New to Kayak fishing.

[Backdoc]

I just bought a WS Tarpon 120 and was hoping to get some advice on the essentials. Thanks.

[Yak Fish]

I just bought a WS Tarpon 120 and was hoping to get some advice on the essentials. Thanks.

Welcome aboard Backdoc. Give us a hint about what kind of fishing you're doing. No two people rig theirs the same, and it comes down to the type of fishing you do, where you do it, and how much you wish to invest. These days the sky is the limit. The nice thing is, you can still keep it simple too. It's a great sport and folks here.

Living in Forest Hill puts you at the top of the bay...which is great fishing.

[FishingGeek]

Welcome aboard. Browse or search the Dry Dock forum, it has lots of discussions and pictures of how everyone has rigged their kayak.

[Backdoc]

Thanks, glad I found you guys. I mostly fly fish. I fish the Susquehanna pretty hard. I also carry a loomis/Stradic combo that I chug topwater with. I will likely be using my kayak in the Susquehanna and near Rock Hall on the back bays for stripers. I may poke around in Joppatowne some as this is right by my office and I have periods of down time that would allow me to get in the canals and fish the piers. Other than that I am not sure as this is all new to me. I guess you could sum up what I want to do with my kayak by my philosophy about building my latest AR15...If it doesn't have a purpose I don't want to add it. I don't need anything to look cool, I just like function. Right now the boat is bone stock. I have gotten some good advice from some of the kayak guys on Fishzoo. So far I am leaning toward a Scotty fly rod holder, a Scotty spinning rod holder, two flush mounts behind the seat, a 3 lb anchor with the trolley system and a leash for my paddle. I plan on putting that stuff on and putting some time in the boat before I make any more decisions. I already have a milk crate which seems like a necessity by observing every fishing kayak I have ever seen. I hope I am starting off right.

[Yak Fish]

I wouldn't mount too many rod holders just yet...not until you know where you want them. You can mount something like this to your crate to store your rods...just make sure you can secure your crate to your kayak with bungees and caribeeners. http://www.amazon.com/Berkley-Tube-R...rds=rod+holder

I personally don't use an anchor trolley. In fact, I almost never anchor. Some people do, it's up to you. I would carry one with for safety...don't want to drift away if something happens to your paddle. For your needs, it might be well suited to drop anchor quickly and raise it. I personally like Jeff Little's anchor setup. He has a zig zag clip and just releases it. The anchor which is mounted to the front just drops into the water. He pulls it up and secures it in the zig zag clip. He uses it a lot for small mouth river fishing. It's great for rapid deployment and stowing.

[sparky1423]

Hey Backdoc...welcome aboard! Backdoc is a regular on Fishzoo.net and is a great fly fisherman! Hopefully everyone welcomes him with open arms!

When I had my Tarpon, I snagged a milk crate behind a CVS and it worked perfect. I grooved a few notches in the crate so I could secure it better with the bungee cords. Also my rudder was a great addition. The tarpon tracks well without it, but sometimes it really helped on the Susky currents and maneuvering around the floating docks when the yellow perch are in. Its operated by foot pedals and cables and becomes a natural part of steering the kayak. Specific rudder packages are sold for the Tarpon.

[Yak Fish]

Hey Backdoc...welcome aboard! Backdoc is a regular on Fishzoo.net and is a great fly fisherman! Hopefully everyone welcomes him with open arms!

When I had my Tarpon, I snagged a milk crate behind a CVS and it worked perfect. I grooved a few notches in the crate so I could secure it better with the bungee cords. Also my rudder was a great addition. The tarpon tracks well without it, but sometimes it really helped on the Susky currents and maneuvering around the floating docks when the yellow perch are in. Its operated by foot pedals and cables and becomes a natural part of steering the kayak. Specific rudder packages are sold for the Tarpon.

I found my milk crate in a back alley in a trash heap. It was kinda funny because I found a green one and really wanted a black one. I only needed to take a few more steps to find another. It didn't matter because I eventually put a crate cover over it anyway, which I highly recommend.

For fly fishing, you should chat with Harry "On the Fly" I just saw him at the fly shop at Bass Pro today.

[Mark]

Backdoc,

Welcome to Snaggedline.

I mounted two Scotty fly rod holder bases on the sides of my milk crate and my BlackPak. I carry one or the other on my outings.

A.jpg B.jpg

That keeps the fly rods behind my seat and out of my way when not in use.

I also have found no need for an anchor.

[daddyg]

Welcome aboard.

[On the fly]

Welcome aboard from another Fly Fisher!

[buzz]

Welcome aboard Backdoc.
See ya on the water.

[Deadwood]

Tie a float on the end of your anchor line. Then untie from cleat and your free to fight that big fish. Return to float and retrieve. I rarley anchor myself.