Yak trolling rod & reel?

[Jimmyz]

Is there a good reason to spend more money on reel other than Penn 309? Ratio, ease of use etc. thanks!


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[chex]

What are you fishing for?

My first thought is that this reel will be overkill for kayak fishing (and for most fishing in my light tackle minded opinion). I troll with a much smaller conventional reel like a Shimano Calcutta 101, or simply a 1500 size spinning reel. Trolling from a yak isn't like on a boat where you're winching in fish while the boat plows forward. In a yak, you fight the fish as if you weren't trolling and usually, if you're lucky, the fish pulls YOU, not the other way around

Then again, it really depends what you're targeting and what kind of lures/bait you're using.

As for the rod, I use the same rod I use for jigging or casting. Something medium-light to medium.

[dirtyjake237]

That is an interesting question Jimmy. I assume your talking about trolling for Big rockfish and like Chex above I think there are more versatile options from a kayak where space is limited like the ones he mentioned. I would only add that I usually assign a good value to any salt water rod and reel according to how much maintenance is required or how corrosion resistant it is. Sealed drags and bearings, brass or other highly corrosion resistant frame etc. I am the kind of absent minded, lazy man who forgets to rinse everything after a day on the water and doesn't like taking things apart to grease them every season. I have replaced many a cheap rod or real after only one season. Worst of all is going out for that first trip of the year and realizing that your reel is locked up, or that the corrosion on the rod guides keeps cutting your line.

[Redfish12]

Abu 6500/6501 is more than enough for big rock in the kayak. You'd be fine with a 5500/5501 too.

[Jimmyz]

Wow, great feedback much appreciated. Yeah rock in the bay spring/fall that info would have been helpful. I'm like you dirtyjake I could take the reel apart but never get it back together. So low maintenance. I almost purchased the wrong setup yesterday and thought I'd try this first ever post. I sincerely appreciate the shared knowledge. Best of luck to all of you. Thank you


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[J.A. Veil]

I do a lot of trolling from my kayak. I used medium-heavy, medium, and medium-light spinning rods in 6' or 6'6" lengths (most are St Croix Premiers). I pair these with high quality spinning reels in 2500 or 3000 size (all are Shimano Stradics). I have caught rockfish up to 37", bluefish to 38", and a 39" black tip shark on these rigs. I even caught a 38" redfish on a medium rod and reel and 3000 series reel while fishing bait on the bottom. I have tried larger reels and longer rods in the past and do not like them for kayak use, so I sold them.

Part of your decision should be based on what types of lures you plan to troll. If you want to troll umbrella rigs, parachutes, large crankbaits that swim erratically, or other baits that make a lot of resistance through the water, you should look for heavier gear. Likewise if you want to have your lures working at deep depths, you will need heavier lures or deeper diving crankbaits. These will necessitate heavier rods and reels to use.

Some of the previous posters recommend revolving spool reels like baitcasters or even heavy tackle trolling gear. Since I troll only paddletails on lead heads or bucktails or the equivalent in a swim shad, I do not need to worry about very heavy rods and reels.

Another advantage of getting a rod and reel in the range I describe above is that it is not a single-function rig. I use the same rigs for trolling, casting, and jigging.

[Redfish12]

John makes a good point, you don't need a conventional reel to troll in the kayak. There is not as much stress on the reel or line out required like a boat and you can really get by doing double duty with a MH 6'6-7' jigging rod. IF you want to troll heavier bucktails/tandems, deep diving plugs, etc then you may need a stouter rod to pull those lures. I found the Shimano Teramar MH rods to be capable of this trolling task and for live lining an eel or large bunker with enough backbone to set the hook.

[ronaultmtd]

I am in the lighter fishing tackle category with John and the majority of our forum members- I do use a lot of low profile baitcaster outfits for the Spring trophy season like John points out for trolling bigger heavier baits like a Stretch 30 or an XRap XR14 lure...I like the premium reels and rods because they last a long time and are smoother, more dependable tackle- and even though each outfit averages about $400 each, it is the less expensive in the long term...like John I favor the Shimano reels and St. Croix/Shimano rods- have several of the 2500/3000 size spinning reels and favor 6'6"/7' medium action spinning rods and medium-heavy/heavy action casting rods in the same lengths...braid is on all my reels...with either mono or floro leaders...I recently caught two large blue catfish on the casting tackle with absolutely no problem whatsoever- plenty for anything we get in the Bay or inshore...

[Jimmyz]

I am in the lighter fishing tackle category with John and the majority of our forum members- I do use a lot of low profile baitcaster outfits for the Spring trophy season like John points out for trolling bigger heavier baits like a Stretch 30 or an XRap XR14 lure...I like the premium reels and rods because they last a long time and are smoother, more dependable tackle- and even though each outfit averages about $400 each, it is the less expensive in the long term...like John I favor the Shimano reels and St. Croix/Shimano rods- have several of the 2500/3000 size spinning reels and favor 6'6"/7' medium action spinning rods and medium-heavy/heavy action casting rods in the same lengths...braid is on all my reels...with either mono or floro leaders...I recently caught two large blue catfish on the casting tackle with absolutely no problem whatsoever- plenty for anything we get in the Bay or inshore...

Let me start by stating that I have been crabbing for 5 years on a yak and I made my traps from garden wire and my daughters noodle. So I am frugal and/or cheap. I do buy item of value when I research the purchase first. Like the Hobie yak. Used btw. The goal is to catch n eat rockfish spring summer and fall, so using a versatile rod and reel is desired. So do I want deep diving lures? Umbrella rigs? Tandems? Or buck tails on the top of the column? I have googled the reels and rods suggested above, the recommendations are greatly appreciated. The season is almost upon us so I need to make a decision. Do I buy two rod n reels at $400/each or continue to do it cheaply? Thanks again.


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[ronaultmtd]

Spring Trophy season is a one time deal...although late fall the eating habits get back to bigger baits...most of the year I use three and four inch swimbaits- mostly Sea Assassins and ZMan soft plastic paddle tails with 1/4 and 3/8 oz jigheads- and I was very successful last year using these baits- white and chartruese bodies produced 95% of all my fish- I use about four lures exclusively- a top water tsunami 5 1/2 inch popper when fishing top water- Menhaden color XRap jerk baits, red/white Stretch 27 for Spring trophy trolling in deeper waters and soft plastic paddle tails on jigheads- for the top water popper I use a 3000 spinning reel with 15# braid and 2 feet of 20 pound floro leader on a 7' SE Teramar medium action spinning rod- for trolling the paddletails I use 2500 reels with 10 and 12# braid with 2 feet of 15# floro leader...for trolling the XRaps and Stretch crankbaits I use Revo NACL Toro Winch reels loaded with 30# braid and 2 feet of 25# floro leader on St. Croix Avid X medium heavy and heavy action 6'6" and 7' rods...once the Spring Trophy season is over I use Spinning tackle exclusively until late fall when the big baits work again...I would suggest a good medium priced 3000 reel like a Penn Battle on a 7' Ugly Stick lite medium action rod with 12-15# braid would do you very well...

[Seasalt]

Wow, some good information in this thread.

I just downloaded J. Veil's book from Amazon and it is awesome. It has reel and rod selection with trolling info. I would say worth the pennies for such vast information. I would have to learn through trial and error and it would cost so much money!

[J.A. Veil]

Wow, some good information in this thread.

I just downloaded J. Veil's book from Amazon and it is awesome. It has reel and rod selection with trolling info. I would say worth the pennies for such vast information. I would have to learn through trial and error and it would cost so much money!

I'm glad to hear that you find the book to be helpful. After reading the book, you are likely to have more questions. Feel free to post them here (you will get different opinions, and that is a useful way to learn) or send pmails to me.

[RavensDfense]

I'm going to add to the smaller reel stance. The weight of the kayak is your "drag" and therefore allows kayak anglers to get away with lighter tackle and land the fish in the same amount of time. A few years ago while trolling around the CBBT, I ran into a tightly knotted school of 40-48" rockfish on the ocean front. I absolutely wore them out trolling (and casting) a 1oz. Storm swim shad on a Shimano Calcutta 201. That was my first introduction on how effective smaller gear can be on larger fish when you take into account the drag the kayak itself creates.

The rod also plays an important component when fishing a larger fish. If I was expecting to hook into any fish over 40 inches, I would pair the reel with a MH to H (fast action) rod. The Shimano Teramar is a decently priced rod, but other less-expensive models such as the Ugly Stick Tiger Lite also work well. I think a few guys on here use those. The benefit of a stiffer rod (haha) is that it doesn't overly bend (which creates a yo-yo effect) and it forces the fish to pull your kayak or drag instead of simply bending the rod.

Good luck in your search!

[DonV]

Let me start by stating that I have been crabbing for 5 years on a yak and I made my traps from garden wire and my daughters noodle. So I am frugal and/or cheap. I do buy item of value when I research the purchase first. Like the Hobie yak. Used btw. The goal is to catch n eat rockfish spring summer and fall, so using a versatile rod and reel is desired. So do I want deep diving lures? Umbrella rigs? Tandems? Or buck tails on the top of the column? I have googled the reels and rods suggested above, the recommendations are greatly appreciated. The season is almost upon us so I need to make a decision. Do I buy two rod n reels at $400/each or continue to do it cheaply? Thanks again.


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Go cheaply. Why in gods name would you need to spend $400 on a combo. Were not going after tuna and fishing from the kayak you can gear down quite a bit. Personally I don't even like heavy rods and try to stick to medium heavy or medium. $100 or less for a rod/reel combo will do all that you need from a kayak. Decent medium, or medium heavy rod and size 3000 or 4000 reel and you're set. I do understand the trophy season size fish could be a problem on lighter gear but being in the kayak gives you some great leeway in fighting them on lighter tackle and the same gear can be used all summer.

PS I'll trade you four of my combos for $400. I'll make a little profit and you will have plenty of combos to fish with.

[Steve6902]

I use a cheap rod and reels as well. Why spend $400 or even $200 on a setup?? I bring a 4 gallon pump sprayer with fresh water and just spray everything down when done. I live a hour plus from the bay and a sprayer is a cheap way to spray off my cheap set up.