Getting in slow and cheap - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

fongman · 06-23-2010, 09:36 PM

Most newbies start off fishing in the bays in order to get comfortable with their kayaks. The bays have a whole fishery that can be productive: spotted bay bass, sand bass, calico bass, barracudas, halibuts, bonefish, to name a few. So, unless you are planning on going on the party boats or buying your kayak soon, I would hold off buying the big stuff until you're ready to use it. Instead, I would recommend buying a medium or medium heavy, 7' bass rod with either a low profile or round levelwind, baitcaster reel. Load it with 8, 10, or possibly 14 lbs test mono or 10-20# braid with a short length (3 ft) of fluorocarbon leader, depending on what type of bass lures you want to throw.

Just about anything that works in freshwater will also works in saltwater. Start off by buying some 3" swimbaits (big hammers) and fish from the sand or rocks on the bay. Just about where ever you find eelgrass, you'll find spotted bay bass. Learn how to use swimbaits because they are useful in the kelp, too. Later, you might try some crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, etc. Due to your limited arsenal, this setup could be used for your bass/sabiki rod in the kelp.

btw, you can also use your ultralights for dropshotting in the bays, but you'll need at least 6# test and you'll need to find an area without too much structure.

06-23-2010, 09:36 PM	#10
fongman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 116	Most newbies start off fishing in the bays in order to get comfortable with their kayaks. The bays have a whole fishery that can be productive: spotted bay bass, sand bass, calico bass, barracudas, halibuts, bonefish, to name a few. So, unless you are planning on going on the party boats or buying your kayak soon, I would hold off buying the big stuff until you're ready to use it. Instead, I would recommend buying a medium or medium heavy, 7' bass rod with either a low profile or round levelwind, baitcaster reel. Load it with 8, 10, or possibly 14 lbs test mono or 10-20# braid with a short length (3 ft) of fluorocarbon leader, depending on what type of bass lures you want to throw. Just about anything that works in freshwater will also works in saltwater. Start off by buying some 3" swimbaits (big hammers) and fish from the sand or rocks on the bay. Just about where ever you find eelgrass, you'll find spotted bay bass. Learn how to use swimbaits because they are useful in the kelp, too. Later, you might try some crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, etc. Due to your limited arsenal, this setup could be used for your bass/sabiki rod in the kelp. btw, you can also use your ultralights for dropshotting in the bays, but you'll need at least 6# test and you'll need to find an area without too much structure.