When I have the time for it I enjoy exploring my way along the bank of various lakes, beaches, or rivers; fishing rod in hand and tackle bag slung over my shoulder. It doesn’t just add to the challenge of making a catch, but also allows me to take in my surroundings more so than from the perspective of a boat; scouring the shores like a hungry tern. Unfortunately, some of the best locations for shore fishing are often inaccessible whether it be private property, conservation land, or just far too dense in overgrowth. If you’ve ever spent time fishing from shore you have probably also dealt with over-crowded shorelines at one point or another, and when you find a stretch of beach that isn’t heavily pressured, sometimes the fish hold outside casting range; even when the water is nearly brimming over the edge of your waders. While any dedicated shore fisherman knows that relocating to the next spot will often resolve these issues, sometimes that entails a multiple mile trek across rocky shorelines or dense forest trails.
But maybe you just finished your shift and want to squeeze in as much fishing as possible in the few hours before the sun sets. Or, as mentioned before, maybe that honey hole you’ve been looking for is rendered inaccessible due to surrounding boundaries or distance from shore. For those situations you’re going to want something portable; something that doesn’t require a trailer and can be launched from practically anywhere.
Four years ago I started using a kayak to fill that purpose and I quickly realized they are extremely manageable and versatile fishing crafts. Within recent years, the number of kayak fishermen has been increasing and new innovations are created nearly every year. Now, it is not uncommon to see people fishing in sit-on-top kayaks outfitted with rod holders, fish finders, anchor systems, tackle storage, coolers, and driven by foot-pedals; many of which are sturdy enough to stand on. The technology you can install into some of these kayaks rivals a small center console, yet you can load one of these onto your car’s roof rack. They’ll also clear over the shallowest sand flats, rock beds, and patches of seaweed without causing damage to a dangling prop or the environment, making them far more capable at reaching and navigating through remote, backwater estuaries and shallow rivers. Stealth is another key advantage that kayaks have over the constant metallic chatter that emanates from every gas-powered motor.
In August, I’ve watched fleets of boats chase after pods of bonito and false albacore that were feeding on sand eels at the surface, spooking the fish every time their engines drew near; meanwhile kayak fishermen are able to slip right on top of a pod and none of the fish paid any mind to it. The quiet approach of my kayak has helped me in the early saltwater season when targeting weakfish and schoolie stripers in the calm, shallow waters of coastal estuaries.
Last Thanksgiving week I caught my personal best brown trout in a kayak, a catch I surely wouldn’t have made if I had been in a boat or on the shore. I was drifting parallel to the shoreline in about twenty feet of water, pan-casting a little jerkbait. I was on one of Cape Cod’s many kettle ponds, on the opposite side of the only public fishing beach on the pond. I instantly felt a fish strike the suspended lure on the pause in my retrieve. When I brought it closer I could see that it was a little rainbow, and as soon as I brought it into the kayak I noticed a hulking silhouette, dwarfing the rainbow in my hands, passing under me.
I was especially happy to have been using barbless hooks, quickly releasing the rainbow and launching a back-cast over the spot where the lunker had been. Thankfully, my kayak passing overhead hadn’t spooked the fish because on the first twitch of my rod she had engulfed my jerk bait and started taking drag. I adjusted the drag and gently corralled her back toward my kayak. Focused on keeping tension on the line, her spotted patterning came into view-- a beautiful array of browns, yellows, silver, and black. With my rod on one hand and net in the other, I gently brought the five-plus-pounder into the kayak and popped the lure out of her lip. I could tell she was carrying eggs due to her swollen belly and didn’t want to keep her out of the water any longer than I had to. After snapping a quick photo, I returned her to the water and watched her swim for the cover of a nearby sunken tree. All I could think of once she had vanished was, “Damn, I really need to use my kayak more often.”
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