From the May issue of Susquehanna Fishing Magazine.
To read the current and all back issues, visit SusquehannaFishing.com:
http://susquehannafishing.com/
By Jon Shein
You’d have to be blind not to notice the increase in kayaks being used for fishing. It’s the fastest growing part of both the kayak and fishing sports. Most anglers, however, aren’t sure how to get started. If they have a friend who’s already an enthusiast it’s a big help, but often that isn’t the situation. More often they go down to the local kayak shop and tell salesman they want to fish from a kayak. However, unless someone at the shop is a kayak angler, it is often a recipe for disaster. That’s because the only thing a person that is a recreational paddler and kayak fisherman have in common is the kayak. Just like vehicles, kayaks come in a wide array of sizes and configurations. If you were buying a car would you go to your local dealership and just ask for their recommendation without them knowing anything about what your needs were? If you need a pickup truck you don’t settle for a 2 seat sports car; it’s the same with kayaks. When you go to the car dealer to buy a car you already have a good idea what you want. By answering a few questions and doing a bit of research you can do the same with a kayak purchase.
There are several things you have to ask yourself and consider before you choose the models that make the most sense for your needs. The first consideration is you: your height, weight and inseam. If you’re tall then you need a model that has lots of leg room. At a recent kayak show, a buddy wanted to get a pedal-drive kayak. I’m 5’9” with a 30” inseam and my favorite model from that company didn’t have enough legroom for him. They didn’t have the 16’ model on the floor and got one for him to try. He fell in love with it and now owns one.
The next criteria has nothing to do with the kayak directly. It’s your vehicle and how you plan on getting the kayak to the water. For instance, if you plan on doing all your fishing in your backyard, because you live on a lake or river, then there isn’t much to consider, but most of us transport our kayak to where we fish, so your vehicle becomes a major factor. If you have a pickup truck and plan on using the bed it’s simple. By law the kayak can’t stick out by more than a few feet. Each state’s law is different, so check, but figure that more than 3’ needs a bed extender. As long as you can get the kayak into the bed of the pickup, you can transport any kayak. I get lots of people asking me about the Hobie Pro Angler. It’s a really cool kayak, but I tell them unless they’ve got an empty pickup truck bed or a trailer to consider another model. Most of us transport a kayak on the roof using a rack. So you have to be able to physically get the kayak on the roof without hurting yourself or the vehicle. Again your build and strength is important. If you’re 5’6” and weigh 150 pounds, getting an 80 pound kayak onto the roof of a Suburban or pickup with a cap is going to be somewhere between difficult to impossible. So choose a kayak that you can handle. The weight and your size matters.
Next you need to consider where you plan on using it. Keep in mind kayak fishing, no matter what you think it might be, is more than that. I like to use the analogy that you’re like Dorothy in the movie The Wizard of Oz and before getting a kayak you’re stuck in Kansas. After getting a kayak it’s as if you’ve landed in Oz. It’s a significant leap up the access scale in fishing. You’ll be able to hit lots of places shore-bound anglers can reach, along with lots of places boats can too, but the best part are all those neat places neither can effectively fish or reach. That’s where some of the best fishing is, because those fish aren’t seeing fishermen. So consider where you plan on using your kayak and what’s possible. That kayak you’re buying to fish the Susquehanna can take a road trip to the Jersey shore for stripers and bluefish, or can take a vacation down to Florida in the winter for snook, tarpon, redfish and more.
When I was a retailer I used to get a lot of calls from fishermen in eastern and central Pennsylvania. Many wanted a 15 to 16 foot kayak for fishing the salt. A longer kayak is a better choice for saltwater, but I’d talk them into a 12 to 13 foot kayak. That’s because while they’d make a trip to the Jersey Shore once or twice a month, they had lots of opportunity to fish in their own backyard. Many of these places were rivers or hike in-ponds and lakes. For such situations a shorter kayak was a better choice. Still these models performed well enough in the salt, but more important was they could maneuver much more easily in small tight places, environments those longer kayaks couldn’t handle.
That brings us to our next consideration: kayak dimensions and how it affects performance. Two things affect performance the most. They are length and width. The longer the kayak, the faster it will be, and the wider it is, the more stable. Most beginners are willing to sacrifice speed for stability, but this isn’t a good idea. While most fishermen have never been in a kayak before, the learning curve is very fast. It’s similar to learning how to ride a bike. Those training wheels were only good for a day or two. Learning to use a kayak is even faster. So you don’t want to sacrifice a lot of speed/efficiency for stability. The difference between an 8’ and 10’ isn’t worth it. That’s because you’re the motor and your energy is finite. Factors like wind and current have a huge affect on kayak efficiency and it becomes the most important consideration when you have to cover more than a couple miles on the water. This one phenomenon is why I am not a big fan of demo-ing kayaks. A good friend of mine said it well. Trying out kayaks without any experience is a lot like test driving cars without having gotten a driver’s license yet. There’s no point of reference. So most non kayakers buy the slowest, most stable kayak they can (a bicycle with training wheels) and after only a few times on the water they realize their mistake and want to get a more efficient model. Unlike the bike, where the training wheels come off, you’re stuck with the slow kayak. You may ask what the big deal is. So what if it takes a bit longer to get somewhere? The problem is. because you’re the energy source and that energy is finite, it may take more than you have to get somewhere, especially if you have to paddle against wind or go upriver against current for any distance.
To some people color is important. I say either go with a highly visible kayak or a dull one. Either way you can make a dull kayak bright by wearing bright clothes, having a bright paddle blade and most importantly by adding a flag. You can’t make a bright kayak dull, though. If you hunt, using a kayak for this sport is also growing rapidly, and camo or muted colors are the most popular with hunters. Even if you don’t hunt you may fish places where you don’t want to be seen by other people.
Now you’ve got a better idea of what you’re looking for in a kayak. There are some great resources to help you more. Online forums are a great place to ask questions. Also I’ve written the most comprehensive book on the subject, Kayak Fishing, and it covers everything you need to know. Another thing I tell beginners is try to find a used kayak, if possible. That’s because until you’re a participant in the sport, you won’t know what it’s truly all about. Getting back to kayak choice, don’t be an experiment either. By this I mean there are certain kayak models the majority of anglers fishing the same region and waters you do are using. There’s a reason -- because they work well in that environment. Let others test out the new kayak that looks cool, but nobody knows if it’s going to do the job or not. You don’t want to make an expensive mistake.
Within each class there are going to be several kayaks that will do the job nicely for you. Now your choice often comes down to a variety of criteria. Availability is one. If the shops in your area carry the model it’s easier to buy local, but keep in mind you can have it shipped to you. However, you can’t sit in it if it’s being mailed to you. So that’s a consideration. Each model is going to have different features. Some kayaks have integrated seats, while others allow you to add one. Some have accessory systems where you can attach things easily or have surfaces that allow you to mount things. It’s a lot like choosing between a Honda Accord and a Toyota Camry at this point. They both do the same thing, but people choose one over the other every day.
Whatever you do, don’t let paralysis stop you from getting started. Most of us who fish from kayaks wish we’d started sooner. You will too.
Jon Shein is a veteran kayak angler. His recently released book, Kayak Fishing, can be purchased at the following website: http://www.kayakfishingbook.net/
