fishing kayaks

[WVUontheFLY 0]

If you are going to be chucking serious meat from the vessel, I would look into something with the ability to stand in/on. For me that turned out to be a SUP. It was a cheaper alternative to the fishing kayaks where I would be able to stand. My paddle board is very stable but fairly slow compared to what others can do in a kayak. But if I am floating a river then it is no problem to make small adjustments to continue fishing. Also for standing I can use my entire body to cast instead of just my arm, standing also gives you better visibility, and higher line altitude so you don't have to worry about the line catching the water on your back cast.

[Dave G. 0]

If you think about it, sitting in a canoe or kayak your whole upper body is above water. Wading your whole upper body is above water. The difference is posture or body stance but otherwise if you catch water from a sitting position, you probably do wading crotch deep in water too.

[josephcsylvia 0]

If you think about it, sitting in a canoe or kayak your whole upper body is above water. Wading your whole upper body is above water. The difference is posture or body stance but otherwise if you catch water from a sitting position, you probably do wading crotch deep in water too.

Yes but wading you can still involve your lower body in the cast to help with distance.

[Dave G. 0]

 

If you think about it, sitting in a canoe or kayak your whole upper body is above water. Wading your whole upper body is above water. The difference is posture or body stance but otherwise if you catch water from a sitting position, you probably do wading crotch deep in water too.

Yes but wading you can still involve your lower body in the cast to help with distance.

Cool.

[troutguy 0]

If you catch the water on a backcast in a kayak, you need to work on your casting. You are dropping your backcast or you are not loading the rod correctly. A good cast is parrallel to the ground whether you stand, sit or kneel.

[Dave G. 0]

If you catch the water on a backcast in a kayak, you need to work on your casting. You are dropping your backcast or you are not loading the rod correctly. A good cast is parrallel to the ground whether you stand, sit or kneel.

Thank you TG .

[mikechell 0]

I mentioned I fish from a jon boat. I sit, cross leg, on the bow platform. I fish all day from this position. Granted, I am about 12 inches off the water on the front of my boat, but I am fishing from a seated position and don't have any problems.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Responding to WVUontheFLY's post above (sorry, the "quote" function doesn't work on my work computer for some reason):

 

First, for those who may not be familiar with the acronym, SUP stands for Stand-Up Paddleboard--picture an oversized surfboard on which you stand and paddle.

 

I've seen several people fishing from these in still water, but I've never seen one on a river. I'm sure the marketing types are working on a "made for fishing" version right now, if it's not already out there.

 

I can see the appeal of the SUP from a standing/stability viewpoint--after all, they're made to be stood upon. I can also see their appeal from a budget point of view--although I've seen some that rivaled some fishing kayaks in price.

 

I'm curious as to how SUP users deal with certain things related to actual fishing, though...for example:

 

1. No sides/gunwales--how do you secure your gear and keep it from falling in the water? Do they have some kind of clips or cleats or something that you can at least attach a bungee cord to?

 

2. No Dry Storage - I can't imagine there's any way to keep anything dry. It would only take a wave a couple of inches high to send water onto the deck, wetting everything touching the deck.

 

3. No seats -- I'm sure you can sit down on one, but you'd be planting your rear end directly on the deck, no more than an inch or two above water level. Even if you had a cushion or something to sit on, it would be wet (see #2) and would offer no back support. For me, that would mean a serious case of what my father-in-law calls "Conkus of the Bonkus" (aka sore butt) by the end of a day's fishing.

 

This is not meant as a criticism--everybody has their preferences and good reasons for them, and whatever gets one out on the water is the "right" choice for that person. As I said before, I've just seen the SUPs being used as fishing platforms before, and was curious about them.

 

Cheers,

Bryon

 

ADDENDUM / EDIT: Well don't I feel like the uniformed bumpkin...apparently the SUP as a fly fishing-specific platform is already well-established. These things are pretty cool, I have to say. To see some, and to get the answers to some of the questions I just posted (see above), check out www.suponthefly.com

 

[mikechell 0]

Kind of looks like a hybrid paddle board / kayak.

 

 

Not promoting ... just responding to Bryon's post.

[Meeshka 0]

For an idea of what is available you can check out www.westerncanoekayak.com . They are a Western Canadian Company, and on their web page have several different fishing purpose kayaks listed with pictures, descriptions, and features / accessories.

[eastern fly 0]

 

 

First, for those who may not be familiar with the acronym, SUP stands for Stand-Up Paddleboard--picture an oversized surfboard on which you stand and paddle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that because I had no idea. After some of the things I hear I don't think I will put much thought into the kayak.

 

Kevin

[Dave G. 0]

Kayaks aren't for everyone Kevin.

[Kudu 0]

Gheenoe would be nice

[FlaFly 0]

I didn't buy a Gheenoe for this reason: Sometimes I canoe solo, sometimes with my wife. The thwarts in a canoe are not the same distance from the ends... the rear one is closer to the rear end, and the fore one is nearer the middle. When two persons are on board, the weight of each body is MOL equidistant from the ends. To canoe solo, if you sit in the rear thwart, the bow of the canoe will be way up out of the water making the canoe hard to steer and even harder to fish from, so you solve that by sitting on the "front" thwart facing backwards, and your weight is right in the center.

 

Since the Gheenoe has a flat transom, you can only sit in it one way.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Bryon, I'm not bashing on any brand or style, nucanoe, gheenoe, whatever. If the ultimate in "stability" is what you want, you will go with some other type of watercraft other than a canoe or kayak.

 

Although I'm sure it is possible, I have tried very hard and not been able to turtle my Ride135. That includes screwing around in 3 foot breaking waves in controlled circumstances on a beach in Lake Erie.

 

I'm 6'3' and 220, I've had it for 3 years and have 100% confidence in it. There are only two ways I am going in the water when fishing from my Ride, 1. if I want to, and 2. if I screw up really REALLY badly.

 

NO type of watercraft is for EVERYONE. They all have their drawbacks. It's about what you want balanced against what you can afford. I spent a LOT of time fishing from a lot of canoes before I decided SOT kayaks are the way to go.