Kayak Ideas

Lakepilot · 05-08-2011, 04:53 PM

I've got a 16' Wilderness that is very fast, but harder to turn then a short one. My wife has a 9' Hobi that is a peddle kayak. You can remove the peddles and paddle it like a normal kayak. She likes it because she can peddle and keep her arms free to use her camera. She also has more lower body strength then upper body. It steers with a rudder.

fatlazyless · 05-08-2011, 07:14 PM

www.wildmeadowcanoes.com/kayaks.html will rent you a kayak to use in Center Harbor, right out the store's back yard, for $30 for 4-hours plus they have demo days plus Wild Meadow is a very friendly operation and it's always good to paddle a kayak for its' paddle-ability before you actually buy it.

Fishing from a kayak works pretty good for either fly fishing or spinning rod. For about five bucks any kayak can be turned into a fishing machine. All it needs is a trip to the hardware store for two plastic doo-hickeys that get used to secure either the fishing rod or the paddle, so one can be secured when the other is in use. Paddles will float but fishing rods do not, and it's not too good to watch a favorite fishing rod slide off a kayak into the depths. By using a very small plastic rope cleat with a short length of line at one end, and a U-shaped paddle clip at the other you can attach them with scews and washers-nuts to the top of the kayak so they can secure either a paddle or a fishing pole. The general idea being that one will be secured while the other is in use. Get a pfd with a few pockets for fishing stuff and you are good-to-go for turning just about any kayak into a fish-yak. As far as I know, most all fishing rods and reels will definitely sink!

Fish like to travel in schools, and kayak fishing is so quiet that you can actually hear the fish engaged in educational conversations with their fish teacher before you cast a line in their classroom's direction! So kayak fishing can be very educational!

www.freedomhawkkayaks.com for super-duper Florida Keys, stand-up fishing kayaks and go catch a Florida alligator or a great white shark from a kayak!

Lake Winnipesaukee kayak fishing at its' best: it's 8:00-pm in the first week of August and the sun is slowly going lower into the west; you are out floating on the swells on Lake Winnipesaukee with your kayak, flyrod, and a half cold 24-oz can of Colt-45 malt liquor hidden away in a brown paper bag as you watch the smile of the great spirit getting brighter & brighter as the sun starts to glow bigger & bigger into the wide watery sunset....a completely unique experience!

NH_boater · 05-09-2011, 07:35 AM

I agree with all but the Colt. During the season I fly fish out of my kayak nearly everyday. It seems to work really well for fly fishing because of the quite, peaceful nature of fly fishing. Casting so low takes a bit of practice but it comes. I don't get the same distance casting, seated in a kayak below the water's surface but then again, I can quietly paddle close to my intended fishing spots anyway.

I have caught some larger bass and pike that make landing them a bit of a challenge in a kayak (it seems that you really need at least one more hand), but hey, that's the point isn't it? You can easily fish the surface and sub-surface with a floating line, or go deep with a sinking line.

Imagine, no one else around, no other boats, you're bobbing along at 6 am on a cool, foggy, calm Wednesday morning and a grandpa trout violently takes your dry fly off the rippled lake's surface after a perfectly executed fifty foot cast over some boils, fantastic. As you pull him in, he gets close and sees your landing net, and he quickly breaks off your line and gets away because the wind knots made your 4x leader way too weak and you were too lazy to cut if off and put on a fresh, strong leader. That's OK because you were going to release him anyway, like all catches, and you'll be back tomorrow for another try. A few minutes later an old familiar otter swims by you, diving right under your kayak, close enough to tough him and swims up river, same as he does every morning. He looks to me like he should be called Jim.

A good day on the lake.

SAMIAM · 05-09-2011, 07:47 AM

Actually, we won't be using them for fishing, just cruising and sightseeing, but all your tips are appreciated. Good call from RattlesnakeGuy about choosing the right color.......makes sense to stay visible out there.

NH_boater · 05-09-2011, 08:06 AM

Shorter, wider kayaks are generally more steady side-to-side, maybe more comfortable for newbies. These are often used for fishing for this purpose. Longer, narrow kayaks are easier to paddle long distances and glide along better with less energy, but could be less laterally stable. Longer kayaks also tend to track better, meaning going in straight lines rather than zig zagging.

My 9 footer (fishing) fits nicely in the back of my truck without the bother of a kayak rack. These makes single-person launching and transporting very easy. A 14 footer would not transport quite as easy. This could be important if you want to drop it in and explore in various locations around the lake.

Also, there are often good deals on craigslist for used kayaks. May have a few scratches or marks but that would not bother me if it is half the price of new.

Hope this helps.

05-08-2011, 07:14 PM	#2
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,738 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,007 Times in 735 Posts	www.wildmeadowcanoes.com/kayaks.html will rent you a kayak to use in Center Harbor, right out the store's back yard, for $30 for 4-hours plus they have demo days plus Wild Meadow is a very friendly operation and it's always good to paddle a kayak for its' paddle-ability before you actually buy it. Fishing from a kayak works pretty good for either fly fishing or spinning rod. For about five bucks any kayak can be turned into a fishing machine. All it needs is a trip to the hardware store for two plastic doo-hickeys that get used to secure either the fishing rod or the paddle, so one can be secured when the other is in use. Paddles will float but fishing rods do not, and it's not too good to watch a favorite fishing rod slide off a kayak into the depths. By using a very small plastic rope cleat with a short length of line at one end, and a U-shaped paddle clip at the other you can attach them with scews and washers-nuts to the top of the kayak so they can secure either a paddle or a fishing pole. The general idea being that one will be secured while the other is in use. Get a pfd with a few pockets for fishing stuff and you are good-to-go for turning just about any kayak into a fish-yak. As far as I know, most all fishing rods and reels will definitely sink! Fish like to travel in schools, and kayak fishing is so quiet that you can actually hear the fish engaged in educational conversations with their fish teacher before you cast a line in their classroom's direction! So kayak fishing can be very educational! www.freedomhawkkayaks.com for super-duper Florida Keys, stand-up fishing kayaks and go catch a Florida alligator or a great white shark from a kayak! Lake Winnipesaukee kayak fishing at its' best: it's 8:00-pm in the first week of August and the sun is slowly going lower into the west; you are out floating on the swells on Lake Winnipesaukee with your kayak, flyrod, and a half cold 24-oz can of Colt-45 malt liquor hidden away in a brown paper bag as you watch the smile of the great spirit getting brighter & brighter as the sun starts to glow bigger & bigger into the wide watery sunset....a completely unique experience! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 05-09-2011 at 06:49 AM.

05-09-2011, 07:35 AM	#3
NH_boater Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 298 Thanks: 14 Thanked 147 Times in 62 Posts	agree I agree with all but the Colt. During the season I fly fish out of my kayak nearly everyday. It seems to work really well for fly fishing because of the quite, peaceful nature of fly fishing. Casting so low takes a bit of practice but it comes. I don't get the same distance casting, seated in a kayak below the water's surface but then again, I can quietly paddle close to my intended fishing spots anyway. I have caught some larger bass and pike that make landing them a bit of a challenge in a kayak (it seems that you really need at least one more hand), but hey, that's the point isn't it? You can easily fish the surface and sub-surface with a floating line, or go deep with a sinking line. Imagine, no one else around, no other boats, you're bobbing along at 6 am on a cool, foggy, calm Wednesday morning and a grandpa trout violently takes your dry fly off the rippled lake's surface after a perfectly executed fifty foot cast over some boils, fantastic. As you pull him in, he gets close and sees your landing net, and he quickly breaks off your line and gets away because the wind knots made your 4x leader way too weak and you were too lazy to cut if off and put on a fresh, strong leader. That's OK because you were going to release him anyway, like all catches, and you'll be back tomorrow for another try. A few minutes later an old familiar otter swims by you, diving right under your kayak, close enough to tough him and swims up river, same as he does every morning. He looks to me like he should be called Jim. A good day on the lake.

05-09-2011, 08:06 AM	#5
NH_boater Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 298 Thanks: 14 Thanked 147 Times in 62 Posts	Kayaks Shorter, wider kayaks are generally more steady side-to-side, maybe more comfortable for newbies. These are often used for fishing for this purpose. Longer, narrow kayaks are easier to paddle long distances and glide along better with less energy, but could be less laterally stable. Longer kayaks also tend to track better, meaning going in straight lines rather than zig zagging. My 9 footer (fishing) fits nicely in the back of my truck without the bother of a kayak rack. These makes single-person launching and transporting very easy. A 14 footer would not transport quite as easy. This could be important if you want to drop it in and explore in various locations around the lake. Also, there are often good deals on craigslist for used kayaks. May have a few scratches or marks but that would not bother me if it is half the price of new. Hope this helps.

05-08-2011, 04:53 PM	#1
Lakepilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 446 Thanks: 70 Thanked 57 Times in 40 Posts	I've got a 16' Wilderness that is very fast, but harder to turn then a short one. My wife has a 9' Hobi that is a peddle kayak. You can remove the peddles and paddle it like a normal kayak. She likes it because she can peddle and keep her arms free to use her camera. She also has more lower body strength then upper body. It steers with a rudder.

05-09-2011, 07:47 AM	#4
SAMIAM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 2,892 Thanks: 334 Thanked 1,673 Times in 584 Posts	Actually, we won't be using them for fishing, just cruising and sightseeing, but all your tips are appreciated. Good call from RattlesnakeGuy about choosing the right color.......makes sense to stay visible out there.