Saltwater Fishing Kayak? What kind? How Long?

Question

I plan on doing a lot of Kayak fishing on the Texas Coast soon. Problem is I don't yet have a Kayak. I'm looking for a very stable good, solid, kayak, and how many feet?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Howdy Pardner...

If you're new to this kayak thing, here is what I would do.
First, I would hook up with someone who has a closed kayak you can borrow, or go with to the nearest shallow water and proctice exiting the kayak when it is inverted.
Also practice re-boarding the kayak once you are in the water, but not in the kayak. Practice this until you are dead tired, and finally get it right. Then you are ready to consider the purchase and use of one.

Mine, which I use for saltwater is an Ocean Going Model 17 feet long, has built-in flotation, and two separate compartments for convenient storage. One compartment is forward and one is aft. You cannot access those compartments when in the water in the kayak. All of your accessable items will be lashed onto the kayak within easy arm reach by the use of shock cord lashings.

So, your rod must go in front of you under lashings, and your tackle box needs to be redesigned by you be small enough to carry on the kayak where it can be accessed in the water. Given all that, the biggest problem is where to carry your catch, assuming you are fairly successful. You certainly don't want them in the cockpit with you, that is a mess. I use a mesh bag with about 75 percent of the open end lashed to the shock cord arrangement in front of me on the top of the kayak. That way, I can easily slip fish into the slack part of the opening and let the fish slide down into the belly of the mesh bag. My bag is not to long and it only hangs down in the water a little bit, so drag when paddling is not bad, and I do not attract all the crabs in the area with my fish bait (catch).

Stability of kayaks varies. Since you will be rather occupied with handling bait, casting and retrieving your line, and reeling in caught fish, you will often find yourself not paying attention to balance of the craft. This is a learned sensitivity. You balance with your butt and waist, not your arms and legs. Several little gizmos are available if you are not good at this right off. They are small flotation bags which you can inflate and rig up to the sides of the kayakgiving it more resistance to tipping motions.

Carry sailors gloves, a pair of 2 liter soda pop bottles, and a good water pump, and sponge. Fill one soda pop bottle with fresh water, the other leave empty for urine use. there is no easy way to clear the water out of the inside of a kayak. You need some kind of small pump and a sponge.

Lastly, there is no way to turn around and access anything tied onto the back of the kayak. Don't even try. The only way this works is if it is pushed into the lashings on the lower sides in the rear. You can probably reach that but it is tough.

For fun, get a 3 foot cast net. That is really cool. Shrimp come in at one or two per cast. So, quickly you will tire of fishing and go kayak shrimping which is superb in coastal NC.

Good luck.

Casting from a sitting position is possible, but unnatural.
You will need to practice that for a while.