Any Kayak Fisherman out there? 2025

Chode2235 reply :

I have been thinking and thinking about getting a kayak to do some fishing out of. Not having my own boat and getting very tired of fighting trees and other fisherman for the best spots on the shore, the kayak seems like a great choice.

I have been looking at the hobie outback (http://www.hobiecat.com/fishing/models_outbackfisherman.html), as it looks really apealing to pedal and fish at the same time. Does anyone have one of these and do they like it?

I have fished out of a kayak a couple of times, and it was difficult as you are so close to the water sitting there. Any advice or opinions on this?

I just want to know if there are any kayak fisherman out there, and if they like it as a fishing platform. They seem so versitile and cost effective.

Gatorbassman reply :

I know you are from OH but let me give you the link to one of my favorite local forums. It is packed full of kayak fishermen. They will be more that happy to help you dicide what you want.

Their homepage is http://www.georgiariverfishing.com/index.htm

and the forum is http://georgiariverfishing.com/phpBB2/index.php?sid=d1cc2afe073530870d50be48e26507c5

basspro48 reply :

I do a lot of kayak fishing on small rivers and ponds, I've been looking at those Hobies for a while now and I even got to demo one a while back. I have just never come up with the $$$ for one, so I fish out of a 12' Loon. But otherwise kayaks are great fishing tools and don't require much maintenance and can go places a bassboat can't.

nboucher reply :

Chode, most of my fishing is from a kayak, and I love it. But it's not for everybody. Check this link for another recent discussion on this topic:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158727646/0

Fishing from a kayak is NOT for you if (1) you don't like fishing from a sitting position, (2) you fish a windy lake, or (3) you like fishing with a lot of tackle.

Space in a kayak is limited, but you can rig them up to be great fishing machines. I have a rod holder and fish finder mounted on mine, and my Old Town Loon 111 comes rigged with a cord that allows you to stash your paddle out of the way while you fish. I also use a drift anchor in breezy conditions. You can take two rods max comfortably in a kayak, and probably one tackle bag. For more advantages and disadvantages, see the link above.

Also, check out http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com for all you'd ever want to know about kayak fishing.

Chode2235 reply :

Thanks guys. I have actually been looking a lot at kayakfishingstuff.com. Its a really great site. I decided to bring the discussion up here, as I am a bass fisherman and that site has a lot of focus on saltwater fishing.

Thanks for the links.

I am in the position that I want to get off the banks and get fishing, but dont have room/$ for a 'real' boat, the kayak seems like the best option for me.

0119 reply :

Ive been yak fishing for a couple years now, both fresh and saltwater. Ive not found it limiting in carrying stuff though. You can carry several rods if you want and the tankwell holds tons of stuff. Then theres the inside the hull storage via hatches. I use TALS tubes to hold my most frequently used hardbaits and stick them in the cup holder and around the rod holder posts. I think rods behind the seat do hinder casting though. Its great to sneak up on fish spots bass boats cant get into. A word of caution about the Hobies, you sit in a more reclined postion, not upright at all compared to a regular S.O.T. It looks very uncomfortable for long periods of time.

roadwarrior reply :

I have an Ocean Kayak that I keep for fishing The Secret Pond. I only use it for a few hours, a couple of times a month. If I fished it anymore than that, I would DEFINITELY get rid of it! My yak is uncomfortable in the extreme. I would HIGHLY discourage anyone from buying one without fishing in it for awhile. Maybe you will find it acceptable, but I don't recommend one.

vtbassin reply :

I started yak fishing a couple of years ago. I love it!! ;D ;D I have a Wilderness System Tarpon 120. This is a SOT. And my wife has a Pungo 120. She likes to be down inside with a skirt to keep the sun and splashes off. I have fished a lot of places close to home that I have never fished before and have caught some nice smallies. I would also reccomend looking at RiverSmallies.com they have a lot of kayak bass fishing info. Go for it I don't think you will regret owning a yak. ;D

Chode2235 reply :

Do you guys find it difficult to position the boat and fish at the same time? I know boat control is such an important piece of it all, and I can just see myself spending more time with the paddle in my hand than the fishing pole.

It seems to be a segment of the fishing population that is growing leaps and bounds. There is a lot of stuff out there, but not a lot of 'yeah I catch a lot more bass with a kayak' type of stuff. Thanks for the responses.

0119 reply :

Positioning and control are definitely things you learn to deal with. It is a chore for awhile but I think you get used to compromise. Your casts arent coming off the deck of a bass boat and are often a bit uncomfortable and clumsy. It pays to use a drift sock and outfit your yak with an anchor trolley to help position it better. The waters I fish are usually so shallow that I found a stake out pole the most conveinent. Check out the drag chains guys use on the georgia river fishing site. Though meant to be used in flowing water I have found it works to slow me down to a nice slow drift in the wind.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

I don't see why anyone would want to fish from a kayak, I would get clausterphobia big time. My Sea Eagle 9 allows for stand-up casting and has room for tackle and coolers of food and it cost less than most kayaks and easily stores in my car when deflated.

Chode2235 reply :

What do you do when/if your trolling motor battery dies and you are out in the middle of a lake and the wind is blowing? It seems to me that the fish eagle would be almost impossible to paddle and control without a trolling motor.

I am intrigued by the fish eagle, so let me know how it handles for you. I think the appeal of the kayak is its simplicity. You just throw it in the water and go, you spend more time fishing and less time setting up and tearing down. They kayak also seems more versitile, you can take it miles out into the ocean if you want to, and also down tiny shallow streams. What type of water do you fish out of your fish eagle? I am currently in OH, near cleveland so I want something I can take on the many small lakes and rivers, but also venture out into Erie once in a while. I am also possibly moving to upstate NY (Ithaca) or Boston and want something with the versitility for those areas too.

Putting the boat in the trunk of your car is really appealing, as the big thing that has kept me from getting the kayak is storage and transport of the boat. Thanks.

nboucher reply :

Definitely a good idea to try fishing from one before buying. Body type may have something to do with comfort.

A couple of years ago I had no interest in a kayak, and thought they were too confining, etc. Then I fished out of one and found my preconception didn't hold up. I can't say I've ever felt claustrophobic in it.

As for positioning, I don't find it's a big deal. You get good at sensing wind direction and positioning yourself to drift in the direction you want. I leave the paddle untouched for 15-20 minutes at a time, making slight corrections by sculling with my free hand. I also use a drift sock when the wind is considerable. You learn to sense what the kayak is going to do and anticipate it; the kayak becomes an extension of your body, which is what I like about it. It's really not as hard as people think. It's a natural fit in the 30-40 acre pond I fish regularly, but I've also been out in all conditions & temperatures and in much bigger water without any problem other than getting splashed by waves.

That said, it ain't for everybody . . .

nboucher reply :

Chode, transport's no big deal. I live about a half hour south of Boston and there are tons of ponds and lakes suited for a kayak around here. (I also just got back from a conference in Ithaca, and, despite the occasional snow shower, I kept wishing I had the yak with me. )

I have a Thule rack with a Thule Stacker and getting my Old Town Loon 111 on it takes about five minutes, and getting it off takes even less. I can easily manage to do this solo. I've had two kayaks and a canoe on the Stacker at the same time.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

Quote
What do you do when/if your trolling motor battery dies and you are out in the middle of a lake and the wind is blowing? It seems to me that the fish eagle would be almost impossible to paddle and control without a trolling motor.
I am intrigued by the fish eagle, so let me know how it handles for you. I think the appeal of the kayak is its simplicity. You just throw it in the water and go, you spend more time fishing and less time setting up and tearing down. They kayak also seems more versitile, you can take it miles out into the ocean if you want to, and also down tiny shallow streams. What type of water do you fish out of your fish eagle? I am currently in OH, near cleveland so I want something I can take on the many small lakes and rivers, but also venture out into Erie once in a while. I am also possibly moving to upstate NY (Ithaca) or Boston and want something with the versitility for those areas too.

Putting the boat in the trunk of your car is really appealing, as the big thing that has kept me from getting the kayak is storage and transport of the boat. Thanks.

I have yet to have my battery die during a fishing trip but I have rowed the Sea Eagle and it is relatively tough for one person but easy for two. That being said I rarely ever get wet or lose gear like I would in a kayak, plus I can flip and pitch in cover. Since I am a diabetic I have to have room for food on my boat so the Eagle works great in that regard. Most of the waters I fish are smaller reservoirs (under 600 acres) but I see no reason why I couldn't fish a larger impoundment if one were easily accessible. The set up is really really easy and takes me 15 minutes or less (although the first time took a half hour but I was learning as I went).

Chode2235 reply :

Yeah, these all sound like good options with particular strengths. It all really depends on how you fish and what you are looking for. I really want to get out and try the kayak some more, the fisheagle sounds like a good option too, and also the inflatable pontoons seem like a good option.

Too many choices.

0119 reply :

Any kayak seriously meant for fishing is almost certainly going to be a S.O.T., clastrophobia doesnt even play a part. I can carry a cooler(s) and a tackle box of reasonable size along with it. While I dont see a point to it, many do stand in their kayak to fish, paddle or pole.

Yakfish reply :

I've used a friend's kayak for a few trips and found it to be a great platform for all of the reasons above especially its versatility, virtually no maintenance, easy in/out and relative low cost. I plan on buying one in the spring and with two pole holders, a lightweight paddle, leash and an anchor I should be equipped to offset all of the negatives that are inherent to using a kayak for fishing.

Chode2235 reply :

What kind of yak do you have 0119?

Do you have rod holders etc installed on your yak? I am looking very seriously at the hobie outback, it seems to come with everything you need, and from what I have read the pedal drive is the cats meow.

Saving my money... but let me know how you have yours set up.

0119 reply :

I have an Ocean Kayak Drifter. It is a simple design, but the price was right. If I had to do it over again I would purchase the new Liquid Logic S.O.T. I found the Hobies sitting position too much like laying down. I think it is better to purchase a yak that does not have any factory installed rod holders. It is better to set the holders up where you want them after a couple of fishing trips. I use a Scotty holder mounted on the console between the legs. Far enough forward to avoid paddle drips on the reel but close enough to reach easily. In front of that I have a PVC tube that is removable via an aluminum plate it screws into. It is made by www.kayak4fish.com and has a cushioned lip to protect the reel and a rod leash attached to it. I use the tube for spinning tackle and when saltwater fishing to help avoid salt spray on the reel. The Scotty is also removable and I keep for casting gear while bass fishing. Unlike most others I havent found the need to use more than one outfit at a time and have avoided putting more holders behind me. I tried it on my first yak and I always ended up catching the rods on the back cast or getting them hung up in brush while fishing very close to shore. I think a yak ultimately set up for bass fishing will be completely different to one set up for saltwater/open water fishing.

Chode2235 reply :

I just picked up "kayak fishing: the revolution" this past weekend at barnes and noble. It is really an informative book, and highlights the advantages of kayaks over other fishing platforms. It seems that kayaks are the wave of the future, they seem to be such a versitile, efficient and economical platform.

islandfisherman reply :

Chode,I'm a kayak fisherman,own a Tarpon 120 and love it!! I fish both ocean and fresh water, the yak does everything I ask it to do.I think you should try out the models you might be interested in,most kayak shop's will take the rental fee off the price of the kayak you end up buying ,get the basic model and not the whiz-bang angler edition as you will want to outfit the boat as to how YOU fish...and that is very important!!.....Good Luck....hope this helps...if you have any questions just ask and i will do my best to answer....Alan....P.S. do a google search on kayak fishing you will come up with tons for info.

Long Mike reply :

I am a 60 year old who has recently taken up bass fishin after twenty years of no fishing at all. In my enthusiam to get back on the water, I purchased a 1970's vintage 16' aluminum v-hull and outfitted it with fore and aft trolling motors. It took only two trips to my local 100 acre lake to realize that I had made a terrible mistake. Since I fish alone, I found that launching and retrieving a boat of that size is a gigantic pain in the a** when you are by yourself. Add in the usual 15-30 mph Oklahoma wind, and the tail pain goes way up. To make a long story short, I decided to divest myself of my albatross and started looking for an alternative. Since there are many, many reservoirs in Oklahoma that do not have launching ramps, I decided to opt for an inflatable. I considered the Kayaks, but at my age I would much rather focus on the fish than trying to fish AND not overturning the boat. For these reasons I have purchased the SeaEagle 9. It gives me the best of all personal options. i.e. Unversal Portability, GREAT Stability, and the ability to add a trolling motor and locator - plus I can carry as much additional crap as I want to.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

The Sea Eagle SE9 is the best budget/compact/easily transportable fishing vessel on the planet.

Chode2235 reply :

I think I'm pretty set on the yak now. The efficiency versatility, durability, efficiency, and economics of it make it ideal.

The sea eagle seems like too much work for me. Take it out, set it up, inflate it, attach the trolling motor, load up the battery, hook it up, load up your other stuff, then off. I want to grab the boat from my roof and throw it in the water and be off. I also want something fast that I can cover some water with, and use in rivers and lakes.

I just need to find a place around here to demo some boats and see which ones I like the best. After reading the wealth of stuff out here in cyberspace, as well as the Kayak Fishing book mentioned above, I have concluded that it is the idea fishing platform for my needs and style of fishing. I just need to save some $ and buy it. I can't wait. Thanks for your help guys.

0119 reply :

Your right it is an ideal platform to fish from. Long Mike.... you would have to reallt try to capsize a currently made sit on top fishing kayak. Remember what islanderfisherman said, dont get a whiz bang set up model, get a model you can set up yourself, as you like it. Browse the yak fishing forums for awhile to get ideas before you make a move.

Chode2235 reply :

Yeah I dont think I will be getting a wiz bang set up. Part of my attachement to the kayak is its pure simplicity. Minimalist and efficient fishing.

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Any Kayak Fisherman out there? 2025

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