By: Eric Henson
Well it’s that time of year again and the holiday season is in full swing! We are all super busy between working, vacationing, shopping, eating, and hopefully doing our best to sneak a little fishing in here and there when the weather is right. I’m going to write a little “holiday wish list” for all my fellow kayak anglers or just share a few things that I feel are great to have while making the most of your time while on the water kayak fishing. People ask me all the time what the best kayak or paddle is. There is no perfect kayak or paddle, I promise you! Make sure to do your homework to pick the right kayak and paddle to fit your specific needs. Go to your local kayak shop and sign up for the demo day so that you can really test and feel the kayak/paddle that fits you best. If you are new to kayaking or don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can find plenty of options. At the end of the day you get what you pay for, but most important is getting out on the water! Next would be a rod and reel combo to target whatever species you may look forward to catching. I have many different set ups and sizes for all types of fishing, but the main size set-up I use 80-90% of the time (whether I’m fishing saltwater on the flats or fishing freshwater for bass) would be a 2500 – 4000 size reel, 8-17 to 10-20# rod, 10-20# braided line. These set-ups will help you catch just about any species you can imagine. My personal number 1 all around setup is a 3000 reel on a 10-20# Bull Bay Sniper rod, with 15# Yo-Zuri Super braided line. Finally, lure selection. Make sure you are covering the entire water column! My favs starting from the top is the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil for topwater action. Second is a search bait like a Yo-Zuri 3D twitch bait. Hard lures like these are great for making long casts and covering lots of water. Last, but not least, would be soft-plastics like the Monster 3X X-MOVE or X-TAIL on a 1/16 -1/4oz. jig head weedless hook, as a finesse bait. These are the main things that help me be successful on the H20! Hope they help you as well! Tight lines and Tight knots to everyone! Eric Henson is the owner of Casting Kayaks LLC. a guided kayak fishing company out of Sarasota Florida. He specializes in inshore light tackle or fly fishing from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor.
CastingKayaks.com 941-504-1349