Kayak Fishing - Top 10 Must-haves

I was inspired by Brian Vincent over at Appomattox River Company (www.paddleva.com) to compile a list of what I feel to be my "must have's" when Kayak Fishing. Of course this list may vary for many of you, but I feel that I owe much of the success I've had to what I list below.

1. Quality Kayak

This one should be a no-brainer, but unfortunately it isn't always that clear. Don’t get caught up in all the hype about the next best thing, because as of yet there isn't a fishing kayak that can be classified as the "hands down best all-around" fishing kayak. Kayaks have strengths and weaknesses just like fishing techniques. I used to think that one day a company will come up with the "one", but as kayak fishing evolves, I have come to the personal realization that it will never happen.

What can you do to find the best kayak for you? The answer to that question is threefold.

1. Talk to pro-staffers, ambassadors, or factory reps. These people will tell you the pro's and con's about the kayaks they paddle. When I am asked about a specific kayak, I will ask the individual the type of water they paddle, when they paddle, how often they paddle, the duration of their trips, and their fishing style. This will help me build off of my experience and recommend what I believe to be the best kayak for them, even if it’s not a brand that I represent. I and many of my counterparts do not want to see you in the wrong kayak. If I put you in one of my kayak's knowing it’s going to be wrong for you, you will not be happy, and an unhappy customer is a vocal customer. If a rep is not of this mindset, then move along, because they do not have YOUR best interest in mind.
2. Ask people that own, and have paddled the kayak you are looking for. A great place to do this is your local kayak fishing forum. You will get opinions from a broad experience level, and from people who have paid full price for their kayak. I generally trust the opinion of a person who will tell you they have paddled a number of different brands and models. Diversity is a great thing!
3. Visit your local paddle sports retailer. As they are the front line oftentimes for purchases, returns, issues, and praise. These are the people that want to see you in the right boat, so they can bank on you being a return customer for all your paddle sport’s needs. They are well versed by some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry, and have the most overall knowledge. Paddle sports is a laid back community, so if you feel pressured by sales staff, speak to a manager, or move on!

For me, I paddle the Hurricane Kayaks Skimmer line because they are Fast, Lightweight, Durable, and perform amazingly in a number of different conditions I fish in. There are downsides though such as a lack of storage for surf launches, and the Skimmer's not being a typical sight casting platform. Overall, they work really well for me, and allow me certain options to mitigate their shortcomings. Their Pro's far outweigh their Con's in the vast majority of conditions I fish in. Not to mention, they are the lightest fishing kayaks on the Market!

 

Skimmer 128 rigged for fishing

2. Salt Rated Fishing Reels

Kayak fishermen are hard on gear. Saltwater fishermen are in environments that will destroy equipment in a flash. If you are looking to fish inshore or offshore from a kayak, plan on dropping dough on quality reels (or replacing them often). I treat my gear rough, so rough that people think that I’m made of money. There are only a handful of reels that I will purchase now because I have put them through their paces, and know they will work for me no matter what.

• Baitcasters - I prefer and highly recommend the Abu Garcia Revo line. I have a handful of STX's and SX's. These things have 20+ lbs. of drag, are lightweight, are saltwater rated, and feel like they are solid in their construction. Other reels I have liked are the Shimano E series Curado's and the Non-CI4 Calcutta's. The G series Curado's and the CI4 Cronarch's are probably amazing reels if you are going to keep them away from the salt and baby them, but that’s not my style.

Photo - Werner Paddles

Spinning - For the money, the Shimano Sedona is an amazing reel and has a price point around $70. I have not had any issue with the Sedona's I have owned. I also like the Stratic FJ's and drool over the Saragossa, Sustain, and Stella, but have not owned one myself. They do have a great reputation in the inshore community though. I also own a Quantum Inshore Smoke, and a Diawa Ballistic. Both reels have been in my quiver for a few years now, and have held up fairly well. For some bigger rods, the Penn Spinfisher V has been bombproof, but the durability comes with the cost of weight.

• Conventional - This is where I have limited experience, but have still caught trophy fish on all three reels I cover. First is the Shamano Tyrnos. I enjoyed this reel, but didn’t use it as often as the others. The Issue I had is while it sat around, the grease pooled in one area of the reel, which required disassembly and re-greasing to make it operational. The next is the Diawa Saltist. I can’t say much more than "I love this reel". If I had the need I would own a fleet of these things. Smooth, great drag, light weight, and damn sexy. Finally, I have the Release Reels SG. My SG is a few years old and besides some minor servicing in its infancy, it has been super reliable. Unfortunately, not all SG's have the same reputation as mine. Wes and the Crew up in Reedville will take care of you and make things right if the unthinkable happens though. Keep that in mind when making your next purchase.

3. Amazing Paddles

In kayaking, the paddle is your outboard. You wouldn’t put a Daewoo outboard on a 27' Contender. Don’t skimp on your paddle. While you generally get similar performance form paddles in the same price range, I cannot in good conscious recommend any paddle other than a Werner Paddle. While kayaks are variable, the paddle really isn’t. I can’t badmouth any other brands, nor would I. When it comes to Werner, you get a paddle that is made in the USA, and doesn’t focus on gimmicks to sell. Werner lets the paddle speak for itself. I will be buried with my Kaliste when it is my day to meet my maker. Check them out at www.wernerpaddles.com.

With this purchase, no matter the brand, the more you spend the more performance you will see and the happier you will be. I have never thought to myself, I wish I would have bought the next line down. Each upgrade will increase your paddling enjoyment exponentially.

4. Top Notch Leader Material

My leader is non-negotiable. Never again will I buy the bargain fluorocarbon. Seguar Blue or Red label is the Jam. I have also had good luck with the Berkley Tournament grade. The fluorocarbon properties of decreased visibility by fish, abrasion resistance, quick sinking, low memory, and knot strength are better in Seguar than other brands I’ve used. Don’t skimp on this.

5. Comfortable and Functional PFD

A PFD, much like a kayak is something that you must be willing to trust your life to. God forbid, something happens on the water, a PFD may be your difference between life and death, no matter how strong your abilities are. Most brands like Astral, Kokatat, and NRS make products that will keep you alive.

Moving along, I need a PFD that I can wear all day long in 100 degree heat, and not feel the urge to take it off. The Astral Ronny, Ronny Fisher, and Veight have super breathable mesh inserts, vents, and plenty of storage for your gear. Vests like the Seawolf and Green Jacket have solid clamshell pockets and are tectonic in nature so they move with you while you paddle. The Seawolf and Ronny Fisher are my go to choices.

Astral Ronny Fisher

6. The Right Rods for the Right Situations

This one is simple. Don’t go after bull drum with a panfish rod. When you are chasing fish, you want a rod that is matched appropriately to your quarry; otherwise it is like taking a knife to a gunfight, or a hand grenade to a game of paper rock scissors. The right fishing rod ensures an appropriate fish which decreases the morbidity of released fish, but still allows you to enjoy the fight and get the fish to hand.

There are so many great rod makers out there, so to recommend one rod over another is ludacris. I like my Shamano Terez's and Crucial's, but that’s not to say that I don’t, or am unwilling to fish anything else.

7. Versatile Kayak Rigging Options

It pains me to list this at #7, but fact is, 1-6 are necessity, and this is a nicety. For rigging, I look no further than YakAttack. Luther, Dan, and the rest of the team are always on the cutting edge of the sport. They are a US Based Company that makes lights for fishing at night, tracks to mount fish finders, cameras and rod holders, and even storage options. There are other companies that have come after YakAttack, but while a few dollars difference may seem nice, the quality and customer support is not there. Furthermore, YakAttack gives so much back to kayak anglers in the form of tournament donations and financial support to HOW and PHW. If you want it, www.yakattack.us has it!

8. Rugged Footwear

Kick off those flip flops. They have no place on the water for a kayak fisherman. Hooks in the foot, broken tongues, and minimal security make them a poor, uninformed choice. Water shoes are where it is at. Brands like Columbia and Keen make great shoes, but only Astral makes shoes designed around the paddling experience. You need a shoe that you can walk on scorching hot sand, through mud fields, over oyster bars, in the parking lot, and kick off pilings with. You also need something that will drain, and dry quickly. My Brewers and Loyaks do just that.

Astral Loyak - Astral Buoyancy

For your PFD and footwear needs, I recommend www.astraldesigns.com

9. Durable Baits

There are few things worse than taking a pack of plastics out, and getting all the tails bit off by croaker or pinfish. This is not only costly, but it can prematurely end the day with a hot bite on a certain color, or for the minimalist. When fishing inshore, shrimp are often my favorite baits to use. The Egret Vudu Shrimp have a Kevlar weave tail which makes it damn near bomb-proof to those fish that commonly pick and peck at the tail of the bait. This lets you fish considerably longer with minimal loss. I also like to use the Egret Vudu Mullet and Wedgetials for these reasons. While the Wedgetails are not re-enforced, they are extremely durable and last longer than most anything else I’ve used.

JP hammershad on an Aqua Dream Inline Spinnerbait

 

For my larger baits, I love fishing with my Powerteam Lures 4.8" Swinging Hammer and the JP Hammershads. These baits are neutrally buoyant and can handle repeated catches of large, toothy speckled trout. Unlike a lot of other similar baits I’ve thrown, these don’t easily pull out of screw lock hooks which save me money!

Swinging Hammer with a Healthy VA Citation Speck

10. All Around Terminal Tackle

To close out this list, I chose something that I feel to be extremely important and would have expected to come out much higher on my list. Whether its hooks, jig heads, swivels or the like, this is one area I refuse to skimp on. If I am chasing sheepshead or other trophy fish, I will eat ramen and tuna for a week before I compromise on my terminal tackle.

Owner and Eagle Claw Trokar's are the only hooks I’ll use when I’m fishing bait. These hooks are strong, sharp, and reliable. I will fish Trokar's or VMC's when I need a swimbait hook or EWG for more of my inshore presentations for many of the same reasons above.

Swivels and connectors are another major part of my game. When tying Sheepshead, Spadefish, or Tautog rigs, I like the 50lb spro barrel swivels. These are small, yet mighty reliable to the point I've never had them fail on me. I will also add them to the split ring on my spoons to help avoid line twist. As far as connectors are concerned, I refuse to leave home without my Tactical Anglers Power Clips. I could write a whole post just on these bad boys. Quick lure changes, added action, and ease of use are just three of the many added benefits.

50 lb TA Power Clip

I have 2 main requirements for jigheads. They must have a strong, solid black nickel hook, and the hook shank must vary in length to correspond to the weight of the jighead. Egret, VMC, and Owner all make super high quality products, but for me, Jigheads are like shoes, and whenever I see something new on the market, I make it a point to pick up a pack or two.

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I hope this top 10 list will help you when making your next kayak fishing purchase. For me, this is what works well. Keep in mind that many of the products I have mentioned here are from companies that I am sponsored by. I use their products, because for my style, I feel that they are superior to many others on the market. In the end though, its all about helping you figure out what works best for you and will give you the most enjoyment from your time on the water!

Finding the Right Kayak Fishing PFD - Astral Seawolf and Ronny Fisher

I have been fishing since before I can remember, and fishing from a canoe or kayak for a majority of that time.  Growing up in the 80’s, I wore your typical coast guard approved orange floatation device.  While it served its primary purpose, it lacked one thing… comfort.  If you are not comfortable on the water, you’ll either cut your trip short, or your PFD comes off.  For your typical fisherman, the PFD will leave your body before you leave the water.  This can lead to some very bad things.

 

As I got older, I started to realize that like many teenagers and 20 somethings, I was invincible.  I was very fit and lived a warrior’s lifestyle.  I never wore a PFD because they 1) were not functional for my style of paddling, and 2) I was in great shape.  If anything were to happen to me my physical abilities would have mitigated my need for a PFD.  Boy was I wrong! 

One day I paddled out for a surf session over a reef in the South China Sea, and experienced a commonality shared by many surf kayakers…  I flipped.  When I went over I got caught in the hydraulics of a breaking wave, while my body was tossed like a ragdoll over the coral below.  I couldn’t tell you how long I was pinned, but I can say that my paddling partner was surprised to see me surface under my own power, and not unconscious.  I got lucky, and this experience stayed in the front of my mind from that point on.

On that note, let me say that PFD not only stands for Personal Floatation Device.  It also stands for Personal Fu*%ing Decision for many folks.  While I understand both trains of thought within the kayak community, I do not want to start the debate on the use of PFD’s.  I have my personal feelings and experiences that drove me to the decision of wearing my PFD when I’m on the water.  Ill talk about what I have found to be my key factors when choosing the right PFD for my style.

NRS Chinook PFD

When I started kayak fishing a lot, I started off with an older Lotus Designs PFD, then NRS Chinook, as it was one of the best reviewed fishing PFD’s at the time.  I fished that PFD for a few years and liked a few things about it. 

Pros:

1. It is a high back PFD, making it more comfortable with SOT kayak seats. 
2. It has large zippers don’t tend to get off track when fouled with sand or mud. 
3. It is fairly adjustable.

Cons:

1. I was not a fan of the material it was made from.  While it was rip-stop, I found that it did rip easier than it should.
2. It was not breathable at all.  There are no vents and I would find myself soaked with sweat to the point that I looked like I just went for a swim.
3. The pockets are soft sided, and allow the contents to get wet way to easy.
4. The Velcro on the front pockets loved to eat… eat my favorite fishing shirts.

http://www.nrs.com/product/21501/nrs-chinook-mesh-back-fishing-pfd

The Chinook lasted me a few seasons, but I felt the need to upgrade.  So my next PFD was the Stohlquist Fisherman.  I again fished this PFD for a few years, loving some of its advantages over the NRS Chinook.  Coming in at a few dollars more, I was happy to spend the money for what I felt to be a superior jacket for my style.  The first thing I came to love was the fact that it was missing Velcro (which my shirts loved)!  Next it had hard sided pockets which afforded my gear greater protection on and off the water.  There were still some cons though, that made me continue to search for that perfect jacket.

The Stohlquist Fisherman

Pros:

1. It is a high back PFD, making it more comfortable with SOT kayak seats. 
2. Hard sided pockets
3. Lack of Velcro
4. Padded shoulder straps
5. Unique gear attachment options

Cons:

1. The zipper systems are dainty, and often I found myself conducting field repairs because the teeth were stuck or didn’t grab properly.
2. Again, it was not breathable, and being soaking wet was a common theme
3. Not as comfortable or easy to wear as the Chinook was when wearing lots of layers or waders.
   

   

   
   

   http://stohlquist.com/life-jackets/fishing-pfds/fisherman.html

I would have probably stayed with my Stohlquist had it not been for a series of unfortunate events in which my jacket and I parted ways (and states) for a few months.  So, instead of traveling out of state, I decided I would upgrade and that is when I went over to Astral.  If you remember I started out with a Lotus Designs PFD.  For the life of me, I cannot remember which model it was but I appreciated its comfort and simplicity. 

In searching for that jacket that model I had on the internet, I learned of a company called Astral Buoyancy, which had in all reality replaced Lotus designs in the PFD market place.  I found a company with some bomber jackets, amazing style, and based somewhat locally (in Asheville - the mountains of North Carolina).  They had just launched the Seawolf, and there was some buzz about how amazing this jacket was in the whitewater and touring community.  I looked at it and immediately knew this was a jacket I wanted to try.

Photo Credit: Werner Paddles

Upon trying it on I found some amazingly awesome features that I never thought about in a fishing jacket before. 

Pros:

1. The PFD is based to tectonics.  The waist is your anchor point, and the rest of the jacket moves based on your movement.  When paddling hard, fighting that big fish, or even reaching back to grab your gear, the tectonic body is super convenient (and comfortable).  There is also an added benefit of a fleece hand warmer at the torso.  Not a must have as much as a nice to have feature.
2. There is no Velcro (again, my high dollar technical fishing shirts are thankful)!
3. The clam shell pocket offers plenty of hard sided storage, without getting in the way of your paddle stroke.
4. It is light weight, and more breathable than the NRS Chinook or the Stohlquist Fisherman.
5. It is easy to wear over bulky clothing.
6. The Denier material is super durable.  With a simple wash, you would be hard pressed to tell that it has been a primary PFD for 3 seasons.
7. Side buckle closures lets you don the jacket quickly, and makes for easy adjustment depending on the clothing you are wearing.
8. Super comfortable shoulder padding.

Photo Credit: Rob Choi

Cons:

1. The back has padding throughout, which is contradictory to what the market tells you for a SOT.  While not initially as comfortable as a high back PFD, I find that the movement the PFD has, coupled with a proper paddling posture and quality seat alleviates this concern for me.

http://www.astraldesigns.com/products/Seawolf.php

This is by far my favorite PFD for 95% of my trips.  For those of you that wear your PFD, and paddle hard, this jacket should not be overlooked.

The Ronny Fisher and a 49" Redfish

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the Astral fishing team in late 2013, at which time I was sent a Ronny Fisher to test out.  Being a hard headed individual, I resist change when I find a product I love.  Initially, I didn’t want to wear the Ronny Fisher because I loved my Seawolf so much.  As I took it out of the box, I gave it the once over and though, “this is kinda cool”, then it sat in the corner overnight.  When I woke up the next morning I found it staring at me, sucking me in with its intrigue.  That morning I found myself late for work because I was going through all of its features.  It is the SUV of fishing PFD’s that can go anywhere and do anything you ask it to do. 



Photo Credit: Rob Choi



Although it is not my go to PFD for my style of paddling, it has many features that are designed especially for the kayak angler.  For starters, it has an integrated hood.  At first, I was not a big fan of this feature, but one day I got caught in a pop up rain cell.  Putting the hood on helped keep my glasses relatively spot free, and while everything I would have used to clean my glasses was unusable, I was ok.  Its this type of thinking that makes me honestly believe that the Ronny Fisher is quite possibly the best fishing PFD for most kayak anglers out there today.

Photo Credit: Rob Choi

Pros:

1. It features and integrated hood that while it won’t replace your rain jacket, it will keep your head dry.
2. 2 fold down hard sided zipper pockets that provide ample storage for tackle boxes, phones, and other amenities.  Both flaps fold down plat to provide you a solid surface to work off of if needed.
3. A can/bottle holder that zips back into the jacket.  While I do find it cumbersome to paddle with a can of Monster in the holder, I do find it extremely useful for a VHF radio or even a camera on a retractor.
4. A tool area that has elastic loops for your tools, and is secured with a Velcro strap that is out of the way.  The Velcro is located so it doesn’t eat up my fishing shirts like other PFD’s.
5. 2 elastic loops on both sides of the jacket that allow for easy gear attachment.
6. Solid zippers that seem impervious to sand and grit.
7. A thin, vented back that helps cool you, while making the jacket extremely comfortable to wear on a SOT.
8. Thick webbing on the shoulder straps that doesn’t dig in like thinner, flimsy webbing.

http://www.astraldesigns.com/products/RonnyFisher.php
 

Cons:

1. It almost has too much storage, and I can quickly find myself bogged down by all I can put in the Jacket.
2. I enjoy the side buckle closure that is found on the Seawolf more than the front zipper on the Ronny Fisher.

Photo Credit: Jack Daughtry

While I admit that I am on the Astral fishing team, and may have a little bias, that bias comes from wearing what I am comfortable putting my name and reputation on.  A company that has high standards of quality, listens to the paddler, and actually solicits input from the community when designing new products.  While brands like NRS, Stohlquist, and Kokatat make some amazing products, my search for the ultimate paddling and fishing specific PFD’s has ended with Astral.

Do yourself a favor and go to your local paddle sports shop.  Ask about the Seawolf, Ronny Fisher, or any other jacket in the Astral line.  Try them on, move around in them, and ask the sales reps for feedback they have received.  If you still have any questions, drop me or any of your local Astral fishing team members a line.  We are dedicated to helping you find the best product for your style!

Ronny Fisher - 29" Speckled Trout