Thanks. I may go for it this year, i've been thinking about it for some time.
The thing that worries me- I'm a bit of a loner when it comes to that sort of thing, besides the fact that i know no kayakers. I really prefer fishing for the most part alone, not a lot of yackity yack and dealing with the potential boredom and other sidetrack bullshit that goes along with fishing with someone who confuses the purpose of being out there in the first place. In have no problem heading down alone at midnight with several rods, casting a lure about waste deep, with another or two rods with cut bait in holders in the sand, and staying until 9-10 or later the next morning. Pure bliss. I know me, I would be tempted to head out alone.
Do you ever go alone, or is that strictly out of the question, in your opinion? Common sense and conventional wisdom says no. But hey, you only live once. On the other hand, same goes for dying. I'd never hear the last of it from my wife if I drowned out there.
I fish alone quite often. I know exactly what you mean about sitting out there all by yourself just the wind water and peace. I kayak alone as well, but with a few exceptions. The Texas coast bays and estuaries are relatively shallow. Most freshwater lakes are relatively shallow. And by shallow, I mean the areas I fish are 4-5 deep at most. Some areas are so shallow you can see the Reds "tailing". So if you take a dump out of your yak in those areas, you can just stand next to it and jump back in. I say "stand", and yes you technically can, but our bay bottoms are pure mud and you'll sink down to your knees in no time. That's no fun. Anyway, shallow fishing, yeah I'll kayak alone. In the surf and beyond, I pretty much never go alone. If the day is truly flat and I have a buddy on the beach, I'll go right out beyond the breakers sometimes alone, but not usually. The surf is usually too unpredictable. I've had a few butt puckering moments when I've been out on calm days only to have a squall roll in faster than I can get my ass back to shore. Going from flat calm to 6 foot waves in minutes in a kayak is exciting but terrifying. Kayaks aren't dangerous, but you are just floating around out there on a plastic pontoon. And when you're fishing from a yak, you're gonna have all kinds of gear and rigging that can create a problem. For one, you're gonna want an anchor. That anchor will have a long line attached to it. You're gonna want to tether your gear to the yak in case you do dump it or drop something. You don't want your stuff falling to the bottom never to be seen again. I've got about ten digital cameras at the bottom of the gulf. Some small things you may just have to sacrifice in the event you tip over, but the expensive stuff can be tethered with a float and a carabiner so you can cut it loose if you need to but the tether will float so you can grab it back later. You'll also have coolers, tackle, knives, bait buckets, a net, etc. All this stuff easily fits into a kayak, but it also becomes a massive headache if you flip over. And much of your gear will have the ability to slice you wide open. You can also get tangled in all that rigging which makes getting back in while treading water a dicey proposition. And simply dropping your paddle can be a real bitch without a friend around to get it back to you. So having a buddy is just good insurance in the event a problem arises. You also just wanna have someone that simply knows where you are. I strongly suggest that if you're gonna hit open waters in a yak, find a new friend to go with you. Open water is a very lonely place. Surely there's some group of kayakers in your area, and surely they have some kind of online hangout. Find them. Kayak fisherman are always happy to bring in a new guy. Safety in numbers. And last but not least, you're gonna want someone to take a pic of you and your 45" Bullred or 6 ft Blacktip. Catching a shark from a kayak is about the most exhilarating thing you can do with a fishing pole.
edit: Forgot to ask one thing. I think you said you ride "on top" of a kayak? Some you ride in, some you ride on, from what i've seen. Which do you prefer for variety of conditions, etc?.....which would you suggest, i guess, and why?
thanks...you never know, you might be saving my life
All of this is strictly about sit-on-top kayaks. A sit on top is basically a plastic molded boat shaped plank that you ride on. You do sit down in it, but you're really still riding on top. It's not like those seal-you-in whitewater river kayaks. You
DO NOT want a sit-in whitewater type kayak for fishing. No.
A sit-on-top is a wet ride though and you're fully exposed, so if it's cold, wear a wetsuit or good breathable waders to keep you dry. Dry is the absolute most important thing for cold fishing. Stay dry, and you'll stay warm. Don't wear those big rubber old man waders. They can fill with water in the event you capsize. Wear some good quality thin breathable waders. They collapse around your skin and seal you in if you dump it. If it's hot and sunny, the wet ride is a welcome thing, but still stay covered with long fishing pants and a long sleeve shirt. You will bake fast sitting in a kayak on a sunny day. Don't wear cotton if you can help it. Cotton stays cool while it's dry, but it takes forever to dry if it gets wet. Invest in a few nice pairs of those PFG style fishing shirts and pants. They'll be dry by the time you get your yak all loaded back up and you're ready to jump in the truck to go home.
Sit on top - say yes to these:
Sit-in - say fuck no to these:
