Kayak Fly Fishing

[acorad]

Hey there Corvina, it's acorad from scsf.

I'm not big time experienced but I've chucked flies off my buddy's no-name kayak a half-dozen times or so since this summer.

I've caught calico, bonito, cudas, and mackerel from the kayak, mostly on the kelp edges.

Yellow tail plans for the future, as well as rock fish.

My fishing was as simple as it gets; me, kayak, paddle, a fly rod, and a half-dozen streamers/clousers. A couple blue/white, a couple olive/white, and couple bright green/white.

The last time I went out I added rod and paddle leashes (absolutely required, imo), and a rod holder for trolling (both hands doing paddling).

Last week I bought a light weight Hobie Revo 11, mainly because of off water logistics, as you say.

And being able to control the kayak with my feet and use my hands to fish at the same time is a game changer I think.

The Revo came with an inexpensive fish finder, so I'll be interested in how that affects my fishing practices.

I'm looking for a net, probably collapsible and/or telescoping. It's a right pita to try to get a hot 4 - 5 lb fish to hand while sitting down in a kayak with an 8 or 9 foot rod. Besides, these feesh usually have dam sharp teeth!

I've seen some great ideas for stripping mats with sticking-up zipties that sit on the kayak between your legs and you strip your flyline onto it, I'll be trying my hand at making something like that soon.

Other than that, be ready for some big fish out there. Last time out, on my very first cast, I got hit and quickly bit off. 1X tippet which I think is around 15#.

I've now bought spools of 20, 30, & 40 lb mono. I don't think these fish are generally particularly line-shy, but I won't know for sure until I try.

Oh, and look at youtube for surf launch and landing techniques. It's not particularly difficult, but there are some things to be aware of.

Well, that's about all I've got! If you have some specific questions, post them up!

Andy