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We have done two mothership trips out of Hatteras for Pelagic fish this week. We had banner days catching hard fighting Black-fin Tuna, Amber-jacks, King Mackerel and False albacore. SOUNDS AMAZING RIGHT?!? In this post I am going to try to convey the skills that you as a kayak angler will should be proficient at BEFORE ATTEMPTING an offshore mothership excursion.
Good Balance- Offshore even in good weather there is going to be some solid rollers. In our case we had 2-3' rollers. I know what you are thinking, 2-3' is nothing and I have been in worse than that. Imagine hooking into a Volkswagen 150' below your kayak doing everyhthing in your power to play the fish without flipping your kayak while dealing with quartering rollers off your stern. Rollers also become an issue when getting in and out of the boat into your kayak. The freeboard at the stern of the boat we used was 3-4' you have to have the balance and coordination to hang off the side of the boat, stand in your yak and sit quickly without falling into the shark infested water.
Sharks- Yes, lots and lots of 6-10' sharks (some bigger) They get close and eat 80% of the fish you hook into. I had a fish wrap my mirage drive and then get eaten by a 9' shark. The braided line cut my drive like butter and I was lucky that I saw and knew what was happening and was able to free spool and cut my line to avoid swimming. I had another shark grab a fish right next to the yak. In the video you see the fin and the tail smack off of my yak. It is also not just one shark here or one shark there, there are literally hundreds of them.
Quick thinking- While fishing off shore you need to be able to react to situations quickly knowing how and what to do because even though the boat and your buddies are nearby things get bad QUICKLY.
Landing large fish- Be comfortable landing 30-50'' fish with a face full of teeth flailing 7-10oz vertical jigs and or having 2 treble hooks stuck to their face. The fish do not like being the kayak. You will need to be able to hook, fight and land fish on your own. It is to dangerous for the boat to try and come help you.
Entry and Re-entry- If you can not get into your kayak from water deeper than your head DO NOT GO OFFSHORE. The probabillity that you are going swimming is high especially when getting in and out of the boat.
Heavy Lifting- As the mothershipped angler you will need to assist in the loading and unloading of kayaks into the boat. PACK AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, keep the yaks light. You should be physically able to lift, and drag your kayak and the kayaks that your buddies are bringing.
Back up gear- Bring and extra paddle, gaff, bat, mirage drive if you can, and gear to fix any issue with your yak that might end your fishing day. Rudder cables, wrenches, bilge pumps. You never know what you will lose or if a shark is going to rip off you mirage drive fins (Luckily I had a back up drive with me)
Matt or Mike if you have any more tips post them up.
Good Balance- Offshore even in good weather there is going to be some solid rollers. In our case we had 2-3' rollers. I know what you are thinking, 2-3' is nothing and I have been in worse than that. Imagine hooking into a Volkswagen 150' below your kayak doing everyhthing in your power to play the fish without flipping your kayak while dealing with quartering rollers off your stern. Rollers also become an issue when getting in and out of the boat into your kayak. The freeboard at the stern of the boat we used was 3-4' you have to have the balance and coordination to hang off the side of the boat, stand in your yak and sit quickly without falling into the shark infested water.
Sharks- Yes, lots and lots of 6-10' sharks (some bigger) They get close and eat 80% of the fish you hook into. I had a fish wrap my mirage drive and then get eaten by a 9' shark. The braided line cut my drive like butter and I was lucky that I saw and knew what was happening and was able to free spool and cut my line to avoid swimming. I had another shark grab a fish right next to the yak. In the video you see the fin and the tail smack off of my yak. It is also not just one shark here or one shark there, there are literally hundreds of them.
Quick thinking- While fishing off shore you need to be able to react to situations quickly knowing how and what to do because even though the boat and your buddies are nearby things get bad QUICKLY.
Landing large fish- Be comfortable landing 30-50'' fish with a face full of teeth flailing 7-10oz vertical jigs and or having 2 treble hooks stuck to their face. The fish do not like being the kayak. You will need to be able to hook, fight and land fish on your own. It is to dangerous for the boat to try and come help you.
Entry and Re-entry- If you can not get into your kayak from water deeper than your head DO NOT GO OFFSHORE. The probabillity that you are going swimming is high especially when getting in and out of the boat.
Heavy Lifting- As the mothershipped angler you will need to assist in the loading and unloading of kayaks into the boat. PACK AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, keep the yaks light. You should be physically able to lift, and drag your kayak and the kayaks that your buddies are bringing.
Back up gear- Bring and extra paddle, gaff, bat, mirage drive if you can, and gear to fix any issue with your yak that might end your fishing day. Rudder cables, wrenches, bilge pumps. You never know what you will lose or if a shark is going to rip off you mirage drive fins (Luckily I had a back up drive with me)
Matt or Mike if you have any more tips post them up.
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