Kayak fishing is still growing in leaps and bounds across the country. So what happens when you already have a kayak that was not designed for fishing? Well, for a long time, fishing from your kayak was something that was really not thought of by most people. Actually, in the early days of the sport, there were a few of us out there, fishing in the kayaks we already owned.
In my shop, I do get people coming in with kayaks that are not designed for fishing, but who still love their current kayaks and want to use them for fishing. Most of these kayaks are the recreational sit-inside styled kayaks like Native Marvels, Wilderness Systems Pamlico’s, Wilderness Pungo’s or Heritage Featherlite’s, just to name a few. Even though the designers of these great kayaks did not have fishing in mind, they are not impossible to convert over to a great fishing kayak.
So, if you fall into this category of having a non-fishing kayak that you want to hook up for fishing, there are some great products on the market that you can purchase and install easily. Scotty is really leading the way in fishing
mounts for kayaks, but there are some things that are not going to work well on your non-traditional fishing kayak. The biggest problem I run into is that someone wants me to install recessed rod holders behind their seat for trolling, but because most recreational kayaks have dry storage they will not fit. This is where Scotty fishing rod holders come in the picture with a surface base mount that will fit. If you want something with a lower profile you can also get their flush mount connections. These have enough room to mount behind a seat. These Scotty rod holders also work well if you want to add one in front of you, allowing you to carry up to three rods at a time while fishing.
Anchoring your kayak is not a problem with some new products on the market like an anchor trolley. A bow anchor will face you into the wind or current but with a anchor trolley you can pivot your kayak to face any direction, permitting you 360 degrees of fishing. My favorite is the one made by Water Trail, which comes with all the fittings and hardware you need. When installing it on a recreational kayak you might need to add a few small fair leads to help with controlling the anchor line (this will help prevent it from riding up in the cockpit of the kayak and getting in your way).
So, if you love your exisiting kayak and want to get into kayak fishing, then you do have a lot of options out there to convert your existing yak over and not have to run out and buy a new one. But I do think that once you get yours hooked up, you are still going to find yourself online or in your local shop looking into something more fishing friendly.
Half the fun of kayak fishing is the rigging of your kayak, so have a great time!
Chris Tryon
Hook Line and Paddle Canoe and Kayak Outfitters, Wilmington, NC
Phone 910-330-6999, email: hooklineandpaddle@yahoo.com.
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