Kayak for fishing

Tailgate

Tailgate

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Anyone have any tips/tricks for getting into fishing with a kayak rig? Looking at the Hobie Pro Angler outfit and especially the Mirage drive that lets you be hands (paddle) free. These boats are really tricked out for the fisherman. I plan to go out with a kayaker and test these yaks out. I seriously do not want to buy a boat because of all the hassle associated with boat ownership.

Fishing I want to do is rivers, creeks for crappie, white bass, panfish.. not interested in hybrids, stripers and trophy bass.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Here's a link to Hobie's unit
 
As you can tell from my avatar, I fish from a kayak and have been for 10 years. I've never had a boat and I love it. The Hoby is great if you aren't fishing in real shallow water (like I do in Florida). It's a great fishing platform. There are lots of area-specific kayak fishing sites on the Internet. Find one from your area and lurk for a while. Here's one for Texas. There is a lot of knowledge out there. BTW, I have a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, which I've had for 11 years. It's a great kayak: stable but also paddles well. Very popular with fisherman. It's a sit-on-top, which I would recommend for anyone whose primary use of the kayak is fishing. If you have a local kayak dealer, try to get a demo with a kayak you might want to buy. Good luck.
 
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The possible configurations are endless.

I use a Folbot Aleut I bought in 1996. I love it because it folds up into two bags that can be stowed in the trunk of just about any car. I've used it everywhere from the Ohio River to the Maine coast to Lake Superior.

I've found it to be excellent for all sorts of fishing, including fly fishing. The great thing about this boat is that it's wide enough to be extremely stable.
 
braumeister said:
The possible configurations are endless.

I use a Folbot Aleut I bought in 1996. I love it because it folds up into two bags that can be stowed in the trunk of just about any car. I've used it everywhere from the Ohio River to the Maine coast to Lake Superior.

I've found it to be excellent for all sorts of fishing, including fly fishing. The great thing about this boat is that it's wide enough to be extremely stable.
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When I was near to finishing up my education I saw a series of articles on a guy who used a Folboat off Florida's Atlantic Coast. He made it sound like the best thing ever. When my hip feels healed enough, I may even buy a car to fish out in the more protected Bays of the Straits of Juan De Fuca with one of these, or a sit on top kayak. I would need a dry suit, and a little tackle and I'd be in business. I'd be afraid of industrial pollution here in Elliott Bay.

If you could handle lake Superior it and you both must be pretty good.

Ha
 
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I do the majority of my fishing out of a kayak, both in Michigan (where we live), and in Texas (where we spend a couple months each winter). I love it. I own a sit-inside Perception kayak, which works well for me, but the sit-insides are nice too, if you prefer that style. I have tried the Hobie with foot pedals (borrowed from a friend), and while it does free up your hands, it is not as good for real shallow water, and it's also quite heavy. There is also the matter of hauling the pedal unit around with you and inserting that every time you want to use the kayak (not a big deal, maybe, but when I want to go fishing and only have an hour or so, the added hassle would not be welcome). I prefer a simpler, lighter kayak, that I can lift myself and easily transport, so the Perception works well for me. I fish mostly for redfish and seatrout in Texas, and for panfish, smallmouth bass, and walleyes in Michigan. Great fun.
 
If you plan to do a lot of river fishing check out the Jackson Coosa. Has a lot of cool features, designed specifically for fishing... Some really neat videos of it on YouTube.
 
We use the hobie kayak with mirage drive for exercise and has proven to be very durable. Our exercise consist of 3 mile jaunts 2 times a week for the last 5 years. we have the Outback, which has 4 pole holders. it is very easy to fish out of, and the mirage drive is effortless at trolling speed.
 
The Hobie looks like a great fishing rig. It's true that it won't go in real shallow water, but it seems to me that pedaling is better than paddling when fishing out of a kayak. And the sit on top IMO is also better than the sit inside for fishing. I have a Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 sit inside that I can't imagine fishing from.
 
Most of those fishing from Kayak on the lake I like to use, have sit on tops. They are a broader at the beam thus far more stable than cruising kayaks. Also unsinkable. They usually paddle to the general area of their like, and drift/float around for hours. I'm sure some of that is nap time.

My hand built, made it up as I went 18 foot strip built is very fast, has a wave piercing bow, has next to nil lateral stability. Would not try fishing from it.
 
ls99 said:
Most of those fishing from Kayak on the lake I like to use, have sit on tops. They are a broader at the beam thus far more stable than cruising kayaks. Also unsinkable. They usually paddle to the general area of their like, and drift/float around for hours. I'm sure some of that is nap time.

My hand built, made it up as I went 18 foot strip built is very fast, has a wave piercing bow, has next to nil lateral stability. Would not try fishing from it.
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I currently fish from my Old Town Loon (sit inside). It seems to get harder and harder to do though as my back gets older and older. I'll probably break down and get the Jackson Coosa or Cuda for the fall season...
 
Does anyone have any experience using the inflatable type of kayaks? Any good, waste of money? I'm sure they aren't made for the serious kayaker but I was looking for one that would be easy to pack in a car when traveling and could be setup fairly quickly for occasional use on a lake. I've seen a few folks use inflatable standup paddle boards and they seems to move along well.
 
zinger1457 said:
Does anyone have any experience using the inflatable type of kayaks? Any good, waste of money? I'm sure they aren't made for the serious kayaker but I was looking for one that would be easy to pack in a car when traveling and could be setup fairly quickly for occasional use on a lake. I've seen a few folks use inflatable standup paddle boards and they seems to move along well.
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I have an Innova Sunny inflatable that I bought a few years ago for the reasons you cite. It is compact and I use it to paddle around a small lake when the grandkids come to visit because it will hold 2 people. I've used it for fishing. I don't take it to areas with oyster bars. It is easy to inflate and very durable. It is made of the same stuff that white water rafts are made of. It is definitely not a pool toy like the less expensive inflatables. With the skeg attached, it tracks OK. It isn't speedy, but it does the job. It comes with a carrying pack and fits easily into the trunk of a car. It met (and meets) my needs. I also have a 12 foot hard kayak for my solo fishing (see above).
 
zinger1457 said:
I was looking for one that would be easy to pack in a car when traveling and could be setup fairly quickly for occasional use on a lake.
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Don't discount folding kayaks. I can take mine (packed in two easily manageable bags) out of the trunk of the car and 20 minutes later be paddling it. That's what they're designed for.

High end: Feathercraft or Klepper

Low end, but still high quality (this is for me): Folbot
 
Does anyone use outriggers for additional stability when kayak fishing? I fished in a native fishing boat in Sulawesi last year that was essentially like a canoe with double outriggers, and the outriggers didn't get in the way too much.
 
My kayak is very stable, but I've seen people using inflatable cylindrical pods that attach to each side of the kayak for this purpose. They're called sponsons and available from a number of sources.
 
While it's not a kayak, I use a Porta-Bote. It folds to surfboard dimensions and unfolds to a rowboat. Sizes from 8'6" to 14', I have the 10'8" size. Very stable, takes about 15 minutes to assemble, 10 to take down.

I keep it folded in a corner of the garage.
 

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Interesting thread for me as I have thinking about this. Does anyone have any experience with these modular kayaks from Point 65* n. This is one of their two fishing models the Tequila GTX Angler Solo
http://www.point65.com/static/webimages/tequila_gtx_angler_solo_cammogreen_1.jpg

I have been accessing some of the kayak fishing forums to learn more. I have nowhere to keep a boat so this could work really well for me. Haven't fished much since I was very young but anxious to get back at it now that I have the time.
 
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We have an Ally 17 folding canoe. While not an avid fisherman, I have a small pack with a takedown pole and reel. There are inflatable outriggers available, which I've not used; haven't felt a need. The Ally is expensive, but is a light, fine handling canoe bar none. About 30 minutes to assemble, much like a tent. Fits into two bags we leave on the back seat of the truck when camping.


Ally canoe by jglennhart, on Flickr
 
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