By: Dan Carns
There are any number of reasons to kayak fish and I believe that the simplicity of it is the main reason. Basically, anyone with a simple kayak and a fishing pole can go fishing and honestly plenty of people are doing just that. Nothing fancy, no electronics, no rod holders, no drive system, just an angler and their poles. These folks are keeping is as simple as they can. Are they catching fish? You bet they are! And then there are the folk who buy a kayak with a few upgrades that may include rod holders, tracks for accessories and maybe an upgraded seat. At this point in time, the new options for kayakers has exploded in recent years. You can purchase a kayak that has micro power poles, multiple motor options and forward-facing sonar capable on a craft that can handle hundreds of pounds of additional gear including the kayaker!
I mention these various options as I ponder the reasons why we kayak fish. Certainly, it is cheaper than owning a boat although some folks are pushing that boundary out a bit when your setup runs around $10,000 dollars! Many of us have transitioned to a peddle drive but are still resistant to adding a motor. Once you’ve chosen to add a motor then you have to register your craft as well as carry batteries and backups in case of failure. The last thing you want to do is manually paddle back a kayak that now weighs upwards of 150 to 200 pounds that you confidently motored out 5 to 10 miles away from launch. It is true that as a guide for Gulf Coast Kayak in Matlacha, I tend to carry a lot of gear including a fish finder, live well for bait as well as multiple tackle bags. My point is that your level of simplicity to complexity is entirely up to you.
Are you really going to catch more fish with all the enhanced options, probably but more likely it’s because you are an advanced angler and the added gear is necessary for competitive fishing. It’s more likely that most kayakers fit somewhere in the middle of the options road.
I often launch in Matlacha and simply fish one or two islands and just plain fish the heck out of them and catch a ton of fish while some of the more “advanced” kayaks spend all day covering all of the Matlacha Aquatic Preserve. All the way from Charlotte Harbor to the southern end of Pine Island where it meets the Caloosahatchee just because their craft can go that far. Sure some better fishing grounds and places that are receiving less pressure can be reached but it doesn’t always translate to more fish caught.
One of the better reasons I see for kayak fishing is the sense that the world slips away behind you once you get in the water. No distractions, no traffic or yard work, just you and your gear chasing after a fish or two!