Can someone tell me why kayak fishing is a growing trend? And I say trend because I think that's all it is. It doesn't look comfortable or practicable at all.

Thank You,

Chris Tulk

I don't know people have fed their people for thousands of years from a kayak, and covered hundreds of miles while setting in one.

Boy I hope it's only a trend. 5 years ago I could fish from my kayak alone and in peace. Now, everywhere I go there are a half-dozen kayaks, worse on weekends. I hope this trend sone passes, so I can get back to fishing alone and in peace.
Oh, the reason to fish from a kayak is; you catch a lot of fish:)

........ Try 1 and you will see ........ Closer to the water ....... Can get into places you can't get with a boat .........don't need a ramp to launch ........ Totally a blast .......... No gas smell or gas expense. ...... Sometimes less expensive unless you are like Tom and me ........... Etc ....... Ask Tom ....... He has a bunch of them and has invented an incredible electric motor mount

The only drawback is the range ........... But that can be 10 miles or more ............

It's been "trending" since about 1998 and industry analysts say that it isn't likely to peak for another 10 years. It remains the one strong area of growth in both the fishing and boating industries. The advent of kayak fishing tournaments has only fueled the fire and there is a good possibility the sport will see the same sort of explosive growth seen in bass fishing tournaments in the 70's and 80's.

There is a market here for savvy custom rod builders, and I'm not talking about short handled rods (for whatever purpose they supposedly serve).

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Kayaks have such shallow draft they allow anglers to go where other boats can't. Kayaks are stealthy. Kayaks will provide as much exercise as you want. Kayaks are relatively inexpensive. Kayaks are easy to store. Kayaks are easy to transport. I use my kayak to scout around and get to where I want to fish, then I get out and wade. On large, deep bodies of water a kayak's use is limited. On small lakes, ponds, salt water flats and estuaries kayaks are efficient fishing vehicles.

If kayak fishing is only a trend, then there is already a developing trend within a trend going on. At first these were small, lightweight boats meant for ease of use with minimal gear. The newer trend is much larger "kayaks" with every conceivable piece of gadgetry and gear you can think of. I would say it was the Hobie Proangler that started moving guys away from the smaller stuff to what I would now consider small personal fishing craft. Range is pretty much out the window now too. Guys in the gulf and out of TX are using the kayaks equipped with true directional sails to go out ten to fifteen miles to fish the oil rigs and then zip back in when done. They move pretty fast under light winds and add another dimension to the capabilities of these craft. I know guys that have bought kayaks and no longer bother taking their big rigs out. They have more fun, more cheaply and some say they even catch more fish out of these boats than they did their big $20K to $40K outboard bass and flats rigs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2014 12:26PM by Ken Finch.

While you guys are on this topic I would not mind some input on anything I should know that may be different in building a rod for Kayak fishing. The reason I'm asking is I will be building two heavy baitcasters to be donated to Heros on the Water for a tournoment in Oct. here in Washington. So any input as to considerations would be nice.

Chris, let me tell you about kayaks. I never thought I would like one or be fishing from one. I have fished from high powered bass boat for many years. I am no youngster and have a bad knee. Last year my wife and I both bought kayaks that are designed for fishing and have had a blast. We can get into places that big boats cannot go and have seen things in nature that you would not see from the bass boat. Plus we are not burning fuel with the big boat. I fish from a Jackson Coosa with the two position seat and have no problem being comfortable for several hours at a time. The boats designed for fishing are for the most part sit on top and have seating designed to be functional and comfortable. The seats are like a lawn chair and several are adjustable for back angle and seat tilt. The good boats are very stable and easy to paddle. Here in Texas we have miles and miles of rivers that have good fishing but about the only access is small boats or kayaks. Texas Parks and Wildlife has established numerous kayak trails on lakes and rivers here in the state and more are planned. My suggestion to you would be to try one out and see if you like it. It may not be you cup of tea but you wont know until you try it. There may be a dealer near you that rents kayaks or will demo one with you. There are two dealers near me in Central Texas that do this.

"Tight Lines"

I fish mainly from a canoe (with my wife) and from a Native Ultimate 12 (kind of a hybrid canoe/kayak) when solo. I only fish rivers so the kayak is the best vessel. You can move with such stealth and the manufacturers are creating such amazing boats specifically designed for fishing. I can even stand in mine fairly well. Getting better anyway.
I did drop my reel seats on my spinning rods about an inch towards the butt. I found at normal length that the butt would get caught up in my shirt or jacket and by shortening that length helped keep it out of my lap. Plus, I really only use my spinning for finesse & jigging/tubes. So, even if the balance has moved towards the butt and the rod tip up a bit, it really only helps in those applictions.
"One More Cast"
Todd

Why would it get caught in your shirt or jacket? I hear this statement a lot and it confounds me - you have the same room for using the rod in a kayak that you would on a 20 foot bass boat or a 30 foot offshore rig. Kayaks are smaller, but the room for using the rod is the same.

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It's no trend yaks are becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that most people can afford a yak and get to places thet cannot reach on foot. My business services the yak fishing market down here and it continues to grow.

Fishing from a yak is great fun but calling it a trend would infer that it will die out which won't happen as a plastic yak will outlast a boat in sevicability many times over I would much rather call it a hobby/sport that is in a massive growth stage than a trend.

Tom the comon belief it that you can get things caught up because you are basically stuck in a sitting position in real world terms whilst on most yaks you will find it hard to stand up and move around like you can on a boat there is still miles of room if you set your yak out well. The yak fishing forum I participate in is exploding as more and more are being exposed to yak fishing our membership has grown to over 16,000 from 10,000 in just a couple of years. As a rod builder you would have to have rocks in your head not to consider this market as I said its my main source of business on the custom rod side I built over 300 rods last year for yak fishermen. I read your article in the latest issue on the plane coming home from the expo and you are right many companies make slight changes to a handle length and label it a yak rod. There are a large number of changes I make to a standard build for yak fishermen but I won't give away the farm except to say that tbe new design of the mrf system by Mark and Terry Manley will be an auautomatic inclusion on 90% of my yak rods from here on.

Cheers

Mark Newcombe
Old Bar NSW
Australia
markscustomfishing.com
American Tackle Pro-Staff

sorry but i have to tell this story again. i grew up fishing in my uncles klepper which is a two man kayak from germany that fits in three bags that you assemble at the lake but haven't fished out of one in thirty years but thats another story. last year a friend brought two kayaks on vacation so me and my buddys son went out for the last hour before dark to fish some riprap in these little unstable feeling plastic things armed with a spinning rod and a pocket full of baits and proceeded to have a ball catching many smallmouths including having two 5 pounders on at ounce. we laughed and caught fish until we ran out of baits and only have one warning do not highstick in a kayak as you'll surely break your favorite dropshot rod as i found out with the first fish i caught that night.

My boat is set up good (which actually has nothing to do with the issue) and the fact that my rod butt would get caught up in my bunched up shirt/jacket while in a sitting position isn't a belief. It''s a fact. Didn't happen all the time. But, when it did it was annoying. Maybe I just naturally fish with my rod lower than most. Not sure.
It was an easy fix.

Mark,

Because the tip of the rod isn't pressed up against anything you're no more likely to get a rod butt caught on your shirt or mid section that if you were sitting in a bass boat. Kayaks aren't confining in terms of using a rod. I realize the contrary is a "common belief" but it's false.


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Todd,

Move the rod away from your body a few inches. Sitting in a kayak is no different than sitting in any other boat.


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Not sure I understand the argument about short handled kayak rods either. My arms are the same length whether I sit or stand. I build rod handles to fit arm length.

The things I hear from most guys who fish out of kakays is that they need leash attachment points and would like some way to retrieve or float a rod if they drop it or loose it during a surf launch. I think Rodmaker has had some articles on that. Waiting on more although the flotation thing article has got me thinking.

That's the case. If you're like me, you need to make a constant effort to keep the rod more away from your body until the muscle memory kicks in. Or, move the reel seat down a bit to accomodate. It works.
When sitting in a kayak w/ your legs out in front of your body and your butt sometimes below your knees, your clothing will bunch up and can catch the butt of your rod. It actually happens. You can't tell someone they haven't experienced something when they have. Geez. And sitting in a kayak shares nothing in common to sitting in a bass boat.
I've raised my seat up a bit and some kayaks now have seating systems that sit you up more like a canoe so it's not much of an issue.

Hopefully I'll be able to try this kayak fishing thing one day.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> Hopefully I'll be able to try this kayak fishing
> thing one day.
>
> ..........

LOL

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

Before I would modify my rod handles and reduce their performance for the type fishing I might be doing, I would either wear different clothing or just move the rod out a couple inches away from like Tom suggested. I can't buy the thing about kayak fishing being confining when sitting. The entire world extends out from the kayak so it's not like the rod is forced back into your belly or anything. Your physical geometry is the same. Your arms the same length and your elbows the same distance along your arms.