Lunker in a Kayak?

[NoShoes]

How are y’all “holding the fish” while you get your scale and measuring stuff ready in a kayak?

 

When I’m in my boat that’s what live wells are for, but needless to say my kayak doesn’t have one ?

[HookInMouth]

Cal Coast Donkey Leash or a pair of grips leashed to your yak. Clip onto the fish's mouth and put him back in the water while you get organized. 

[NoShoes]

Are those clips really that tough they won’t get off?

 

 I’d be sick if I caught my DD and he busts off before I get my picture of it

[HookInMouth]

I've never had an issue. I've heard of issues with the donkey leash back a few years ago but they changed something a while ago and I haven't heard of any complaints since. Some insist on using a good high quality pair of grips though. 

 

I get you though. If the fish was big enough I might be nervous. Just because you are putting them back in the water. 

[casts_by_fly]

I have the yak attack net with the offset handle.  I net every fish over 3 lb and most anything with trebles in it.  Once in the net, I put my foot on the net handle and leave the fish in the water in the net.  It gives plenty of time to put down the rod, unhook the fish (still in the net), pull out a camera or a scale, etc.  Quick weight/picture, and drop it in the water after holding up to my paddle for a quick length.  The fish it out of the water for 10 seconds maybe.

[Darth-Baiter]

Donkey leash for sure.  A bass attached to my kayak isn’t thrashing about. It just kinda settles in under there.  
 

the clip is very secure thus far. 

[HookInMouth]

There's also the yakgadget YakWell Direct.

 

It's like $50 and offers a place to use your net as a livewell. 

[Bluebasser86]

Fish grips attached to a thin rope works, or I can drop them in my net and put the handle under my seat and they can sit in the net while I get stuff ready. 

[Choporoz]

I have Fish Grips on starboard side and a Donkey Leash on port side....as a backup....or for that rare double.

[Jmilburn76]

I don't use a scale at all ,only a Ketch board, and I have quick access to it in a sniper air industries mount on a Blackpak. I sometimes will leave the fish in the net over the side but most times I simply use fish grips.My phone is tethered to my PFD with a Rogue tether so its also quickly accessed.

[cyclops2]

I would not bring any big fish with 2 of the 3 sets hanging out of a mouth. I can tell you how hard it is to remove 5 of 6 treble hooks from human skin ........ALONE

 

Guide the fish into a deep rubber net. Fish is ALWAYS kept in the water !!   Buy a long 12" Galvanized plier made to grab EACH hook. 1 at a time.  The fish in the water CAN NOT leap up & hook your hand. Laying on a inside surface he is suffocating. anything touching him he tries to escape. Can leap off the floor enough to hook you.

 

Ozark Trail is listed in Walmart for $6  about 16" reach. Safest ones I use I have spares in boat & shore fishing jacket.   I now have small 5" long blade knives in carrying case to cut my skin away if need by me or someone else. ............Barbless   barbless .........if you fish alone. 

Just keep a tight line. It really works. DO NOT reel in close to you a feisty  fish. They can wrap around a leg !!  Almost had that happen.

 

 

Kayak ? Hooked up fish in the boat ?  Barbless hooks ONLY.  Or a E R drive. 

[Koz]

I keep my fish grippers clamped to the locking clamp for my pedal drive and keep the hook of my scale around that as well. Pliers are on the deck at my feet. This way everything is quickly accessible.

 

You could even use small pieces of velcro to keep these in place on the inside of your hull.  You could also purchase a rail caddy.

[WRB]

A simple nylon rope stringer works and fits in your pocket.

Check out the giant 16 lb bass caught at Izy from a kayak in the Western fishing forum.

Tom

[HookInMouth]

6 hours ago, WRB said:

A simple nylon rope stringer works and fits in your pocket.

Check out the giant 16 lb bass caught at Izy from a kayak in the Western fishing forum.

Tom

For some weird reason I never thought to do this lol. Good idea. 

[cyclops2]

I use both the Nylon & Metal clip stringers. Pike just yank open the metal spring clips. I use the Nylon on them alone to tow them slowly to other areas. They do not go belly up 20 minutes after release.

They are very shock / Lactic Acid prone if played too long.  If they are good sized and on the 4# Mono perch rig. Belly up in under 20 minutes after being released.

 

A note about pike doing a lot of struggling  Death Rolls like a alligator. Those are almost always a dead pike after being released.  I bring them home for a pike person..

[the reel ess]

I get a good grip on her with my left hand and hold her at water level. If it's taking a while to get the scale ready with my right hand, I'll lower her in the water where she can get some water over the gills. Then I weigh her (digital scale and a lip grip so I don't have to put the hook in her gills), get a quick pic and quickly release her. I might linger a few seconds after I lower her in the water to fully soak in the moment. Watching a big fish swim away is one of the greatest joys of fishing.

 

I have a net for when I catch a big one on trebles. That's easy.

[Choporoz]

16 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

I would not bring any big fish with 2 of the 3 sets hanging out of a mouth. I can tell you how hard it is to remove 5 of 6 treble hooks from human skin ........ALONE

One more reason for Fish Grips lashed to one side of kayak.  You can grip the fish at surface before ever touching your jerkbait.  Then hold fish with the grips and dislodge hooks with pliers.  Dont need to touch the lure and hooks never get near skin most of the time.

[king fisher]

      I don't use a net, because I feel it is just as easy to lip big bass when sitting that close to the fish.  After landing the bass, I measure the length by laying them on top of my kayak where I have placed marks from 23 inches on up.  If the bass is over 24 inches, I attach some fish grips that are tied to the side of my kayak and put the bass over the side.. I then have plenty of time to get my scale, and camera ready.  The bass is never out of the water for more than a few seconds, and I can take all the time I need.  I have successfully landed and released un harmed a few DD bass this way, and although it is a little scary putting them back in the water before I get a weight and photos, I haven't had one get away yet, and am confident I wont in the future.

       Before I started using the fish grippers, I was always in a rush, and sometimes wouldn't even get a picture, weight or measurement.  I did try a stringer, and though I never felt I had damaged the gills of any bass, I was worried there was a chance of hurting the fish, so I switched to the grips. 

[schplurg]

Same as bank fishing for me except it's even easier because it's all within reach. You got pockets and storage everywhere. I have everything I need ready to go. Sometimes I reach behind me to grab my scale if I forget. I have a video of me here doing that.

 

Just plan for it ahead of time. When I get to a good bank spot I will lay my scale on my backpack ready to go.

 

In kayak:

 

Grab fish

Set the rod in the forward facing rod holder (or somewhere)

Camera(s) is mounted and always running so I can keep two hands on the fish.

 

Plan ahead.

[Bankc]

I try to remember to keep my pliers and scale under my seat.  Otherwise, I just hold the bass in my left hand while getting my stuff out of my tackle bag with my right.  I've got my camera phone in my left pocket.  I rarely measure them, but I've got rulers on both my kayak floor and paddle shaft, as well as a tape measure in my bag should I choose to use them.  I'll usually dunk them back in the water every 10-15 seconds to keep their gills wet.  But unless I have issues removing a hook, it rarely takes me more than 30 seconds to do everything I need to do before releasing him back into the water.  

[Zcoker]

Everything in my kayak is setup and ready to go, as it should be, pliers, measuring board, scale, and so fourth. First thing I do, naturally, is to remove the lure. Then I place the fish on the measuring board to measure it--but only if I am in tournament mode. Next would be weighing--but only if it's a very large fish. I would only do measuring or weighing if absolutely necessary. Other than that, I am a get the fish back in the water as fast as possible kinda guy. I would only use my net off the side of the kayak to hold the fish stationary underwater if I need more time for photos, etc. I have a big enough net with a big enough mesh to hold a large fish. Works well. I'd never use a leash or my hands because here in South Florida in the Everglades it's not uncommon to have many alligators hanging around, especially at night. And some of these gators can push over 10 feet. And, like sharks, they will come after a leashed fish or a dangling hand. Something to bare in mind, depending on location, or course. 

[Dangerfield]

In the net, foot on the handle and with rim of the net a little out of the water to avoid a surge. I've got a Zooka 2 on my left gear track, rotogrip holder for my net handle on my right and forceps on the right side of my seat attached by a retractable/boomerang. Everything in reach always.

[flyfisher]

Big fish are easier to handle in a kayak than small ones.  I hate nets so I never use one.  I have everything I need within reach so I can lip the fish. unhook and weigh or measure length if needed in about a minute or so.  It takes practice but it isn't that hard, especially with the more modern kayaks. When I first started kayak fishing there was no such thing a fishing kayak and i know many people who were reaching over the side to get a fish and ended up falking out or tipping their kayak.  My last couple kayaks that wouldn't be an issue at all.  

[dickenscpa]

I second, third or quadruple the fish grip lashed to one side of the kayak. A donkey leash is fine too. I chose the fish grips for those times that multi trebled lures are stuck all over and I don't feel comfortable or can't get a thumb in there. I've never had one get off and they can get some air and they seem to calm down tremendously and not flop so bad on the Ketch board.

[07Rapala]

I'm in a similar boat (pun intended) to the OP. I'm fishing from a solo pack boat, I'm very low in the water and probably have a lot less initial stability than a fishing kayak. Up here in WI, the issue is getting pike and musky off the hook. I have never learned to grab a fish by the gills only lip landing bass. I'm just getting back into fishing after several years off... come to think of it, I guess I must have managed a gill grab on a few occasions.

 

Anyway, it sounds like the fish grip can handle my pike/muskie issue. Can it basically replace a net? Any pro-tips on how to grab a big fish by the gills?