Kayak and/or Canoe fishing

[jwo1124]

I was thinking about purchasing an older used canoe or kayak to fish out of. I heard this is the newest rave in Striper fishing.(On the Atlantic Coast) I was just thinking about taking a canoe out to fish with on the ponds. My main concern though being, how do these things stand up in the wakes of motor boats? I was fishing from the shore the other day and this guys came putting by in one of those family style pontoon boats at a slow pace and his boat gave off quite the wake.

I don't want to be lesiurly fishing and all of a sudden have a boat go by and flip my canoe. I don;t mind getting wet, and I'll be safe with a floatation device(plus I'm young and in faily good shape to swim for my life if it depended on it) but I don't want to lose hundreds of dollars worth of fishing equipment.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of fishing out on canoes or kayaks. I would guess that since guys take kayaks out into the ocean that they should be fairly stable in rougher conditions, but I'm not sure about canoes.

[roadwarrior]

avid customized his canoe by attaching stabilizers:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1194219471/0

[tntitans21399]

I have a  Old Town Otter XT Kayak and I take it out to the lake from time to time, not as much now since I have a boat. The kayak is more stable, as in you don't move as much from waves like boats.  It goes through waves great, I don't ever get wet. You just need to look around and see what type you really want since their is Lake, Ocean, & Whitewater kayaks that all have different styles and options.  

And it's not to hard to get in and out of the kayak.  I just turn it sideways on the boat ramp, get in and then just push off with your paddle.  I have a telescoping fishing, so it makes it handy when you get the fish close you can make the poll smaller which makes it easy to get the fish near you.  Look around and look at different stores for prices.

[Guest avid]

Your absolutely right about Kayak fishing being all the rage.

My canoe dealer told me that he currently sells 3 kayaks for every canoe, whereas when he first opened 16 years ago he didn't even stock kayaks because there was no demand.

I tried a Kayak but due to the seating position where your basically sitting on the floor of the craft with your legs out straight, my back started hurting within a couple of minutes.  Even the high seat models were no good for me.

my home lake is electric only and many people use those pontoon bass buddy type boats.

Even before getting my stabilizers my canoe, old town osprey 140 stood up well to any wake they could create.

Now with the outrigger type stabilzers.................FUGGEDABOUDIT  

[Marty]

I don't want to be lesiurly fishing and all of a sudden have a boat go by and flip my canoe.

I don't want to either.

Never been in a kayak, but I just finished my first season as a canoe owner. I've been out leisurely fishing and have boats go by and produce waves. I've never come close to capsizing, but I don't like it either. Most of my fishing is in ponds where gas motors are prohibited or in shallow, weedy parts of larger lakes where motorboats are less likely to be. But that's my preference, others may feel differently.

Canoeists, as opposed to fishermen fishing from a canoe, I think, are better equipped to handle motorboats, because they're paddling along and need to watch for traffic and can quarter into the waves when necessary. I might be anchored or drifting while facing the shore and be unaware of boat traffic behind me, and I don't want to be blindsided.

Unfortunately, there are too many idiots out there on jet skis, water skis, various boats and, sad to say, fishing boats, who just don't seem to give a rap about the little guy.  >

[jerbs]

Get a pontoon boat...way better fishing platform, sorry avid ;D I used to fish out of a canoe and caught many fish out of it, but I got tired of anchoring and/or dealing with the hand controlled TM. I flipped and sunk my canoe once too, it sucked. With my kickboat I can pretty much fish in any kind of weather and don't have to worry about big boats flipping me. I've been in crazy tides, 20+mph winds, and 4 ft rollers with my kickboat. You control your boat w/ fins and move from spot to spot w/ oars. O'yeah...and you can't get wasted and not have to worry about getting a BUI. ;D

Here's a cool pic of my friends and I waiting to "blast-off" at a friendly turkey shoot.

[armesjr]

I have been fishing in a friends kayak lately, and its an extremely stable fishing platform.  You would have to try very hard to actually tip it.  Like Avid said, it is rough on your back.  Having you feet straight out like that is brutal on your back.  

[0119]

Been bass fishing out of a Ocean Kayak Drifter and a small Heritage 9ft sit inside kayak for about 4 years.  A kayak is very stable.  A sit on top is easy for entry and exit, an important factor if you have bad knees/back.   They're also easy to rig and provide more rigging options than a canoe or sit in inside kayak.

[Travlin_Man]

I doubt if you will find many kick boats in gator waters.