Today’s fishing kayaks are stable, capable craft worthy of trust. Even so, we kayak anglers know the sea is full of surprises—and I’m not just talking about hyper-aggressive yellowtail. Follow these simple tips to ensure your kayak-fishing surprises are happy ones. Wear your PFD Trouble strikes when we least expect it. Your PFD won’t do any good in the tankwell. And forget about putting on your life vest when you’re on—or worse, in—the water. It’s requires a contortionist’s flexibility even on flatwater, let alone in a building gale. Complaints that PFDs are too uncomfortable to wear may be true of…
Browsing: kayak
In many ways a kayak is the ideal fishing vessel. It moves silently through the water and puts the fisherman right down near the surface of the water. A successful fisherman knows that most of the information they need to catch fish comes from scanning the surface of the water for clues. Diving birds, small bait fish and larger fish jumping are all clues that fish are actively feeding, which indicates that fishing will likely be successful in the area. Basic Techniques Learning to fish from a sea kayak can present a few challenges when compared to wider and more…
Kayaking is a relaxing activity and through it you get the chance to spend time close to nature. The kayaking lovers opt for summer and fall months, mostly. However, that does not mean you cannot or should not enjoy the activity in the winter months at all. Not everywhere water is frozen in those months! Besides, winter kayaking comes with a few advantages over kayaking in the peak season. Of course, you have to pack in the right accessories and wear suitable attire to beat the chilling cold. The Advantages Of Kayaking In Winter When you indulge in kayaking in…
Forget the rapids, sunsets and sandy beaches. No matter what craft you’re in, it’s the wildlife you encounter while paddling that’s often the most memorable. But you’re not going to find much of it touring the Mississippi through Minneapolis or joining the throngs on the Gauley. To get where the wild things are you have to go a little farther off the beaten path. Following are a few of our favorite hotspots, where you can catch everything from whale flukes to caribou from the seat of your cockpit. American Alligator 1. Everglades National Park, Florida The best alligator viewing in…
The foreword sweep is the building block of all kayaking strokes. There are three sweep variations an intermediate/advanced paddler should know and practice: the stern draw (last half of full sweep), the full sweep and the aggressive sweep. Let’s look at each and study where and when each is most effective. 1. Stern draw Sweeps to control the stern of your boat are most important when you are learning to go straight, ferry and surf. For these moves, you’ll want sweeps that finish with a stern draw. Follow the blade with your torso and eyes. This will give you good…
Do you see some of the best paddlers taking half the number of strokes to do the same move you struggle through? Perhaps these paddlers have learned to maximize their stroke. If done efficiently, “less equals more” when counting whitewater strokes. The catch is the most critical phase of your forward stroke. Pause at the beginning of each stroke and focus on putting the blade cleanly in the water. Practicing this pause is a great way to focus on and improve your catch. You’ll get the most distance from each stroke if the tip of the blade grabs water near…
Whether you’re in a canoe, kayak or inflatable, getting to shore with gear is not easy, even in mild current. So nearly every paddler welcomes an assist when they swim. But it is not always obvious how to help. Understanding your options will help you make the correct choice. The first paddler on the scene should approach the swimmer. In the midst of a rapid, the best way to assist is with encouragement or giving directions for an aggressive self-rescue. In the midst of rapids or close to shore clear directions are the best way to help: “Swim this way,…
It wasn’t long ago that whitewater kayaks were designed to cruise down the river. They were fast, sleek, and took some real effort to turn. These days, whitewater kayaks are designed to turn as efficiently as possible; it’s accepted that you’re better off being more maneuverable than being able to go in a straight line. This is why your kayak spins out as soon as you stop paddling. It’s because your kayak always has some amount of spin momentum when moving. Learning to control this spin momentum is key to paddling. Playboats are designed to turn two different ways. Wide,…
Whether you want to improve your canoeing, sea kayaking or whitewater skills, the facts are hard to ignore—taking a lesson will help you paddle better, have more fun, and reduce the chance of a bad experience. 1. Have More Fun This is why you’re here. With a few lessons you should feel a difference in your paddling. Improvement should be measurable, and you should feel like you made breakthroughs. It might be getting a roll, or surfing with greater reliability. Imagine, getting on the surf wave every time you try. Would that be worth it? 2. Reduce the Chance of…
If you learned your sweep while paddling a longer boat, you probably learned to sweep from your toes, to the very back of the boat, rotating your torso while watching the blade travel through the water. This stroke might have been helpful for turning long kayaks, but newer boats are designed specifically for turning. In fact, they can turn so quickly that one of the biggest challenges is staying ahead of your kayak’s progression to maintain control. Here’s another sweep stroke to use instead. Start At The Toes Still start at the toes. As you reach to the bow, focus…