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Kayak Advantage
For a long time I had
been searching for something and I didn't know what it was. In fishing lures it was the
BANJO Minnow, but in fishing boats it was a kayak. Why?
There are three categories of advantages to Kayakfishing:
A. Fishing advantages
1. Quieter- especially in shallows where fish are spooky-also in
weedy areas where a trolling motor gets hung up or makes a lot of noise
2. Faster- when actually fishing, the kayak is much quicker than
the strongest trolling motor-- often important to quickly get to a school of surface
striking fish- also faster in heavy weeds where trolling motors are slowed or even
inoperable in heavy vegetation
3. Access- a kayak can get you into lakes and ponds in remote
areas, also sections of rivers or the coast where there is no boat ramp--also shallow
areas of lakes where fish can be hanging out in deeper holes where bigger boats cannot get
at them, or inaccessible saltwater flats loaded with shallow water loving big redfish,
snook, gator trout & bonnet sharks etc.---also back into the mangrove mazes----and
rocky stretches of river that eat boat propellors----also I have been out on huge Lake
George in EL Nino storms when no other boats would venture out because I could
navigate the shallow safe waters when they would need to battle the whitecaps----on the
tree-protected windward shore is a protected beautiful fishing day in almost any weather
condition---if you can get there---in a kayak you can! (P.S. Bass go crazy during these
storms!)
4. Distance- no other non motorized craft can take you so far
with so little effort other than a sailboat, canoes do not even come close to the paddling
efficiency, especially against winds and tides. Kayaks give an angler a real freedom to
paddle and explore in confidence and ease. (I eventually realized that there was nowhere
that I presently fish in my large flats boat that I cannot also fish with just my kayak!)
B. Convenience advantages
1. My kayak sits fully rigged, rods, cooler, tacklebox etc. in a
corner of my garage and slides fully rigged into the back of my pickup truck in less than
a minute. I slide it into the lake just as easily and back into the truck on my way home.
No trailers to mess with and no batteries to charge. Very little cleanup after fishing
saltwater---no engine to flush etc. I'm always ready to go again on short notice.
(Result-- I get to go fishing more often!)
C. Economical advantages
This is by far the largest area of kayak advantage. There are so many costs involved with
owning a powerboat that most people don't even realize the expenses:
1. Price- no comparison here--bassboat or flatsboat fully
rigged is about $17,000 give or take a few thousand----and begins depreciating rapidly as
soon as you park it in the yard where it sits for too long between trips---- (Kayak fully
rigged is about $800 and will probably be used far more often.)
2. Other expenses- gas, oil, boat registration, trailer
registration, boat insurance, batteries, battery chargers, outboard tune-ups &
maintenance, trolling motors, trolling motor repairs, trailer repairs, dreaded unexpected
repairs, and my favorite--- saltwater corrosion repairs---especially to the wiring of
accessories.(With your kayak--you can say goodbye to all of that stuff!)
Kayakfishing= more fish, more time to fish, more money to fish=
MORE FUN!
Copyright 1999 Ken Daubert. All rights reserved. Republication and redistribution of content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
Cpt Ken Daubert
3323 SE 2nd St. Ocala, Fl. 34471
(352-624-1878)
kendaubert@floridakayakfishing.com