Taken from the recent article “Fishing For Opinions” (http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?451)
Many anglers coming from the boating world insist that being able to stand and sight cast is an advantage over seated paddlers. The seated paddler is very stealthy. However, should a standing paddler fall out of their vessel, that stealthy advantage is certainly forfeited. Several manufacturers cater to the stand up crowd by offering boats specifically designed for standing. That option can have consequences though. Added weight, less maneuverability, and increased cost. In your angling locale, how important is the ability to stand while fishing?
In my locale …
Zip. There is little advantage to standing. If I have the need to stand, I take my big canoe (it’s 17’ long and 42" wide). Normally, standing can be accomplished easily by getting out of the boat and wading. The water is generally very low where I fish. The bottoms of my kayaks and canoes bear the scratches of many rocky encounters.
- Big D
pag_yaker , your scenarios are …
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...... are very broad and elude to absolutely no details that I can discover . What are you talking about with regards to this post ??
Are you simply asking if one stands up and fishes or not ?? I do both , when I can and when I feel like it , if that helps .
A wider boat is inherently more stable as compared to a narrow boat that is less so . Is there something new here you are suggesting or asking ??
Smells like marketing research?
What’s the big deal? I stand when it’s an advantage (which it often is for me) and I don’t when it’s not. Any average size recreational canoe is fairly easy to stand in - if not for the newby, then after a little familiarization and practice. No need for anything special or new. Anyone who poles a canoe upstream for a little while will find standing to fish as natural as walking. For others, it might take just a little time to get comfortable.
If we’re talking about kayaks here, I think the market is already covered there too. What is the point of all these posted queries?
re: stand up
I don’t stand up in my 'yak often, but can when it suits the occasion. I’m not comfortable with dumping everything else when I can just slide off and wade in most cases. I agree that, with practice many fishing kayak owners could stand up in their own boats; don’t personally see the need for wider, slower boats, but am not against airing our experiences and views for those boat builders who may be watching.
Not that important to me
I’m new to the fishing kayak world. I received my new kayak yesterday and while I can stand in it, it seemed a bit unstable or my balance is not what it used to be.
Having a bad back, standing is not too important to me. I prefer sitting even while on shore unless I’m fishing lures. For fish lures standing is better on shore but in a low profile kayak, I’m hoping standing is not necessary. But I haven’t had an opportunity to try yet.
I guess having to option to stand has is advantages but I think its an individual choice.
No advantage
While it is fun to stand for balance practice it offers no advantage to me. In places where I’d stand to fish I’d get out to wade. Usually I’ll wade some flats and rivers.
The super wide sit on tops now are not near as nice to paddle nor as fast or good in rough water as the older narrower designs like the Bic Scapa and the old Scupper pro.
I wish I could find a 50 pound, 15 footer under 25 inches wide with outfitting like a WS Tarpon! 24 inches wide would be even better in rough water, and have it come with knee straps as standard equipment.
Frank…
where are you in NC? I’m in Greenville and do a lot of fishing on the coast. I’m always looking for new folks to go out with. You should also check out NCAngler.com for a good group of kayak anglers around here. We try to get out together as much as possible.
Druminator
Didn’t I meet you? I’m Frank from Zebulon and in the GOAC club. Didn’t you have the Tracer for sale? I just went to GOPC in Raleigh Thursday to sit in the new Cat 5 and pick up some things for the weekend.
Do you fish in the winter too? If so we should get together I just trader my Bic Scapa for an older Tarpon 160. I think it’ll be even better for fishing.
Stand up in NJ
On freshwater - standing is a nice advantage, especially on still water, but not used often enough. (at least by myself)
On saltwater - standing in the estuaries and bays is a nice option, but seldom used.
Standing is a tool in your quiver when the situation calls for it. It is a real advantage to stand when sight-cast flyfishing in the shallows.
Who here wades while kayak fishing?
When I want to sight cast for redfish,
standing up has a minor advantage, but since I am usually in a foot of water or less, it is not an issue to stand up and scout then sit back down.
For most other fishing situations I do, I rarely if ever need to stand.
FY
well
there are times when standing might be a better option in approaching fish from the canoe, but i have found side casting and drifting the line down work well enough. i have never tried fly fishing from the canoe. i’d truly need be standing with a fly rod. i would not consider modifying a canoe for better standing capabilities. i would purchase a different type of craft if that mattered. i’m still really new at canoeing and have almost no experience standing in it. and no standing while fishing. one of my biggest concerns, being a tandem canoe is tangling lines with or hooking into my man behind me. it’s harder for me to fish than for him i bet because he can see me at all times. it causes me to side arm at various degrees. the up side though is he sets me up pretty good and i usually get the first cast being in front. i consider that a fair trade.
Standing
Boats come and go, and currently I don’t have a canoe or kayak I can stand in, but I prefer to fish that way if possible.
I had an old style Ride I used to stand in a lot of the time, and a Sportspal square stern canoe that I did the same with. I like to see the fish come up and charge my lure - for example sightfishing some midriver flats for smallmouth bass with a fluke. Lots of times you’ll see the fish come up on the lure and also be in a position for the right hookset when you see them take it, something not possible when sitting.
I also like standing in clearwater lakes and looking down into the weedbeds, fishing for crappies with a jig. Often times you’ll see the crappie flash its sides as it inhales your lure. Of course you can sit down and watch for little ticks and jumps in your line, but to me it’s more exciting watching the take.
Some will say standing is overated, but in the right circumstances, it’s an exciting way to fish.
Fishnmusicn
Want to be able to stand.
Lots of fun throwing outside of weed beds, flats, everywhere and watching follows. I’m getting another kayak. One I can stand in 
the only people I see standing
in Monterey Bay don’t have a fishing pole, and are riding down the face of a wave
I wade sometimes and tow my kayak
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on a leash to my waist when I am moving and fishing shallow gravel bars, etc.
Stand up in NJ
Posted by: eldubioso on Dec-23-09 11:05 AM (EST)
Who here wades while kayak fishing?
As to sight fishing, for trout in our clear water lakes and rivers and sometimes when fishing for salmon in salt water, I enjoy the view with polarized glasses and casting fly or lure to a fish I can see. Much of my summer run steelhead fishing is working a specific fish I can see, but that has never been from a kayak. The main advantage to standing in our local conditions is to see better, seeing farther and getting more glare off the water. That is true for bowfishing as well. It is more efficient to cast most rigs when standing, but the mobility of my small kayak is worth the minor disadvantage of not standing.
not real important
Not real important here in NJ. But Florida guys love site fishing. The best yak is the Hobie pro angler. At 38 inches you can not only stand and sit back easily but you can walk around on it. Im curious how the new Delta Catfish is gonns be standing but we havent got them in yet.