the same.
Click here for tips on rigging your kayak for crappie fishing.
