Any kayak fisherman out there?

[greenhornet73]

I rigged up my yak over the winter and getting ready to fish browns and walleyes this spring.  Also starting to put some gear together for salmon in the fall and could use some tips for lures and color selection for flatlining fairly close to shore around the tribe.  Any tips would be great!

[Pete Collin]

Big jointed rapalas work great.

[Fly n Fish]

I usually run 2 stick baits as I'm paddle trolling this way if a fish hits one line the other one just floats up.

[fletch]

I gave spring brown trout fishing from my kayak one time last year. I went from Durand beach to the summerville pier and back. I will probably try it again if we get a nice warm day with minimal wind.

[bluewater1861]

Can you post some pics of your rigged up kayak..

[eatsleeptrout]

Fall browns around irondequoit outlet or around Webster pier.

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[flyboy7]

Troll stickbaits or spoons. If you want to run 2 lines, do as Chinooker said and use floating stickbaits (that dive). I now use an inline planer board for one of my two lines. As the water warms up and the trout move deeper, I switch to a lead core line. Be careful because the water is cold when the browns are in close in the spring. The general recommendation for kayaking is to wait until the air temp and water temp add up to at least 100 degrees unless you have a dry suit.

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[greenhornet73]

Thanks for the replies.  I actually just heard that 100 degree rule the other day for the first time and that is good to know because I probably would have gone out the first time there was access and it wasn't snowing.  I have a sit- in kayak and am interested to see how cold it will actually get in there when in 40 degree water.  I will post some pics of my set- up once I finish the anchor trolley and install the safety flag I built.  

[SalmonSniper]

I do spring browns/coho, late summer/fall kings, walleye, and inland lake panfishing out of my Yak.  Def have to be careful when fishing cold weather.  If fishing in cold weather especially the big lakes, I wear a type 2 pfd and bring a safety kit (2 flares, smoke signal, whistle, mirror, glow stick), first aid kit, waterproof torch lighter, anchor, cell phone in waterproof bag.  I keep all on these items except the anchor in a bag with a float strapped to it.  Safety is one of the most important things when fishing in cold weather or in big waters.  I have been out with only one or two boats around me and also have a tendency to fish at night.  If you are fishing at night you definitely need to mount a anchor light and a running light is a good idea too as it helps increase your visibility and tells boaters which side of you to go (you can't react in a yak to get out of the way of a boater).  

 

As for the fishing part, a fish finder and gps will play an important role in your success.  Once you catch a fish you want to know what depth range the fish as caught in and you will want to be able to pass over that spot again a there are likely more fish there.  You also need the gps to know your speed.  If I fish two rods i usually reel in the outside rods as it has the most slack and is the rod that will most likely cause the lines to cross.  This also allows me to check for weeds and make sure my lure is running properly.  I also like to run lure that dive to different depths, this way I am letting out less line on the lure that dives deeper.  This staggers my line and puts them at different angles, reducing the likelihood of them crossing, this is especially helpful if you hook a feisty king that screams line as soon as it hits. The staggered lines also help if you don't want to reel in on turns.  

 

I use and ugly stick salmon/steelhead casting rod, rigged with braid that is tied to a foot or two of 40 pound test, then about a 20 foot leader.  The braid helps you see that the lure is running correctly and also has less stretch to let you really lay into the hookset which can be difficult to do in the yak.  I usually use stickbaits as they will float to the surface when you stop paddling.

 

Good luck!! I spent my first 20 years fishing the great lakes doing so from a 21' Penn Yann and a 16" Lund and pass up the big boats to fish out of the yak!!! Its a completely different experience.

[greenhornet73]

Wow excellent information!  what is the anchor light?  I have a white running light mounted above my safety flag pole and reflective tape on the flag.  I can't wait to hook a salmon or striper in the yak.  I do a lot of fishing on the coast, in the fall especially, and occasionally hook some bruisers including a 6' blacktip on the OBX last August.  Could have used the craft for that trip to drop my bait past the breakers at night.  Definitely looking forward to fishing from a different perspective this year!

[SalmonSniper]

The white light you are taking about is your anchor light. The running light would be the red and green light at the front of a boat that tells other boaters which side to yield to. The red/green light is not required on unregistered/unpowered vessels, but is still a good idea if trolling at night in an area that is popular for boats to be trolling too. My experience fishing in front of the Olcott piers for salmon, is that there are generally at least 3-5 other boats trolling the same area any given night of the week.

[greenhornet73]

Great to know. I didn't know night time was good for trolling salmon.  I am pretty well stocked with floating rapalas and others including J-9's however do not have any red/gold in jointed, only F7's.  Does the extra action really produce significantly better?  Also, what is the general feeling towards kayakers from the boaters?  A little concerned about throwing off someones's line of travel and getting a set of large waves aimed at me.  Thanks for all your advice, it's really helping me out

[old man]

Myself and the guys i know give kayaks and canoes a lot of space and are mindful of our wakes. BUT,a kayak between shore and my boat or in choppy water can be tough to see.

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[greenhornet73]

Thanks,  I installed a 4" pole at the stern with a large red/white diving flag on top to hopefully make me more visible.  If that is too short for the waves that day then I will most likely/hopefully be on shore.

[greenhornet73]

Can anyone tell me how to post a pic on here?  I have pics of my kayak downloaded on my comp but can't figure out how to transfer them into a post.

[BlueDaksi]

I kayak fishing for just about everything.  

 

 

We have a fairly active group of guys with the Western New York Kayak Fishing Association - search for us on Facebook.  Also, we have a new tournament series for New York Kayak Anglers this season...

 

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/50317-new-york-kayak-bass-fishing-series/

[greenhornet73]

Thanks Blue, I plan on getting a lot of use out of the kayak this year for trout, salmon and walleyes especially.  I will check out the link for the tournaments.  I live in Syracuse and usually stick to the Eastern part of the lake from Fair Haven up to Stony Point since that is the stretch I am most familiar with.  I will be making my first voyage tomorrow morning out of Fair Haven, hopefully the wind cooperates.

[greenhornet73]

I figured out how to post pics of my rig, hopefully the next ones will be of fish.  Youtube was extremely helpful in building my anchor trolley and light/flag pole from scratch without spending a lot of money.  My next investment will be a fish finder once I figure out where to put the transducer since the rear scupper holes are pretty narrow.  I'm open to input from those of you with kayak experience.

[Lip Rippers]

here ya go  this looks like the right set up for your style kayak    http://www.kayakfishinggear.com/collections/mounts-and-mounting/products/liberator

[greenhornet73]

That finder mount is perfect and will absolutely work.  Thanks!

[JJBat150]

Rig looks good.

Here's mine; I usually fish the finger lakes.

Will try to get better pics of my transducer mount; it actually hangs off the stern.

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[greenhornet73]

Nice.  I could have used a fish finder today just so I could check my trolling speed.  My GPS shuts down after about 15 mins so I had to guestimate most of the time which is hard to do coming in and out of the wind.  

[Flyfisher1]

G day! Gents/Ladies just joined the site, do all my fishing out of a kayak, own several Bought a hobie outback last year also have Ok Biggame and trident11 for small lakes and rivers. Good to see other kayaks here! Wahoo!

Blessings,

[kayaktroller]

hands free is nice

[flyak]

FYI red green running lights on a kayak is against the regulations. You cannot have one on your yak. The single light mounted on a pole is sufficent.