how do you fish from a kayak

Questions new members commonly ask e.g. Which kayak should I buy?
Post Reply
Hyperx
Apprentice
Posts: 13
Joined: 04 Nov 2016, 20:46
kayak: none
Real Name: jack

how do you fish from a kayak

Post by Hyperx »

So i went out recently and realised that i have no clue to what I am doing.
So ill ask a silly question on how do you fish from the yak?
do i just float on the ocean surface and throw hook line and sinker and drift about or burley up and pitch a tent in one place?
Where do u even choose to anchor? the ocean is so big i have no clue where to start from.

Ironically, i felt that i had minimal choice when fishing landbased so i decided to get a kayak but now that i have it, i feel like i have too much choice and have no idea where to start.

would love some advice
User avatar
Seasherpa
PHD in Yakology.
Posts: 2945
Joined: 28 Sep 2012, 10:31
kayak: Lots of composite ones
Real Name: Eoin (Owen)
Location: Seaford
Contact:

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by Seasherpa »

It depends a lot on what your target species is and where you want to fish, but speaking generally:

Drifting (lures & plastics) - flathead, squid, snapper
Anchored (bait) - gummies, whiting, snapper

flathead - sandy/shelly bottoms
squid - weedy/ grassy bottoms
whiting - sand patches near weedy areas
snapper - over the reefs in low light
gummies - on the mud flats in WP
User avatar
laneends
Vyak Addict
Posts: 6641
Joined: 25 Jan 2013, 15:59
kayak: Quests 11 13 Adventure 16 Revo 16 ORSki epic k1
Real Name: Keith
Location: Melbourne, Bundoora

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by laneends »

Take a trip with someone else to get started.

Having a sounder makes a huge difference as you different things in different area. eg no point attempting to drift for flatties for example across a reef. Or even dropping an anchor on top of one.
peatop
PHD in Yakology.
Posts: 2846
Joined: 17 Sep 2017, 18:34
kayak: dune PA14
Real Name: Peter
Location: Clifton springs

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by peatop »

Fishing from a kayak is the same as fishing from a boat, only your craft is a lot less roomier and somewhat less stable. I being a newbie myself treat my kayak as a boat but keep well within it's and my limitations.
That being said, just read as much on the forums as you can, DYI, safety, trip reports and so on, there are many types of fishing styles, drift, anchor, trolling and so on.
I started in sheltered waters then as i got to know my limits moved to the bay, i dont venture out far atm as my kayak is small. I use soft plastics, drown baits, use burley all at anchor or on the drift. I've found getting out there raises questions so i search the net/forums for specific answers, then ask the questions that i can't find answers to.
Mob no: 0401580668
Yak PBs kingfish (about this big <>>><), squid 39 cm, king george 42 cm, snapper 72 cm, gummy 122 cm, 71cm flatty (estimated ) Cobia 133cm
ecoronad
The force is strong in this one
Posts: 119
Joined: 10 Nov 2015, 16:31
kayak: native watercraft ultimate 12
Real Name: Erwin

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by ecoronad »

I've learnt a lot from this forum, but at the same time having over 40 years of fishing experience and 30 years boating experience allows me to know what my limitations are. Reading certainly helps with preparation, but if you've never experienced being in the open water before in a small vessel, then please start off with the basic safety requirements, then do lots of practice in a controlled environment, then tag along on one of the trips. Without a doubt, safety is my number one priority when it comes to kayak fishing, I've had my kayak for nearly two years and still constantly refining my setups.

Once the safety aspect has been ticked off, then the best approach when it comes to kayak fishing is to choose a target species. Unlike a boat where you can store multiple rods/reels/tackle etc, on a kayak, you're very limited. YouTube videos are great, but make sure it comes from a local content, eg PPB or WPB or Lake Eildon etc. Watching other people do it certainly helps with the learning curve.

Probably one of the easiest species to tick off your list is the humble squid and pinkies from around Ricketts point, black rock, mornington or mount Martha. Just drift along (use a drogue if your drift is too quick) and cast slightly 45 degrees to the side of the direction you're drifting along usually in around 2 - 7m of water. Berkley turtleback worms rigged on a 1/4oz jig head in a size 2/0 will usually do the trick on the pinkies. Just remember to maintain contact with the plastic by making sure you can feel the weight of the jig head from time to time. Don't let you're jig head sit on the bottom for too long if you're drifting and fishing over reefy areas, as it will get snagged a lot. Using the same drift approach, you can target squid, by changing over the jig head to a size 2.5 or 3.0 squid jig. When it comes to squid fishing, I try to imagine the amount of time it would take for the jig to reach the bottom and make sure I start my retrieve two seconds before it does. Once you've accomplished your target species, you can then move on to other species such as whiting, gummies, trout and cod etc. Good luck.
User avatar
cheaterparts
Needs a life (forum tragic)
Posts: 5758
Joined: 29 Mar 2010, 07:04
kayak: Stealth Profisha 525 ---
Real Name: Stephen-The Mud King
Location: Cranbourne

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by cheaterparts »

Hyperx wrote:So i went out recently and realised that i have no clue to what I am doing.
So ill ask a silly question on how do you fish from the yak?
First don't worry we all started that way - some in boats or kayaks - once on the water what do I do
first and foremost make sure you are safe - are you up to speed with re entries ( deep water ) have your safety gear and know how to work up weather reports for the area you are fishing - all things needed to keep you as safe as possible
Hyperx wrote: do i just float on the ocean surface and throw hook line and sinker and drift about or burley up and pitch a tent in one place?
Where do u even choose to anchor? the ocean is so big i have no clue where to start from.
This depends on what you are targeting and where
Seasherpa wrote:It depends a lot on what your target species is and where you want to fish, but speaking generally:

Drifting (lures & plastics) - flathead, squid, snapper
Anchored (bait) - gummies, whiting, snapper

flathead - sandy/shelly bottoms
squid - weedy/ grassy bottoms
whiting - sand patches near weedy areas
snapper - over the reefs in low light
gummies - on the mud flats in WP
Eoins guide above is a good start to get you thinking -- a sounder is helpfull not just for finding fish but for finding what the bottom is made of
so when you use a sounder start in places where you can see the bottom and look to see what a sandy bottom looks like on the screen same for rocks and weed
once you have that worked out you'll be able to find what the bottom looks like in deep water where you can't see the bottom

check google earth many reefs and weed areas can be located before you even head out of the house - check https://webapp.navionics.com again can help you find where the deeper water - channels and even has some fishing marks on it -
by researching a bit you'll become a better hunter

drifting - anchoring - trolling are all easy enough done and all effective - just as bait - plastics/lures are also effective just aim them at your target species
My kayak PBs
Gummy shark 128 Cm -- Elephant fish 85 Cm -- Snapper 91 Cm -- KG Whiting 49 Cm -- Flathead 55 Cm -- Garfish 47 Cm --Long tail Tuna 86 cm -- Silver Trevally 40 Cm -- Cobia 117 Cm -- snook 53 Cm -- Couta 71 Cm -- Squid 44 hood length


cheater
0402 208 657
User avatar
vicyak
Lord of the fish
Posts: 1204
Joined: 17 Mar 2015, 16:24
kayak: Hobie PA 14
Real Name: Brian
Location: Coburg

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by vicyak »

Know what you want to target that session. Next 4 weeks is peak snapper time so highly recommend to target snapper at the moment. Bait/Plastics is up to you. I prefer bait but guys who know to work the plastics well do very well.
Seasherpa was very concise and accurate on the species and method.

Use Google maps and if you have navionics should be go to tools especially when starting off in new areas. As Cheater was saying you can often see the weed beds and reef from google maps.

What I like doing once before I hit the whting is going out early morning on a calm day and clear water to my local area and scout the area for an hour. Can also do it at night with a bright torch. Weed beds tend to change from year to year (not by much). I will map the bottom (visually) and put a few spots in GPS to where I want to target whiting that season. That hour spent is invaluable later. I know as one of my favourite spots last season was covered in weed but the year before was sand. It only changed slightly and I had to move my mark slightly.

Also this link gives some of my tips for north PPB.
http://vyak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23778
Hyperx
Apprentice
Posts: 13
Joined: 04 Nov 2016, 20:46
kayak: none
Real Name: jack

Re: how do you fish from a kayak

Post by Hyperx »

Thanks for the reply guys, was very insightful.

So far i've been out twice from blackrock and started to feel quite comfortable out in the sea.
The navitonic app was rather mind blowing with all the depth and what not so ill make sure to use that.
I think i'll finally got my sounder working for the next time round( first time didnt turn on, second time was in simulator mode) so i think i will finally be able play around with that
think ill try from rickket point next time around but the weather seems rather bad for this week so i might try hastings or something for whiting
Post Reply