Landing fish (Stripers) while Yak fishing

**Forelle** · 08-25-2006, 12:53 PM

Just curious, what methods/tools are Kayak fishers using to boat their fish?

**Darian** · 09-15-2006, 02:23 PM

Hey Forelle,.... I see your post didn't get much response, here.

You might try posting your question on this website:

www.garybulla.com

Gary's website has a lot of info about fishing out of and landing large, pelagic fish out of Yak's.

**Rickey Noel Mitchell** · 10-14-2006, 10:10 AM

Hey Forelle, I use a long handled net or a boga grip, for the most part. However if it's a big fish or your just snaged, A good firm brace with your paddle will keep you from capsizing if you come unglued. The safest thing to do is keep your bow pointed at the fish until your ready to net it.
If it's a fish I want to photograph I just leave it in the net.

11-25-2006, 12:05 PM

Hi Rickey,

I am a long time fly fisherman, canoer and a year ago purchased a couple hobie quest kayaks for both my wife and I to fish out of. I have had several good fishing experiences with it including a week in Oregon on East Lake where I caught a number of nice trout out of it. I am still learning how to best fish out of it. I am also a float tuber and love the ability to use my feet to maneuver my float tube and not have to put my rod down. Do you ever use an electric trolling motor in your kayak fishing? If so, what kind of motor mount do you use? It seems this would really help a person be able to maneuver in the wind without having to set a rod down and pick up a paddle.

Thanks for any advice and hope you are enjoying this Thanksgiving weekend!

Bill

**Rickey Noel Mitchell** · 11-27-2006, 12:57 PM

Hi Bill, I checked out your web site , I'm an ex jazz and blues musician I played some bluegrass. a motor and a even heavyer battery are something I've learned to do without. I tried a electric motor on an canoe and what I found out was you can get into trouble quick and easy. Such as running up on top of a grass bed when you don't want to, even worse you motor will be on one side which takes constant steering and then there's capsizing which can happen by just picking up the flyline off the water on the same side as the motor. The Hobies will definitely give you hands free fishing. However I've stopped pedaling the hobie and went back to paddling a nomal kayak.

11-27-2006, 08:29 PM

Hi Ricky,
Always nice to meet a fellow musician

. Thanks for the response.
With the experience and time you have out on the water in a kayak and
having found no real need for an electric motor I probably don't need
to consider one either. The hobie quest I have is actually not the
hobie kayak with the foot paddles. I decided I didn't want those
things hanging down and getting hung up on the botton. I actually love
shallow water in streams where I sometimes need to drag my boat over
rocks etc. Here are a couple pictures of my wife and I this last summer with our kayaks.

Me with an East Lake trout on !

My wife Dana casting out of her Hobie Quest!

Hope we get a chance to paddle together sometime and maybe even play some music together

Bill

ps, you have a nice web site as well !

**Rickey Noel Mitchell** · 11-30-2006, 10:52 AM

Hey Bill, sounds good to me. I'm looking high and low for a reasonable Fender Eelecaster. let me get my chops back up and I'd love to set in with you. You and your group have an excellent sound.
The Hobie Quest is a good choice and a good paddling kayak. I'll be headed for the Delta and the American River in the very near future your welcome to come .

**Bill Martin** · 12-10-2006, 04:06 PM

I also have Hobie Quest, without the pedals. Really like the boat - haven't taken it to East Lake, but maybe I will. Have had many good days fishing that lake from a tube.

Anyway, I use a boga for everything except trout - I've even landed (& released) a ling cod that was close to 4' long, probably 25 lbs, using a boga. That was pretty exciting - this guy had some serious teeth. It handles stripers fine too.

For trout, I'm usually fishing barbless, and often use a Ketchum Release tool - the trout stays in the water, and you don't have to mess with the net. Sometimes I've had to bring out the forceps instead, but have found it pretty easy to keep the fish in the water, since i'm practically sitting in it.
Hope this helps.
Bill