My message to kayak fishing noobs and those that just what specific spots...

[mytmouse]

Prior to getting my kayak I fished probably a year and a half exclusively from piers and from the shore. My fishing career at that time covered nothing more than throwing out blood worms on a top bottom rig going after White Perch, Croaker, Catfish, and the occasional Striper that would hit the line. After researching online I got into artificials, mainly freshwater, so that in the event I wanted to fish but couldn’t make it to the salt I could fish my local lake or pond. My lures at that time were simple, spinnerbaits from rooster tails to double blades and swimbaits like the Storm Shad. Basically lures that all I had to do was reel in and the lure worked for me! LOL Everything I learned from that time was from watching fishing on TV and YouTube and read on the internet.

While looking online I ran across Kayak Kevin’s videos and I was hooked!! At that time my naïve thinking was “Oooh if I get a Kayak I can go catch all those bigguns that I can’t get from shore. Once I paddle out in some bigger water, I’ll get on bigger fish!” I thought it was just as easy as paddling out and dropping my top/bottom rigs and it would be on! Needless to say it wasn’t. ☹ I got skunked my first few trips out. So then I decided I needed to get a Fish Finder THEN surely I would ALWAYS catch fish when I go out… smh. Wrong AGAIN!! LOL So it was back to the drawing board… that’s when I learned that a popular way to go after Stripers in this area is using BKD’s. Tried it numerous times… FAILED. I found out that I can catch WP using small spinnerbaits working the shorelines… that went well since it was up my alley. Then I wanted to start targeting other species, Tog, Sheepsheads, Reds… and so on and so on.

I know by know you are probably thinking “Ok what the hell is your point?” And my point is that just because you bought a kayak doesn’t mean that you will be any better of a fisherman. I see a lot of new guys come on here wanting to know where the fish are… Well to tell you the truth knowing where they are doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how to properly target them! Kayaking in and of itself is a learning curve by itself, take a rod and reel on board and it’s even more complicated. And it’s going to take time to not only learn how to maneuver your kayak, but also how to effectively fish from it. ESPECIALLY if you’re as green as I was when I first started.

Don’t worry about where someone is/was fishing. Investigate/ask what the conditions were that made it a productive area. How deep? Certain types of structures? Water temps? Outgoing or incoming tides? What type of lures were effective? What type of presentation? Trolling? Casting? Jigging? I assure you that guys on this forum will be more than happy to share that with you… and with that you can gather enough info to go find em yourself!! Fishing is fun, but it’s also a lot of work. And a lot of the frequent posters here put a lot of time on the water figuring out where they’re at. So you can’t just expect them to hand you a map with GPS coordinates with where all their honey holes are… Their favorite spots are a product of their hard work. And over time you will find some yourself! Understanding how to go after a certain species of fish is WAYYYY more valuable than knowing where they are, because even the best honey holes aren’t HOT EVERYDAY!! You need to be able to figure out options outside of that. And when you do it’s soooo much more rewarding!

If you can swing it, go out on local charters!!! Why? For one you can learn new techniques from people that have fished the areas you are looking in for a living. If they aren’t putting people onto fish, they aren’t going to be in business very long. So I am sure they will share with you techniques and what to look for when fishing solo. You also get to see some spots 1st hand. The other helpful thing is you can focus just on fishing. You don’t have to worry about getting your drift just right or dropping your rod off the side of your yak. You can focus solely on the fishing and learning without worrying about the variables that a kayak brings.

And lastly, set goals for your fishing season. I wanted to catch every species I possibly could once I got my yak. But that was dumb! Why? Because I don’t have nearly the time to dedicate to contrasting species or techniques to get good at it. I would rather get dialed in on 2 or 3 species a season and become pretty good catching them than go after every type of fish I could with spotty results.

This forum is a valuable resource to anglers of every level. I have read and received so much good information and am still learning!!! Be hungry for the knowledge not the exact spots… it’ll pay off in the long run. I hope this made sense because I don’t believe in proofreading. LOL!

MYT

[M_Duong60]

Words of wisdom, but I feel like this topic has gotten pretty heated this past week and when I joined these forums I liked how everyone was nice to each other. I am hoping that we can drop the topic from this point on. These forums have helped me phenomenally and appreciate all of those who guided me on the process of kayak fishing. I myself having tautog under my belt am now looking forward to catching a keeper flounder as it has been a couple years since. I hope to get into some stripers as well and need to look into it, with that in mind can anyone tell me where to get BKDs? I can't find them in the stores I look for.

[mytmouse]

It's not the first time it's come up Minh! LOL And it will continue to. But I think that sometimes it comes up because it's just new guys not knowing what to ask and thinking that if they know the spots they will automatically catch fish when that isn't always so! The learning curve is really high for new guys to the sport of kayak fishing, I just wanted to give some insight to hopefully give the new guys some insight as to why some reports don't post specific locations BUT that there is still useful info they can gather from them.

As far as BKD's I REALLY like Marty's selection in Edgewater. They've got a ton of colors and individual baggies to keep colors separate. I don't remember the exact amount, but if you call them they will tell you. Here are the other shops you can get them from: http://basskandydelights.hypermart.net/Where_to_Buy.htm

[M_Duong60]

Alright thanks, I didn't know that this has happened more than once but I did join only 5 months ago. Also thanks for the link I never got around to asking and kept wondering what and where the heck they were in stores

[beerums]

Prior to getting my kayak I fished probably a year and a half exclusively from piers and from the shore. My fishing career at that time covered nothing more than throwing out blood worms on a top bottom rig going after White Perch, Croaker, Catfish, and the occasional Striper that would hit the line. After researching online I got into artificials, mainly freshwater, so that in the event I wanted to fish but couldn’t make it to the salt I could fish my local lake or pond. My lures at that time were simple, spinnerbaits from rooster tails to double blades and swimbaits like the Storm Shad. Basically lures that all I had to do was reel in and the lure worked for me! LOL Everything I learned from that time was from watching fishing on TV and YouTube and read on the internet.

While looking online I ran across Kayak Kevin’s videos and I was hooked!! At that time my naïve thinking was “Oooh if I get a Kayak I can go catch all those bigguns that I can’t get from shore. Once I paddle out in some bigger water, I’ll get on bigger fish!” I thought it was just as easy as paddling out and dropping my top/bottom rigs and it would be on! Needless to say it wasn’t. ☹ I got skunked my first few trips out. So then I decided I needed to get a Fish Finder THEN surely I would ALWAYS catch fish when I go out… smh. Wrong AGAIN!! LOL So it was back to the drawing board… that’s when I learned that a popular way to go after Stripers in this area is using BKD’s. Tried it numerous times… FAILED. I found out that I can catch WP using small spinnerbaits working the shorelines… that went well since it was up my alley. Then I wanted to start targeting other species, Tog, Sheepsheads, Reds… and so on and so on.

I know by know you are probably thinking “Ok what the hell is your point?” And my point is that just because you bought a kayak doesn’t mean that you will be any better of a fisherman. I see a lot of new guys come on here wanting to know where the fish are… Well to tell you the truth knowing where they are doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how to properly target them! Kayaking in and of itself is a learning curve by itself, take a rod and reel on board and it’s even more complicated. And it’s going to take time to not only learn how to maneuver your kayak, but also how to effectively fish from it. ESPECIALLY if you’re as green as I was when I first started.

Don’t worry about where someone is/was fishing. Investigate/ask what the conditions were that made it a productive area. How deep? Certain types of structures? Water temps? Outgoing or incoming tides? What type of lures were effective? What type of presentation? Trolling? Casting? Jigging? I assure you that guys on this forum will be more than happy to share that with you… and with that you can gather enough info to go find em yourself!! Fishing is fun, but it’s also a lot of work. And a lot of the frequent posters here put a lot of time on the water figuring out where they’re at. So you can’t just expect them to hand you a map with GPS coordinates with where all their honey holes are… Their favorite spots are a product of their hard work. And over time you will find some yourself! Understanding how to go after a certain species of fish is WAYYYY more valuable than knowing where they are, because even the best honey holes aren’t HOT EVERYDAY!! You need to be able to figure out options outside of that. And when you do it’s soooo much more rewarding!

If you can swing it, go out on local charters!!! Why? For one you can learn new techniques from people that have fished the areas you are looking in for a living. If they aren’t putting people onto fish, they aren’t going to be in business very long. So I am sure they will share with you techniques and what to look for when fishing solo. You also get to see some spots 1st hand. The other helpful thing is you can focus just on fishing. You don’t have to worry about getting your drift just right or dropping your rod off the side of your yak. You can focus solely on the fishing and learning without worrying about the variables that a kayak brings.

And lastly, set goals for your fishing season. I wanted to catch every species I possibly could once I got my yak. But that was dumb! Why? Because I don’t have nearly the time to dedicate to contrasting species or techniques to get good at it. I would rather get dialed in on 2 or 3 species a season and become pretty good catching them than go after every type of fish I could with spotty results.

This forum is a valuable resource to anglers of every level. I have read and received so much good information and am still learning!!! Be hungry for the knowledge not the exact spots… it’ll pay off in the long run. I hope this made sense because I don’t believe in proofreading. LOL!

MYT

Great advice and I couldn't agree more! I'm new to kayak fishing <2yr and definitely new to the MD area of fishing. This forum is awesome and the information I have learned over the past couple of years has been amazing. Learning the spots that others have used is definitely helpful, however, I've had to do my fair share of research to determine where fish will be at certain times of the year, tide, morning, night, etc..... My advice for all of the kayak beginners is to use this forum as a tool for your fishing adventures, not as a means to catching fish. In the end, it is called 'fishing' for a reason. Just my .02.

[Snakehead Hunter]

We should create a topic for noob to ask questions. I think that would be nice to consolidate all those topic together.

[whenican]

@Minh D....u can buy BKDs @ Anglers(rt50 before Bay Bridge) or The Tackle Box, in Lexington Park.

[echo5oscar]

I have to agree with MYT. Lots of guys that fish don't like to give up their favorite places. I can't blame them. Biggest reason, maybe there isn't a lot of fishing pressure their. I can't say I would put a hot spot out there. I would give up some information like depth, style of fishing, and the such. One reason I won't, take a look at the main page, down at the bottom showing the number of users. Lots of people watch forums for people that like to give it up easy. I am new as well, to kayak fishing, fishing the Chesapeake, but not to fishing itself. The techniques, types of baits/lures and things don't change too much. For those guys that think someone doesn't understand WHY they don't give up too much information, get over it. I can tell you this...if you have a question for someone that posted a great report, send them a PM. You might like the response. I have experienced this first hand, and because of their willingness to share, I don't mind keeping it to myself. Just remember, don't bite the hand that feeds you.


Oh, there is also the search engine too. Just search what you are looking for, and most likely you will find what you are looking for.

[MetroMan]

+1 to everything.

I'm going out with a kayak fishing guide this weekend. I am actually more eager about learning techiques and fishing tactics than I am to actually catch fish...

[Goody]

+1

Very well put and good words of wisdom. Also when you go to a tackle store talk to them and they are wealth of information and more than willing to share it.

[nay_sayer]

MYT is just a crotchety old bastard, pay no attention to him

[J.A. Veil]

Thanks MYT for your post. MKF is a rapidly growing organization. With new anglers and kayakers joining every week, there will always be a learning curve. When MKF was smaller and newer (and I was not in the group at the start), some very good fisherman regularly exchanged more details. Many of those original guys are now cautious about giving out too much detail about exactly where they caught fish. Nevertheless, of all the online fishing sites I visit regularly, MKF is the most helpful group of anglers around. There is a very small percentage of criticism and negativity, but a large degree of sharing helpful information.

MYT's post is good reading for all newcomers.

[BassMoore]

Starting out is definitely a challenge in its self. Just like fishing, the skunks happen alot, esp starting out fishing. But its a step up from shore line fishing. The thing with kayaking is you cant run a body of water in minutes like a boat, so you fish a secured area.. But the biggest thing to remember is work that body of water you are in ALOT... its not like the shore or boat where you can move around. Youll tire yourself out quick. Those fish are there, just may not be biting.

Like john said alot of people wont share info, Some people on here myself included will tell you the exact place and bait that caught my fish. I want people to enjoy fishing. There are 100000000000000000000000000000000000 fish out there who reproduce every year. Now if you started keeping 100000000000000 fish everyday Ill stop telling you haha.

The biggest thing outside of reading reports, is finding what works best for you. Me i bass fish alot! ... worked at bass pro and talked to all the local pros. they all throw chatterbaits... i cant catch a fish on chaterbaits.. I own 10 dif colors. never caught 1 fish. and i throw them every time i go. Now on a drop shot or spinner bait, ill catch my share of fish.. Those baits i throw, not many others would. In the areas i fish them. Key to that is fish what is best for you, what works for some doesnt work for all. Alot of people like throwing spinner baits for perch. Ill throw mine in certain areas on certain weather patterns, but my fav perch lure is a 1/8 shad dart, and i just work it like a bass lure and catch constant fish. That my comfy lure on hot sunny days.

Just finds what is easiest for you to fish. work every area you can. You never know when youll find a honey hole that others have by passed.

[Shady]

great advice.

[newfish]

Thanks for the post Mtymouse. As a new member to this community and kayak fishing in general there are a few things I am focused on; getting the right gear on my kayak, how best to take care of it and spots to go fishing. Admittedly I have grand plans of hooking on to Moby Dick and finally landing him somewhere off the coast of Australia, but realistically I just want to be able to get out there and be in 'it'. I get skunked a lot hunting and my wife thinks I am wasting my time... she asks "so you just wasted 4 hours out there huh?" and my response is "no, I got to see the sunrise this morning, it was awesome and a fox caught a mouse right in front of me (or whatever event I saw)." Kayaking to me is going to be no different which is why I wanted to get involved in this. If it will deliver to me the feelings I get when fly fishing.. then I am in.

I know deep down my first fish is going to be something nice and small. Honestly I am fearful of hooking on to something big without best understanding this new kayak I purchased and how to maneuver onself when you are getting pulled around a bit... Anyway, on behalf of some/most of the newbs here, I just want to thank everyone for being open and communicating. I have had the pleasure of getting on the phone with Chad Hoover and one of the Snaggedline members yesterday who graciously sat on the phone with me while we simply talked kayak set up, risks, etc. All you Senior Yakkers, 1,000 posters and the like, thank you. Hope to see you on the water.