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“How to catch Fish from a kayak”
Jerry Esten
Most of you are aware of the proliferation of kayaks today. Space age materials and rotational molding have made kayaks very affordable. Some are suited for fishing, others are not, sure you can fish from a surfboard, but the ‘right” kayak will give you room for you tackle and a place to store your catch. And have room for accessories like rod holders, electronics and more.
We all have personal preferences in tackle, but most of what I state here is typical.
RODS:
There is little need for great casts since you will be right on the fish (hopefully)
I prefer a 6 ft rod, to 7 ft rod. It is important to be able to reach beyond the bow of your boat., spinning or conventional guides, you choice.
Some fellows take many rods, I prefer to keep it simple. You can stow extras below decks in hatches, being nimble is a plus. It’s not the same as a party boat, where you can easily get at your extra rods
REELS:
I am an old conventional reel guy I love the quick-take apart feature of Penn, I can easily carry a few extra spools loaded with line in appropriate tests.
Spinning reels are fine too, one can change spools in a jiffy and concerns about back lashing are nil.
Kelp bass, bonito, barracuda and mackerel may all be taken easily.
The Fish:
A few years ago there was a marvelous run of White Sea bass off Trancas point, fish as big as 70 pounds! 60s and 50s were almost common.
In Baja California kayakers regularly take yellow fin tuna and roosterfish.
Catalina and the other Channel Islands produce big fish too.
Kayak angler’s charter mother ships and get transported over and back.
I know at least one hardy and well-conditioned soul who paddles to Catalina!
This stalwart chap uses GPS and carries a marine radio, many kayakers do.
Cell phones too are popular. “ Hello honey, could you call the Coast guard for me?”
In-shore fishing can produce the aforementioned wsb as well as kelp bass, bonito, barracuda , sand bass and yellowtail.
The law requires us to carry a cumbersome net, a short gaff is more to my liking, in fact I frequently use a fixed hook jig as a gaff. We are mere inches from the water and using it is not difficult.
Bait:
Frozen dead bait can be good, however live bait is available, some of us even “bum” sardines, anchovies and squid from power boaters. We also use snag gangs like the “Lucky Lura” to catch mackerel and anything else available.
At Redondo’s King Harbor, the bait receiver is a short paddle away, as are bonito and mackerel
Mackerel is wonderful bait and one can load up with a “snag gang”.
2
As an old jig fisherman I consider that a form of bait too, so I carry “iron” as well as swim baits in my tackle compartment.
Yes, you can have a bait well too and keep mackeral , anchovies, sardines and squid frisky for hours.
I know of no commercial bait tank for out tiny craft, but there are 1ots of home made jobs that use a pump and a battery and Rubbermaid containers, they are simple and efficient.
If you are internet active you can get plans from a few kayak fishing websites.
Since this writing a few commercial tanks are available. Try La Jolla kayak fishing.
Electronics and accessories
The previously mentioned GPS is a great tool for getting you right to that favored spot.
Fish locaters are common too with modern day kayakers.
There is a nifty stainless device called the Rhynobar that mounts on your kayak, You can secure your fish locater as well as rod holders to it. It’s neat and efficient
Rod holders come in many forms, the Scotty and the Fish-On are popular, and both can be mounted on your little “fishing machine” flush mounts’ or side mounts” I think flush is the neatest and wont impede your climbing back in if the need arises.
Through the deck mounts are available too.
Paddle clips too come in an array of styles, from the rubber ones you have all seen as rod holders on the party boats, too plastic jobs.
These are intended to keep your paddle out of the way while you are fishing.. I carry my rod in same when launching. You can store more rods below decks.
Backrests are a must to prevent an aching back. They come in a variety of styles ,with places for water bottle storage too.
Jerry Esten
Most of you are aware of the proliferation of kayaks today. Space age materials and rotational molding have made kayaks very affordable. Some are suited for fishing, others are not, sure you can fish from a surfboard, but the ‘right” kayak will give you room for you tackle and a place to store your catch. And have room for accessories like rod holders, electronics and more.
We all have personal preferences in tackle, but most of what I state here is typical.
RODS:
There is little need for great casts since you will be right on the fish (hopefully)
I prefer a 6 ft rod, to 7 ft rod. It is important to be able to reach beyond the bow of your boat., spinning or conventional guides, you choice.
Some fellows take many rods, I prefer to keep it simple. You can stow extras below decks in hatches, being nimble is a plus. It’s not the same as a party boat, where you can easily get at your extra rods
REELS:
I am an old conventional reel guy I love the quick-take apart feature of Penn, I can easily carry a few extra spools loaded with line in appropriate tests.
Spinning reels are fine too, one can change spools in a jiffy and concerns about back lashing are nil.
Kelp bass, bonito, barracuda and mackerel may all be taken easily.
The Fish:
A few years ago there was a marvelous run of White Sea bass off Trancas point, fish as big as 70 pounds! 60s and 50s were almost common.
In Baja California kayakers regularly take yellow fin tuna and roosterfish.
Catalina and the other Channel Islands produce big fish too.
Kayak angler’s charter mother ships and get transported over and back.
I know at least one hardy and well-conditioned soul who paddles to Catalina!
This stalwart chap uses GPS and carries a marine radio, many kayakers do.
Cell phones too are popular. “ Hello honey, could you call the Coast guard for me?”
In-shore fishing can produce the aforementioned wsb as well as kelp bass, bonito, barracuda , sand bass and yellowtail.
The law requires us to carry a cumbersome net, a short gaff is more to my liking, in fact I frequently use a fixed hook jig as a gaff. We are mere inches from the water and using it is not difficult.
Bait:
Frozen dead bait can be good, however live bait is available, some of us even “bum” sardines, anchovies and squid from power boaters. We also use snag gangs like the “Lucky Lura” to catch mackerel and anything else available.
At Redondo’s King Harbor, the bait receiver is a short paddle away, as are bonito and mackerel
Mackerel is wonderful bait and one can load up with a “snag gang”.
2
As an old jig fisherman I consider that a form of bait too, so I carry “iron” as well as swim baits in my tackle compartment.
Yes, you can have a bait well too and keep mackeral , anchovies, sardines and squid frisky for hours.
I know of no commercial bait tank for out tiny craft, but there are 1ots of home made jobs that use a pump and a battery and Rubbermaid containers, they are simple and efficient.
If you are internet active you can get plans from a few kayak fishing websites.
Since this writing a few commercial tanks are available. Try La Jolla kayak fishing.
Electronics and accessories
The previously mentioned GPS is a great tool for getting you right to that favored spot.
Fish locaters are common too with modern day kayakers.
There is a nifty stainless device called the Rhynobar that mounts on your kayak, You can secure your fish locater as well as rod holders to it. It’s neat and efficient
Rod holders come in many forms, the Scotty and the Fish-On are popular, and both can be mounted on your little “fishing machine” flush mounts’ or side mounts” I think flush is the neatest and wont impede your climbing back in if the need arises.
Through the deck mounts are available too.
Paddle clips too come in an array of styles, from the rubber ones you have all seen as rod holders on the party boats, too plastic jobs.
These are intended to keep your paddle out of the way while you are fishing.. I carry my rod in same when launching. You can store more rods below decks.
Backrests are a must to prevent an aching back. They come in a variety of styles ,with places for water bottle storage too.
The kayak angler is Vic Van Wie with a huge California White Sea Bass taken off Trancas point, Malibu
The angler is Vic Van Wie, with a remarkable catch. I think his big White Sea bass was around 70 pounds!
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