Fishing enthusiastic families are making the switch from the expense of power boats to getting closer to the environment to quietly navigate closer to fish once unreachable. Happy to take minimal gear for their passion on the water fishing, Chris Funk who writes for Yak Angler and Kayak Angler Magazine is happy to share his kayak fishing discoveries. Kayaks are the small boats with the hole in top that cover you up except your upper body SIT or SINK.
Types of kayaks for fishing
“Hybrid kayaks are growing popularity, they are easy to get in and out of, and fairly stable to allow standing so you can fight the fish and not turnover. Sit inside kayaks SOTS, are the ones most people are familiar with. Those are the ones you see people in riding in the whitewater’s, flipping over in and look to be having a good time. Sit on top kayaks are the ones you see people sitting on top of like a big float, and the most common ones for fishing. The wider the kayak the more stable it will be.”
SOT for fishing
“You can get in and out of the boat quicker, you can fish a variety of ways, feet over the side, or facing forward, some SOT’s have a stable platform for standing up. SOT’s have more rig space to put your angling gear. The biggest advantage to an SOT is they don’t fill up with water when they’re flipped over. If you happen to flip over, just flip the kayak back over, jump back on top, the kayak has scupper holes (cockpit area) to allow the water to drain back out.”
“Hybrids taking water over the side and filling up can require a pump or dragging back to shore to get the water out. How to get back into the hybrid also takes a lot of practice.”
Turning, tracking, stability and efficient paddling
“Stability is the most important factor to fishermen. “Tracking” is how straight the kayak travels with each paddle. A narrow kayak tracks better and is easier to paddle and more efficient to paddle, but the straight is tracks the harder it is to turn. Short wide kayaks are more stable and easier to turn.”
What kind of fishing do you do and how much do you weigh
“These are the two most important questions when fishing from a kayak. For flat water reservoirs you’ll want a kayak that tracks a little better in larger water, and it won’t blow around in the open water which can be tiresome paddling. If you are fishing rivers especially with shoals, wider kayak which turns easily will work the best. If you are on the ocean, you want fast and easy paddling to go a few miles offshore.”
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