Ditch Those Boat Dreams: Come Kayak Fishing
By Matt Stone (@sunrisekayakfishing)
The most recent report from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) offers this factoid: 261,000 new boats were registered in 2021, a 9% jump from 2020 and the highest overall volume in 13 years (Source). Well, if you’re here hoping to receive a final, encouraging word to spark the purchase of your dream outboard, I’m sorry to disappoint. In fact, I’m here to say the exact opposite: Ditch the boat and join the community of kayak anglers exploding throughout the United States.
A mile and a half offshore of Niantic, Connecticut, as I bob happily on a glassy-calm morning in my Old Town Sportsman BigWater 132PDL pedal kayak, I get more than a few quizzical looks from boaters. Most of them ring to the tune of dude, what are you doing out here? Well, mainly I’m black sea bass fishing, but I’m also proving a point- I can go almost anywhere that they can, and for about 12% of the cost of a $25,000 bass boat. Let me be clear, I have nothing against boat fishing, and truthfully, despite being a multi-decade veteran of kayak fishing, I still hang onto my financially-depressing dreams of boat ownership. So, as we all continue to glance longingly at the PowerBall jackpot billboards, we can join the growing chorus of voices praising the sheer awesomeness that is kayak fishing. Here are a few reasons why you should try one of the fastest growing sports in America.
1. Cost and Customization
My first true fishing kayak cost $200 in 2014. Before that, I fished from a traditional kayak, shoving tackle into the bow space at my feet. For checking out small lakes and pond
s just to see what kayak fishing is like, that $200 purchase is still possible today. Truly, the initial cost of becoming a “kayak fisherman” is exponentially lower than most realize. Already fish from shore? Great, you’re most of the way there. Whether you want to spend $200 or $5000, or hit practically any price point in between, kayak fishing is possible. Additionally, the used fishing kayak market is thriving as neophytes move up the ranks and upgrade to bigger and more tricked out yaks, and many shops now offer financing to ease the financial burden. Bottom line: if you want to try it, you can, and for relatively low initial investment.
Once you own a kayak, the ability to customize, or not, is endless. A minimalist approach involves building tackle storage from a milk crate, some sawed PVC pipe, and zip ties. If you’re a gear junky, engineer, or just love tinkering, the options are practically infinite: fish finders, interior and exterior lights, outriggers, tackle storage, rod holders, camera mounts, and various other gadgetry are all possible with a kayak. Look online, and you’ll find websites jammed with folks sharing their favorite mods and upgrades. Most are possible for less than a hundred bucks, and how far you take it is all up to you!
2. Transportatio
n and Storage
Have you ever seen those videos online of some poor boat owner trying to back their trailer down a crowded ramp while everyone gawks at their lack of finesse? Ouch. Well, with a kayak you don’t ever have to be that person. My first kayak was transported by strapping it to the roof of my Toyota Corolla using Wal-Mart ratchets and a cut-up foam pool noodle for padding. Nearly 20 years later, I still transport my nearly 100-pound pedal-driven fishing kayak the same way, the only
improvement being a set of true roof bars replacing the fashionably questionable lime green pool noodle of yore. Nervous about loading up the yak? Videos online show people of all shapes and sizes lifting large fishing k
ayaks onto their vehicles using nothing more than a bit of leverage and proper angles. It only takes a few minutes, then you can hit the road! Oh, and, lest I forget- kayaks don’t need gas to go!
When the day is over, there are multiple options for storing a kayak. Many opt with garage or shed storage, either on wall brackets or on an affordable store-bought kayak stand. For nearly a decade, I lived in downtown Baltimore and stored my fishing kayak in my sad excuse for a back yard, wrapped in tarps for protection from the elements. You just don’t need that much space, and kayaks can handle both high and low temperature extremes well, within reason of course. Ease of transportation and storage, often a stress or financial challenge for boat owners, becomes an in
expensive and easily solved problem for kayak anglers.
3. Accessibility
A kayak can launch anywhere a boat can launch, but the opposite statement is not even close to true. As long as it’s legal, a kayak can be launched anywhere there’s a couple yards of open shoreline and a place to park, and then you can go practically wherever you want! Wind, tide, and other safety factors should be in the forefront of your mind, but assuming those variables are all in order, kayak fishing offers silent, sneaky access to many spots that boats can’t venture into, specifically near shoreline structure or in shallow, shoaling areas. A mistake in those areas for a boat leads to a repair costing thousands. Run aground in a kayak? Get out and push it back into deeper water, which can be as shallow as 6 inches for paddle kayaks and 1.5 feet for pedal driven or motorized kayaks.
4. There’s Just Something About It
This is my favorite part of kayak fishing, and it has kept me vigorously participating in this sport for 20 of my 34 years of life. I’ve written multi-page articles attempting to explain my love of kayak fishing, but what it really boils down to sounds frustratingly vague until you try for yourself: there’s just something about it. The calm, the quiet, the exercise, the feeling of sliding through a field of lily pads in your local pond or being dragged around by a 40-inch striper in the ocean surf; it all adds up to an experience that is impossible to replicate elsewhere.
Kayak fishing, more than any other style of angling, puts you up close and personal with the entire experience. You’re literal inches of plastic away from the water. Combine that with a sensual sunrise or a topwater explosion from a feisty fish, and you’ll feel that something I’m talking about. Whether you’re a solo angler or want to call up some friends and hit local waters as a plastic fleet of fishing freaks, kayak fishing can give you that. If you haven’t yet, try it, and see what kayak fishing can give to you.