Kayak fishing

[Mark]

I like the fishing I'm doing at the time, whether it is from a boat, on foot or in my kayak.

But a kayak does offer the advantages that have been mentioned in this post.

I mostly fish from my kayak the way I wade. My kayak has simply extended my range and allowed me cross deeper water than I could in my waders.

But otherwise I enjoy the same closeness to the environment that I experience on foot.

[nhunter344]

I'll echo most of what everyone has said. Each type of fishing requires a unique skillset, it all boils down to what you prefer. Doesn't matter, there is always a better fisherman out there regardless of method. Now for charter boats.... that's where I might have to disagree with a few people. I give credit to the captain and crew for putting people on the fish, but as far as the customers go, I cant get myself to call it fishing, more like reeling. For the most part anyway.

Personally, as new as I am to kayak fishing, I love it. I don't even mind 2' chop mixed with boat wakes and wind. Sucks for fishing, but I would still prefer to be out there compared to sitting in front of the TV. I occasionally yearn for a motor or better paddling skills to get me places faster, but I can live with it.

[baitball]

Big Mike pointed this out to me last week...a charterboat with six or more customers powered past us on their way out...Mike said...there goes $600.00 to catch less than what we caught...

[baitball]

I will not presume to say that I’m a better angler because I fish from a kayak. But I will say that my experience wading rivers with a fly rod has improved my kayak angling skills. I think the reason is that both forms of fishing place me close to the water, as close as I can get staying right-side up! I’ve learned to read the water from a vantage point that’s more intimate than being in a boat. Also, both are very tactile ways to fish. I feel the power of the water’s current wading or kayaking. I certainly get wet in both kinds of fishing. I feel the strength of the fish pulling my kayak. In the case of fly fishing I’m directly connected to the fish with my left hand on one end of the line and the fish on the other. There are no gear ratios in between. Certainly, an angler who trolls with heavy tackle in a motor boat cannot appreciate any of the above sensations.

There are many ways to fish; many ways to catch the same species of fish. Even among kayakers we see tremendous variation. Some rely heavily on rigging and accessories to improve their odds. Others are minimalists who regard simplicity as their biggest asset. We see those who pedal and those who paddle. We see trollers and casters; those who use conventional tackle and those who fly fish. Bait anglers vs. those who use artificials. Some search only for big fish. Others are happy to catch whatever they can when they can. They may even go fishing when they do not expect to catch anything, simply to enjoy the very act of fishing. I do. How crazy is that? Our variations as kayakers may be as odd to other anglers as boaters with broomstick rods seem to us.

So, I kayak fish because I like to fish. I hope I never measure my enjoyment as a kayak angler solely by what I catch, how many and how big. If it comes to that, I'll find another hobby.

Bravo Mark! Well said.

[AmberjackYakin]

I had a similar event last year fishing breaking stripers near Hoopers Island in early October as I was catching one after the other. The charter boats rolled in near me and no one managed to catch anything as they watched me pull & release Stripers. I could see the customers on board the charters watching me the whole time. Hope they got their money's worth[emoji1][emoji1360]


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[bignose]

And this is what I was trying to explain about why fishing from a Charter Boat is so different that how we fish from a kayak.

Realize that perhaps 50-75% of our clients start the day not knowing which end of the fishing rod to hold, let alone how to let out line (don't reel backwards, the handle will fall off!), play a fish, while the Captain is responsible for trying to put clients onto fish (not hitting the pilings on the Bay Bridge is good, too), and the first mate's job is to get client hooked up, the fish into the boat, while dodging rods, weights, and trying not to get spiked or hooked by the excited client. As well as crossed lines, tangles, and God forbid, a Cownose Ray that decides to take all of the lines out!

Meanwhile, most kayakers already have developed essential fishing skills, and may be using techniques that wouldn't be successful or appropriate for newbies.
For example, casting plugs with 6 guys on the back deck would be extremely dangerous. Several years ago, we had a client who insisted on trying to see how far he could cast a live lined spot. I had to remind him that casting was not permitted and finally I had to threaten to take his rod away-I didn't get a tip from him! And then there was the client that insisted that I net a Cownose Ray that he hooked..........
So if a Charter Boat comes over to where you are fishing from a kayak, and you are catching fish and they aren't, that's why.

And I also have to remind the clients to hydrate, and renew their sunscreen.........

No wonder the Captains use the "bent pole" fish finder!

Classic Charter Boat story:
Our original Captain was a salty old former Marine, with a rather short temper.
We explain to the clients when we net their fish, they need to set the rod's butt down on the deck of the boat so we don't get clobbered by swinging weights and have their rods out of the way.

We are chumming, and it's wild and wooly, we get a few Bluefish in the mix, and the deck is getting covered with a combination of puked up chum, blood, and fish slime. I'm jumping around on the deck like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest, moping the deck down between baiting lines and hook-ups.

We had several female clients on this trip, one was wearing a white tennis dress, a bit too nice for a fishing trip.
She hooks up with a decent fish, and as I am trying to net it, the Captain begins screaming: "Put your butt on the deck."
She just kinda freezes up, doesn't react, so the Captain repeats himself using somewhat more colorful language (former marine!) to make his point.
At this point she bursts into tears, and prompts sits down on the deck, right in the middle of the mess!
"You told me to put my butt on the deck, so I did!"

That doesn't happen when you fish from a kayak!

[Mark]

Stu,

That's hysterical.

I was going to suggest you find another part-time job but the tennis dress story convinced me that your job's rewards exceed its irritations.

[bignose]

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These two customers and their other lady friend had the Captain, who you see in the middle, pushing me out of the way to "help" on the back deck.

I had to remind him to get back to the wheel as I run the deck, and then he reminded me that it was his boat.

BTW, they were very good fisherwomen!