Anyone here kayak fish?

[Water Dog]

Thanks, I've had this one for about 6 years. I just like being able to stand so I can sight fish and it's nice to be able to stretch your legs sometimes.

I plan on getting the Revo for the ocean and the larger lakes we have. Ive been out in the middle of the lake in a storm before. Not exactly what you would call fun in a wide and short kayak, ha.

I’ve had my Revo since 2009, still going strong. Wide kayaks are pretty sketchy when your out front. The Revo is 29” wide and handles very well when it gets snotty out. The next kayak I get will be a fiberglass boat from South Africa... a Kaskazi Dorado II. At only 24” wide with a very low center of gravity, it handles like a dream in the surf and you can cover some serious distance with it.

 

[Water Dog]

I go as often as I can.

I’m not gonna lie. I’m extremely envious of the multitude of species and and long season that you guys get to enjoy down south.

 

[happyhourhero]

I’m not gonna lie. I’m extremely envious of the multitude of species and and long season that you guys get to enjoy down south.

Yeah we for sure have it made in that regard. Lots of fun out there.

 

[olecaptainj]

Love some snook!

I bought my yak a few months ago. 12ft some brand from West marine. I bought it used though.

Anyway, are you going offshore??? I’m really wanting to get out a few hundred yards or so off the beach. How do handle this larger fish you hook? Using the drag as to not get flipped or dragged out far?

I’m just tired of surf fishing and want to go out further and also hit the Indian river lagoon and tube jetties by sailfish pointe.

I’m looking n the Jensen beach/Stuart area if FL. Haven’t gone out yet but I’m itching now the weather is better.

 

[Daltrey]

Love some snook!

I bought my yak a few months ago. 12ft some brand from West marine. I bought it used though.

Anyway, are you going offshore??? I’m really wanting to get out a few hundred yards or so off the beach. How do handle this larger fish you hook? Using the drag as to not get flipped or dragged out far?

I’m just tired of surf fishing and want to go out further and also hit the Indian river lagoon and tube jetties by sailfish pointe.

I’m looking n the Jensen beach/Stuart area if FL. Haven’t gone out yet but I’m itching now the weather is better.

Check out some of 30 miles out videos if you haven't already. Lots of good info on fishing Florida in a kayak. My favorite by far.

https://m.youtube.com/user/tyonthefly

Only advice is to learn self rescue and preferably don't go alone. Although I do but I grew up on the water and wear a pfd. Also know your limits because things can get sketchy fast.

 

[Water Dog]

If you’re going out in the salt, it’s a good idea to invest in a waterproof floating handheld VHF. I never go out without mine. Also, as Daltrey said, always wear your life jacket. Keeping it in or on the kayak doesn’t count. Things can happen fast out there. Be prepared.

 

[happyhourhero]

Yeah for btb you really need a bunch of variables to come together to even make it worth going. Low wind, low swells, low surf, low weeds. If you can get all these to line up, you have a nice day ahead of you.

Drag wise you can go pretty light, the fish get tired pretty easily after pulling you around.

Like above, always wear pfd and be aware of changing weather. I troll a lot when I am out and before I get out too far I troll for a ways in every direction so I know if the current is running hard or if the wind is going to make going one direction more difficult than another so I can plan my tracks accordingly.

 

[olecaptainj]

Thx!

I’m used to the salt and had a boat on the Chesapeake bay in VA. Being on a 30ft cabin cruiser on the bay things can go good to bad quick in minutes, so just gotta be aware.On the coast here the Atlantic is a whole different beast though.

Id prolly stick to the lagoon at first the venture out the inlet or launch from the beach once I’m comfortable.

Good tips!

 

[Daltrey]

Thx!

I’m used to the salt and had a boat on the Chesapeake bay in VA. Being on a 30ft cabin cruiser on the bay things can go good to bad quick in minutes, so just gotta be aware.On the coast here the Atlantic is a whole different beast though.

Id prolly stick to the lagoon at first the venture out the inlet or launch from the beach once I’m comfortable.

Good tips!

Lived in VA beach for years. I remember surfing in a hurricane there one year if that tells you my level of stupidity. That was the closest I've ever come to drowning.

On a positive note I did manage to set my personal best for holding my breath underwater that day.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

I live in Niagara falls and i fish off of my kayak in the upper river about 2 or 3 miles before the falls. Im a terrible fisherman but i have seen some monsters up close. One day i think im gunna hook one and hes gunna bring me for a ride hahaha btw thats the most ****** kayak ive ever seen. Makes mine look like a toy!

 

[FranW74]

I have, but not in a sweet rig like That! Decent!

 

[NS Mike D]

yahoo!!!!

i have been kayak fishing in OysterBay and the Long Island Sound for more than a dozen years and love it. old school Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 with 2 7amp 12V batteries to run the fish finder, anchor light deck light and power my cell phone to stream music.

the kayak is lost and i am on hiatus right now. made the mistake of not replacing my vhs and thinking my dry box was water tight - spent 17 hours treading water in the sound - current took me to Stamford CT, then Smithown Bay, then to Norwalk. The next day the weather was awful, and being late October, the few boats that were in the water could not see me nor hear my emergency whistle. even the suffolk county marine boat that was out looking for me rode right past me. 11am the next morning i was able to swim to am off shore light house marking some islands and climbed up where I was able to flag a boat who called in the rescue.

here is one of dozens of news clips covering my ordeal

http://longisland.news12.com/story/36573385/long-island-kayaker-says-he-owes-his-life-to-lifejacket


replace leaky hatches, carry a vhs, always wear your pfd, and file a float plan

 

[Water Dog]

Oh wow... that was you!?! I remember that incident from late last season. I fish the Norwalk Islands from my kayak all the time. :) A life jacket is key. Almost all fatalities from kayak incidents result from people not wearing a life jacket.

It’s crazy as spring is upon us and air temperatures get warmer. People dress for the air temperature and not the water temperatures, a mistake that can be fatal. Early season, I never go out without my dry suit early season and late fall.

 

[NS Mike D]

Oh wow... that was you!?! I remember that incident from late last season. A life jacket is key. Almost all fatalities from kayak incidents result from people not wearing a life jacket.

It’s crazy as spring is upon us and air temperatures get warmer. People dress for the air temperature and not the water temperatures, a mistake that can be fatal. Early season, I never go out without my dry suit early season and late fall.

yeah, spring is the most dangerous for the reason you just stated. 75° but if the water is 50° you have very little time to get out of the water and warm. I preferred booties, with a dry pants and a dry top.

Afterwards, what was amazing is how many people I met who took the water seriously and taken pre-cautions found themselves in rescue situations, whether it was knocked over board by a wave, being caught in an undertow etc.


point being for anyone reading this - I practiced flipping and getting back in my kayak, I had (I thought) emergency communications with back up power, i have taken navigation and boater safety courses , always dress for the water not the air temperature, I read marine forecasts and tide charts before every trip and so on, and yet, a confluence of events and it happened to me.

The calmest water can turn in a blink of an eye. The silliest if mistakes (and yes you will make mistakes out there - most you will laugh over) can put you in the drink. and for those of you who carry your pfd on board and not wearing it (in accordance with many local regs) in a kayak you do not want to have to choose between swimming to get our kayak and swimming to get your pfd.

pfds for kayaks are very comfortable. The armpits are cut wide open so you can easily paddle and the back provides a nice cushion to keep you sitting upright.

 

[Daltrey]

yeah, spring is the most dangerous for the reason you just stated. 75° but if the water is 50° you have very little time to get out of the water and warm. I preferred booties, with a dry pants and a dry top.

Afterwards, what was amazing is how many people I met who took the water seriously and taken pre-cautions found themselves in rescue situations, whether it was knocked over board by a wave, being caught in an undertow etc.


point being for anyone reading this - I practiced flipping and getting back in my kayak, I had (I thought) emergency communications with back up power, i have taken navigation and boater safety courses , always dress for the water not the air temperature, I read marine forecasts and tide charts before every trip and so on, and yet, a confluence of events and it happened to me.

The calmest water can turn in a blink of an eye. The silliest if mistakes (and yes you will make mistakes out there - most you will laugh over) can put you in the drink. and for those of you who carry your pfd on board and not wearing it (in accordance with many local regs) in a kayak you do not want to have to choose between swimming to get our kayak and swimming to get your pfd.

pfds for kayaks are very comfortable. The armpits are cut wide open so you can easily paddle and the back provides a nice cushion to keep you sitting upright.

I use an inflatable pfd that is automatic and manual discharged. I can't even tell it's on me while I'm fishing. I've had to swim out of a rip current twice and it took everything I had and the two people next to me were lucky enough to have a lifeguard paddle out and rescue them.

Hope for the best and always plan for the worst. I read about boaters drowning every year and it amazes me how it is possible but like you say and I know for a fact from growing up on the water. Things can happen fast and the decisions you make can be the difference between life and death in a bad situation.

I had to rescue my wife one year on a kayaking trip when she went into a corner and got herself and her kayak pinned under an overhanging rock with a fast current. We were just starting out on a 14 mile day trip and she was very inexperienced. A bad situation could have turned deadly fast. It was my fault for knowing she wasn't experienced enough to be there and I could have never lived with myself if something would have happened to her.

Please be safe on the water everyone.

 

[Water Dog]

It was a scorcher out there this morning, but the stripers were biting!!! :D



Everything caught this morning was released to fight another day! :)

 

[Michael Naegeli]

I’ve done some Kayak fishing. Wish had some pics. Pretty popular down here to snag a giant 200lb tarpon on a kayak. I never got one that big but watched my buddy get dragged around for 2 hours before making it to shore. Also have done it in Costa Rica, Marlin, Sailfishing. I hooked several sailfish. So much fun! Used to go down there every year to Los Suenos for the big Tourney. Just Epic. Been awhile since I could afford those Awesome trips. So miss those days