Fishing from a kayak
Find room to stow a kayak on your yacht and a whole new world of fishing grounds opens up, as Huw Williams explains
Stow a kayak on your yacht to open up new fishing grounds
Ilove sailing and all the things associated with it, but at the risk of alienating my sailing friends I’m going to state boldly that the most fun I have on the water is when I’m paddling a kayak along a (preferably) rocky shore at dawn or dusk. Why at those times? It’s when the larger bass move inshore and start feeding.
Fishing from a kayak is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s easy to see why. It keeps you fit and is a great way to get closer to nature. And it’s fun; it’s lots of fun. If you go about it in the right way.
The kayak
You can fish from any kayak, but the right one will make life much easier. There are two sorts of kayak: the sit-in and the sit-on-top (SOT). The sit-in is the traditional style and has been around for millennia – think Eskimo style – where you sit in the kayak, are surrounded by a cockpit and sealed in by a fabric spray-deck. This is what ‘proper’ sea kayakers use, but for fishing, it’s use is limited, particularly if you’re a beginner and can’t do an Eskimo roll when you capsize.
The SOT has been around for a couple of decades and has captured the mass market. It’s what you see families using at the beach. They’ve really developed and the latest designs are fast, stable, quiet and usually have built-in rod holders, a storage well for the fish (be positive!) and a hatch on the foredeck for storage.
The great advantage of the SOT is that once you get a hook-up you can straddle the hull and increase the stability while you reel in the fish. It’s also handy for eating and drinking, and when you capsize (you will) you can easily get back aboard. SOTs are the way to go, so buy the longest you can find – at least 4m – and if you’re lean and mean go for the narrowest model available. If you’re larger
framed, go a little wider for the extra buoyancy, but never buy a short, wide model – you’ll regret it.
Newcomers to kayaking understandably think stability is everything and buy the widest, fattest SOT they can find. Their first flailing attempts at paddling and trying in vain not to capsize (we’ve all been there) confirms this, but after a few trips they discover they can balance quite easily, and that the trade-off for that aircraft-carrier-like stability is speed. Speed is everything to the sea kayaker. A slippery hulled SOT will not only allow you to really go places, but it will make pushing into a current so much easier – and don’t forget it’s you that’s providing the propulsion!
The next decision is whether to choose a composite or moulded polypropylene boat. Composite will be a little faster (but not noticeably) and lighter, so easier to put on the roof rack. Polyprop is much cheaper, is incredibly tough and requires no maintenance. You can find ‘as new’ used models for a couple of hundred pounds, and you can run it up on a shingle beach and bump rocks and it won’t matter. I’ve had both and was glad to sell my composite kayak – it was just too stressful.
Some models are offered with the option of a pedal operated rudder, but I’d avoid them because it’s just something that will need maintenance and it’ll be a magnet for your fishing line. You also don’t need one of those semi-armchair seat affairs – they get in the way and make getting back on after a capsize more difficult. A simple piece of softish foam or a gel seat pad (nice) is all you need and will allow you to hone your paddling technique.
Rigging the boat is simple – add a tether line and carbine clip next to one of the rod holders and a 5m-long bow line in case you need to tie up. That’s it.
Fishing tackle
There seem to be two types of anglers, whether they’re fishing from a kayak or not: the tackle obsessive kind who buy every lure and gadget available, or the minimalists. I would encourage you to be the latter, particularly on a kayak where space is so limited. If you’re a minimalist it’ll be cheaper, easier and you won’t need to make three trips to get your gear back to the car. Or lose it if you capsize.
I always use a handline when I’m on a yacht, but on a kayak there’s no danger of hooking the rigging or crew so I enjoy using a lightweight lure fishing set-up. It’s particularly useful when you’re fishing in shallow water and need to cast the lure away from the boat and it’s much more fun when you hook up that big bass.
Bear in mind that kayak fishing can be very hard on gear. Cheap reels fail under the constant assault of salt water and rods can get bashed by paddles, so choose carefully. There are some exquisite, custom-built rods available, but I’d think twice about taking them on a kayak. The following list is a good starting point:
■ Rod – 2-2.5m, able to cast up to 50g weight. A low-cost, tough model like an Ugly Stik is ideal.
■ Reel – fixed-spool design in 4000 size. You can’t go wrong with Daiwa and Shimano and choose from the upper price range to resist the elements. Rinse it in fresh water after every trip and it’ll last forever.
■ Line – Dyneema braided line has revolutionised lure fishing. It’s zero stretch allows you to feel everything that’s happening to the lure and the extremely low diameter means it’s affected less by the tide and wind. You want 200m of 7-10kg breaking strain.
■ Leader material – a leader is a length of clear nylon that is tied to your braided line. Get a 50m spool of 7-8kg clear nylon. Add 3m to the business end of your Dyneema braid using a double uni-knot, add a small swivel, then another metre of nylon and finish off with a small Spinlink clip which will allow quick and easy lure changes.
Lures and accessories
Towing a lure behind the kayak will be our main fishing method – trolling. It’s a good way to find the fish and the constant paddling keeps us fighting fit.
Lots of people seem to over intellectualise the process of catching fish and buy umpteen lures in different sizes and colours. You don’t need them. If the fish are hungry (they are) they’ll grab the lure, so keep it simple and initially just buy three lures which will cover all trolling and casting for bass.
■ A hard-bodied surface-splashing lure called a popper. Any colour, 125mm, 20g.
■ A hard-bodied shallow diver. Silver/blue/ green, 125mm, 20g.
■ A weighted rubber sand eel. White/ silver/green, 150mm, 20-25g.
Also include a small mackerel lure on a 20cm length of nylon and add a QR clip to the other end. You can clip this to the swivel on your leader once the mackerel arrive and cover several species at the same time.
■ Storage box with a separate compartment for each lure (small enough to fit in your personal flotation device pocket).
■ Spare leader wrapped around a foam holder.
■ Small folding knife.
■ Priest – a short length of stainless-steel tubing for dispatching the fish. Known as a priest because it administers the last rites – true! Add a rope loop and tuck/clip it inside your personal flotation device.
As a practical boat owner, you’ll already know how important it is to have everything in just the right place, and on a kayak it’s even more important because you can’t really move to get things. If frequently used equipment doesn’t fit into (or onto) the PFD they don’t go kayaking!
Things you won’t need include a landing net, a huge knife, an enormous tackle box full of ‘just in case’ equipment, spare rods (chaos), an electronic fish finder, a string of six mackerel lures (utter chaos), a spare paddle strapped to the deck and a launching trolley. For kayak fishing, let KISS be your mantra.
When and where to fish
I start lure fishing when the terns arrive and start feeding on sand eels. This is when the water temperature gets to about 11° – usually late April in Sussex – and I tend to stop in mid-October, although if the weather is good I’ll keep going until November. Some fish for cod in the winter, but I’m a sun- worshipper, so no.
Because we’re in a tough go-anywhere kayak we have the advantage of being able to fish in areas where big bass hang out, areas that non-kayak equipped anglers can’t access.
Those shallow water wrecks and rocks that everyone avoids are teeming with small fish that bass like to eat. Just drift over them and jig the 20g rubber sand eel as close to the wreck as possible, or at low water cast and retrieve the popper – it can be a shooting gallery. In September and October you might also hook a cod or two.
Most large harbour entrances have a bar and often a maze of sandbanks that appear at low water. The ebb is a delicatessen for predatory fish as food items are swept out of the harbour and concentrated through the narrow entrance. Paddle out with the tide an hour before low water and troll the shallow diving lure 30m to 40m behind the kayak – you’ll be amazed at the fish you’ll find.
At low water you can run up on a sandbank and stretch your legs by walking and casting the surface popper at bass you can often see – you’ll actually see the bass strike the lure on the surface. It’s exciting stuff, and more akin to stalking than fishing. Once the tide turns, get back on board and troll the shallow diver by zigzagging around the entrance. There’ll probably be mackerel and garfish there too, so clip on your mackerel lure to the swivel on the leader and you’ll cover both species. Once the flow increases you’ll have to call it a day at the entrance, so drift and cast as the tide takes you into the harbour. Don’t paddle (unless you need to avoid other vessels) and the current will take you to where the food sources (and fish) naturally gather.
Likewise large, shallow estuaries such as those found on the East Coast are perfect for kayak fishing. Troll or drift and cast with the popper and have a ‘riddle of the sands’ experience as you explore the extensive channels and sandbanks. At low water you could run up on a sandbank and try gathering razor clams (see last month’s PBO).
My favourite location is the kind of rocky shoreline you find in Dorset, Devon and Wales. This is where the biggest bass are found and it’s a great location for
mackerel too. Most fishing boats won’t go too close to the shore for fear of hitting a hidden rock and shore-based anglers often can’t access some parts of the coast, but in your polyprop kayak you’re immune to such things and you could be fishing in virgin territory. Troll the shallow diving lure along the rocky shore and you’re pretty much guaranteed some fish. In deeper spots, jig the 20g sand eel and you’ll probably hook some pollack. In places like Pembrokeshire there’s the added pleasure of visiting the small close-to-the shore islands for a lunch stop. Lovely.
Conservation
When mackerel are in a feeding frenzy it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and catch more than you need, so exercise restraint. Bass are a protected species, and in many areas there are catch limits that apply to everyone. Some locations are designated as nursery areas where no bass may be kept, particularly if they’re caught from a boat – and a kayak is classed as a boat! It’s our responsibility to be aware of the law, and the same goes for minimum sizes. Those small bass that are served in restaurants are farmed – if they were wild, they’d be illegal because the size limit is 42cm. This is a little crazy, because a marine biologist will tell you they don’t reach sexual maturity until about 46cm – no wonder stocks are dwindling.
Getting more adventurous
Your kayak will have a hatch on the foredeck and enough space in the hull for some simple camping and cooking gear. When the weather warms, wild camp in a secluded spot and cook up the fish you’ve caught – but take some back-up provisions in case the fish aren’t biting. Don’t forget to leave only footprints.
In some countries kayak fishing is a cult sport and the fish are much larger. Anglers in Australia and NZ regularly catch large tuna and marlin! Try targeting the biggest fish you’re likely to hook from a kayak in the UK – tope. Drift among the sandbanks in June and July and bump a whole mackerel along the bottom. You’ll need a wire leader to prevent them biting off the hook, and this could also result in the biggest bass ever. Tight lines!