Anyone else have a fishing kayak? I go freshwater fishing here in Virginia, on the James River. I mainly stay just west of Richmond, VA where the James is not brackish, tidal, etc… up above the Bosher dam. Smallmouth bass, perch, various sunfish, and catfish, are the main species up and down the river. The depth fluctuates between 3 or 4 feet to 12 feet at times. Other areas are strewn with boulders the size of a car, and makes navigating a kayak/canoe/small fishing boat a real challenge!
I nailed a nice smallmouth bass this morning around 9:45 or so using a simple older spinnerbait lure that I’ve had since the 70’s, and it still works!
Check out the photo below… I learned real quick that you should keep a little bit of water in the livewell in the bow. I had to deal with a flopping smallmouth bass in the middle of my kayak, between my knees, hoping he wouldn’t jump overboard! I paddled real quick over to the shoreline, where there was a muddy bank and beached my kayak. Thankfully I was wearing my camo knee boots/waders, and got out of the kayak. I quickly guzzled the last of my travel mug of coffee, rinsed it out in the river, and used it to fill the livewell with a little bit of water. Lesson learned!
Also, is anyone else “old school” when it comes to fishing? I have my dad’s old Garcia Kingfisher light action rod from 1969/1970 along with my Mitchell 304 reel, that he gave me when I was a kid back then, and I still use it to this day!
All I’ve got for fishing is a cheap rec boat but yea, I love fishing from the yak.
My next purchase needs to be a good fishing kayak. Peddle power would be best but not required.
I got pulled around a bit in my little 10 1/2 foot rec boat by a sturgeon. I was sure wishing for a rudder at the least, peddle power would have been better.
I got spun around 90° in my kayak by a hard fighting bass, and ended up losing him.
But the peace and quiet of gently “trolling” in a kayak, powered only by human muscles on the paddles, is the best thing I have experienced! …and if you’re not careful, you will quickly lose track of time!
@Butch A said:
I got spun around 90° in my kayak by a hard fighting bass, and ended up losing him.
But the peace and quiet of gently “trolling” in a kayak, powered only by human muscles on the paddles, is the best thing I have experienced! …and if you’re not careful, you will quickly lose track of time!
Yeah, my sturgeon was dragging me sideways. Never really had much chance of landing him since I had an ultralight rod and 6lb line but after it took all my line, I got it back nearly to the boat before it made another run and ultimately broke my line, but what a blast!
Fishing is ironically what first got me interested in kayaks, but I’ve ended up going the long boat rout and need to get myself a good fishing boat, preferably one that’s still suited to some fair weather camping trips.
I pretty much grew up with a fishing pole in my hand! I love the peace and quiet and “get away from it all” type of feeling. The best is fly fishing, but that is more of an Art and requires a lot of skill to master.
Flashback photo – This is me back in 1971 at Lake George, New York with a stringer of bass and perch that I caught. I don’t know who was more proud - my dad or me! (Note: check out the old aluminum Grumman boat with 5½ hp Johnson Seahorse outboard!)
I grew up fishing also. Bass, crappie, bluegill, perch, trout, salmon and sturgeon. I used to walk about 5 miles one way to bass fish, 5 miles the other direction for trout.
I learned fly fishing in high school after buying a bamboo fly rod at a garage sale. My folks had a small pond in the back yard that I had stocked with trout and bass I had caught so I could practice fly fishing in the back yard after school.
I spend more time fishing from my Old Town Loon 138 than I do my bass boat. And can fish places I couldn’t get a bass boat in the water. Had some dark thoughts recently and considered selling the bass boat and and replacing with a a peddle drive.
I will agree that kayak fishing is a blast. I started fly fishing a few years ago to stay away from Mudfish. Then I started tying flies, have had days that just slayed the pan fish and days with fourteen bass.
I need to get back into saltwater, but it seems to always take all day, while going to the river can be done in four hours.
I once hooked about a 25 pound Poon (young Tarpon) and was pulled along for over a mile before before it spit the hook. Hard to beat that level of excitement.
At what point did you realize that that is not a live well? That is a storage space hatch in the bow of your kayak.
Did the bass survive?
Did it work it’s way toward the stern where you could not reach it?
Have fished from a kayak for over 20 yrs. Started with a sea kayak and thankfully transitioned to a Tarpon 120 eventually. Now have a Tarpon 140 & have had others in between.
Hook into a redfish and you will get a nice sleigh ride if the fish is about 10lbs or more. Fly fishing from a kayak is fun as you don’t need to make a long cast if you are quiet. Great for sight casting.
PS - Always wear your PFD. Too many friends go swimming when setting a hook on a fish.
I know it’s a livewell… There is a big heavy duty rubber liner inside it to keep fish alive that you might catch (well… small fish like < 16" at best). The bass that I caught was fine in the livewell for the rest of the kayak trip.
