Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Well I sold my boat a while back just because I didn't use it enough. Catfishing out here is mostly done from shore. But sometimes you can't catch bait from shore. So I was looking at buying a jetski and putting some rod holders and all that stuff but I don't know if I want to drop $2000 plus on one to possibly not use it. So I was thinking of buying a kayak. To me this is very practical. I can cruise the whole lake in it, run my baits out and it won't cost me a penny on gas. Put I was just wondering if any of y'all have any experience fishing out of one and what type if set ups y'all use

Quote from: Topshot on February 16, 2014, 06:37:51 PM
Well I sold my boat a while back just because I didn't use it enough. Catfishing out here is mostly done from shore. But sometimes you can't catch bait from shore. So I was looking at buying a jetski and putting some rod holders and all that stuff but I don't know if I want to drop $2000 plus on one to possibly not use it. So I was thinking of buying a kayak. To me this is very practical. I can cruise the whole lake in it, run my baits out and it won't cost me a penny on gas. Put I was just wondering if any of y'all have any experience fishing out of one and what type if set ups y'all use

There are some videos by Kau Grown.  I don't know if you can get enough information for a set-up from the videos but if you PM him and ask him to post some in your thread we'd all be interested in how he sets up.  Dominick

Kayak fishing is an established art. Their are several forums that discuss all aspects, and their are a bewildering number of aspects, of kayak fishing. I'm purely guessing you are looking into sit on top boats and not something like a Greenland style. The good thing for you is, unless your lake is named Superior or something close in size to that, any sit on top kayak will do for lake fishing. You can run down to your local Wally World and buy what they have got and not only can you fish it, but somebody already HAS fished it and has put a detailed rigging thread on the internet. I have 2 of those hulls on my front lawn right now so the girls can get started.

As for specifics, I think a PVC rod rack would work for what you want and a basket in the hold for stuff. Are you trying to keep bait alive? If so then you may need more of a boat just to accommodate the tank. Good luck, I'm having lots of fun and I'm just getting started.
Ron

Topshot,

Pete knows several kayaker's, ask him to put you in touch. As a matter of fact, some of the pictures of big fish on his walls are from a guy that kayaks PV (Ive met and spoke with him).  Just for the heck of it, check out Ketas/Lee's post on pontoon. Its more than you want to pay but would be perfect for a lake, motorized and NO GAS.  Also check out Extreme Kayaking on youtube, they endorse the Ocean Kayak brand. Here's a video from one of my favorite guys on youtube (he cracks me up) and he's interviewing a guy with a well thought out Hobie kayak:


Next time you see Pete, tell him Leo say hi,

Leo

Check out this forum..

http://forum.aquahunters.com/

Lots of good information in best fishing Yaks and ideas on how to set em up.

Rob fishes out of an Ocean Kayak prowler. I have a 14' Trident. Probably overkill for your application, but it is a Cadillac!



You need a milk crate setup for your rods. Its the cheapest way to go. This Kingfisher has no rod holders, hence the crate.

I stole this pic off aqua hunters. Rob has his yak tricked out. Depth finder, go pro cameras, the Prowler is very nice.

Hey Daron, is that your silverado? ... I gotta ask..
What's that in the garage behind it?
looks like one of those 6x6 amphibians...

Yea, that's my Truck. That's a Hummer kit car in the garage.

hahaha... my second guess was some kind of mini hummer, looks too narrow to be the real mcoy

Well, if that kayak is the Cadillac of fishing kayaks, this must be the Aston Martin, or perhaps even the Bugatti Veyron.....and you want to get big, fast fish this is the one ot get. One owner from Cape Town landed a 185kgs (375lbs) Black Marlin from his - it towed him 13kms (9 miles) with his feet over the side mind! It was taken on 30lb stand up gear because you cannot put more than about 12lbs of pressure on a fish from a kayak that isn't anchored. The kayak moves through the water too easily.



12 miles off the coast of Cornwall, after blue sharks with the charter boats! Same model of kayak...do you know what it is yet? (as Rolf Harris would say!)



We have had conger, anchored at the edge of a tide race, at night. Nothing huge, about 50lbs, but the picture is deceiving - the measurements were ratified and accepted as entry to the Conger Club.



Common skate around the 180lb mark. Force 5 and 2 knots of tide in 380ft of water, anchored.



Just a few - there are several of these kayaks in Florida and around the New York area chasing stripers, anyone you know?



If you want a PERFORMANCE kayak, look at the Dorado and forget the price tag, because 10 years down the line it doesn't matter anymore. Mine is well used and was built in 2005. I have been kayak fishing since 1973, when I built my first sea kayak for fishing. It is not new - the northern peoples have been using them for hundreds of years!

Quote from: erikpowell on February 17, 2014, 02:01:46 AM
hahaha... my second guess was some kind of mini hummer, looks too narrow to be the real mcoy

Its footprint is 7'9" wheel to wheel. Nothing mini about it.
Its the same size as an H1. 400 hp small block.

IMO, the Ocean Kayak line are the best built for the money. That Dorado is $2400 for the cheapest model.
My Trident was less than $900 and is better than most.
For Lake fishing Chris, A wal mart yak should do you fine.

Hey Chris,

Bet you werent expecting all of this. 

Leo

Did expect that big of a response!! I guess kayak fishing is bigger then I thought. I got a good deal on a 12'2 emotion mojo. Looks perfect for what I need it for. Those kayak fishing site are loaded with lots of info. Already got some good ideas for storage(milk crate seems really popular). And got some outrigger ideas and livewell. Should be pretty sweet by the time I'm done with it.

Chris,

Pay careful attention to the shape of your livewell storage.

Leo