why do you kayak fish ?

[willf650]

I have 3 kayaks, 2 boats and a canoe. I won't say I fish from all of them equally as I do fish from a kayak the most do to the fact I can simply throw it in the back of my truck. Each method has it's place.

I started out in a canoe in high school and got my first kayak to fish from around 1996. We bought them simply to cover more water then a canoe because they were faster. I upgraded the majority of my fleet of kayaks over the winter to stay with the times and am now starting to come to a realization. The kayaks I have now are starting to get away from the reason I got a kayak in the first place, light weight and transport ability. In high school I would literally throw my solo canoe over my shoulder and head off down the trail wearing a life jacket and a back pack with my rods tucked up in the canoe. I still try to hit some of the same ponds I did back in the day but now only hit them a couple times a year. I went from hoofing around 50# down the trail with my canoe on my shoulder to close to 100# with these new kayaks and gear on a cart. I realize I'm in horible shape now but dragging twice the weight is a little cumbersome to say the least.

In short to answer the question I got a kayak because they were light weight to carry down the trail and were faster then a canoe cover more water once at my secluded ponds.

[Cowpokey]

I came across this video many moons ago and it also explains reasons why many of us kayak fish https://youtu.be/R1Z47xanhy0

That's a cool video! We need to get out for some other species.

[perchy]

I kayak fish because:

1- It's a good workout. I'm 29, so that's really not an issue yet but kayak fishing is a hobby I can keep doing way later on in life as opposed to say lifting heavy weights in the gym.
2- I've had too many incidents where I've run out of batteries for a trolling motor before. You can never run out of batteries for a kayak
3- There's a primal aspect to it with the physical aspect of paddling/casting that makes it more rewarding.
4- Convenience. I keep my kayak moored all year and don't really need to do much prep work to get in the water. Downside is I only primarily fish one body of water (but it has a good variety of species to pursue.)

[Donsail68]

What a great question and thread! I have a walleye fishing boat, 2 kayaks, and one canoe. Each boat has its own place. If I need to go far in a short time, can't beat a powerboat. However I absolutely love the serenity of paddling to quiet, shallow, tight areas. Often I'll come right up to the fish. The biggest plus for having a kayak is doing float trips. That's where my son and I bond the most in. This June 18th, we will do a float trip from from Cumberland, MD to Swains lock in 12 days. Super excited about it.

I will not sell my walleye boat so I have the best in both worlds.

[Mark]

I kayak fish because:
...I've had too many incidents where I've run out of batteries for a trolling motor before. You can never run out of batteries for a kayak ...

Raptor introduced me to Cliff Bars. One of them (240 calories) and I'm good for another hour or two of pedaling.

[Goody]

+1 on what everyone said as well. To add a little more flavor, I came across this video many moons ago and it also explains reasons why many of us kayak fish https://youtu.be/R1Z47xanhy0

X2 - Gets you to see so many new beautiful places that you didn't realize were there, along with the added bonus of catching some awesome fish. Love it! Makes you feel alive so do it often.

[ronaultmtd]

I have owned a series of fishing boats for over 20 years. I have fished from a kayak for 14 years, but have gotten more serious about kayak fishing since about 2008 when I bought my second kayak (considerably more seaworthy and comfortable than my first one). The logistics of sliding a kayak into my minivan, driving 10-15 mins and launching quickly make me much more likely to choose a kayak over my center console - I probably make 3 to 5 kayak trips for each boat trip. I still like having my 16' center console for those days when I want to cover more ground and go across wide and open water bodies.

Kayak fishing allows me to sneak into shallow or remote spots where I could not go in the center console. Plus there is something extra fun about catching a fish while sitting at water level in a light weight plastic boat that I have propelled myself (either with a paddle or a foot drive). The low cost of operating a kayak is a real plus too.

Pretty much sums it up for me, too- I have owned many boats- Shark fished tournaments (one of the founding members of the Virginia Beach Sharkers), king mackerel tournaments, Tidewater Angler's Club Trout tournaments, etc. for thirty years before getting into kayak fishing in 2011....still enjoy offshore fishing trips on occasion and I travel extensively so I take travel rods on most of my trips over two days...

[perchy]

I make sure to pack Cliff Bars and Pop Tarts, and some beef jerky always .

[Turtle135]

I was catching largemouth bass fine from the bank or by wading in the spring but once they moved off shore to their summer haunts they were out of reach. So back in 1991 I walked into the local Hudson Trail Outfitters really looking for a canoe. They had a 10' sit-inside kayak (Perception Aquaterra if I remember correctly) hanging from the ceiling. Fifteen minutes later I am loading that kayak into my pickup truck. It was light weight, pretty rugged and I had no other kayak to compare it to. Choices were much more limited in those days. I had a blast with that kayak exploring parts of lakes and rivers that I had only experienced from the shoreline. I vividly remember the first fish I caught from that kayak, a largemouth that was every bit of 8" long!

I had always expected to land in a bass boat eventually. In the late 90's I had an electric motor powered boat that was a pretty awesome fishing platform. I still found myself using my kayak 9 out of 10 fishing trips as it was so much less of a hassle to get on and off the water. Years ago I loaned that boat to a buddy so that he could take his son out on the water. In all the years since I've never felt the need to borrow that boat back. For me I believe the driving issue is the ease of access. In the summertime like this I fish on the weekend and two or three nights a week after work. I really doubt I would fish that frequently with a trailered boat and a motor that needs regular maintenance.

[ReelLucky22]

I discovered the sport a few months ago. Originally, I just wanted a basic kayak to paddle around and take on camping trips with my girlfriend. I started thinking that I would get bored when out paddling by myself, and figured fishing would be a great way to use the kayak since I've been wanting to get back into fishing. I started looking at fishing kayaks and discovered all of the things you can do with them and I was hooked. I recently graduated from college and kayak fishing is a great inexpensive way to get out on the water vs the costs, storing, and transporting a boat. It's also fun!

[zachslittlebro]

why do you kayak fish ?

It's light
It's fast (unpacking and packing up)
Me and my dad and my brothers we all have 5 kayaks and we get the job done pretty fast with five people and five yaks it packs up within 30 minutes at least it feels that fast.
Weave into and out of places
Nice and compact you know where everything is I've been kayak fishing for about 1 year now and I always wanna go out on the water and explore but also be able to catch a fish here and there.



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[Want2FishMore]

Grew up light tackle fishing every day on Rock Creek and the Patapsco with my brothers and my dad. We had a 10' john boat with a 7.5 hp Mercury. That thing would fly with 2 under 90lb kids on it. Married with kids, living in a community with covenants - no boats on trailers. Can't afford to keep a boat docked, so fished from shore or tried to make friends with guys who had boats. Picked up a used canoe a few years ago. Too cumbersome to get on top of my Honda Civic. For fathers day 2 years ago my amazing wife bought me a Lifetime fishing yak. Love it. Just really started getting out regularly this year. I'm a teacher, a kayak is about all I can afford. Just 2 more weeks then 8 weeks off, woo hoo! Plan to be on the water at least 3 days a week.