Once you’ve discovered the fun of catching fish from your kayak, there are a few things you might add to make your experience more enjoyable. In an earlier article, we covered some of the basic concepts to begin fishing from a kayak. Now, let’s look at some things we consider optional but would hate to launch without them.
A comfortable seat is right at the top of the list. Anytime you plan to sit in your kayak for an extended time, comfort is essential. Many newer fishing kayaks come with a raised seat. These are great and make getting to a standing position easier, but they also raise your center of gravity and may affect the stability of your kayak. We have set up our older kayaks with a high-back seat that has both lumbar and upper back strap adjustments. This is great for your back, but you still might need to enhance the thin foam seat. Many add-on cushions are available, and we have tried lots of them. Air cushions inevitably leak; most foam cushions compress to nothing and soak up water. Gel cushions are good but don’t breathe. The best place to look for premium seat cushions with a washable cover is at a medical supply store.
Rod holders are the next thing to consider. The brand is not as important as the design. Many fishing kayaks have a couple of holes in the deck to put the rod handle in but don’t keep your reel off the deck and out of the splash of waves. Rod holders are designed for both fly rods and spinning rods and should elevate the reel off the deck. Remember, you should always wash off a kayak and other gear at the end of the day even if you don’t think they got wet.
A drift sock, or drift anchor will help control your drift speed and let you fish slowly across a flat on a windy day. We use the smallest drift sock available, clip it directly to our seat without the line, and switch it from starboard to port side depending on the direction we want to drift. You can also steer a drift by hanging one foot or the other over the side of the kayak. Don’t forget to bring the drift sock on board when you paddle to another location. It makes it much easier.
A stakeout pole can be a useful, quiet way to pause and fish a specific area, re-rig, or put a fish on ice. A stake out pole works best in a soft mud bottom where you can push it deep enough to hold. Attach your stake out pole to the kayak amidships with carabiners and a bungee cord. The elasticity of the cord keeps the pole from being jerked out of the bottom. Many expensive poles are made of graphite. We made our own from used fiberglass shuffleboard cues. We cut off the fork end and epoxied in a nail for the point.
A small folding anchor, 3-8 lb., and 50 ft. of parachute cord works well for most bottom except deep grass. Other designs include custom anchors made from PVC pipe, cement, and heavy wire. Check online for other innovative designs. An anchor trolley is a popular option for a fishing kayak. We prefer to anchor from the stern. This orients us facing the target area and casting with the wind.
We make a “mangrove anchor” from 10-20 ft. of parachute cord and a small carabiner. It’s really handy for tying off to a mangrove branch or any other structure. It also works well if you need to raft together with another kayak. We often use it to secure the kayak to mangroves when taking a stand-up break.
A dolly is handy when you can’t drive close to the launch area. We recommend the solid tire types rather than the pneumatic designs that can be flat at inconvenient times. Either type should be able to come apart and fit on or in your kayak. Most dollies come with straps to hold the kayak down. We use the straps if we have rough terrain to cross. We rig up our kayaks at the car and then use a dolly to roll them and our gear to the water.
An Inflatable PFD is small, light, and cool. Be sure to get the manual type and wear it. The automatic type may inflate if you trip while launching in shallow water and spoil your day.
Kimball and Les Beery, authors of “Angler’s Guide to Shore and KAYAK Fishing Southwest Florida”, contribute these excerpts from both Waterproof books to promote the excellent fishing available in the Englewood area. They are available locally at Old Florida Gallery on West Dearborn, and for download at www.anglerpocketguides.com & amazon.com.
