What do you wish you knew when you started?

[Daniel Chambers]

I've got to write a report on kayak fishing and know nothing about it so I thought I'd come to the experts.

What do you know now that you wish you had known before you began? Is there anything you think the next 'generation' of kayak fishers should know?

Thanks in advance.

[MITCHELL]

And wear or have a PFD and let someone no where you are going,

[Daniel Chambers]

Thanks, Mitchell! Safety is always paramount.

[Orca Winfrey]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

And wear or have a PFD and let someone no where you are going,

X2

And practice self rescue in a pool or by the shore with your PFD on so you can see if hangs up on the edge of your yak when you try to re-enter.

Also having a gps of compass will be necessary if conditions become foggy.

[skrilla]

A few off the top of my head...

Comforts of a high back seat with plenty of seat cushion.

Forward rod holders are ideal for drifting and trolling.

Braid for cutting thru kelp. Also heavy leaders over light line for bigger game fish. Yes it's a fun fight on light line but no fun feeding predators.

Fish finder with GPS and chart plotting unless you want to hone your skills on triangulation and burning data usage using Google maps.

Cut off hooks and lay rods down for big surf landings.

[tacmik]

How addicting it became. How the experience of being on the ocean seeing whales , sharks, and other sea creatures up close while on a little piece of plastic could be so soothing, and that is before catching your dinner.

[TJones]

Safely through surf. .

[Daniel Chambers]

Originally Posted by tacmik

How addicting it became. How the experience of being on the ocean seeing whales , sharks, and other sea creatures up close while on a little piece of plastic could be so soothing, and that is before catching your dinner.

Just wondering...in your experience, do most saltwater kayak anglers also fresh water kayak fish or do most focus exclusively on one or the other type of fishing?

[Daniel Chambers]

Originally Posted by Orca Winfrey

X2

And practice self rescue in a pool or by the shore with your PFD on so you can see if hangs up on the edge of your yak when you try to re-enter.

Also having a gps of compass will be necessary if conditions become foggy.

Practicing is a great idea...one I bet most people never do. What do you use for GPS?

[Orca Winfrey]

Originally Posted by Daniel Chambers

Practicing is a great idea...one I bet most people never do. What do you use for GPS?

I currently use my a nav app on my phone and I have an old fashioned compass. Just bought a used Garmin 72 GPS that I'm going to use as a backup. It's no fun when fog rolls in and you lose all sense of direction.

Oh. A hand held marine radio is also a good idea.

[Sheephead]

Wish i knew not to bring all my tackle (hooks, line, weights, pliers, knives, swivels, lures, ect). Only bring what you need and put it in a dry bag or water tight box.

I also wish I had known your supposed to rinse your rods/ reels with freshwater afterwards too...

As a child I grew up fishing the pier's for Mackerel. Then, when I realized i couldn't progress my passion any further without owning a boat I convinced my parents to chip in and get me a kayak. The cheapest way to get out on the water without spending the crazy amount of money a 15 year old doesn't have.

I went from catching mackerel off a pier to cluelessly fishing the bays for bass. Once I got comfortable with my kayak and myself I went to La Jolla. Someone told me to use mackerel as bait for yellowtail. After catching mackerel for fun for so many years I never thought about using a WHOLE LIVE ONE for bait! I remember trying to figure out hook the damn thing, having no clue what I was doing. (one of my most favorite kayak fishing memories)

When I fish started fishing in the ocean I got hooked on the feeling of being so close to nature. I really feel part of the ocean's ecosystem while on a kayak. It makes you feel vulnerable. A feeling you can't get while on a boat. BUT I didn't know anything about salt water corrosion and lost about $500 in rusted hooks, lures, pliers, ect. Not to mention all my reels locking up to the point where 3 reels costed $350 to get serviced..