I cannot find any references to fishing from a Sea Kayak. I have a small 10’ sit in kayak and I fish the local creeks like crazy. Now I want to upgrade and move on to bigger water with a boat that can comfortably carry my camping gear. But I can only a few vague references to fishing from a Sea/Touring Kayak. Is this not possible? Is there some unseen hazard? Seems to me that fishing from a Sea Kayak would only be impacted by surface conditions at that moment. Looking for comments and experience.
Sea kayaks are narrower than rec boats or SOTs (so less stable) and harder to move around in (you normally are sitting in a somewhat tight seat with a spray skirt on). So this gives some limits to what you can do. But people do fish from sea kayaks.
I do a fair amount of dungenous crab crabbing out here on the west coast from my sea kayak. I drop Danielson folding traps (https://amzn.to/308iAxJ) and paddle around for a few hours and come back to hopefully have dinner waiting. Getting off and on the beach through the surf with traps on my deck can be challenging.
I have done some line fishing for rock fish, but haven’t done that recently. I mostly used drop lines, not rods and reels. The hand line I have is from these guys: https://waaycool.com/ In a sea kayak being pretty much stuck sitting forward in your seat, you have limited places to put caught fish, gear, etc. So having less gear is usually better than a full tackle box. I am normally just using a bunch of jig heads and various size and color plastic tails.
Peter-CA is right. I have a sit in rec kayak and it’s 34" wide!! Very stable and a large cockpit. That thing is a breeze to fish from, although not ideal. A touring type boat is typically around 22 - 23 inches wide and designed to edge or lean for a turn. Fishing boats are designed to be stable. No room to access much gear either.
There are many many fishing kayaks that will handle some fairly rough water, give you tons of room, comfort, they have rod holders and many more advantages.
I have three sea kayaks and I’m looking at buying a fishing boat. Preferably with a rudder and a peddle drive of some sort.
The rudder is another advantage. I have been hooked into a sturgeon in my rec boat and without a rudder or drive unit I was at the mercy of the fish that was pulling me sideways.
Try going to youtube and watching some ocean fishing videos to help give you ideas about what you are looking for. There are some good ones on there. Guys flipping in the surf, pulling up a shark and so on. It might give you a better idea of what the fishing kayaks are all about.
Thank you both for your response. It seems that you both agree that fishing from a Sea Kayak can be challenging and I agree. But then again operating such a craft certainly requires some balance and coordination from the start. Recently I did happen upon a Sea Kayak setup with an actual removable rod holder placed directly before the pilot so there are others that are at least attempting to do so. I have watched many videos of SOT kayak fishing off shore but I think many of those boats are operating from a motorized mother craft. I want to use my Sea Kayak as a means to go to deep water solo and return with dinner as well. Thanks again.
Most CT’ers I know fish after finding their camp site. Fishing for them is auxiliary food source. Most do miles more than fish. (Circumnavigation Trail…paddle round Fla)
Fish most is by sot .
You can mount some fish rod holders on the yak. On the deck in front of the cockpit conflicts with maps, deck bags, compass and other storage.
I have one with recessed sealed rod holders behind the cockpit into the aft cargo compartment.( Bass Pro Shops) It , the rod, interferes with long paddle strokes, towing, paddle storage, etc. (Paddle experts will tell you short strokes) .
I carry a telescoping rod that stores well. Short spinning rods also store under bungees during miles.
Trolling…I don’t. But many do with mono hand lines. See This Is The Sea videos where they kayaked Russia.
My favorite is to stake out at a falling tide where the flats drain to the creek. (Ambush point). You often have to fight fish behind you . Balance and coordination are helpful.
Most fishermen load kayak up with too much stuff, rods, bait, nets, etc. The sea kayak would kiss. Keep it simple. Rod some jig heads and some soft plastics and a Leatherman are sufficient.