Meet your kayak fishing goals with these tips
One of the coolest things about fishing from a kayak is the few boundaries in this sport. Want to catch blue marlin from a kayak? People have done it. Want to fish in a deep woods swamp that few people have ever laid eyes on? Seen it done on YouTube. Want to catch little known non-gamefish species in some remote area? A guy is doing a podcast on that very thing.
Go to Boat Demos – Demo days on the water and local kayak festivals give you the opportunity to get on the water in different kayaks. This helps you learn about features and types of kayaks from professional kayakers, and helps you start planning your next boat.
Watch YouTube – This might be a no-brainer, but you can get some good ideas and information from the thousands of content creators out there who live to shoot fishing videos from their kayaks. From scouting out locations to fish to gear, tackle, and bait selection, someone has probably shot a YouTube video about it. (You might even see a couple of mine out there). You can also get a lot of ideas of what not to do.
Enter a Tournament – Even if you are a novice angler, you can learn a lot about kayak fishing in general and specific information about the species of fish you’re competing for by fishing against others in a tournament. Go in with the intent to learn and pay attention to what’s going on around you. Most tight-lipped competitors usually loosen up quite a bit after the fact.
Join a Club – Joining a club is about engaging in discussions, experiences, and having other like-minded people show you the ropes so you can learn from their mistakes without making them yourself.
Go to Trade Shows – The months of December through March are generally what’s considered to be trade show season, with the notable exception of I-Cast which typically is held during the summer. Nearly every professional kayak angler spends lots of time in tradeshow halls talking to consumers. These folks are standing there, not only to tell you what’s good about the products that sponsor them, but to talk kayak fishing in general. If you happen to come across the name of someone you admire, check their personal website, blog, or social media site for when they might be somewhere close to you and go talk to them in person.
Listen to Podcasts – Like the YouTube set, tons of anglers are out there talking about every aspect of kayak fishing.
Do you really need it?
Novice kayak angler or seasoned veteran, no one is immune to the “what if” bug. It lights on your shoulder during pre-trip planning and infects you with fears of what might happen, causing you to overburden yourself with unnecessary gear to ward off the threat of the unknown. The cure is to get real about your gear and ditch what you don’t need or can feasibly do without.
Nets – Some kayak anglers believe that nets are just another thing to tangle in or lose. Those anglers enjoy the challenges of landing any and all fish into the kayak without the comfort of the net. Most of the time the fish gets landed, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s all part of the challenge.
Hard-sided plastic coolers. Despite the coolness hype of some big-name coolers, these items tend to take up too much space and create a big flat surface that catches wind and makes it hard to position the boat.
Lures – Most anglers only use half of what they take out with them. Try to pare them down, but lures are like a gun. It’s better to have it and not need it…than need it and not have it.
Too many rods – Apparently, nobody wants to re-tie and use the same rod twice. Taking more rods can be just more to mess with when you can get by with less.
Scales or other measuring device (unless fishing in a tournament). From a conservation perspective, consider forgetting about weighing and measuring every fish. It puts too much stress on them. Get that quick picture and release those fish for a future battle.
Best Bets
NORTH CAROLINA
WHAT — Sheepshead
WHERE — Oregon Inlet Bridge
HOW — Use fiddler crabs and sand fleas on medium-light spinning tackle using a short Carolina rig with 1/2-ounce to 3/4-ounce weight, or impale bait directly onto a jighead.
LAUNCH — The Oregon Inlet Boat Ramp is located on Hwy. 12 adjacent to Bonner Bridge.
INSIDER TIP — Construction is underway to replace portions of the bridge so some parts are restricted. Give these areas a wide berth.
SOUTH CAROLINA
WHAT — Tarpon, redfish, sharks
WHERE — Charleston area
HOW — Menhaden and mullet are top two baits for any fish longer than 2 feet this month. Fish them live or dead on a Carolina rig with a large circle hook on heavy tackle.
LAUNCH — Find access points at dnr.sc.gov/boating, or look for dump-in sites that put you closer to the action.
INSIDER TIP — Find out-of-the-way places with light boat traffic and deep holes in large tributaries to major inlets. Outside bends in large creeks often hold good fish.
Be the first to comment