What tackle and extras to bring in the Kayak??

[The Young Gun]

Hey everyone, 

I've been getting into the kayak scene more and more with my new Catch 120, love it by the way. I have added a deluxe anchor trolley by yak gear and I made a DIY anchor float and have my anchor. I also put a crate in the back, and I'm trying to keep my kayak lighter and mobile, but still trying to have a decent amount of tackle and any things needed in a average kayak day. 

So my main questions are:

How many rods  do you tend to bring in your kayak? Assuming youre only targeting bass that day.

How do you recommend storing tackle in a crate in the back? Especially plastics that can't sit in intense sun all day.

Do you bring any extra tools? Clothes? Or any other little nifty things that help you in a a day of fishing or can really come in handy?

[buzzed bait]

i bring wayyyyy too much stuff with me, but that's just how i roll....  i'll take 4-6 rods and not even think twice about it.  i've had all my plastics sitting behind me in the crate and never really had a problem with it and i'd be willing to bet the intense heat down here in GA is a bit more than the intense heat in WI...

as far as "extras" i have a pair of rain pants and rain jacket in a dry bag in the front hatch in the hull.  if it's going to be a really cold day of fishing (reverse situation here though, colder up your way) i will put some dry clothes in a dry bag and put them in the hull.  

i also keep a small dry bag in the small hatch under my seat to put my phone, keys, wallet, etc. into and it's clipped in to avoid any disasters or lost keys!  

[Darren.]

10 minutes ago, The Young Gun said:

How many rods  do you tend to bring in your kayak? Assuming youre only targeting bass that day.

I normally bring 2-3, but have been known to bring more, but not normally.

How do you recommend storing tackle in a crate in the back? Especially plastics that can't sit in intense sun all day.

I've spent years honing this topic. I've used bags with original worm bags zipped inside, to specific worm bags from Bass Pro, to 3600 size boxes to a Plano Guide box. Currently am using the last of those. I can keep a lot of soft plastics in the top, line, my Boga grip, more soft plastics, spinnerbaits, etc., there, too.

Do you bring any extra tools? Clothes? Or any other little nifty things that help you in a a day of fishing or can really come in handy?

I hook my Boomerang clip and a forcep/snip to my PFD, inside my box (as mentioned) I have another forces and my Boga grip and another Boomerang clip.

Additionally, I have a crate with a couple zip tied PVC tubes for rods when I'm out in open water. I also have a mounted a Stik-It Anchor pin for shallow water anchoring.

 

[Raul]

TOILET PAPER ! 

You never know when nature calls, gotta be prepared for that event. 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

I usually bring just two rods.  Sometimes I bring three,  the third is an ultralight set up to have fun with pan fish if I'm not catching any bass. I primarily fish with spinning reels since it's easier for me to cast from a sitting position.

Used to bring a crate, now that's left on a shelf in the garage, as it's added weight and was one more thing to catch the wind if my poles were upright in the attached pvc holders. I have my net behind my seat and a nylon bag (the type that you can put groceries in) also behind my seat. That bag is attached with a clip to the back of my seat with a small diameter rope.  Inside that bag is 2 small lunch box size foam coolers.  Inside the coolers are two small 8 to 12 oz. water bottles that are frozen and keep my lunch or snacks chilled until they thaw out, at which point they are a nice cold drink.

I start out with the poles rigged up and ready to go, usually one with a shakeyhead set up and the other with an EWG hook to Trig plastics with.  I have a small plastic partitioned tackle storage box that holds about 12 lures, including some spinners, spoons and a few crank baits, hooks and jigs.  I also bring a few bags of plastic worms and craws.  I keep my tackle next to me in a small nylon bag also attached with a clip and small diameter rope to my seat.

I cut up a pool noodle, the kind you can buy at the dollar store, to add floatation to the inside of the bags holding my lunch and tackle, in case they go overboard.  I also use about a foot of this pool noodle foam to wrap my anchor rope around and I have a small anchor that has  4 fold out sides,that cost about $10.

Also, I use about 8 " of  foam insulation (cut from the grey foam tubes that are used for copper water pipes) and put that just above the reel seat before the first rod guide.  It doesn't take much to float your reel & rod,and this has saved me a few times when I have had the pole slip overboard.

I have two rod holders about an arms length in front of me, one on each side. I also keep my needle nose pliers on one side of my PFD and my small camera in a plastic bag on the other side pocket.

As far as extra clothes, it usually warms up, so as I take items off I put them in a plastic bag behind my seat.

I have pared things down over the years so I am taking as little as possible; as I have found that I only use a few things and for me, I am having more fun and keeping track of less stuff.

Good luck in your fishing; with experience, you will find out what works best for you.

[Evan K]

Unless you have a nice sized fishing-dedicated kayak (as I wish I had) the less you can get away with the more fun you will have. I habitually brought way more gear than my stupid little 10' sit-in non-fishing kayak could handle (and I could handle comfortably) and it just made being out on the water stressful. I usually take 2 rods and a Plano 3600 that I've assembled from my main tackle collection at the truck. I have foam floats on the rods; a must have IMO.

[Cmiller]

I bring two rods, usually a medium heavy casting set up, and a medium spinning set up, and one 3600, in which I keep a handful of hooks, some weights, a couple of square bills, a spinnerbait, a swim jig, and a wiggle wart and a shad rap. This combination of tackle works great, and I adjust the colors for what body of water I am going to that day. 

[CenCal fisher]

One thing I'm glad I added is a fish gripper attached to about five feet of rope. This way once I catch a fish I can put it back in the water while I get out my scale or phone for a picture. I can also clip it to small tree branches so that I'm not always getting pushed around in the wind.

[Evan K]

9 hours ago, CenCal fisher said:

One thing I'm glad I added is a fish gripper attached to about five feet of rope. This way once I catch a fish I can put it back in the water while I get out my scale or phone for a picture. I can also clip it to small tree branches so that I'm not always getting pushed around in the wind.

That's a pretty cool idea! I have a fish grip, never thought about using it that way.

[imagine29028]

13 hours ago, Raul said:

TOILET PAPER ! 

You never know when nature calls, gotta be prepared for that event. 

You cant be more right...I bring essentials like TP, extra clothes, spare paddle, spare rope. I really need to get a first aid kit together, been slacking on that. 

but one big one....hand wipes/hand sanitizer. Whether youre cleaning your hands for eating or whatever, stuff is crucial. 

17 minutes ago, Evan K said:

That's a pretty cool idea! I have a fish grip, never thought about using it that way.

its a lifesaver for tourneys....keeps the fish alive and tires them out so you can grab a picture. 

[Choporoz]

Front to back:

-Inside front hatch: 12v battery (braced by some styrofoam pieces gooped in); hull-thru transducer/wires

-hobie hull-through wiring plug

-Lowrance Elite 4x

-Zooka Rod holder

-Yak Attack trolley down port side

-stake out pole lashed to starboard

-hatch between my legs: plastics in B.A.S.S. bag, plug knockers and cigars

-web 'pocket' to left of my seat are phone in a dry bag (attached w/lanyard) and 'pre-catching stuff' (megastrike, clippers, maybe pack of hooks or extra spinner bait, etc.)

-right 'pocket': 'post-catching' stuff (hemostats, scale, fish grips)

-crate behind my seat with triple rod holder attached has between 2 and 4 '360 boxes', anchor, hand paddle, bottles of water

-flag/light

-PFD pockets: wallet, readers, cigar cutter, lighter, car keys

I take 4 rods almost always.  1, maybe 2 spinning

58 minutes ago, imagine29028 said:

 

but one big one....hand wipes/hand sanitizer. Whether youre cleaning your hands for eating or whatever, stuff is crucial. 

 

That's what dirt is for - cleaning hands and rubbing into cuts.   I don't think I've ever used hand sanitizer....and what is 'whatever'?....lol

[J Francho]

2-6 rods, a few deep 3700 size boxes in the crate, small anchor, graph and battery, assorted tools for hook removal and rigging, fish grip, scale, towel, ditch bag with a change of clothes and towel if it's cold, cooler for food and drink, camera, phone, bump board, 1st aid, and a net.

I added a T-Reigns track mount with a cull tag attached for photo fish.  Put the fish in the clip, back in the water, get your camera ready, and pull your fish out.  Highly recommend it - no slack cord to get in the way.

 

 

[Darren.]

9 minutes ago, J Francho said:

2-6 rods, a few deep 3700 size boxes in the crate, small anchor, graph and battery, assorted tools for hook removal and rigging, fish grip, scale, towel, ditch bag with a change of clothes and towel if it's cold, cooler for food and drink, camera, phone, bump board, 1st aid, and a net.

I added a T-Reigns track mount with a cull tag attached for photo fish.  Put the fish in the clip, back in the water, get your camera ready, and pull your fish out.  Highly recommend it - no slack cord to get in the way.

That sounds neat.  I'll have to check it out.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

The longest needle nose pliars u can find .not the fishing ones the automoble ones that are like a foot long they can do about anything u want 

5 minutes ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

 

And them grabbers that ppl use to pick trash up they can do anything also.aside from cuttin

[MassYak85]

I usually bring 3-4 rods, but if I really felt compelled to my kayak can hold 7 the way it's rigged. I don't even have 7 rods though. I have 4 PVC homemade rod holders that are attached to a milk crate. Three are on the backside and are used for rods, one is on the front and I use that to hold a small net. Then there are the two flush mounts that came with the kayak that I usually put whichever two rods I am using most in. 

As far as tackle I can fit about 5-6 plano boxes in the milk crate. 

In the cockpit I either have the PFD on me or right behind my seat, some stuff to deal with fish once I catch them (rag, pliers, knife, clippers, scale etc.), an anchor, a water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat if it's really sunny, some snacks, a small waterproof box for my phone + wallet + keys. Sometimes I'll bring a stakeout pole (it's just a paint roller extension arm but it does the job). Usually I'll bring a couple small spools of leader line too.

And if I feel like standing up I have detachable home made outriggers I'll bring. 

[J Francho]

2 hours ago, Darren. said:

That sounds neat.  I'll have to check it out.

I'll try to dig up a pic.

[buzzed bait]

1 hour ago, MassYak85 said:

In the cockpit I either have the PFD on me or right behind my seat

right behind the seat = USELESS 

[Montanaro]

I take 3 rods...but am upgrading storage to 5.

Building a crate to hold 3700 boxes as its a pain to open tackle bag.

I store soft plastics under my seat.

I have an anchor trolley that i used for an anchor that i lost (was more a pain to use and store than it was useful) so i bought a stakeout pole to use with the trolley instead.

Front dry hatch has a dry bag of spare clothes.  Also rain gear and a small med kit with space blanket.  Never know when you will need it.  And heavy gauge wire cutter is very important.

 

I have a small cooler i put drinks in that also fits in front hatch or rear storage area.

[boostr]

18 hours ago, buzzed bait said:

i bring wayyyyy too much stuff with me, but that's just how i roll....  i'll take 4-6 rods and not even think twice about it.  i've had all my plastics sitting behind me in the crate and never really had a problem with it and i'd be willing to bet the intense heat down here in GA is a bit more than the intense heat in WI...

as far as "extras" i have a pair of rain pants and rain jacket in a dry bag in the front hatch in the hull.  if it's going to be a really cold day of fishing (reverse situation here though, colder up your way) i will put some dry clothes in a dry bag and put them in the hull.  

i also keep a small dry bag in the small hatch under my seat to put my phone, keys, wallet, etc. into and it's clipped in to avoid any disasters or lost keys!  

Same here, way too much stuff.

[MassYak85]

5 hours ago, buzzed bait said:

right behind the seat = USELESS 

I know, I know....I should wear it all the time. 

[avidone1]

I'm a firm KISS when it comes to Kayak fishing.  Two rods, a couple of 3600's and a couple of 3500's in a soft bag with pockets for a multi-tool, fish grippers, flashlight, knife/hook sharpener, sunscrren, insect repellant, braid scissors a small box for hooks, weights etc.

Safety is always the first concern.   Good pfd with a sharp knife clipped into the holder.  Around my neck I wear a whistle/compass combo. I attach my paddle with a leash. I use scotty stabilizers when going by myself in big water or the salt.

 

[Ohio Yakker]

I take 2-3 rods, a tackle bag that holds 5 3500 size boxes and another, small tackle bag that I keep my bags of soft plastics in. I keep both of these in the rear. I have to use the tackle bags because my kayak doesn't fit a milk crate. In the cockpit I keep my scale, pliers, and a fish grip. I have made DIY holders for these three items. 

I would like to try and simplify my tackle. Cut down to 3 plano boxes and then put only 2-3 bags of plastics in the remaining room in the tackle bag.

Occasionally I take a net which I just slide under the bungies on the front of my kayak 

[flyfisher]

anywhere from 2-7 rods, my crate with whatever can fit in it, pliers, digital scale, bump board, scissors, maybe food, always something to drink and depending on the weather, rain gear and headlamp.