The Kayak Bass Fishing Journey Has Begun 2024
iaYakker reply :
I just picked up my Wilderness Systems Ride 115 today. I've got some DIY'ing to do this winter, but hopefully I can get out a couple times before the cold hits. Can't wait for the challenge. Probably going to join up with some state kayak anglers and get in some tournaments next year.
Anyone else do a lot of bass fishing out of a kayak? Got any tips?
bholtzinger14 reply :
My advice is to take it out with no equipment on it and flip it. Learn how to get back in it. '
This was minutes before I flipped.
bholtzinger14 reply :
Strap everything down you don't want to lose. I lost my Galaxy S6 Active ($650) and rod/reel ($200). All in about 5 seconds.
Montanaro reply :
Yeah you need to learn to flip over and board your kayak.
We all flip them, better to get it out of the way early
Turtle135 reply :
Congrats on the new kayak!
I would recommend getting out there with just one rod and a few lures and just start getting comfortable fishing from the kayak platform. At a certain point positioning yourself to make the best presentation becomes almost an unconscious act. You will quickly learn how much paddle to apply to bump yourself backward or to hold position in a breeze. Learning how to put your kayak right where you want it is the first important skill to master.
Dye99 reply :
Fish it.
Dumping it isn't if but when.
Just get out and use it. There is no other real guide to learning this sport outside of tie anything you don't want to lose to the boat and just have fun.
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
Shorter rods on the yak. Easier to land fish.
Caliyak reply :
Welcome to the madness. Always take your life jacket, water proof container for wallet, phone and keys and keep it simple. 2-3 rods, several plano boxes in a milk crate and off you go. Its about having fun.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I recently bought a kayak myself. Like others said, it's really just a matter of getting out and using it. Seems like I add or change something about it every time I go out trying to get it setup just right for me. It's a good time and way different than fishing from the bank or boat.
ClackerBuzz reply :
alarms should go off in ur head when ur 100 ft from shore, not 10 ft. you'll be amazed how fast the wind and current can blow you, and ur rods, into a bank lined with trees. it sucks so bad once ur rod tips and their lines are tangles in trees and the wind is blowing with boats waking you (tip: cut the lines at the reel and save the rods; some of the lures will be hanging in the trees once you regroup and come back).
buy a .99c pool noodle. you can attach buoys to so many things in case they go overboard. if you use a anchor tie a pool noodle to the end of the rope. in case of an emergency you can ditch the anchor, rope and all, and the buoy will float to the top for easy retrieval (however you can't have knots in the rope ie 100ft of anchor rope tied in a 10ft knot and dump it in 25ft of water 
when fishing from a yak my number 1 priority is the kayak, not tipping it, and not fishing. i'm prepared to lose any fish, including my PB, at the side of the yak before i'd overreach and tip. that mentality has kept me from tipping a yak and made me much better at playing out bigger fish.
learn to paddle with one arm. you'll end up playing out a fish with the rod in ur weak arm while paddling into open water with ur dominate arm.
pack much lighter when you first start fishing in 15+mph winds. learn how to anchor in light winds before you start doing it in monsoons
DogBone_384 reply :
On 10/25/2015 at 1:14 PM, Caliyak said:Welcome to the madness. Always take your life jacket, water proof container for wallet, phone and keys and keep it simple. 2-3 rods, several plano boxes in a milk crate and off you go. Its about having fun.
About sums it up .... WELCOME TO YOUR NEXT ADDICTION!!!!!!
thomas15 reply :
I think this thread has cured me of any desire to fish from a yak.
jbw252 reply :
Congrats on the kayak. Enjoy!
flyfisher reply :
Congrats, it's a great way to fish. It allows you to get to places other boats can't and not have to deal with all the registration and the like that powered boats have to go through.
Another thing you will learn is that everybody has their own preferences on gear. One such example is the recommendation for shorter rods in a kayak. I prefer at least 7' rods as it allows me to work fish around the bow of the boat when needed and gives a little better leverage on the hookset.
Have fun with it and before long you won't even think about the stability of your boat as you will become one with the boat in a way......at least that is what has happened with me and my last 3 boats i purchased lol
Bluebasser86 reply :
I haven't had an issue with stability, but I've always had really good balance too. Being new to it, I've still been able to take my dog (80lb Golden Retriever), and even when she shifts her weight around we've never even been close to tipping over. I'm able to stand up in it and fish as well, even though I prefer to sit since I have an elevated seat that allows me to fish effectively as is. I have an Ocean Kayak Big Game Prowler 2 that's 34" wide and meant to stand up in though and have never fished from a narrower kayak.
the reel ess reply :
On 10/25/2015 at 1:14 PM, Caliyak said:Welcome to the madness. Always take your life jacket, water proof container for wallet, phone and keys and keep it simple. 2-3 rods, several plano boxes in a milk crate and off you go. Its about having fun.
I feel just the opposite. Longer rods can play fish around the bow. Otherwise you might end up with a monster jumping on the left with you trying to play it from the right. This happened to me once anyway when a 6# fish pinned me against a dock. It was very fortunate I landed it anyway, but it certainly wasn't textbook. I had to just lock down the spool down with my thumb and drag the old gal back with the rod up to the reel itself underwater. Could have broken line, or worse, the rod or guides.
But the added challenge is part of the attraction. After a while, it becomes an advantage. I had no idea I'd catch more and/or larger bass from a kayak than I do from a boat.
the reel ess reply :
I've fallen out of my kayak, but it didn't flip. I just slid out of it. It would be difficult to flip mine. Didn't lose anything but my pride. But I did wrap braid around my leg and accidentally step on my reel bail on the bank. Be careful when setting hooks. Be prepared for no resistance on the other end. That's how I fell out. I'm mostly using braid and good quality hooks nowadays so big homerun swing hooksets aren't necessary. It'll take a few minutes, but you'll get accustomed to balancing quickly every time.
If you're slipping in from a dock, put your hand in the center of the kayak somewhere. Same when you exit. If you reach out and grab the right or left, no support. I try to put a hand on the backrest in the center. Better yet, walk into the water and sit down when possible.
Turtle135 reply :
Interesting comments from other kayak anglers. I have been fishing from a kayak since 1991 and the only time I have "turtled" was when I tried to stand in a sit inside kayak back in the 90's.
It is hard to flip a Ride 115. I have had mine since early 2012 and have never turtled that kayak. I stand and fish about 25 percent of my time on the water. There is a trade off. Extremely stable kayaks are not as fast however straight line speed has never been an issue for me since I have a hard time going 50 yards without seeing something I want to fish.
buzzed bait reply :
have a ride 135 myself and it's hard to get it to even come close to flipping over... hopefully i never experience such an event!
congrats on the new toy and my advice is to just slowly rig it the way you want it. don't stick something on it that you'll later regret.
bigfruits reply :
don't let em scare you! I have been kayak fishing for about 8 years and have never flipped a kayak. canoe? probably about 6 or 7 times.
I do strap everything down though. you never know.
Dye99 reply :
On 10/26/2015 at 11:23 PM, Turtle135 said:Interesting comments from other kayak anglers. I have been fishing from a kayak since 1991 and the only time I have "turtled" was when I tried to stand in a sit inside kayak back in the 90's.
It is hard to flip a Ride 115. I have had mine since early 2012 and have never turtled that kayak. I stand and fish about 25 percent of my time on the water. There is a trade off. Extremely stable kayaks are not as fast however straight line speed has never been an issue for me since I have a hard time going 50 yards without seeing something I want to fish.
Yup. Ive flipped my sit in's a few time screwing around, and had to jump off of my OK trident while standing in the wind, but my Wilderness boats are solid. Haven't even come close on the atak.....
Allen Der reply :
On 10/26/2015 at 11:23 PM, Turtle135 said:Interesting comments from other kayak anglers. I have been fishing from a kayak since 1991 and the only time I have "turtled" was when I tried to stand in a sit inside kayak back in the 90's.
It is hard to flip a Ride 115. I have had mine since early 2012 and have never turtled that kayak. I stand and fish about 25 percent of my time on the water. There is a trade off. Extremely stable kayaks are not as fast however straight line speed has never been an issue for me since I have a hard time going 50 yards without seeing something I want to fish.
+1
I had a ride 115 and i could jump up and down in it. you're more likely to fall out of it than to tip it.
Montanaro reply :
You never know what will happen on water. Cant rely on the kayak being stable to save your life. Water temps are cold now and if you struggle and waste your energy reboarding you may seize up and risk drowning.
strvmmer reply :
On 10/25/2015 at 11:42 AM, BaitMonkey1984 said:Shorter rods on the yak. Easier to land fish.
I disagree with this. I prefer longer rods to get the line around the bow when fighting fish. There's also the matter of leverage. You lose most of your leverage in a kayak and shorter rods only exacerbate that problem.
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
On 10/28/2015 at 7:31 PM, strvmmer said:I disagree with this. I prefer longer rods to get the line around the bow when fighting fish. There's also the matter of leverage. You lose most of your leverage in a kayak and shorter rods only exacerbate that problem.
To each their own.
I don't kayak very often as I have two boats. However, I do take the yak out about 5 times a year or so. First year of kayaking fishing I had issues with hook sets and landing fish. Time on the water in the yak told me how to adjust my hook set which is a lot different then when I am standing on the front deck of my Ranger. Problem #1 solved.
Onto Problem # 2, not being able to land fish. I always take at least 3 rods out in the yak, and after trial and error, I faired much better with landing the fish on shorter rods. Once I realized this, I kept all of my rods below 6ft in length and was able to land fish without issue. No net required.
I guess you should try out different length rods and find what works best for you.
3crows reply :
I am new to bass fishing from a kayak but I have owned and do own several kayaks now for over a decade. I use them mostly for SCUBA diving, free dive spearfishing and saltwater fishing. I have landed fish that would make the largest bass look like a minnow (well, relative of course) and ranged several miles to sea, rode out storms and launched and landed through surf. Kayaks are a blast. My first few bass kayak outings proved fruitful but a steep learning curve.
I have never flipped a yak except in the surf and early on when I first started handling SCUBA gear on and off the kayak. My new little Emotion Stealth Angler 10 seems very stable though not as fast as my nearly 15 foot long Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro TW. I think the little Stealth will do great, fits in the bed of my Taco, I can carry it, seems perfect for small water.
J
Dye99 reply :
Yea Im with the longer rod crowd in my yak....The only time I use anything under 6'6 is if Im trout fishing streams that I have to hike in, or Im taking my kids out...
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