Hello all and thanks to Rodgeeks for telling me about this site. Now for my question I’m from Virginia and do a lot of kayak fishing in Virginia and in Outer Banks. The problem I’m having is find a rod that I could use for both areas. Fast tip for casting lighter weight lures and worms for the rivers here in Va but have enough back bone for the sound side of Outer Banks when fishing live shrimp and other small live baits for trout drum etc. Thanks for any input ahead of time Richard

Hello all and thanks to Rodgeeks for telling me about this site. Now for my question I’m from Virginia and do a lot of kayak fishing in Virginia and in Outer Banks. The problem I’m having is find a rod that I could use for both areas. Fast tip for casting lighter weight lures and worms for the rivers here in Va but have enough back bone for the sound side of Outer Banks when fishing live shrimp and other small live baits for trout drum etc. Thanks for any input ahead of time Richard

Why not build and carry two rods, or at least have two rods and select its use based on what you're doing? Not saying you can't do both with one rod, but is there some reason you can't dial in two rod specifically?

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I guess after reading my post I should stated that. I have several rods from ultra lights to heavy for surf fishing. But I haven’t found the length that feels good in my kayak. In the rivers most the time casting is more like side arm or wrist flick. As for the sound in Outer Banks same issue either to heavy of rod to short or to long and in the way at time. I’m hoping there are some kayak fisher that might chime in or rod builders to give advise. Thanks sorry for not posting better information

Seems like most kayak fishermen have gone to standing while fishing so the rod length needn't be any different than what you'd normally use. If you're seating while fishing, it might be more comfortable to use a slightly shorter rod than normal. I wouldn't go much shorter, perhaps just 6 inches.

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This is true depending on what type kayak you have. My boat isn’t very stable when you try and stand up. So seating fishing is what u have to do. At some pine when I can afford a 2 k plus yak I’ll upgrade but till then I’ll fish what I have. I do have a short rod and I’ll give that try. But some store bought rods don’t have the back bone I’m looking for. Or don’t have a good feel in hand or action is as good as thought. I guess I need to find a place I can cast a few rods with different weights that are the same as my lures

When fishing from a kayak, rod length has never really been a problem for me, but HANDLE length has. In a kayak you need a little shorter handle on your rod to keep the handle from hitting you in the stomach and taking away mobility. I normally use 7 inch handles in the kayak on 7 ft. rod lengths for whatever action I choose. Although I usually have two rods in the kayak, you can only use one at a time. In some instances I just carry the one rod, but have a variety of actions to choose from. Store bought rods are NEVER as well suited to my purposes as the rods I build myself.

Landing a good-sized fish from a kayak is problematic, and the longer the rod the tougher it is. A long-handled net does not solve the problem.

Agreed whole heartily with the Handel length. I always have two rods eith me one for live bait one for crank bait or sift bait for fresh water. Box I have two as well one again for live bait under a float and nod for lures or to troll behind as I paddle around. I’ve never built my own rod i have looked into kits from Mudd Hole but with the lack of knowledge I never bought one

With Face Book an this web site it is easy, get a cheap blank for your first build an go from there , it is not hard , there is a get together soon, see if you can make it, lots of good info is given out at that time,
see EXPO on the top in the left under sponsors , hope to see you there

just remember the only dumb question is the one that is not asked , as I see it

William Sidney
AK

And most the time a net is in the way or your hooking it some how. Been there done that . It @#$%&

I fish a lot from a kayak and 7' to 6'6" will work pretty good. I build mostly for baitcasters and throw 1/16 to 1/4 oz plastics (shrimp / worm) and top waters like a Top Dog or a Zara Spook and 3.5" Yozuri jerk lures. My favorite rod to use in the kayak is a 6'9" baitcaster built on a NFC P703-1 (Lambda LMX). The grip is 9" measured from the butt to the anchor point on the reel seat that the back reel foot goes into. I measure all my grips like this because that will give you a constant distance for where the reel sits on the blank. This is made for wading so it works in a kayak. I do mostly artificial but it can cast live if you are free shrimping or just using a lighter weight. For a heavy weight it does not have enough backbone but you could probably "lob" it out if you had to. P704-1 is rated for a little more weight and may be better for you. Fuji blanks, Point Blank, have a nice 6'9" blank that looks like it would work also. Fuji blanks have a sensitive tip section with a beefy kind of backbone that sound like, from you are saying, would be a candidate. I only use 10# mono on my baitcasters so the rods are medium light to medium with fast to x-fast actions.

Bill Sidney Wrote:
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> With Face Book an this web site it is easy,
> get a cheap blank for your first build an go from
> there , it is not hard , there is a get together
> soon, see if you can make it, lots of good info
> is given out at that time,
> see EXPO on the top in the left under sponsors
> , hope to see you there
>
> just remember the only dumb question is the
> one that is not asked , as I see it

I’ve always been told the only question not asked is the only stupid one. I tell my boys that all the time. As for a get together I’ll check and see if there’s one in the area. I live in New Market Va. Shenandoah county

Lance Schreckenbach Wrote:
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> I fish a lot from a kayak and 7' to 6'6" will work
> pretty good. I build mostly for baitcasters and
> throw 1/16 to 1/4 oz plastics (shrimp / worm) and
> top waters like a Top Dog or a Zara Spook and 3.5"
> Yozuri jerk lures. My favorite rod to use in the
> kayak is a 6'9" baitcaster built on a NFC P703-1
> (Lambda LMX). The grip is 9" measured from the
> butt to the anchor point on the reel seat that the
> back reel foot goes into. I measure all my grips
> like this because that will give you a constant
> distance for where the reel sits on the blank.
> This is made for wading so it works in a kayak. I
> do mostly artificial but it can cast live if you
> are free shrimping or just using a lighter weight.
> For a heavy weight it does not have enough
> backbone but you could probably "lob" it out if
> you had to. P704-1 is rated for a little more
> weight and may be better for you. Fuji blanks,
> Point Blank, have a nice 6'9" blank that looks
> like it would work also. Fuji blanks have a
> sensitive tip section with a beefy kind of
> backbone that sound like, from you are saying,
> would be a candidate. I only use 10# mono on my
> baitcasters so the rods are medium light to medium
> with fast to x-fast actions.

I know this will sound bad but at 50 years old I’ve never learned to fish with a baitcaster lol. I’ve used penn 4/0 10/0 for shark tarpon and grouper but you just drop them down . Or ballon a bait for shark or tarpon

Thanks for all the tips and helpful input. I looked up rod building classes in Virginia and found that Mudhole Custom Tackle is hold a rod building class in Virginia Beach,Virginia on March 2 nd and 3 rd you build a rod and get to take home the equipment you used for building your rod. I’m very excited to go to this class. And very thankful to this site and the people on this site for the information. I’d also like to thank Mudhole Custom Tackle for having a class near me that I can go to

I do some kayak fishing in small lakes in the Triad area of NC and around Nags Head NC in the sound. The main thing that dictates rod length is the length of the kayak that you are using. You need to be able to direct the line around the bow especially when a good sized red drum decides to make a run straight under your kayak. I typically fish from 12 to 13 foot kayaks and like 6ft6in to 7ft3in rods depending on conditions. At the Outer Banks I like a 6’6” rod around narrow canals and docks and a 7’ in more open water for greater casting distance and better hook sets further away from the kayak. I built a Libery P703 popping rod and it does very well controlling good size fish in open water. I am also going to build a NFC X Ray SJ732 that I am going to trim to 7’1” for a faster action and more backbone vs the P703 and also a MB 664 Delta that I bought both at 65% off which is an awesome deal. I think for an all around rod for OBX sound and freshwater I would look for a Mag Bass blank rated 8-14lb line 1/4 to 5/8 oz lure with the length required for your kayak. If you can get down to Winston-Salem in February for the rod building expo I highly recommend. All of the seminars are worth more than the price of admission.

David Miller Wrote:
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> I do some kayak fishing in small lakes in the
> Triad area of NC and around Nags Head NC in the
> sound. The main thing that dictates rod length is
> the length of the kayak that you are using. You
> need to be able to direct the line around the bow
> especially when a good sized red drum decides to
> make a run straight under your kayak. I typically
> fish from 12 to 13 foot kayaks and like 6ft6in to
> 7ft3in rods depending on conditions. At the Outer
> Banks I like a 6’6” rod around narrow canals
> and docks and a 7’ in more open water for
> greater casting distance and better hook sets
> further away from the kayak. I built a Libery P703
> popping rod and it does very well controlling good
> size fish in open water. I am also going to build
> a NFC X Ray SJ732 that I am going to trim to
> 7’1” for a faster action and more backbone vs
> the P703 and also a MB 664 Delta that I bought
> both at 65% off which is an awesome deal. I think
> for an all around rod for OBX sound and freshwater
> I would look for a Mag Bass blank rated 8-14lb
> line 1/4 to 5/8 oz lure with the length required
> for your kayak. If you can get down to
> Winston-Salem in February for the rod building
> expo I highly recommend. All of the seminars are
> worth more than the price of admission.

David this is great information and something I’ve not thought of. My kayak is a field and stream tarpon 120. 12’ in length on the sound I take two 7’ rods or a 7’ and 9’ rod. I might have to rethink my rod selection for the rivers here in Virginia most places I fish have overhang above me so rods can’t be in the holders

I do a lot of freshwater bass fishing in my 13’ kayak. Rod length seems to matter most when I’m fishing in tight spots. When I fish along a bank that has overhanging trees the shorter length is better at controlling the fish if it drags me into the trees. The longer rods tend to knock around and tangle quicker than my short rods. Open-water is fair game for any of my rods but for longer cast use a longer rod.

I’m able to accurately cast weightless Senko’s with the RODGeeks B468MMF and it has plenty of backbone to handle 5lb bass (largest I’ve cuaght so far). This rod is also a baitcasting setup. If your doing a spinning rod then this would have no problem casting shrimp. I use a 7’3” MHMF 1/2 to 1oz spinning rod when I fish the sound with live shrimp. In FL you are supposed to use circle hooks for live bait and the fact of not having to drive the hook “home” means moderate/fast action works best for me.

Michael Tarr Wrote:
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> I do a lot of freshwater bass fishing in my 13’
> kayak. Rod length seems to matter most when I’m
> fishing in tight spots. When I fish along a bank
> that has overhanging trees the shorter length is
> better at controlling the fish if it drags me into
> the trees. The longer rods tend to knock around
> and tangle quicker than my short rods. Open-water
> is fair game for any of my rods but for longer
> cast use a longer rod.
>
> I’m able to accurately cast weightless Senko’s
> with the RODGeeks B468MMF and it has plenty of
> backbone to handle 5lb bass (largest I’ve cuaght
> so far). This rod is also a baitcasting setup. If
> your doing a spinning rod then this would have no
> problem casting shrimp. I use a 7’3” MHMF 1/2
> to 1oz spinning rod when I fish the sound with
> live shrimp. In FL you are supposed to use circle
> hooks for live bait and the fact of not having to
> drive the hook “home” means moderate/fast
> action works best for me.

Michael I agree with on the circle. All I use for live baits fresh or salt. As for rod length again I agree with. I guess I need to find some custom rods so I can have it built the way I want. I’ve never learned to use a bait caster so all I know is spinning reels. I’m thinking of getting a bait caster and learn to cast it hopefully with out the big old rat nest lol. I sure at first I’ll spend lots of time pulling the eat next out but hopefully I’ll get the hang of it quickly

Richard, if you're serious about learning bait casters, I'd suggest starting off with one that has a magnetic braking system. They're more forgiving for a beginner, and in most cases they offer easier adjustment. The key to learning is not trying to learn on a rod that is too stiff. A medium power, fast action rod, 12# nylon mono filament line, and 3/8 oz casting weight would be a great starting point.

Don't try to bomb your casts at first. Take your time, and get the feel for it. It will take time to train your thumb. And whatever you do, do not take your thumb off the spool. Taking your thumb off the spool as a beginner, is a major backlash waiting to happen. And backlashes are inevitable. I've been using bait casters for more than 40 years and I still get backlashes every now and again. I guess what I'm saying is, don't let the fear of a backlash stop you from learning how to use a bait caster.

Even professional bass fisherman get backlashes.