How to Choose the Right Kayak Fishing Model for the Best Success
Anglers looking for the ultimate in adventure and challenge have discovered the joys of kayak fishing. There’s nothing like hooking a 40 pound yellow tail, for example, and then being taken for a ride while your catch tires. The lightweight kayak adds a new, exciting dimension to the fight. Plus, kayak fishing offers great exercise and a reasonably affordable way – compared with most fishing boats – to get onto the water to enjoy your favorite hobby.
When you decide to get into the sport of kayak fishing the first thing to do is to find the right vessel for your pursuit of the next trophy catch. In all other respects kayak fishing is like any other type of fishing in terms of the type of tackle, equipment and most of the accessories you use. It is the kayak, the mode of getting to where the fish are, that sets kayak fishing apart. In this guide we’ll offer tips for selecting the right kayak for the way you plan to fish.
1. Rotomold versus hull/deck combos. What are we talking about, you might ask. It really boils down to whether you want a one-piece design or a two-piece kayak. In most cases the one-piece models will cost slightly more, but in every case they will perform better. Rotomolding, short for rotational molding, is a fascinating process. Plastic pellets are loaded into a mold, then liquefied with heat. The mold is rotated at high speed in various directions to cause the molten plastic to coat the inside of the mold, producing a one-piece shell. They are a better choice for kayak fishing because they won’t leak, having no seams. If a one-piece kayak is in your budget you’ll be grateful you made that choice.
2. Inside sitting versus top sitting. Traditional kayaks feature seating down inside the shell and offer good control to the paddler. However, they lack characteristics that are essential to kayak fishing such as stability, weight capacity and mounting options. For these reasons most anglers select a top-sitting model for their kayak fishing. You enjoy much greater leverage when setting the hook on a big fish and wrestling it to the kayak. They are typically more stable in the water and offer more mounting options for your gear such as bait holders, fish storage chests, batteries and more. All that equipment mounted onto a traditional kayak would make it impossible to flip upright if it overturned and filled with water. It is no wonder that kayak fishing uses top-sitting models almost exclusively.
3. Stability versus Speed. Unfortunately you cannot have it both ways. A narrow kayak will cut through the water more quickly but will offer poor stability. A wider model is slower but much more stable and that is why wider kayaks are used in kayak fishing. When that fish is moving across the bow or diving under the kayak you’ll be glad you’ve got a stable vessel beneath you.
A one-piece wide top-sitter is the way to go when you head out kayak fishing. These kayaks come with various deck layouts that allow you to arrange your gear the way that makes the most sense. Have an idea of what you want to take along as you view the various deck designs available. The last tip we have is to choose a kayak from one of the top manufactures in the business. These include Hobie, Malibu, Wilderness Systems, Pelican, Ocean Kayak and a few others. Hit the water atop one of these and your kayak fishing adventures will be maximized whether its tarpon on a flyrod off the Florida coast or taking bluegill out of the small lake in the north.