I want to get into Kayak Fishing?

[budzsta]

Hey Raiders,

So I am thinking of getting a fishing kayak, I was wondering what things I need to know, and what I should be looking at before I decide to make any decisions?

I am located near Liverpool so would probably be fishing the georges but I also travel north for work quite often (twice a week) so I might do fishing up that way as well.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

[DerekD]

What is your budget? Where will you store it. How will you transport it. Any preferences on what type of fishing? Make sure the layout is equipment friendly and you don't end up tripping over the gear you take.

I own a hobie Revolution 13 and I have 7 fishing buddies who all own a Hobie with a mirage drive (propelled by fins underneath the boat and not a paddle). These kayaks are a few thousand dollars each but worth it to us. We chase pelagics in the summer on Sydney harbour and it is really easy to see a school of fish and use your feet to motor the kayak towards the school and have your hands free to grab the fishing rod and fire out a lure. I hang mine from a hoist in the garage the others have theirs on a community rack and that costs $300 per year.

I took it once up the Hawkesbury and wouldn't do that again. There are millions of jellyfish and I could feel them jamming between my drive fins. I switched to the paddle and couldn't wait to switch back. One of the gentlemen I work with has come out with us on these kayaks and was keen to get one but couldn't justify a Hobie till he knew how often it would be used. He bought a $350 kayak decked out for fishing. It is not quite as elegant but he gets out on the water with us. He can fit it in the back of the SUV and might upgrade in the future.

If you do follow up on this and have not had much time on the water I suggest you take a little bit of time to read the boating rules and find out what safety equipment (at minimum a lifejacket) you require. We bought our kayaks in late 2010 and spend a lot of the Summers since on the water. We also take them out in the other seasons of the year if the weather is fair. We are taking them up to Pittwater in the next week and they give you more opportunites to launch than a boat will. I'd highly recommend getting in to the kayak fishing (I also have a boat and happily use both options).

Edited May 12, 2016 by DerekD

[fiveflies]

I bought a kayak back in January this year and have not looked back. Mine's not a Hobie so I have to paddle rather than pedal, but I don't find it to be a problem.

I got a cheapish model that came with paddle, seat, rod holders, etc. Bought the life jacket, trolley and a few other bits and pieces for a total spend of around $1000.

I fish mostly in the Port Hacking and sometimes Georges rivers. Its perfect and the ability to sneak up on fish as there's no engine noise means that I have never (never!) gone out on it and not caught something! Its fantastically relaxing floating along with a rod out and enjoying the fishing and scenery.

There's heaps of information on YouTube, etc. Make sure you get leashes to strap things on. I lost a rod/reel combo on my first outing with out even realising. Everything is strapped down now.

When you get closer and if you have any more questions I'm sure there'll be lots of us on here who will be happy to advise based on our experiences.

[iamthecowgodmoo]

I've had my kayak for nearly a year now and absolutely love it. I got a Jackson "Big Tuna" with a 55lb thrust Minn Kota on the back for $1,700. I got one with a motor mainly since I am due to have my shoulder reconstructed soon. Turns on a dime, get around at a decent speed very quietly. I find it easy to stand on and fish too.

The best bit about having a kayak is that you will find so many new places to fish that won't be crowded with holiday makers.

The only downside to my kayak is that it is quite heavy, around 50kg+ loaded (big battery+motor) and I don't have room for a trailer, but I get around that with a kayak loader with electric winch that I picked up for $1k off eBay. I can load up and be on my way in under 5min without breaking a sweat.

If I didn't get the Jackson, I would get a Hobie for sure. As stable as mine, great storage, and the mirage drive is a great idea.

[HenryR]

pretty clear there's a few ways to come at this problem and, not surprising, clear too that you're talking here, to the converted.

i've got a small sit in kayak. have had it since this Christmas. II love it! Most people go sit-on but I want to fish through winter, nights in winter, actually. Sit-in is decidedly the warmer way to go. My boat's paddle powered too - I don;t mind that at all.

So far, i've been exploring the Hawkesbury. mostly the quieter, often very, very small bits of water. A little boat is good for this. But, when conditions aren't too rough (wind and chop seem to be the big issue) getting out into Broken Bay has been fine.

There's is a lot of info already out there in the intereweb. So, just a few things I didn't hear mentioned before I bought:

Paddling gets you wet. I'm happy paddling, I kinda like it actually. But, I guess one of the really nice things about a Hobies and other peddle boats must be not throwing water up in to the air as you move around. If the wind's blowing the wrong way, you can get pretty damp on a long paddle. It is possible to be careful and not throw too much water around but if you like to paddle any distance, water is hard to avoid.

You can read a lot online about how comfy seats are. I would say, if possible, a few seating options is a great thing. I sit in and out (as in on top of the boat, feet on the seat) of the cockpit of my boat, and I have a foam pad that raises the seat that I can also put on top of the boat as well . Gives me a range of different sits. I've yet to feel I needed to go ashore for a break from sitting. A good percent of the people I have talked to tell me that after a few hours they tend to go ashore for a bit of a break. When you try out boats, sit in, on and all around them, try crossing you legs, etc, etc...

also really good is the option to stand up. In fact, it's a really, really, really good thing. Standing-casting is much nicer than sitting-casting. Especially if you're doing it all day. Some fishing - things like sandflats and working topwater lures - are massively improved by a decent view. I would add, I don't think your boat has to be super stable for this. Of course, this depends a lot on your balance, etc. I've fallen out once already. In summer, this was not a problem, as the weather cools, I'm being a bit more circumspect about choppy conditions and standing up! You really need to try a boat on the water to know how you're going to feel standing in it. Even then, you won't know exactly. My yak felt tippy when I first started standing in it, now, in calmer conditions, it's become very a comfortable, second-nature thing to do.

Stability is good BUT so too is how well your boat travels. If you incline to exercise and/or exploring, I will bet you come up against the problem of how far, with how much effort, your boat will travel in how long. I don't fully understand it but, I think, kayaks have a kind of optimal cruising speed - easy to get your boat up to that speed but going beyond that requires exponentially more and more effort. It's like a speed cap. Short boats are slower, wide boats are slower, stable boats are wider ...... speed comes at the expense of stability but you want both. if you can, test paddle some boats and when you do, push them, paddle hard for a few minutes to find out just how much they resist.

Following on from the above: if go for a paddle-powered boat and you don't mind exercise, a quality paddle is a very worthwhile investment. After an hour, the good behavior of a quality paddle adds up in to something very substantial.

I think, also, if you're new to paddling, a paddle that allows both length and offset adjustments is the best way to go. The odds of getting a right size paddle, with optimum offset when you've never paddled before are slim. There's considerable interplay between how you paddle, offset and length. I've been experimenting since I got my boat - at least once a week for the last 4 months and I'm still figuring out a best combination for general paddling. On top of that, I find, in any one outing, I vary the length of my paddle by 4-5cms and the offset by 10-15deg, depending on how I'm sitting, weather, etc.....

this probably is of little relevance but, if you're considering a sit in kayak, I think the cockpit size matters hugely.

cockpit sizes differ plenty. The cockpit in my yak is extra large and so it works nicely for gear, rods, & me etc..... I think a small cockpit could be very awkward. I do wonder if the general preference for sit on comes as much from cockpit size

[budzsta]

Wow!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I really appreciate it.

I'm looking at spending under 2000 for my first yak including all the extras.

So storage rod holders, trollies so on.

I have the fishing gear though.

[budzsta]

I also have lifejackets from when we used to have a boat however they might be too big for general fishing.

I've hear narrabean is a good place to practice.

I guess my plan is to get a second hand yak with all the fishing mods. (A little sad I won't get to deck it out myself)

Then get a solid year of practice.

(How is yak fishing in winter?)

I am a little unco as well. I'm fit, but I can see myself capsizing at least a few times haha.

Then the next problem is storage and transport. I'm not sure of these as yet but I haven't done a lot of research just yet. Just been looking at yaks for now.

[DerekD]

Hi Budzsta,

Based on your clarifications a few more items to consider.

A longer and skinnier kayak will generally go faster but can be a pain to transport. I have roof racks on my car for this and that will add about $350 to your expenditure depending on who you buy them from. A longer kayak can make it difficult to reach some of the hatches when on the water. An advantage is that if you want to cover longer distances it is a little less tiring. One of our bigger trips involved launching in the Mosman area, heading to Kirribilli, working our way to North head along the Eastern suburbs shorelines, popping outside North head, back to Middle Head over to Watsons bay, then to Taronga zoo and back to Mosman. I rolled myself off the kayak at the end of that day. I didn't check the GPS but I think that trip was over 20km. You talk to the guys with the Epic or similar kayaks then that is probably a walk in the park for them.

A shorter wider one can be affected a little more by wind and wave chop. If you want it partially for exercise then I don't see it as a problem as what you get out of it is more a function of time on the water rather than distance travelled.

My Hobie is a sit on top kayak and I can get a little wet when a big boat cruises past. A kayak with higher sides can reduce this problem but there can be windage issues (wind grabs it).

Check the stability of the kayak. I only know of one person who managed to tip over one of the Hobie kayaks and he was ducking under tree branches at the time. I saw a guy struggling to get on his kayak once and I thought he needed rescuing. Turns out he had bought an inexpensive kayak which had a very tippy design and he was teaching himself how to get in if he ever tipped it and was doing so unsuccessfully. I've grown up playing around boats and I don't think I would have had the same problem but that is easy to say while standing on the shoreline.

My Hobie kayak does not track well without the rudder. If I use the paddle and lift the rudder out of the water and try paddling at reasonable speed in a straight line then I struggle a little. With the pedal drive it is easy as I can make quick adjustments using the rudder lever. If you get a kayak consider a foot activated rudder.

I like having my rods stored behind the seat so when I am fighting a fish I have the area in front of me clear to work the rod. I've found I want a minimum of three rod holders and if I could I'd go for a fourth. I head out with a light spinning rod (2-4kg), a medium snapper rod (5-8kg) and a heavy rod (15-37kg) depending on what I am chasing. The heavy rod can be swapped out for a fly rod when the pelagics are on.

Even with the rod holders I have enough room behind my seat to have a live bait bucket when needed. I store the majority of my extra fishing tackle in a garbage bag in the front hatch which I can just reach if need be. The tackle I might need during the day gets stored in the hatch between my legs in two Plano boxes and one dry bag (also for keys etc). I keep the water in there too so it is out of the way for most of the day. The very back hatch gets used to store the battery for the GPS/Fishfinder.

Narrabean lakes is a fantastic location in that it is relatively sheltered, there is plenty of room and there are a variety of species in there. I haven't taken my kayak out there yet but know a few people who fish it. Google "daz's lake jew" and you will see what I mean. Yak fishing in winter is fine as long as you pick your days. I avoid cold and windy days. The cold is not really a problem unless you get wet then it stops being fun. I have a preference to switch to the boat in winter as it is easier to keep dry and I can take a friend but if the weather is good and the fish are playing then anything which gets you on the water is worth it.

Recommend you get a kayak friendly life jacket. Mine has a high back so it clears the seat and is easy to move around in. Also has plenty of pockets. Some of the others in my group have an inflatble life jacket. My logic is that if I come off the kayak there is a pretty serious reason for it and if I am unconcious I won't be able to active the inflatable jacket. Also check the rating. The advantage with a kayak is that you can pop just outside the heads (when weather and swell is favourable of course) with less safety gear than a boat. Double check this but I believe a level 100 jacket allows you to head out on open water. To do this on my boat I also need flares, a map, compass, drinking water, etc

Regards,

Derek

Edited May 18, 2016 by DerekD

[Catchin Jack]

Avoid the Hobie Pro Angler unless you're going to trailer it, i've also got a Native Slayer Propel 13, fantastic kayak and they also do a 10ft model which is quite light, worth looking at.

I got the pro angler more for touring so i could carry my swag and camp gear but also use it for general fishing, the slayer is still my go to yak as it's light and versatile and i love the fact i can reverse on it haha.

[iamthecowgodmoo]

I also have lifejackets from when we used to have a boat however they might be too big for general fishing.

You will find that they will be too long for kayaking. Kayak specific ones are easy to get a hold of, around the same price, and way more comfortable.

[whiskey299]

Excellent reading so far. I am also interested in getting a Kayak and will probably do this when the weather warms up a bit (yes I'm a scaredy cat when it gets cold).

Budzsta let us know how you go.

[budzsta]

Ah....

There is just so many things to consider.

I have been reading a lot on it. I think the transporting and storing of it might be a bit tough but it seems that there are often a lot of hidden costs.

I think I will first have a trial on some kayaks (I think a bunch of shops let you take them out on the water a bit) and then decide.

I also have a shoulder injury from playing footy for 10 years and am not sure how it will handle the cold + long trips

I definitely intend on getting one though!

[Sea Ranger]

I also have a shoulder injury from playing footy for 10 years and am not sure how it will handle the cold + long trips

I definitely intend on getting one though!

Hobie is not the cheapest but the Mirage Drive certainly solves your shoulder issue

https://youtu.be/D0rvFdLdplA

[macman]

I have a second hand Australis Bass. 20kg, easy to transport and put on the roof rack by hand and cost the princely sum of $280 bucks. Provided you have plenty of bungy cord laced across it and some home made rod holders, these are brilliant for skinny water fishing. I've also got a home made skeg which works a treat. Really don't complicate it, get a tinny if you want to complicate it. Just one man's view. I have been fishing in the little kayak the last 4 weekends, I never think twice about it, because its so easy to go, its light and uncomplicated.

Matt

[HenryR]

here-here! macman, has a very sensible point.

A lot of the decision is not much more than fussing over having somewhere better or worse to put your pliers, etc...... Your rods are going to be the same, your tackle the same, your skills the same, the fish you like to chase the same: all regardless of kayak. And so long as you can get to places you like, all the kayak in the world doesn't change what's under the water ......

After a little bit of shortlisting, I impulse bought the very first yak I test paddled. As soon as I got out on the water I thought, "this is for me!", that was enough. My boat seems near perfect to me now. Seriously, what are the odds of such a singularly right decision? You could get unlucky but, I would bet, so long as you can access the sort of water you like to fish in, you're off to an awesome start. Simpler than a boat, much more wonderful than being stuck on land, you will adapt both yourself to a yak and a yak to yourself.

No built-in rod holders on my boat: I have some pvc pipe cable tied to a basket on the back of the boat, and a piece of pipe suction capped mounted (RAM suction GoPro mount - $60) to the front. My "centre console" is another $2 shotp basket velcroed to the floor of the yak. I've double-sided sticky taped some gear pouches here an there, for rags, pliers and stuff. Bungee cord holds anything and everything else, etc....

The upside of going simple and secondhand is, you can probably sell what you buy without loss of anything but a bit of time. You'll gain way more knowledge than you'd get from a lifetime of internet and forum reading because you'll find out what you like, and you'll be in a way better place if you ever do want to lash out in the future.

I like to paddle a bit but, here again, macman has a really good point, small, light boats are really easy. Small light boats can be launched in so many places. Even without much paddling they open access to a vast range of waters. Test paddle yes, specially if you have sore shoulder, but don't get too caught up in the shopping :/ (As an aside, i have nasty shoulder problems too and, paddling has turned out to be good for my shoulder - it's pretty gentle exercise if you're careful and don't go too hard)

On a $2,000 spend limit. Even if you go all out on accessories from the very start, you'll still have more than $1,000 to hand over for the boat. There's a ton of second hand and new yaks to to choose from out there, both at and for a lot less than that.

Lavish costing for accessories is, I reckon, overly well covered with the following: very comfy kayak specific life jacket - $200 (you can get by for less), a couple of dry bags - $50, an anchor with cord and hand reel - $40, drift anchor - $30, spray jacket (not totally essential) $100 or just get a cheap one from Vinnies for $20, velcro/tape/bungee cord/cable ties - less than $100, other misc fittings - $100, trial and error costs - $200. Get a light boat, you don't need a trolley, buy a heavier secondhand boat and there's good odds the trolley will come with it. All up $600 - $810. That's pretty spacious costing estimates and there's enough second hand yaks out there that will come with half of that stuff included.

nice simple set up here -

Edited June 3, 2016 by HenryR

[macman]

If you are after a sit in but are after the most comfortable seat. The go to kayak is the Aspire 105. It has a built in retractable skeg and a very comfortable seat as well as a dry hatch. They are still pretty light etc. Certainly a step up from my bass kayak, but you get what you pay for , around $1000.

Matt

[Gunsmoke]

I bought a Minnow, a NZ product very similar to HenryR's Australis Bass in the 90s. It was early days and there was only ever one other kayak fisho that I ever saw in my part of the Port Hacking, up from Swallow Rock boat ramp. It was well before soft plastics arrived and it was all hard bodied lures then.

I stopped using it a few years ago after I contracted Ross River Fever, courtesy of a mosquito on Tuncurry Golf Course, playing there early one morning while on holidays (if you don't know about RRF, I do advise you to check it out) and it left me with a legacy of tiredness and lack of the energy needed for the kayak.

Anyway, here are a few thoughts:

(A) I had holes drilled and flush rod holders fitted either side just behind my seat. There is a risk of boat wash splashing ones reel, but I thought it was an advantage anyway, especially for sticking the landing net out of the way but within quick reach.

( Get some marine carpet and cut it to lay neatly on the kayak floor. It really deadens the sound when you are fiddling with tackle boxes etc.

© I used a hessian bag to keep my catch in. Soaked in water and stuck forward in the shade, it worked well, especially as I would give it a fresh dunking now and again.

(D) I used a hammer handle to subdue my catch while it was still in the net. This is where I learnt the value of barbless trebles, as a lively flattie threshing around in the net would result in a few treble barbs hooked up in the net cord and time wasted sorting that problem out.

(E) The sit on top kayaks have an advantage as far as minimum profile exposed to the wind is concerned, but I did notice a sit in model recently with quite a low profile. Not sure how the flush mounted rod holders would go there though.

(F) There are regulations regarding compulsory wearing of life-jackets in a kayak, and that decision is one that I will leave entirely up to you to consider. When the regulations came in, I had a look at my local haunts via areal photography (Sutherland Shire Council Shire Maps) and found that whenever I was further from one shore than the regulations allowed, I would still be legal because I was then within safe regulation distance of the opposite shore. There were a couple of spots that I had to give up, such as areas accessed from Bonnet Bay boat ramp, but a favourite area up from the Prince Edward Park boat ramp were still fine, as was upstream from Swallow Rock also of course. Places like Wyangla Dam for instance can be unexpectedly hairy at times in a tinnie, so please keep that in mind. If I had taken my kayak out there, I would definitely have bought a good lifejacket.

(G) This is important. Learn correct paddling technique! Ok, so you might be sitting in a cheap and unglamorous tub like mine, but good technique is really easy to learn. It keeps your paddle shaft out in front of you so that it doesn't collide with rods stored just behind you like mine were and allows you to easily reach the optimum speed that your kayak is efficiently capable of. It was handy for me one time when I came out of the marina at Forster to find that the tide had changed and was running out at a healthy rate. Keeping in close to the wall and working hard, I got out of there safely, but I think that with slack paddling technique, I might have been heading out to the ocean that day :-)

There is a heap of great and interesting advice from everybody else on this thread. Mine is relevant to quiet estuary locations, which I think is a good starting point. I hope this helps.

Ron