Distance Paddling While Fishing

[Frogsauce]

Hey yall, I'm new here on the forums and to the bay. I was wondering how far you typically paddle during a fishing trip (say about 5 hours). I have only been about a mile off the shoreline so far (and only about 5 mi of paddling around per trip) because I don't know the bay very well yet and I am alone out there. Just trying to get a reading on what others are doing.

[Mark]

Frogsauce,

My friends with GPS tell me that we have done at least 10 miles of trolling out of Jonas Green during a 4 hour session.

That's distance traveled. We don't venture far from the actual launch site.

Mark

[JohnE]

I am pretty much paddling the majority of the time I'm out because I am usually trolling. I generally don't keep track of distance, but wind direction, current, dragging fish on a stringer...etc all factor in on top of actual distance. Last week, I paddled from back in the lily pads out into the channel at Pohick Bay. It does not look very far on a map...and was not a bad paddle going out, but the wind I was hoping would help push me back in cut out and paddling back into current made it a bit of a longer day than I was planning for.

I go often by myself, but it is always better to have somebody with you just in case something goes wrong (e.g.,got a hook stuck in the palm of my hand once and the ferule on my paddle broke another). Definitely get a submersible vhf if you don't already have one and keep that and your cell attached to your pfd.

[Yak Fish]

I usually put in 10-15 miles on a given day. I also spend the majority of my time trolling.

[mweber02]

Welcome to the site.

Too many factors come into play for distance travelled. If you are trolling it is a given that you will be paddling long distances. When I target largemouth I still paddle quite a bit from spot to spot but it is usually for short distances at a time or to reposition myself when reeling a lure pulls the yak.

Wind and current play a huge role in how far I go. I avoid tough returning paddles like John described whenever I can and try to remember to reserve enough energy to get back even if the conditions get moderately unfavorable.

Being confident you know your way back to the launch site is important. I've only been about a mile from shore myself and probably a good 4-5 miles from the launch site but more out of convenience or time than a concern for getting back.

[On the fly]

Like Mark said we might not travel far from shore but paddling back and forth over our fishing spots can really rack up some miles