Why Fish from a Kayak?

Here at Fisherman’s Outfitter, we just plain love fishing. That could mean fishing from the sandy shore, casting a line off a boat, lounging on the dock with a pole, or even donning our favorite waders. But it’s only recently that we’ve discovered the joys of fishing from a kayak, which we’re given to understand is a recently new phenomenon among most anglers. Not that kayaks and fishing from them hasn’t been around for ages – more than likely, our fishing forebears spent plenty of time casting from kayaks – but it’s definitely trendier than it once was among the hobby angler. So why fish from a kayak?

Also known as paddle fishing, kayak fishing is fun. Obviously, it tends to be a solitary enterprise, but for a lot of people that is part of the appeal. While you’re still in a boat, that boat is a lot smaller than you may be used to, so you’re closer to nature. Kayak fishing can feel more primal than fishing off the side of a 26-foot bass boat. That tug on the line? When you’re practically a bobber yourself, you really feel it, along with every other movement of the ocean around you.

Then there’s location. All you need to launch a fishing kayak is the shoreline, which means you’ll be fishing faster than all the suckers lining up at the public ramp, waiting to get to their special spots. Plus, you can get to prime fishing spots that bigger boats can’t reach because they’re limited by the depth of the water or the width of the channel. Tiny opening in the marsh? Not a problem. In a fishing kayak, you get away from the human crowds and get VIP access to the aquatic crowds that are chilling in the out of the way spots that bass boat can’t reach.

Fishing from a kayak is also quiet. Fish, as you probably know, like quiet a lot more than they like the rumble of an outboard motor so you in your fishing kayak have a distinct advantage over the guys in the speedboat. In fact, your relative stillness as compared to the rumble of most of the craft on the water means that you can access schools of fish or solitary species much more easily, even in waters that have been so overtaken by pleasure boats that the local fish are extremely shy. What you lose in speed, you make up for in sneakiness.

Why else should you give fishing from a kayak a try? If you’re hot for all things green, it doesn’t get much more environmentally friendly than human-powered watercraft – especially if you’re using your fishing kayak every weekend. Which brings us to the simplicity factor. When you fish from a kayak, you don’t have the luxury of unlimited space so you learn what it really takes to fish. Once you get the hang of kayak fishing, there’s less to load, less to unload, and less to carry. And it’s peaceful. There’s no churning of the motor to get in the way of hearing the gentle lapping of the water or the cry of sea birds. There’s no worrying about gas or oil. When you fish from a kayak, you paddle away from the worries of the world. So let’s say you don’t catch anything – there are still plenty of worse ways to spend a day on the water!