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Are you thinking about
getting a kayak? Have you seen the kayak anglers out on the water
and thought, “Hmm, I wonder what that is like?” Or maybe
you’ve got a buddy who kayak fishes and has been telling
you how much fun it is. Then it’s about time you should be
looking for a plastic fishing boat for yourself.
Kayak fishing is a physical activity. The first consideration
should be your size, strength and physical limitations before
kayaking. You need to fit the kayak to your physical needs. There
is no such thing as a beginner kayak. You want to get the right
one for the fishing you will be doing, or want to do in the future.
With the proper care your first kayak can last you for many years.
If you have ever researched fishing kayaks you have seen as many
brands, styles and propulsion types as you can imagine. We are
lucky here in and around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
We have so many waterways that are fishable by kayaks. Backwater
creeks, inland tidal rivers and the open bay are all possible
kayak fishing territory. Not to mention freshwater lakes, ponds
and rivers. The mid-range kayaks in the 13-foot range are the
all around kayaks that are comfortable handling the open bay to
a calm private pond.
The three factors in any kayak are the tracking, stability
and its agility. Tracking is how straight the kayak paddles
through the water. The bow of a kayak with less tracking will
swing from side to side with each paddle stroke. A kayak with
good tracking will paddle straight. Kayaks that track well are
the best for distance paddling. Stability is how stable it is.
All fishing kayaks are stable and some are stable enough to stand
and sight cast. Agility is how easy it is to maneuver, spin and
side paddle. These are effective techniques when fishing around
bridge and dock pilings.
The Native watercraft Manta Ray 14 is on the longer end of the
mid-range kayaks; at 14 foot 7 inches long it is a great tracking
kayak for paddling longer distance. But the length makes it difficult
around pilings.
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| Manta Ray kayak |
The Wilderness Systems Ride 135 has an innovative hull design
for maximum stability. The Ride has a catamaran style hull which
tapers into a sharp bow and stern. The Ride is made for standing
and tracks very well, but with the cat-hull it’s hard to
spin and side paddle.
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| Wilderness Ride Deck |
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| Ocean Kayak |
The Ocean Kayak Trident 13 is probably the best all around mid-range
kayak. Its simple design is a marriage of tracking, stability
and agility. The Trident is 13 foot 6 inches long with sharp bow
and stern, which is good for the tracking. The mid section is
nearly flat which aids in its agility while side paddling. The
water slides beneath with little resistance. It’s amazingly
stable for its 29.5” width.
Kayak manufactures are moving in an interesting direction with
pedals and battery powered kayaks. This broadens the availability
of kayak fishing to a wider range of people, despite any physical
limitations, even if you can’t paddle because of a shoulder,
back or any other upper body injury. The Ocean Kayak Torque is
a battery operated trolling motor powered 13-foot kayak. Of course
the battery has time and distance limitations.
Hobie kayaks were the first to offer peddle driven kayak with
the Mirage drive system, combining peddles and fins to propel
the kayak forward. The Revolution is the mid-range Hobie kayak
at 13 foot 5 inches long and 28.5 inches wide. Tracking is not
an issue with the pedal drive. The hull design is simple and stable.
The drawbacks are that
they are not agile and there is no reverse, spinning or side pedaling.
You have to break out the paddle for agility and in really shallow
water.
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Hobie kayak with peddle system. |
If this is the year you’re going to get a fishing kayak,
you have got many choices. Figure out which is best for you and
you can GET ON’EM.
Check out the trailer for the soon to be released DVD “Kayak
Fishing the Chesapeake Bay” at kayakkevin.com
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