Fishing and kayaking go hand in hand together. You can always use powerboats while fishing but doing so will decrease your chances of finding a good catch since the turbulence of the propeller will scare the fishes away. Fishing kayaks, on the other hand, are better modes of transportation since they’re silent thus increasing your chances of catching a good fish.
If you’re new to fishing and kayaking, I suggest that you read this guide.
Our First Topic:
Our first topic will be all about beginner fishing kayaks. I will present the best fishing kayaks for beginners, how to choose your first beginner fishing kayak, and how to ride a fishing kayak within this section.
Second Topic:
Our second topic will be all about fishing kayak setup. In this section, I will talk about how to inflate and deflate inflatable fishing kayak and safety checks before setting off with your fishing kayak.
Third Topic:
The last and third topic will be all about bass fishing for beginners. In this part of our discussion, I’ll talk about why you should try bass fishing, ideal pieces of equipment for bass fishing, best baits to catch bass, and popular bass fishing locations in the United States.
Without further ado, let’s move on and get this discussion movin’!
Fishing Kayaks for Beginners
What is the Best Kayak Fishing for Beginners?
There are different types of fishing kayaks that you may buy personally in stores or order online. Mainly fishing kayaks come in the form of inflatable kayaks, sit on top kayaks, and sit-inside kayaks. Each of these types of fishing kayaks has its own special features that cater to your needs. Thus, knowing the advantages that each brings beforehand will make your purchase worthwhile.
Inflatable Kayaks:
Of all types of fishing kayaks, inflatable fishing kayaks are the most portable and lightweight. They’re really easy to store since all you have to do is to deflate then put them inside their respective carrying bags. Aside from this, inflatable kayaks may be carried around without too much effort since they’re as light as paper.
Because of these, inflatable fishing kayaks are perfect as gifts for kids or for individuals who don’t love to carry a lot of weight when kayaking. One inflatable kayak that I really love is Intex Explorer K2 Kayak. This is a two sitter fishing kayak with the basic features that beginner fishers need.
However, an issue with inflatable fishing kayaks is that they don’t last very long and aren’t good for fishing locations with rapid waters and lots of protruding sharp rocks.
Sit on top kayaks:
Sit on top kayaks are built for speed. They easily glide along the surface of rivers, streams, beaches, and lakes. If you’re looking for a fishing kayak that may also act as a white water kayak, then sit on top fishing kayaks are your best choice.
Sit inside fishing kayaks:
Sit inside fishing kayaks are stable, sturdy, and comfortable. Also most come with useful features such as fishing rod holders, spacious storage compartments, adjustable seats, fins, rudders, fishfinder mount, and many others. If you’re a hardcore Kayaker and fisher, then sit inside fishing kayaks are the best. One specific fishing kayak that I recommend you to buy is Wilderness Systems ATAK 140.
A downside with sit inside fishing kayaks is that they’re kinda heavy and hard to carry around. You’ll have to fasten sit on top fishing kayaks on the roof of your car or mount them on a trolley to move from one kayaking or fishing location to another.
Compared to sit-inside fishing kayaks and inflatable fishing kayaks; sit on top kayaks doesn’t support comfortable sitting positions due to the shallow design of their cockpits.
Getting Inside The Fishing Kayak
The easiest way to ride a fishing kayak is to do so in the launch zone of the kayaking or fishing location that you’re currently in. Do the following steps and you’ll be riding your kayak without getting wet.
- put your kayak in front of the launching pad.
- if your kayak has a rope, tie it on one of the posts of the launching so that it won’t drift away.
- make sure that the kayak is stable.
- hold one side of the kayak and enter the cockpit one feet a time.
- sit and ask for someones help to untie the rope.
Riding the kayak is really hard after you’ve hit the water after tipping. As much as possible you should strive to keep your balance in the kayak. However, if tipping does so happen. Do the following:
- swim back towards the kayak
- grab the middle portion of one of its sides and haul yourself back in.
- you may also rock the kayak back and forth to build momentum and ride back with ease.
What Are The Characteristics of The Best Fishing Kayaks for Beginners?
A good beginner fishing kayak is one which has :
- spacious rear or front storage or both.
- comfortable adjustable seats.
- 2 horizontal rod holders and 2 vertical rod holders.
- retractable rudders or removable fins.
- fish finder mount.
- has an anchor.
- stable, highly maneuverable, and not carried away easily by wind or water current.
- spacious cockpit.
Setting Up Your Fishing Kayak For Your First Ride
Inflating and Deflating Fishing Kayak
Sit on top and sit inside fishing kayaks aren’t really tricky to set up. All you have to do is to install the additional accessories that you might need such as fishfinder, rudders, fins, paddles, and your Go Pro (if you have one). What requires a major focus during set up are inflatable fishing kayaks. One careless mistake and they might inflate in a bad way or even rip.
To inflate an inflatable fishing kayak, you need to unfold it carefully and flatten any wrinkles or folds. After doing this, insert the tube of the air pump into the nozzle of the inflatable kayak and start pumping slowly. This is really important to avoid awkward inflation to happen. As soon as the kayak begins to take shape, gradually make your pumping a bit faster. When it’s fully inflated, get a bucket of water and wet the inflatable kayak all over to check for leaking air.
To deflate a fishing kayak, just open the nozzle and allow air to come out. After this, fold the kayak neatly and put it inside the carrying bag.
Safety Checks Before Setting Off With Your Kayak
Do the following before heading towards the middle of the lake and sea or before cruising along the currents of rivers and streams:
- check that the drain holes are working popularly.
- therefor ensure that there has no hole or rips if you’re using an inflatable fishing kayak.
- Confirm that the fins and rudders are working fine if you’re using a sit-on-top or sit-inside a fishing kayak.
- ensure that the rod holders aren’t loose.
- check the fishing kayaking location for low head dams.
- ensure that the seats don’t rock back and forth and are really comfortable to sit on.
- ensure that your paddles aren’t too heavy to use.
Kayaking and Bass Fishing For Beginners
Why Bass Fishing?
Bass fishing is one of the most popular competitive sports in the United States. At least millions of dollars are spent on organizing a bass fishing event or tournament. On average, $100,000 is the highest price of bass fishing champions. Still, this figure might become higher when the event is sponsored by more established and well-known companies in the U.S.
Bass Fishing Essentials For Beginners
Professional bass fishers love to use powerboats but since you’re a beginner, a fishing kayak will do. I suggest that you use a sit-inside fishing kayak since it’s really suitable for most types of bass fishing locations. Aside from this, sit on top fishing kayaks have large storage compartments and numerous rod holders.
You should also have a fishing rod with a length of 7 – 8 feet. Also make sure, that the tip knows how to bend. Fishing rods measuring below 7 feet just won’t do because the pull of the bass will easily snap them in half.
A durable and soft rotating fishing reel is also important. Don’t buy fishing reels that don’t turn easily since these might hurt your fingers and wrist. Soft rotating fishing reels are ideal since they will help you pull the bass towards your kayak with ease.
Lastly, never ever forget to buy a fishing line. The ideal fishing line should have a capacity of 15 kilos or even more. Large bass is extremely strong and fishing lines that don’t have a lot of strength will easily snap whenever the fish tries to break free.
What is the Best Bait for Bass?
According to this website, professional bass fishers love to use the following baits:
- topwater lures.
- crankbait.
- spinnerbait.
- plastic worm or live worm.
- bass jigs.
Bass Fishing Kayaking Locations in The U.S.
The following are the best kayak bass fishing spots in the United States:
- Potomac River in West Virginia.
- Belton Lake in Belton, Texas.
- California Delta in Sacramento, California.
- in Osceola County, Florida (a favorite spot of trophy fishers for its largemouth bass).
Summing Up
The sit-inside kayak is perhaps the best beginner fishing kayak for kayak fishers. It’s sturdy, stable, and has a lot of useful features that sit on top and inflatable fishing kayaks don’t have.
The best fishing kayak is one which has at least one or two storage compartments, at least 4-rod holders, fishfinder mount, retractable rudders and fins, and etc. Ditch fishing kayak that doesn’t have these features since it’s basically useless.
Knowing how to set your kayak properly will make bass fishing safer. By the way, you should really know how to fish bass since there are a lot of Americans who made a lot of money by participating in bass fishing events.
Of course, before fishing for bass, you should have the essentials that beginner bass fishers should have that I’ve listed here.