Northwest Fishing Reports

So I have been kicking around the idea of dabbling in the Kayak fishing world. I have obviously been on youtube and been searching around on CL, this can only get you so far though. I have many questions, what size for mainly lake use, blah blah blah you know, the basics. If you have any experience with this whole thing, what are your thoughts? It seems very convenient but it seems it might be sort of uncomfortable? Did you buy one thinking you would use it all the time, and has that changed now? Or does easier transport equate to more use? We live towards the top end of lake Wa and I was thinking it might lead to more bass fishing and what not. I have seen quite a few videos on salt water kayaking, those seem considerably more expensive though.

Thanks for any input.

Good luck, there used to be a couple guys on here that fished from yaks but I'm not sure how active they are. You might search for anything with Kayak in it, try and find one of them and send them a PM if they aren't active. That should generate an email and hopefully a response.

I bought an Old Town Vapor 10 Angler this year for my first kayak, so I'm no expert by any means but have been out 5 or so times already. It's a great way to get off the bank. It covers water well, is fairly comfortable. Drawbacks are that when you are actually fishing it drifts around aimlessly so you have to constantly adjust. I tend to throw the paddle in the water (bungee keepers are a must) and paddle with my hands to keep pointed in the right direction. Wind of any kind is annoying. If I had the coin one of the Hobie models with their mirage drive would be the way to go. Or at least one with a foot operated rudder. But for a starter $400 kayak I couldn't be happier. I debated between the sit on top and sit inside and even though most reviews say go SOT I felt the SINK would be fine at this point.

I tried kayak fishing....... once..... a looooong time ago.....when I was in GOOD shape.......

Turns out, I am not a kayak type of guy

There were a couple of good articles on kayak fishing oh here a while back.

http://www.northwestfishingreports.com/ ... spx?id=184" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You might consider renting one a few times just to see how well you like it. Im sure they would let you take some fishing gear with you.

Great place on Lake Union that rents. Take em out and have a fun afternoon and pretend your fishing. see if you like it Like Larry suggested.

So I have been kayaking before, I however have not been on a sit on top. Do any of those places down on lake Union have any that style?

I have been kicking this idea around for years and now that it seems to be taking off more I was just wondering what others thought about it. It seems like you would feel very awkward.

Ill take a look at those articles.

Thanks for the input so far guys

It felt awkward at first, but once you get over the worry about tipping over it's all good. I haven't caught a large fish out of it yet, I'm wondering how much I'll get pulled around. I'm assuming a lot based on some of the heavier lures I've thrown and how I end up drifting in the direction I'm reeling from.

What shied me away from SOT was getting wet, the lower end models it seems like your arse would get soaked. The higher end models with the raised up seat would probably really be nice.

dwh4784 wrote:What shied me away from SOT was getting wet, the lower end models it seems like your arse would get soaked. The higher end models with the raised up seat would probably really be nice.

Yes you probably would get a wet rear if you were living in lower latitudes. Most folks around here and down South in the ocean wear dry suites. If you fall in you want to be protected.

Good point. I was out last week and the water temps in the Sound were in the hi 40's to low 50's. Thats hypothermia cooooooold for sure if you stay in too long.

How hypothermia affects most adults
Water Temperature(F).........Exhaustion or Unconsciousness.........Expected Time of Survival
32.5 degrees.......................Under 15 minutes.......................Under 15 to 45 minutes
32.5 to 40 degrees.................15 to 30 minutes.......................30 to 90 minutes
40 to 50 degrees...................30 to 60 minutes........................1 to 3 hours
50 to 60 degrees....................1 to 2 hours.............................1 to 6 hours

Renting each potential model would be a must before purchase, I would think to avoid several buying mistakes.

Personally, I was shocked at how wet the occupant gets when paddling with a kayak paddle! Then, what to do with the paddle to free the hands for fishing duties.

The weirdest part is reeling in fish from behind when trolling! Given, that is the only option. Part of the fun of fishing is watching the fish move the line as it cuts the waters surface. Watch the silvery fish as it wriggles just under the surface, with head shakes, jumps and splashes. Perhaps other fish swimming with the hooked one. None of that is seen or experienced beyond hearing something going on behind you. Basically reeling and netting.

The sitting/half lay down position, and always facing forward when fishing is also strange. If sight seeing or tossing lures, not troll fishing, I enjoy a kyak tremendously.

A neighbor recently purchased a 7ft model used. He complained of the tracking. He adjusted the seat, moved this and that to balance the boat and therefore improve tracking. But he was not satisfied and it is back up for sale, shopping for something longer.

I thinks BallarBrad, spiltmilk (youtube videos), and JoshH are just a few members of NWFR that use kyaks for fishing. Consider reaching out to them through a "PM" for advice.

I'm over in Spokane, so no worries about ocean cold water for me. I thought my location was in there but apparently not. Shorts,tank top and a PFD and I'm golden.

The water depth of the lake varies from approximately 400 feet deep just upstream from Grand Coulee Dam to about 14 feet deep just below the Canadian border. Water temperatures in Lake Roosevelt are around 60 degrees Fahrenheit in June. There is very little temperature variation over the summer.

Water temps in CdA are still in the 50's most places......

I haven't taken it on big water like that yet at all. Medical,Eloika,Fish,Silver is all I've done. Baby steps. I realize it's likely I'll end up swimming at some point. I tie everything down, drop a thermometer in and have been seeing low 60's so far.

I have a cheap sit on top fishing kayak I bought at sportsman warehouse when they first opened! Retail price was around $300. I take it out in the sound, well Boston harbor, in the Summertime. I load 1 or 2 crab pots on it no problem, along with a fishing pole. You will get wet with a SOT, I always wear waterproof pants when I go on the sound! I've also taken it to the local lakes, and caught lots of bass, and trout. It defiantly is a workout. I am not in the best of shape, however I can paddle around an entire lake.

Last summer I was out on the sound, pulling up my crab pot. Then I realized I had dropped by paddle, it was about 10' away and drifting away from me. Luckily I was able to doggy paddle to reach my oar. I need to get a cord to attach my paddle. I always wear life jacket when on the sound, and I am too out of shape to go to far.

I just recently got a fishing kayak myself. My wife had been wanting to get kayaks for the family, so started shopping around. I tried out a couple kayaks that friends had and found two things. The sit in kayaks are lighter weight and tend to track better than sit on top kayak in general, however, most fishing kayaks are sit on top and if you fall out of a sit in, then you can't easily get back in and your kayak is probably going to get flooded.
We decided to get sit on top for summer activities. My wife wanted something manageable and I wanted a fishing kayak, but didn't want to break the bank on them as some kayaks are really spendy.
I settled on an Emotion 9' kayak for my wife and was going to get an Emotion 11' fishing kayak for myself, but found the exact same model, but with a Lifetime name at my local Sports Authority on clearance for $175, so got a steal of a deal.
On the water ther 11' kayak tracks much better than the shorter 9', but have read that you can improve tracking by adding a fixed rudder to the back. Also, I find I don't get very wet in my kayak. The drip collars on the paddle keep the water from running back down into my lap and I don't get much water back up through the scupper holes in the seat. But, I've only been out on nice calm lakes so far. I would like to try the lower rivers and maybe the Sound on a nice days for salmon (if we get a season), but no experience there yet.
I've only done a little bass and trout fishing from mine so far and it's plenty stable and land handle a considerable amount of weight. However, some of the more expensive ones have more features and weight capacities depending on how serious you want to get.
I agree it would be a good idea to go try a few different ones via the rental places if you can to see how you like it. I've learned that a good seat is important as well as foot placement since you'll be sitting pretty much the entire time (some you can stand on). There is a kayak rental place at Lake Sammamish State Park too, but right now the lake is closed to fishing, so you'd only be able to go try paddling.
Good luck with your decision. There is a forum called Northwest Kayak Anglers (NWKA) that provides some good information too.

Couple of us up north here are kayak fishing, were new, but having fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0cxl_oF-hU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure how I missed this thread.

Not sure what you decided, but with where you live there is Kayak Fishing Washington. He does Hobie First Cast events where you can try out Hobie Pro Anglers and Hobie Outbacks.

I am biased because I have a Hobie, but they are well worth the cost. Completely customizable. I've got a downrigger, sonar and all kinds of other crap I keep coming across for my Hobie. Just ordered and anchor pulley and anchor. No fishing that I have wanted to do that I can't. Being 14 foot, it's big enough for larger bodies of water, yet small/light enough to fish lakes the big guys can't. Only thing I can't do it fish 100+ feet down in the Sound in current. Being hands free is a massive advantage.

I've gone out a half dozen times since I first posted in this thread, landed a 3lb 6oz LM bass and a 3lb 6oz SM bass from it as well as a few other nice LM's. The big SM was on light tackle, had my pole in the water nearly to the reel stripping line. I couldn't think of a more fun way to fish now that I've taken up kayak fishing. Heading out again tomorrow morning in fact!

Devin, you're making me jealous! I've only been out once in the last 2 weeks. Now to be fair about it we've been camping with the grandkids so I couldn't take the 'yak and expect to spend several hours on the water.

Today I added 2 flush-mounted rod holders and I'm going to try them out tomorrow! I haven't hit any really large fish but I'm having fun all the same...until the water gets too choppy then I become a wimp (or is that cautious?).