Thank you and keep it coming!
Thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions! Keep em coming!
Points
I think blackboat’s point is about the dangers of towing lines through the surf.
You might have your lines neatly tucked away in the back, but if the surf were to capsize you then those lines become a liability. You could get tangled up in them as you get tumbled in the waves, possibly with a few of the hooks stuck in you.
It may be a worst case scenario, but I’d be carrying a hook knife with me just in case.
you deserve credit for your calmness
I might have told him to take a flying leap. Jumping down someone’s throat isn’t the best way to encourage questions from people who want to learn.
My $.02
I spend a couple weeks every year fishing off the carolinas in a 15’ sea kayak and have figured out a system that works pretty well.
I have to launch and land typically through 3-4 ranks of breaking surf which is anywhere between 2-6’.
A recreational kayak sit-in kayak would not do well in this scenario because of these factors in particular:
- Tight fitting cockpit is essential when you’re getting pummeled in breaking waves.
- Good flotation front and rear is both a safety factor and an aide in punching through the waves as they break on you.
- Speed is a benefit in timing the gaps between waves.
For the fishing gear, I can’t imagine having a rod in a holder. I have mine tightly secured along the length of the boat. For launching and landing, all gear (including live fish) needs to be fully stowed in hatches or tied down, with the expectation that you’ll get tossed and need to roll, or worse exit. The last thing you need is a yard sale and loose treble hooks flying around.
The other thing I would mention is to take extreme care and patience with launching and landing on a swimming beach.
So, in summary, I don’t believe a “pungo” of sorts would be at all appropriate if my situation is similar. A sit on top would be a better alternative, or a sea kayak if one has the experience in surf.
Always carry
Lines in the rear in case of a capsize could be dangerous. That’s true. I alway carry multiples knifes that are easily accessible for that reason
I hope not this
I don’t no anything about fishing but I hope your not thinking about pulling ANY KIND of fishing lines out into something like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpWr1rLO5WY
Ahh…
– Last Updated: Apr-09-16 2:22 PM EST –
goes to show even little 1' dumpers can be overwhelming for those who don't know what they are doing. He was lucking to not have a leg broken or knee taken out, as he kept turning his back to his boat bobbing in the waves...
I remember watching a guy trying to paddle out through mellow 2' surf in a large open cockpit rec. boat. Got broadsided, flipped over and had the boat filled up and slammed into him several times as he was between the boat and the shore. A spanking but fortunately no broken bones.
If one is new to this stuff, best thing to do is to leave the fishing equipment for a couple of times and get used to paddling out through the waves with whatever boat one is using. Get to know your boat and what you can or can't do with it. Might save a spanking.
sing
Gulf coast
Keep in mind this will be at the gulf coast. Not the ocean. The surf tend to be a lot smaller
Take Sing’s suggestion
– Last Updated: Apr-09-16 4:29 PM EST –
"Little" two footers have broken more than one bone when they carried a loose boat with them.
Try it without gear first, and be ready to pay attention to the basics. The biggest, never, EVER get between the boat and the beach if you capsize out of it. Do it away from swimmers or little kids, because if the boat does get loose on you it can nail someone swimming or wading closer to shore.
Wave height is deceptive and does tell the full story. The reality of how the wave dynamics work is that the tendency to push you over can actually be more severe as the waves heads to shore in shallower stuff than when you catch the face of a wave at a couple of feet. I capsized again and again until I learned to never let go of the edge into the water until I was stopped on the sand or had gotten myself headed back out. Duh, but for whatever reason it took me an unduly long time to get that right.
You can boogie in sideways in smaller stuff, it isn't elegant but in something like a 10 foot boat it is probably easier than trying to get up the hull speed to really surf in.
Remember once that thing fills with water, all that water gives it tremendous potential energy if it hits something. As others have said, you are more likely to find this out coming back in than going out. So don't go out entirely beyond the wave break until you can go back and forth under control inside that outer line.
Yakking baits
"Yakking" baits out past a sand bar is a common fishing technique for surf fishermen. As to the original post - the advice about buying an inexpensive sit-on-top is the best that’s been given. It will meet your specific need much better than your current boat. In your current boat, there is a thin safety margin and any deviation in wave height, lack of flotation in the boat, skill, etc could lead to quick trouble. I’ve paddle flooded rec boats in the surf - ain’t fun. Learn from others experience. 