What is the biggest pain about kayak fishing?

[imagine29028]

like Dave said....WIND. My BigRig sits high in the water as it is, and if Im in the high seat position, I become a sail, and you can forget about standing. I have a drift chute but haven't really used it yet.

[PigPen]

I would say trying to settle on a hull shape for stability or speed. I was out yesterday in the wind and waves working up a good sweat and the tourers came up and blew past me like I was in reverse. The one guy was paddling with what looked like a 2 ended baseball bat. Now if I had a faster hull I'd risk turtling or not being able to stand on flat water. I don't think the wife is into me having a fleet so you have to love the hull that your in not the ones you want.

[JohnE]

I would say trying to settle on a hull shape for stability or speed. I was out yesterday in the wind and waves working up a good sweat and the tourers came up and blew past me like I was in reverse. The one guy was paddling with what looked like a 2 ended baseball bat. Now if I had a faster hull I'd risk turtling or not being able to stand on flat water. I don't think the wife is into me having a fleet so you have to love the hull that your in not the ones you want.

I would like to see a paddle kayak keep up with the new revo or outback. The outback is super stable, even with the seat in the high position and I hear the revo is really stable as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rvFdLdplA
This is video of the old mirage vs Olympic paddlers. The new mirage is estimated to be 10 percent more efficient and I believe it based on speed tests against my friend's older revo.

[Redfish12]

This time of the year birds and boats are my biggest frustration. There is nothing quite as frustrating to get to a blitz of birds and have some pleasure boater (or dumb powerboat fisherman) motor through to say ooh look birds and a kayaker! Even more frustrating is paddling 1.5 miles full out to catch up to a blitz (that may have had albies...) only to have them disappear and re-surface back near where you launched and there are no boaters to blame this time. That happened to me this past weekend in MA.

[PigPen]

I would like to see a paddle kayak keep up with the new revo or outback. The outback is super stable, even with the seat in the high position and I hear the revo is really stable as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rvFdLdplA
This is video of the old mirage vs Olympic paddlers. The new mirage is estimated to be 10 percent more efficient and I believe it based on speed tests against my friend's older revo.

I think one of the neckys or other high end ones will still blow past us. Even with my peddle drive 12.5 mariner I was huffing and puffing to sustain 4.5 mph into the wind and waves and a fish hanging over the side. Stability still comes down to wetted surface area in most respects. I should note that I'm not a fluid engineer per say but did a lot of research before buying my hull.

[tufnik]

That's an easy question. I average 9-10 hrs straight, on the water, with my longest being 12 hours. So, the biggest pain occurs in my butt.

[Cowpokey]

That's an easy question. I average 9-10 hrs straight, on the water, with my longest being 12 hours. So, the biggest pain occurs in my butt.

I can relate!

[kevinfry]

#1--shortage of public launches and/or private marinas. Calvert county shoreline basically in accessible for instance
#2---wind/thunderstorms. I think the latter is worse. I can brave the wind but t-storms are a no go. hacks me off loading the boat in the truck, leaving for work and heat induced t-storms popping up ruining afternoon evening plans....GRRRRRR
#3------Jet ski---nuff said
aaaaannnddd #4-----------------------------Toads!!!! I Hate Toadfish!!! AND Cow-nosed Rays!!!!! Equally horrible and destructive critters

[CAGE RATTLER]

Biggest PITA for me is just not being able to find enough time to fish.

2nd would be is I wish the hobie kayaks were easier to paddle so I wouldn't need 2 kayaks.

[JohnE]

I think one of the neckys or other high end ones will still blow past us. Even with my peddle drive 12.5 mariner I was huffing and puffing to sustain 4.5 mph into the wind and waves and a fish hanging over the side. Stability still comes down to wetted surface area in most respects. I should note that I'm not a fluid engineer per say but did a lot of research before buying my hull.

4.5 mph is pretty damn good dragging a fish. I had a hard time getting close to that pedaling against moderate current so far in the outback.

I have no idea about what wetted surface has to do with stability. I consider stability to be how stable your hull feels against turtling. In my experience with paddle kayaks, the faster the hull the less stable the kayak. And I can say that you definitely get some wetted surfaces, particularly below the knees, in the outback in choppy conditions...but it is super stable and way faster than any paddle fishing kayak I have ever been in. Maybe those long sit inside touring hulls are close to as fast as a peddle drive, but I really don't see anybody fishing comfortably out of one of those things.

[JohnE]

I don't frequent the middle bay all that often, but I definitely feel the charter boats and sail boats are pretty ridiculous over there. It is not nearly as bad down in the VA beach area.

A new one for me is windsurfers...some crazy windsurfer buzzed by me several times the other day at Beverly Triton and he was probably pretty close to ripping his legs open on my 65 lb pp and getting deep hooked by a spro or two. And definitely add jet skiers to the list. Rays and toads too.

[Yak Fish]

I would like to see a paddle kayak keep up with the new revo or outback. The outback is super stable, even with the seat in the high position and I hear the revo is really stable as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rvFdLdplA
This is video of the old mirage vs Olympic paddlers. The new mirage is estimated to be 10 percent more efficient and I believe it based on speed tests against my friend's older revo.

I'll tell you that when Jeff Little's got his 16' Tarpon and I'm in my Outback, he's WAY faster than I am. He's a good paddler, but I spend a lot of time peddling. The Outback's hull is no match for a speedy hull and good paddler. I didn't believe it until I saw it. Now, put me in that paddle kayak and I'm going to lose!

[PigPen]

I think the sharp bow on my mariner pays off in waves, but still no competition against a carbon fiber touring SIK. I read that a common reason people sell their first yak because they bought too much stability and looking for more speed or maneuverability.
I second the lack of public launches.

[JohnE]

I'll tell you that when Jeff Little's got his 16' Tarpon and I'm in my Outback, he's WAY faster than I am. He's a good paddler, but I spend a lot of time peddling. The Outback's hull is no match for a speedy hull and good paddler. I didn't believe it until I saw it. Now, put me in that paddle kayak and I'm going to lose!

Yeah, that is definitely true. I used to put in some decent mileage on my paddle kayaks and was considering one of the new big water fishing kayaks before I went for the mirage drive. I actually love paddling, but I get serious pain in my reconstructed shoulder and it just would never go away between trips. Some of the guys I see at cbbt can really move in their paddle kayaks...Kayak Kevin for example, I have seen that guy paddling out there a number of times and he can really haul paddling his big ocean kayak.

Also think performance of the mirage drive can vary widely depending on who is peddling. I do physical work and am on my feet up to 50 hours per week at times so my legs are probably stronger than average. But then you've got people who run, ride bikes..etc, and other hand people who sit in an office chair all day. If I was in the shape I was in when I used to work out all the time before knee surgery a few years ago, I think the mirage would be extremely fast over distance.

I am going to try and get the lowrance installed on my outback before this weekend and see what kind of speed I am really getting out at cbbt.

[Frogsauce]

An efficient paddler makes all the difference. The type of stroke used makes a big difference too. A high angle, efficient paddle stroke will get you farther, but slower. And a low, extended reach paddle stroke will move you faster, but tire you out. And any balance between the two will differ by the captain.

I haven't raced anyone in the profish, but that's what they primarily used in the SoT races over in NZ and AUS. It is super fast, even yesterday in the high wind and waves it cruises into the wind at 4+ mph.

I think the minimalist and maximalist(?) difference might be the amount of trips someone can afford (time) to make, and if it is unknown waters. If I could only take one or two trips a month, or going to new water, I might want to take more stuff to make sure I can catch any kind of fish I meet. But going 5-6 times a week, I already know what I am targeting, I know where they are, and I know what primary and secondary lures I need to catch them.