Kayak Fishing: How to Select Gear, Find Fish and Kayak Safely

We've been getting a lot of questions about the best ways to quickly get out in the water and start catching fish.

After watching the video below, we were inspired to write this post to answer those questions.

Thanks to Jarvis Walker Brands for the video

Kayaking Fishing's Bare Essentials

It's really pretty simple and easy...you only need a handful of things to get started.

1. A kayak you're familiar with. Doesn't have to be the latest and greatest, either. When you're just starting out, you can just get a simple on off of Craigslist or eBay. Once you've been out a few times and decide whether you're going to keep at the sport, you can figure whether you actually need to upgrade your boat or not.
   
2. A personal floatation device.
   
3. Protection from the sun.
   
4. Lures for all the different fish or situations you may find yourself in. The most important thing here is to plan ahead and really think about what you need to take. YOu have limited space and you should always plan as if you're going to be upside down or submerged at some point, which means take as little with you as possible and make sure it's strapped down when not in use.
   
5. Kayak fish finder or depth finder to help you find the edges of structure. Again, it doesn't have to be fancy, but having one can mean the difference between an enjoyable afternoon of angling and a frustrating one.

Kayak Techniques to Save Your Day (and maybe your life)

Once you've got the basic gear and you're ready to hit the water, please don't make the same mistake so many people do.

Don't forget safety.

After all, the last thing you want is for an enjoyable afternoon to turn into a dangerous or life-changing one.

Especially when a few minutes of practice and familiarization could turn a dangerous situation into a very manageable (but still scary) one.

Thanks to KayakFishingTales for the video

First of all, you need to know how to re-renter your kayak from the water in case you fall out because (as the old adage goes) there are only two types of kayakers...those that have fallen out of their kayaks and those who are going to.

The video gives a great technique for re-entry:

1. Grab ahold of the side of your kayak and let you feet float up behind you.
2. Give a swift hard kick and lunge your chest and stomach into the boat.
3. Pull your legs around and back in front of you inside the boat

It best (and easiest) if you do this while a buddy is holding the far side of the kayak, but it can also be done without help.

But it's definitely something you should practice in shallow water until you're confident you can do it in any situation you find yourself.

Secondly, using a draw stroke is a very handy maneuver to pull yourself alongside anything (like another kayaker) out on the water.

Lastly, you need to know how to do a sweep stroke...it's the best way to get started from a stop or make a course correction while in motion.

The video above gives very helpful tips and demonstrations of both the draw and sweep strokes. Learn them - use them - and enjoy your time on the water!