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Took my new 12' Eagle Talon Sit-on-Top kayak to the river yesterday. There is going to take some getting use to. Have to upgrade the seat for sure as there is very little back support. not as stable as I thought it would be. This is the first time I have ever been in a kayak so it will take a while to get use to it I am sure. have to plug the drain holes next time as I got soaked. Still happy to have one
Where did you go?
Elk river near sportsman park. just trying it out. only fished a little with one rod.
I encourage you to start in small water, especially backwaters that you can't easy access easy from a big boat. As you gain confidence, your abilities increase and you learn the limits of your kayak you can move into larger waters. The first time you get blasted by a big boat on a plane can be a scary experience. I now calmly turn my nose into the waves before they arrive without thinking about. I pulled a limit from Garth Slough earlier this year with it white capping. The two to three foot waves even kept all the big boats home. Look for those areas where bank fisherman typically fish, but there's no boat ramp or access for larger boats. Large ponds, small lakes in city parks can be an amazing experience. Welcome to the magic of small boats and small water fishing.
Congrats on the yak. They can access water most boats cant. Great for finding fish that receive less pressure.
Congrats on getting your yak.....it's "game on" from here on. Best advice I've seen is to stay in water where "big boats" (those with a motor) can't go. You're smart to start with a single pole - and later if you want to try spider rigging or as we call it - dragging jigs, keep it manageable....like 2 or 3 rods to start then work up as you get comfortable. I'm sticking to 4 for now and generally one of them is primarily for casting a small spinner. There are all kinds of seats, pads etc. and yes, long term comfort is key. In no time , the stability issue will go away. It sort of becomes second nature as to how far you can lean with your net to net a fish etc. Happy paddling!
Thank for all the suggestion. All ready thinking about all the things I can do to make it better, staring with the high back seat . I tell everyone I meet about this site. Thanks
Spend a little more time on it w/o any fishing gear. Get in shallow water and explore the limits. There's primary stability and secondary stability. Its got to be a little wobbly to be maneuverable, that's the primary. The secondary stability has a harder edge. You lean so far and then it firms up. You'll be able to sit sideways with legs in the water without tipping once you learn how fast (slow) to move..
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This $5.00 chair from Dollar General has the legs cut off and bungied to the seat area of my old WS Ride for max comfort.
Your limited only by your imagination. Congrats and welcome to the plastic Navy.
I was always thinking that I'd have to have training wheels on that thing. I've fished off nearly every conceivable kind of platform except a kayak. It just don't seem natural. Now a 12ft jon boat has been my sneak attack boat. I had a 3 hp rude and sculling paddle. You could throw it all in the back of my chevy truck and dump it almost anywhere. Wish I still had it.
It's really a different way to fish. For one thing, it's a great deal quieter. You're out on a lake or pond or creek or small river and the animals don't react like they do when you're in a power boat. I've watched does bring their fawns to water, been in close proximity to water birds for extended periods of time and have had osprey fly five feet above my head.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tadpole!!
What most people worry about is stability. You have to be able to tip the kayak a little sideways in order to make any kind of tight maneuver and that makes kayaks feel tippy. That's called primary stabilty; the more primary stability a kayak has, the less maneuverable it is though length is a factor too. (That's why river kayaks are usually shorter; less than 12 ft.). Most modern kayaks are designed to have good to excellent secondary stability; that is they have a point at which they stop tipping. To get past that point, you have to make a major effort to tip the kayak. My main fishing kayak is a Pescador 120 SOT (Sit On Top). I'm 5'11" and 245# and often sit sidesaddle (both legs in the water on the same side of the kayak) in order to reach gear stored behind my seat. i move slowly into and out of that position but have absolute confidence that I can do so without tipping the kayak. Of course, I have tipped it over more than once while attempting to make a drastic change in direction on a fast moving river. I've never done it on a lake or pond. I've come close inshore on the Carolina Coast when the combination of wind and tide were piling up the waves but have always had sense enough to turn back and head for more sheltered waters.
I'm not a kayak purist, I have a canoe, a Vee Hull aluminum boat, an 18 ft fishing pontoon and a Pelican 10e (plastic pontoon) and each has its' place. But kayak fishing is fun.