Kayak Fishing Rod Selection 2025
AEWblackeagle8 reply :
Kayak Fishing. Looking for 2 rods/reels to do it all. What are your thoughts
MIbassyaker reply :
In general, If I bring just two, I want one rod for heavier stuff (3/8 and over), one for lighter stuff (under 3/8oz). Consider shorter lengths than you might use on a boat (especially if you are short, like me -- I don't fish with anything over 7'), and possibly even softer actions. These can help in landing fish, since you are really limited by space and your own armspan.
Rod 1: 6'6"-7' baitcaster Medium-heavy power, fast action -- jigs, t-rigs, carolina, spinnerbaits, frogs, buzzbaits, walking baits, heavier cranks.
--I'm a spinning junkie and I actually get by with a 6'6" MH-F spinning combo here, but almost everyone else would recommend a baitcaster.
--On treble baits like crankbaits and some topwaters, back off the drag a bit.
Rod 2: 6' to 6'9" or so spinning, Medium-light power, fast action -- shakey heads, mojo rigs, weightless plastics, drop shot, finesse jigs, lighter cranks and topwaters, light tubes and grubs.
thebillsman reply :
I try to keep it short
6'6" Falcon Bucoo MH - Lews Tournament Pro 7.1-1 strung with 50lb braid for jigs, frogs and soft plastics
6'6" Fenwick Silverhawk M - Lews Tournament 6.4-1 strung with 12lb mono for deep/square bill cranks, topwater spooks and poppers, jerkbaits and spinners.
For the extremely light stuff from 1/16 to 5/16oz I used a 6' M BPS tournament rod/reel spinning combo. Usually only use it with light floating rapalas and small xraps.
Hope this helps..
singlecoil reply :
I don't fish from a kayak but I have noticed that Cashion has a section specific for kayak rods. You might want to check it out.
cottny27 reply :
6'6" rods with shorter handles is what I prefer.
J Francho reply :
I use the same stuff I use from shore, boat, the moon...
Turtle135 reply :
for just two rods and reels my suggestion would be:
1. 7' medium heavy baitcasting outfit (I use 17 pound test mono, it fits with the way I prefer to fish)
2. 7' medium spinning outfit (15 pound braid, you can adjust your leader to match the presentation)
faygo1979 reply :
I use the same stuff as I would use anywhere else.
my first questions is where are you going to fish?
I do not fish creaks or places that are tight to get into so i actually go long with my rods to give me a little more distance and to let me set the hook a little better. I would look at a 7'3"+ MH rod with a m-fast tip for everything rod. For the second rod it depends on what you really like to do. if you like crank baits, pick up a long cranking rod. if you like wacky rigs, ned rigs, or slider heads, get a long ML spinning rod. frogs or getting into really heavy cover grab a heavy rod.
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
On 11/6/2015 at 11:58 AM, MIbassyaker said:In general, If I bring just two, I want one rod for heavier stuff (3/8 and over), one for lighter stuff (under 3/8oz). Consider shorter lengths than you might use on a boat (especially if you are short, like me -- I don't fish with anything over 7'), and possibly even softer actions. These can help in landing fish, since you are really limited by space and your own armspan.
Rod 1: 6'6"-7' baitcaster Medium-heavy power, fast action -- jigs, t-rigs, carolina, spinnerbaits, frogs, buzzbaits, walking baits, heavier cranks.
--I'm a spinning junkie and I actually get by with a 6'6" MH-F spinning combo here, but almost everyone else would recommend a baitcaster.
--On treble baits like crankbaits and some topwaters, back off the drag a bit.
Rod 2: 6' to 6'9" or so spinning, Medium-light power, fast action -- shakey heads, mojo rigs, weightless plastics, drop shot, finesse jigs, lighter cranks and topwaters, light tubes and grubs.
I go short as well. My yak rods are 6ft, even take a 5ft 6 out on occasion.
Rhino68W reply :
If it were only 2 then for me it would be the following
1 MH Baitcaster with 50# braid for frogs, buzzbaits, and spnnerbaits. Then tie on a FC leader for T-rigs, jigs, and C-rigs.
1 M Spinning with 27# braid and a Mono leader for dropshotting, small jigs, poppers, and maybe small crankbaits.
J Francho reply :
Is there some pro/con to using a short rod? I see lots of answers leaning toward short. Length always had more to do with what I was throwing or how I was fishing, not the boat I'm in.
Anyone can explain that a little further?
cottny27 reply :
Seems like when I'm all hunkered over in the tight quarters of a kayak the handle/butt of the rod gets in the way more. Once you get into the 7' rods and longer then the handles just get longer. This is my experience.
JustinU1X reply :
On 11/7/2015 at 4:57 AM, J Francho said:Is there some pro/con to using a short rod? I see lots of answers leaning toward short. Length always had more to do with what I was throwing or how I was fishing, not the boat I'm in.
Anyone can explain that a little further?
I think it's just the fact you have limited space in a kayak and a long rod is just more cumbersome.
T-Rick reply :
Why only two? Instead of trying to find 2 "all purpose" setups, why not focus on your rod management system? I normally take 4 combos with me in the yak and have taken as many as 6. I think I could do 12 if needed but I don't own that many :-)
AEWblackeagle8 reply :
Awesome thanks guys, I've got a wilderness system atak and I love it so I do have room for more than two rods. I'm also 6'5 so my wing span is pretty big. I think I might try the slowly adding rods to my collection. I have a 7 M bait caster and a 7 M spinner. Would you guys just buy rods for specific baits and lures? I am new to bassresource but I really like it already.
flyfisher reply :
My fishing vessel doesn't dictate the rod i choose to use. Maybe if i was in an old school SINK it might come into play but with my last three kayaks i have never once thought of my kayak is a factor in choosing the rod to use.
And great boat 
i bought one last spring and it is the best fishing kayak i have been in so far....it also has room for about 6 flush mount rod holders that are not in the way at all.
Tim S. reply :
Look at the *** 2 rods. The butt sections are a little shorter than typical rods and that has always made it easier for me in a 'yak or canoe. The 6'10" medium is about perfect for t-rigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, weightless worms, 3/8 oz. jigs, even squarebills & mid-depth cranks if you have a good drag in your reel. I have even thrown frogs in sparse cover with it, though it serves as my 5" topwater rod now. As for the 2nd set-up, I would get a little longer spinning combo, 7' to 7'3", ML power and fast action. It would serve you well for nose-hooked finesse plastics duties and light cranks like #5 Shad Raps and F7-to-F11 Rapalas. Whatever spinning reel you settle on, I would recommend keeping a spare spool on hand spooled with light(15/4) braid to fish tubes and other lures that have a single, larger hook.
J Francho reply :
Meh, I bring my 8' swim bait rod just about every kayak trip. Never felt it was an issue.
Tim S. reply :
Some folks don't like having to raise their arms up when going from a cast to retrieve position, when you transfer the rod butt from one side of the body to the other each time. It had never bothered me until I tore the labrum in my right shoulder and it now throbs like a toothache after a couple of hrs. in a yak. The paddling doesn't help much, either. But the shorter-butt rods extend the time I can fish by an hour.
Big C reply :
My brother uses a 9' fly rod every time he goes out in a kayak, and he is limited to sittting (balance isn't his strong suit). Rod length doesn't matter 9 times out of 10, if you're in a kayak or not. Unless you have REALLY short arms.
Tim S. reply :
Long grip length BEHIND the reel seat is what makes it uncomfortable for me personally. A fly rod has little or no butt and works fine in a kayak. Sitting in a kayak while casting conventional gear forces you to use upper body only to cast, sometimes with 1+ oz. lures tied on. When you stand, your entire body is used, not just your arms.
bigfruits reply :
2 rods to cover it all for me would be:
GLX MBR 783c w/ 15Metanium HG - moving baits, jigs/plastics over 1/4oz plus trailer (i actually prefer this rod over my 843 NRX MBR)
NRX JWR 852s w/ Stradic Ci4+ 2500 - light plastics/jigs
Big C reply :
On 11/7/2015 at 12:22 PM, Tim S. said:Long grip length BEHIND the reel seat is what makes it uncomfortable for me personally.
That's a good point, I added length to a rod butt a while ago, and while it didn't make it super difficult to cast it did complicate the matter.
Darren. reply :
I'll throw my .02 in here.
I can do everything I want with either spinning and/or
casting rods. One of each, or two spinning, etc. I will take
more, but by and large, two rods work for me.
As well, like JFrancho, I use the same gear I use from shore,
or wherever.
That said, count me in among the "shorter" rod fans.
I've spent years in my yak and am constantly looking for better
ways to store my rods, keep them from getting stuck or bumping
into objects when not in use.
My favorite is to lay the rods in front of me. Longer rods - which
for me are 6'6" - go just over the bow of my yak and at times
get whacked in wind when I'm fighting a fish and blown into
downed trees and the like.
As well, and this is personal pref, shorter rods are easier
to skip with as I do tend to fish in a lot of areas where there
are overhanging trees, bushes, and such. Shorter is simply
easier in those locations. And I even mean shorter than my
6'6" rods. I prefer a 5'9" - 6' for those times.
DCales84 reply :
Mostly use only two rods for kayak fishing as of this year. I have a "sit in" old towne kayak and have been using lightening rod shocks with one being a 7' MH casting and one 7' M spinning. Also have dedicated reels for kayak use as I tend to dunk them often over a years time. If either of these setups are damaged by trees or get dumped over board I wont be too tore up. I have taken my better setups out on few occasions but have found that having a sit in kayak the longer handles such as the ones on Duckett rods are too long and hit the seat in many cases. I also use left hand casting reels and do not switch hands so there's no back and forth between hands after casting and banging the rod into the kayak.
DogBone_384 reply :
If I had to pare it down to just two rods, it'd be a MH/F (1/4 - 1 oz) and a ML/F, spinning or bait casting, depending on my mood and wind conditions.
I carry 3 rods in my Lure 11.5, 2 MH or M, and a ML/F.
AEWblackeagle8 reply :
Right on thanks guys for all the advice.
Fin Stalker reply :
On 11/7/2015 at 9:35 AM, AEWblackeagle8 said:Awesome thanks guys, I've got a wilderness system atak and I love it so I do have room for more than two rods. I'm also 6'5 so my wing span is pretty big. I think I might try the slowly adding rods to my collection. I have a 7 M bait caster and a 7 M spinner. Would you guys just buy rods for specific baits and lures? I am new to bassresource but I really like it already.
Yes. The way I look at it is you match the rod to the bait not the bait to the rod. Example; Frogs- Most people will lean towards a 7'+ Hvy Power rod so they have plenty of backbone in the rod to horse fish out of heavy cover and give them a solid hook set when using hollow bodied frogs.
J Francho reply :
Good arguments for short rods. Still isn't an issue for me, but maybe I'm not noticing the problem, but still working around it.
AEWblackeagle8 reply :
I like my atak because I can stand up and fish like I'm on any regular boat. I like
great statement sir. I need to broaden my set up it sounds like. Maybe go from 2 rods to atleast 4On 11/8/2015 at 9:19 AM, Fin Stalker said:Yes. The way I look at it is you match the rod to the bait not the bait to the rod.
Fin Stalker reply :
I carry 4-6 rods with me most of the time all set up for different purposes but not so specialized that I can't use them for other baits than what I had them originally rigged for. The only rod(s) that stay task specific are my swimbait rods and my frog rod everything else is pretty much general purpose since I fish from a kayak and don't have the space to stow 15-20 rods. Everybody is going to tell you what works for them but in all reality you need to experiment for yourself to find what works for you. The only rod I would ever recommend to anyone as the basis for a line up is a 7' MED HVY Fast with a 6.3:1 or about reel. No brands mentioned because you need to decide for yourself what feels good in your hands.
Kidflex reply :
make sure the rods you get are tough. Kayak fishing can be tough on tackle especially rods. I'm not saying get ugly sticks but I wouldn't bring my loomis rods on my yak. I usually end up taking my yak in some sketchy areas with a lot of brush, cattails and overhangs and sometimes the rods get banged up.
AEWblackeagle8 reply :
On 11/8/2015 at 8:15 PM, Kidflex said:make sure the rods you get are tough. Kayak fishing can be tough on tackle especially rods. I'm not saying get ugly sticks but I wouldn't bring my loomis rods on my yak. I usually end up taking my yak in some sketchy areas with a lot of brush, cattails and overhangs and sometimes the rods get banged up.
That is the truth there. I can't tell you how many times I have almost broke a Rod because of stuff hanging over haha I would not like having a $150 dollar Rod broke because of a small tree
J Francho reply :
I find more damage occurs in the bass boat than in the kayak.
flyfisher reply :
I haven't had any issues with my rods in the kayak. Sure there are a few things to consider but no worse than any other type of vessel. There is a learning curve to kayak fishing but once you are comfortable in the kayak and get your gear where you want it, you probably won't have any issues. You just need to prepare for the places yo pare fishing. When i go fish smaller streams with lots of overhanging brush or trees i don't take as much gear and store my rods horizontally for the most part.
Choporoz reply :
On 11/7/2015 at 12:22 PM, Tim S. said:Long grip length BEHIND the reel seat is what makes it uncomfortable for me personally. A fly rod has little or no butt and works fine in a kayak. Sitting in a kayak while casting conventional gear forces you to use upper body only to cast, sometimes with 1+ oz. lures tied on. When you stand, your entire body is used, not just your arms.
Good answer.
I much prefer shorter handles (behind the reel) when in my kayak. The forced 'unnatural' action of holding my arm out farther away from my body (with longer handles while in kayak) causes fatigue and sometimes pain in my forearm and shoulder. Seated position causes much of the difference, but the fact that I always wear PFD in the yak (and not generally while trolling in boat) means that the PFD floatation (even just 3/4" or so) makes a difference in how I hold the rod to cast with longer butts.
J Francho reply :
I don't hold a rod any differently when I'm in a kayak. I guess it depends on SOT/SINK, hybrid, stand/sit, and seat design. Modern, raised seating seems to have helped, but it's really sounding to me that it's still an issue.
These are good things to hear about, and I can take them back to at least one company's designers. Though, they have really worked hard on this aspect. You should be able to use whatever rod you like in a kayak, with proper seating.
2833-34497 reply :
I carry 4 rods from 7' 3" to 8' in length and have no issues with them. I also have a Hobie Pro Angler so I lay 2 rods on both sides so trees, brush etc. isn't a problem. Only thing I do watch is the length of the butt. For example I have a Dobyns 806, but I didn't get the Dobyns 806 with the Mike Long handle due to being too long for me from a kayak. I've had friends and family tell me they didn't like fishing with the longer butt also so after I tried a friends I decided on the normal butt handles which depends on brand also. Best thing to do is if you have friends that you fish with ask if you can try their rods out and see what you like.
Dye99 reply :
I think the ONLY difference with the rod selection for me is I like micro guide rods over the standards.
That way I can store more of them in my ATAK!
Im not a fishing trip guy, I don't plan weekends and all that. I fish 2-3 days a week and I have a truck with my yak and gear already loaded in, so I just go when I feel like going.
Having 6 set ups stowed inside my kayak makes my life easy and fast.
I know whenever I get to the lake Ive got everything tied on that I use normally.
Drop the finder in the yak, put on my vest, and Im in the water.
.ghoti. reply :
I take two rods out when I'm using my yak. it has two rod holders; one behind the seat and one between my legs. I use the front holder when I'm unhooking a fish or rigging a bait. The rod I'm not using rests in the holder behind me. I could add more rod holders, but I like to keep it simple and down to a minimum when in the yak.
Terminal tackle is is a small plano box which will fit in a shirt pocket. Soft plastics, in ziplok bags, go in a small maxpedition pack about the size of a side by side CD wallet. I typically take four or five of each of four or five soft plastic baits. A couple of jigs and a couple of spinnerbaits, a tube of megastrike, and the bag is full. line nipper on a lanyard around my neck and pliers on a lanyard attached to the front rod holder. That's it; a quick load in and launch, and a quick get out of dodge end to the trip.
Which two combos and which baits are questions with day specific answers.
faygo1979 reply :
I find longer rods work better for me on a kayak But I do agree the longer buts causes some issues.
With shorter rods I find I get hung up more and does not allow me to move fish around the boat as easily. I have lost a couple good fish because they made runs under the boat and I was not able to get the tip around in front of the kayak.
I also sometimes get the line caught on the rudder and with a longer rod it is easier to untangle.
With skipping under docks I don’t really fins the rod length to matter you already are right at the water level and have to throw sidearm It just means you have to position the kayak a little differently.
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