Kayak flyfishing...not a fan.

[jbird]

Well I have now been out 4 times on the new kayak. After the mayden voyage, it was easy to see what needed to be done to maximize my experience. I pulled the folding seat off my pontoon boat and mounted it to the yak. It sits me up about 6" higher and has nice cusions and back support.
I added rod holders so I can carry 2. Also a paddle keeper that my paddle slips into out of the way.
The biggest addition I made was anchors... fore and aft. The kayak is so impossible to keep in position in even the lightest breeze (I knew I was gonna fight this) My back anchor hangs off the back on a lock-pulley and is easy to use. The front anchor isnt identicle but similar.

Heres my list of pros and cons Ive found with fishing from a kayak.

Pro's
-Gets around much faster than a float tube
-You can see better cause youre up a bit higher.
-You can get thru heavy weed cover
-youre out of the water.

Cons
-heavy
-noisy
-awkward
-you have to drop anchors in the slightest breeze.
-you cant make any adjustment to your position without puting your rod down.
-Uncomfortable (even with a very good seat)
-All kinds of hangups for flyline (Some of which you cannot reach while sitting on the yak which has caused me to purposely break off flies on my kayak twice rather than go to shore to deal with it)
- When you pull anchor there is often 10# of weeds hung on the anchor you are now having to paddle around with.

...Give me time and I'll list a lot more cons :-(

For me, effective stillwater flyfishing involves a fairly continuos, controlled motion. If you are working a shoreline casting into pockets in reeds or whatever, it really helps if your craft remains oriented towards the target as you move along the shoreline. the only way you can acheive this with a kayak is with the paddle in your hands. Unless the breeze is magically blowing you along a perfect drift.

I dont see me trying to incorperate flippers with the kayak. Its too wide to straddle it and riding it side saddle would limit me even more.

...So my conclusion is, a float tube is a far more effective way for ME to flyfish effectively. I dont mind the slow travel of a float tube. at least I can fish as I travel, unlike the kayak.

However, I did not leave the water empty handed :-) I'll put a report in the warmwater forum.

Jay

[Dan Blanton]

Jbird - get a pram. I love fly-fishing from my pram and you don't have nearly the problems as with other water craft. You do have to anchor but it's a lot easier to pull an anchor from a pram. I'd look at a Spring Creek pram - light, stable, and very easy to row.

Dan

[jbird]

I think thats a good call Dan. I know pram owners LOVE them! I am a float tube addict and find it a super effective way to fish small water. But chopping my legs and fins thru thick vegitiation while bassin' isnt very glamorous.

[Scott V]

you still have to put your rod down when moving in a pram. In a float tube I never put my rod down and constantly have my fly in the water. If you fly is not in the water your not going to catch fish.

To me a kayak or pram are good for two things, when you need to get from point A to point B and do not want to fish along the way. Or if you plan to anchor in moving water.

But for stillwater, nothing beats a float tube, at least for me.

[Dabalone]

I think thats a good call Dan. I know pram owners LOVE them! I am a float tube addict and find it a super effective way to fish small water. But chopping my legs and fins thru thick vegitiation while bassin' isnt very glamorous.

I don't know of any type of fishing anyone would call glamorous, if you are good at it you end up smelling like a fish anyway, keep on kicking.

[RAS]

Jbird,
I'm with Scott on this one. Allways in position with fins in the water.
Everything has it's pros and cons.A good comprimise for me has been a quad pontoon. I tried fishing out of a canoe ONCE. Probably worse that a yak.
Good Fishing to all,RAS

[Adam Grace]

I have only fished once out of a kayak and I wasn't too fond of it either. It seems to work better with conventional gear that does';t have a pile of line to catch up on everything, or the awkward stripping motion while sitting ing a yak. At least they are fast ;)

I love my pram! I use a trolling motor to troll to another location on the water, keeping my fly in the water and every once and awhile I catch one while trolling. The trolling motor makes it easy to keep in positon most of the time, every now and then I compromise and use the anchor. Float tubes are nice when you don't have to kick long distances. I hate long distances in my tube, so tiring. ;)

[Scott V]

I catch one while trolling.

Can I get you some flashers to put on your line for you?:D

[Adam Grace]

That would be AMAZING Scott!!! Thank you SOOOO much ;)
I could also used a down-rigger as well. lol

[jbird]

Yeah, Ive tried fishing from a canoe too. Please dont make me retell THAT story!! ;-)

[Reno Flytyer]

For me, it's 1) Pontoon, 2) Electric motor, 3) Fins...I can turn on a dime, go forward or backward, anchor when desired, steer with my feet (fins) going either forward or backward & never have to put down the rod unless I'm opening a beer. Very few line traps & I leave the oars and oar locks in the SUV. Spotting fish is undoubtedly easier from a pram, but I'll take that trade off for the advantages I feel I have.
RFT

[Darian]

Each type of floatation has it's pros and cons. Like Dan, I'm a long time fan of prams. They can be used in moving or slow/still water, cover distances relatively quickly. Rowing is good exercise and you can attach a trolling motor. Anchoring only requires an anchoring system for each end and a wind anchor will slow down most any drift. Prams will accommodate depth/fish finders, too.

I can choose to stand or sit down in mine to cast/fish even when the wind is blowing. While standing, I can cast as well and as far from my pram as I can while wading or standing on dry land.

Best of all, a pram can carry much more than a tube or Kayak and be handy for access. When I'm out on a cold morning or day, I can stop and pour a cup of coffee, take out a sandwich or snack from the cooler and enjoy a break without leaving the water.

Now that I'm getting older, I fish from a bass boat. Ahhh, the creature comforts.... :smirk:

The only negative I ever found was that I had to load the pram onto the top of my vehicle at the end of the day when I was tired. I still did it every time, tho.

[Dan Blanton]

you still have to put your rod down when moving in a pram. In a float tube I never put my rod down and constantly have my fly in the water. If you fly is not in the water your not going to catch fish.

To me a kayak or pram are good for two things, when you need to get from point A to point B and do not want to fish along the way. Or if you plan to anchor in moving water.

But for stillwater, nothing beats a float tube, at least for me.

Scott: When moving (rowing or electric motoring) a pram you can choose not to troll or troll. I have Scotty rod holders on my pram and I can cast, place the rod in the holder and troll while rowing to a new spot. I can also troll while motoring with the electric.

I like my pram for lots of positive reasons: I can stand up in it for better viewing and to stretch the legs. I can have a couple of extra rods in my bags rigged and ready; my lunch box and small ice chest, plus camera gear is in the boat; and I can take a pee without having to go to shore... Of course there is more, but that's enough.

Each to his or her own; and each camp has its loyal followers. I've tried tubes, kick boats, yaks and canoes - I'll take a pram.

Dan

[Dan Blanton]

Can I get you some flashers to put on your line for you?:D

Hey Scott, send me some flashers too- Send some to most of the float tube gang to since I see most of them "kick-trolling" vs. actually casting. I once had a tuber troll right into the side of my pram on Crowley Lake. He wasn't looking where he was going and I just let him bounce off my pram. It scared the crap out of him and he was so apologetic. I just laughed, kidded him a bit and kept on casting my intermediate shooting head, catching lots of fish.

[jbird]

For me, it's 1) Pontoon, 2) Electric motor, 3) Fins...I can turn on a dime, go forward or backward, anchor when desired, steer with my feet (fins) going either forward or backward & never have to put down the rod unless I'm opening a beer. Very few line traps & I leave the oars and oar locks in the SUV. Spotting fish is undoubtedly easier from a pram, but I'll take that trade off for the advantages I feel I have.
RFT

I would love to go out with someone who has it dialed so I can see what you do. Theres no way I could have fins with mine (Which would solve most of my problems) because my kayak is 36" wide. I dont think I'm "cowboy" enough to straddle that. How are you sitting when using fins? What does "pontoon" mean. Do you have some kinda outriggers?

[Larry S]

jbird,
"I don't think I'm "cowboy" enough to straddle that." I'm seeing Slim Pickens in Dr,
Strangelove, here.
Best,
Larry S

[FRSam]

As has been said you can't cover all the bases with just one craft. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. The float tube is ideal for fishing a single cove where distance isn't a requirement and it's not too thick with weeds. There's nothing worse IMOP than trying to kick through heavy weeds. But if you need to cover more water, trying to locate fish, a tube doesn't cut it.

A kayak / canoe is pretty good for covering water, you glide over the top of weed beds, you can get into skinny water but as pointed out wind can be a real problem and anchoring rear and aft can be a pain. And once anchored you give up mobility.

Prams are nice...you can even bring your dog. More space and easier access to gear, food and beer. With a trolling motor you can cover a pretty good distance. You can get into the shallows and your line of sight is increased with the height advantage. Weed beds aren't a problem as you can paddle right over the top of them. But wind does present a problem and you're back to one or two anchors which again limits the area you can effectively cover. And when the wind really blows prams can be dangerous as the waves increase in size...been there done that.

I went through all of the above and still use some of them from time to time when the right situation presents itself. But by far my main mode of Stillwater fishing is done with my outboard 15 1/2ft Boston Whaler. The reason I like it is I can cover so much water quickly and once I get there I can put ashore and fish to my hearts content. Lakes like Davis, Almanor and Eagle no longer become limited to just fishing one area...if the fish aren't there I can quickly relocate to another bucket a good distance away and fish it. If the wind really begins to act up as it often does on these lakes it's no longer a white knuckle trip back in and finally there's plenty of room for my dog.:)

So I think your best bet is to get one of each and go from there..;)

Pete

[luckydude]

Yeah, Ive tried fishing from a canoe too. Please dont make me retell THAT story!! ;-)

Huh, I must be an odd ball, I have many many hours of canoe fishing under my belt but it was almost always w/ 2 people in the canoe. One person does the canoe, the other fishes. In my case it was with my dad, he didn't care for fishing so it worked out great :)

[Mike McKenzie]

Well I have now been out 4 times on the new kayak. After the mayden voyage, it was easy to see what needed to be done to maximize my experience.....

...So my conclusion is, a float tube is a far more effective way for ME to flyfish effectively. I dont mind the slow travel of a float tube. at least I can fish as I travel, unlike the kayak.

However, I did not leave the water empty handed :-) I'll put a report in the warmwater forum.

Jay

Hey Jay,

Have you looked at these....Best of both worlds!

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/summersale/summersale.html

Take a look at the Outlaw Series (if your richer and want to carry more "stuff") or the Escape (if your poorer) With either one you use the oars to get where your going or through the weeds, etc. Put your feet up on the bar and go. When fishin' you've got all the control with your fins! I love mine except it's a little to heavy for backpackin' but I don't do that anymore anyhoo!
Mike

[jbird]

Hey Jay,

Have you looked at these....Best of both worlds!

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/summersale/summersale.html

Take a look at the Outlaw Series (if your richer and want to carry more "stuff") or the Escape (if your poorer) With either one you use the oars to get where your going or through the weeds, etc. Put your feet up on the bar and go. When fishin' you've got all the control with your fins! I love mine except it's a little to heavy for backpackin' but I don't do that anymore anyhoo!
Mike

Hey Mike. I agree those are probably the peak of performance for the kinda fishing I like. Maybe I should put all my crafts on craigslist with a goal to replace them with one of these. I hate how unique products have no commercial competition so they can set the price wherever they want. That price is just not do-able for me. Ive got 2 good float tubes, a pontoon and a kayak and I have less money in them all than one of these.

[Dan Blanton]

Each type of floatation has it's pros and cons. Like Dan, I'm a long time fan of prams. They can be used in moving or slow/still water, cover distances relatively quickly. Rowing is good exercise and you can attach a trolling motor. Anchoring only requires an anchoring system for each end and a wind anchor will slow down most any drift. Prams will accommodate depth/fish finders, too.

I can choose to stand or sit down in mine to cast/fish even when the wind is blowing. While standing, I can cast as well and as far from my pram as I can while wading or standing on dry land.

Best of all, a pram can carry much more than a tube or Kayak and be handy for access. When I'm out on a cold morning or day, I can stop and pour a cup of coffee, take out a sandwich or snack from the cooler and enjoy a break without leaving the water.

Now that I'm getting older, I fish from a bass boat. Ahhh, the creature comforts.... :smirk:

The only negative I ever found was that I had to load the pram onto the top of my vehicle at the end of the day when I was tired. I still did it every time, tho.

Well, I wish I had stated all the pros as well as you have; but we are on the same page for sure! At 69 my pram went from weighing around 75 pounds (Metalhead) to over 100. It's me not the pram. I'm getting one of those folding flatbed cargo trailers to tow my pram. This is what the old timers are doing now to handle their prams for the Smith River and other places. Too easy! If you get the 12-inch tires (or larger), long tows are not a problem. And, you can stack prams, towing more than one if traveling with a buddy. No more strained arms and backaches for me...

Dan

[Ed Wahl]

Dan you're making me old before my time. I'm fifty and have been trailering my Metalhead around for 2 years now. The difference is huge, especially at dark after a long day. Seems way too easy.

As has been stated already no one craft will do it all and everyone has a different set of requirements. To each his own.

Jay, I tried to find that epic canoe story of yours but apparantly I just can't master this site or it's too far back to retrieve.

Best canoe story ever.

Ed

[Dan Blanton]

Dan you're making me old before my time. I'm fifty and have been trailering my Metalhead around for 2 years now. The difference is huge, especially at dark after a long day. Seems way too easy.

As has been stated already no one craft will do it all and everyone has a different set of requirements. To each his own.

Jay, I tried to find that epic canoe story of yours but apparently I just can't master this site or it's too far back to retrieve.

Best canoe story ever.

Ed

Hey Ed,

To make it even easier, I've got a folding Yak/canoe wheel carrier. I widened the bunks with some plywood and jury-rigged a handle to I could slide it under my pram easier. The carrier converts my pram into a cart that I can balance perfectly by load distribution. I can balance the pram with one hand. I've rolled my pram fully loaded with gear, battery and electric motor more than a hundred yards from truck to water without a bit of heavy lifting - just some pushing. I roll it right into the water if needed. I strap the pram to the wheels frame so it won't bounce off, unstrap at the water and float the pram right off - or just slip the wheels out from under the pram at water's edge. I believe I got my cart from Cabelas.

Combine this with a trailer and it's really too easy...

Dan

[BillB]

my pram went from weighing around 75 pounds (Metalhead) to over 100.

Dan

I completely understand. My Navarro canoe went from just over 50 pounds to, near as I can tell, the weight of juvenile water buffalo! Sometimes I question the publicized weight of my Fish Cat!

[trouterfan1]

I think all watercraft one might acquire have specific purposes of use. A float tube is great for packing into remote and/or smaller lakes. A toon is great for covering more water (JUST GRAB THE OARS AND PULL) when fishing lakes and also good for floating rivers (WITHOUT FINS) but you may need to pull ashore to fish the runs, pools, tailouts etc... A raft with a fishing frame is ideal for floating rivers with a couple buddies all the while trading off on the sticks if all are competent oarsmen. A kayak?....well... might be good for sightseeing and striding across the water on lakes or maybe heading up river when your in slack water? Don't know never fished from one. A pram I might have to purchase, I like the idea of having the stability all the while being out of the water and maybe having mans best friend aboard...also theres something about it being old school!...I like that!. Prams have been around forever and sometimes are a forgotten vessel in this new age of up and coming watercraft. Although I like technology and utilize it to the fullest when buying equipment; light fast action graphite rods, super slick coated precise tapered lines, super light barstock aluminum, sealed drag, pretty! and functional reels the list goes on of course! Oh...back to the pram..Old school yeah... I like that! brings you back in time a bit, a bit of spirit to the forefathers of this great sport. Many of whom have contributed time and knowledge to this board even! Prams are cool! going to have to get one now! Picturing myself feathering a split cane boo rod to a distant rising rainbow out of my pram as I write this up.

[jbird]

Dan you're making me old before my time. I'm fifty and have been trailering my Metalhead around for 2 years now. The difference is huge, especially at dark after a long day. Seems way too easy.

As has been stated already no one craft will do it all and everyone has a different set of requirements. To each his own.

Jay, I tried to find that epic canoe story of yours but apparantly I just can't master this site or it's too far back to retrieve.

Best canoe story ever.

Ed

Here ya go Ed. Not one of my finer reports, but entertaining Nonetheless.
http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10488