The word “kayak” means “surface” or “top” in the Inuktitut language, a dialect spoken by the Inuit people. The Inuits started paddling around kayaks some 4000 years ago in pursuit of wild game. Today, the kayak market is a rapidly growing industry in the fishing world. Over the past two decades, kayak companies have made giant leaps in bringing new and innovative products onto the fishing scene. These advancements have made what was once just a simple human-powered watercraft, into now, what is a very formidable fishing machine.  

Why a kayak and not a traditional fishing boat you ask? There are more than just a handful of reasons why kayak fishing might suit your needs better than a larger vessel. Here are some of the more popular justifications:

Portability. Kayaks are quite easy to move around, and they generally won’t require a trailer. Even my 13 ft Hobie Revolution can be toted on top of a car as small as a Prius with the proper roof rack installed.  

Simplicity.  Kayaks are the minimalist’s best friend.  There's no combustible engine requiring loads of maintenance, fuel, and oil. In a kayak, you are the motor. Now, that’s not to say kayaks can’t start losing some of their minimalistic qualities. There are loads of add-ons, knick-knacks, and even electric motors that can sometimes blur the line between a kayak and a traditional fishing vessels. More on that later. 

Maneuverability. Kayaks can get into tight spaces and shallow waters that might not be suitable for larger boats. This is great for things like the seabass fishery, where rockfish like to hang out in shallow kelp beds along the straights of Juan De Fuca or the north coast of Washington state.  

Kayaks are work. You heard me right, kayaks are physical work, yet that’s why many of us love them. Getting in a solid workout in your pursuit of fish is part of the appeal for many of us anglers. I can tell you firsthand there’s nothing like landing ashore with a stringer filled with 30 lbs of fish and a body that lets you know you just earned your catch in every way conceivable.  

Getting prepped. Winter is a great time to either prep up your current kayak for the not-so-far-off warm season, or to even investigate a new boat if your wallet permits. Let’s take a look at some of the more recent kayak innovations and see which ones might suit your needs for the upcoming fishing season.  

Pedal drives  

The pedal drive was hands down the most groundbreaking innovation when it was introduced by Hobie around 20 years ago. It tackled one of the biggest issues with kayak fishing, which undoubtedly was having your hands tied up with a paddle instead of a fishing rod. Not only do they allow your hands to be free, but they also allow you to stay at a given location on the water despite it’s current. There's nothing worse than drifting when you don’t intend to and being pushed away from fish or being dragged over a snag point.  

There are two main types of pedal drives to consider when choosing a kayak, the one you chose will largely depend on personal preference. The options are the push pedal drive or the rotational pedal drive.  

Push pedal drive  

The push pedal drive works exactly as the name implies. You push forward with one foot and alternate to the next foot as you move along the water. A few things to keep in mind when using these drive systems. The distance between the peddles and the seat can be adjusted. You’ll want to make sure you have this fine-tuned before putting in a significant number of miles on your kayak. Wrong positioning can lead to undue strain on the knees and leg muscles. Foot positioning is important too.

For example, having your feet too low on the peddles can also lead to excessive strain on the knees. Finally, a fair amount of training on calm waters with little to no current should be done before plunging into fishing adventures that will require you to travel long distances over the water or require you to kayak against strong currents. The goal here is to ease yourself in and build up the muscles required for a type of leg movement that isn’t exactly natural to us.

A big pro about the push pedals is that they use a fin system. This system consists of two flexible fins that move side to side as you peddle. Some of the newer systems have a feature that will allow the fins to flex backward toward the stern of the boat if you were to accidentally get into shallow waters where the fins might otherwise drag and potentially break on the bottom. Fins also hold up well in weeds and kelp and rarely present a significant risk of getting tangled in underwater vegetation.  

Rotational pedal drive

If you’re a cyclist or better yet, a recumbent bike cyclist, then you’ll already be familiar with the movements necessary for the rotational pedal drive kayak. This drive system works just like a recumbent bicycle. You sit in the seat of your kayak and peddle in a rotational motion mimicking the movement of what you would find on a bicycle crank. These pedal drive systems are favored by some kayakers as this is a movement that we are typically a bit more familiar with, however, some argue that the efficiency of the rotational system is lacking when compared to the push drive systems. Another thing to consider is that rotational systems use a prop for propulsion as opposed to a fin system. Props are prone to tangles with weeds and kelp, so the angler running one of these systems should be cautious of underwater obstacles like these.  

Backing up 

Both push and rotational drive systems offer reverse as an option. However, these come at a cost. Many of the cheaper peddle kayaks don’t offer a reverse option, so this is a factor to consider when shopping around for a kayak.  

Rudders  

All peddle drive kayaks come with a rudder to control the left and right movement. Instead of using your paddle to turn, you will use a lever (typically to your left) that will allow you to direct your boat.  

Integrated transducer mounts 

Traditionally, if you wanted to mount a transducer on your kayak for your fish finder, you’d have two options. The first option would be to either buy (or rig up) a transducer mounting arm that will mount to the rail of your kayak and run down the side and into the water. This works, though it creates drag in the water and could get in the way of your fishing. The second option would be to mount a transducer inside your hull at the bottom. The transducer would need to be encapsulated in something like plumbers’ putty and then fixed to the bottom plastic of the hull. This creates an airtight environment for the transducer and allows the signal to be emitted uninterrupted into the water. Both options work yet are not ideal.  

Integrated in-haul transducer mounts eliminate these cumbersome and sometimes difficult-to-install systems. These integrated mounts provide predrilled holes with a fixed path for your wires to travel from the fish finder monitor at the top of the boat, down through the hull, and then to a protected compartment at the bottom of the kayak. Here the transducer itself is submerged in the water yet protected by a plastic plate that keeps it from getting banged up by underwater objects.  

Increased buoyancy and standup-ability  

Kayaks that have stand-up ability aren’t necessarily a new concept, yet it is a concept that is being more widely integrated into peddle kayaks and kayaks that are electronic motor compatible. These kayaks typically have increased hull buoyancy and hull width to allow the operator to stand up while fishing. Some are built with an open deck to increase the surface area for your feet while standing. Standing up provides a great advantage while fishing by allowing the angler to have better positioning for site fishing and affords a significant amount of increased comfort by allowing the angler to stretch their legs and move to new positions.   

Electronic motors  

Finally, we get to electronic motor drives. This is where we see the line between traditional fishing boats and kayaks start to get fuzzy. “Human-powered watercraft” is the term that has traditionally defined the kayak. Integrating an electronic motor certainly moves us away from that category, but still, the convenience of electronic motors is appealing to anglers who want their focus to be on fishing and not on peddling or paddling. 

Motor-compatible kayaks have a few options for mounting the motor, and that will be determined by your specific kayak. Generally, the options for mounting are the stern, the bow, or a couple of feet aft of the seat in the same port your peddle drive would normally sit in. Steering is achieved by either a motor tiller or a steering lever that controls a rudder. 

Motor-compatible kayaks are built to support the weight of the motor, the batteries, the angler, and his or her gear. This means they are generally larger and heavier than your standard fishing kayak and more often than not, they will require a trailer to be transported to and from your fishing grounds.

Pulling a trailer for a kayak? Why not just get a regular boat? Well, that’s a valid question and is why I personally stick to kayaks that can be thrown on top of something as small as a Subaru outback. However, If you’re ok with charging and relying on batteries, you don’t mind using a trailer, and are ok with the extra volume and weight you’ll have to tote around, then motorized kayaks might work for you.

Spring will be here sooner than you expect, and hopefully, this info will inspire you to look at some of the many options out there in the kayak fishing world. Remember, the best way to beat the crowds is to get away from them. Peddling (or paddling) your kayak out into the open water will allow you to do just that.  

With cracked and battered hands, I paddled east with 25 knots at my bow and an incoming tide on my stern. Colliding forces of Mother Nature churned heavy swells into a roller coaster of seawater, tossing me about as I struggled to stay on track. A behemoth of a fish, a monster, 50, maybe 60 lbs, haunted me from the day before, yet kept me moving eastward, into the fray.

This is just one of the many tense experiences that characterize a spring kayak fishing trip at the continental United Sate’s most northwestern point—Neah Bay. Neah Bay has become somewhat of a kayak-fishing Mecca for me. Each year I make the almost 4 hour drive to its rugged and draw dropping coastlines. Heading up the east side of the Peninsula, the drive treats travelers to a myriad of jagged points and bluffs that meander past ancient saltwater beaten sea stacks before colliding with the belly of the North Pacific. The coastal terrain then wraps around Washingtons most Northwestern point, Cape Flattery, which is a marine anomaly in its own right, and then heads down to the sandy beaches of Makkah Bay, ending just south of Cape Alava. 

Though fishing might be the main attraction for readers, it’s worth noting that this area holds an endless amount of wealth in its natural beauty and also in its cultural and historical prominence. The Makkah Museum is open to the public and is a great place for visitors to learn about Neah Bay’s native community and their long connection to the land and sea, that of which is estimated to be around 3,800 years old.

Case in point, the Makah tribe, for at least the past 1,500 years, have paddled hand carved cedar canoes out to often treacherous seas, where paddlers would track and hunt humpback and grey whales with harpoons attached to sealskin floats. They are the only tribe in the U.S to have whaling rights secured by way of treaty, though this right was later repudiated by the U.S government after commercial whaling by both European and Americans had all but extirpated both grey and humpback whale populations.

From here visitors can explore the many outdoor attractions Neah Bay has to offer. Whether it’s a backpacking trip down to Shi Shi Beach to camp and fish for surf perch, or a day trip to the Point of the Arches, there’s a number of things you can do to diversify your fishing trip before getting into filling your cooler.

Any trip to Neah Bay with a kayak should be well thought-out and planned, this is especially true during the spring when inconsistent and stormy weather frequently results in the waters around Neah Bay being under small craft warning. Always plan your trip around NOAA marine weather forecasting and make use of apps that predict swell size, wind speeds and wind directions. Optimal conditions would be flat and windless, and if we waited for those conditions, we would never fish. So, sticking with days where winds are sub 15 mph, swell size is moderate, and wind waves are predicted to be no more than a couple feet, will all help keep you on the right side of the water. 

Staying on the right side of the water is always the goal, but as probability has it, there will be some point in any kayak angler’s life where he or she will get dumped into the salt. This is especially true if you’re launching or landing in surf zones.  If you are prepared for it, which you 100 % need to be, then an experience like this will only serve as a minor inconvenience as opposed to something life threatening. 

First order of your operations will be gearing up to stay warm. I suit up into a 5.4 mm wetsuit, equipped with a hood and 5 mm booties. Essentially, I dress the same exact way I would if I was to surf anywhere on Washingtons chilly coast (with the exception of a PDF). Many anglers prefer a wetsuit as they are not bulky, they make movement easy, and they perform consistently each time. Another option is to use a dry suit.

Dry suits are a breeze to put on when compared to a wetsuit, they slip on over your insulating layers, provide you the security of knowing that if you were to go in; you won’t experience a layer of cold water rushing over your skin like a wetsuit allows, and you can slip out them without a struggle as soon as you are done fishing. The downside of a dry suite is that in the event of dunk— a tear or a leak in the suite would allow water to flow inside and render it completely useless, thus making hypothermia less of a possibility and more of an inevitability.

If you do get dunked, you need to know how to get back into your boat. This is something that requires practice and should be done in calm and shallow waters, perhaps somewhere close to home. Neah Bay is not the place you want to have a “learning experience” when it comes to falling into the water. Know how to right your boat if capsized and know how to climb back in. 

Finally, secure all your gear like you were planning to flip the boat. Lanyards and bungee cords are your friends. Keep hatches closed and secured and you should be set to catch some fish. 

Spring kayak fishing in Neah Bay is red hot when it comes to Lingcod, rockfish, and Cabezon. They can be caught in relatively shallow waters where kayak fishing is more feasible, and in general, these amazing predator fish are typically going to bite down on whatever you’re willing to throw at them. My best luck comes from jigging 2 oz jig heads with a white single or double tailed grub. 

The best bait for catching a trophy lingcod might be lingcod itself. The experience mentioned at the intro to this article foreshadowed what has become the most intense battle with a fish I’ve ever been part of, and that experience happened to occur because of the lingcods love for the predation of its own kin. 

It was late morning and I had been fishing for a couple hours with various species already onboard. Snagging on kelp is a frustratingly common occurrence when fishing the straights of Juan de Fuca side of Neah Bay, and after losing my gear several times to snags, I was ready to throw in the towel. Just at that moment, my line was once again wrapped up on some vegetation deep below the surface. After a few attempts to free my hook from what would surely become its forever home, I felt a tug at the line.

Oscillating between thoughts of a monster fish or a monster let down, I decided to swing towards optimism and fought this potential snag like it was more than just another disappointment. I reeled in and raised the rod tip, letting it back down as the fish either slowly took line out or the current was simply just pushing me away from the point where my hook was snagged. Again, there was another strong tug at the line. This was a fish. Perhaps a fish caught-up around some kelp, but a fish for sure. After fighting for what felt like an eternity, and as the minutes passed by, and my arms became more tired, I finally felt progress as my reel started collecting more line.

Finally, through the darkness of the water, I made out the shape of not one, but two fish. A good size lingcod, maybe 30 inches long had its mouth tightly secured around my hook, and even more tightly secured around him—was something that I thought only exists in nightmares. A lingcod that looked to be about the length of my kayak was lock-jawed around this smaller fish, and they were getting closer to the boat. Fearful of what would happen if I tried to land this razor toothed behemoth in a kayak, I panicked a bit.

Yet, in a split-second decision, I grabbed my net and tried for a swoop. As I reluctantly scooped toward the fish that would in no-way ever fit into my net, let alone my boat, the giant ling let go of the smaller fish, and in true nightmarish fashion, breached out of the water with its mouth wide open and razor-sharp teeth exposed. Only inches from its giant head, I watched as the open mouth of the fish passed by my face and then landed back into the water, into the depths of Neah Bay; where I was oh so happy to see it disappear.

In the 2023 March issue of NW Reel Life, I laid out some key items and concepts to help anglers enter the world of kayak fishing. And while weather predictions, condition assessment, and kayak types are all important, in this article I want to focus a bit more on the actual setup of your kayak and how that can determine your level of success out on the water. 

Track mounts

Let’s talk track mounts! Track mount systems are the starting point for your rod holders, fish finders, and other accessories. A track mount is a slotted track that you bolt to the side rails of your kayak and then slide your other accessories onto. They all have fairly similar styles with some small variations amongst different brands. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your track should be strong enough to support whatever type of load you are putting on it. A good track mount system should be metal, corrosion resistant, and come with a backing plate. If the track holds rod holders, it should be large enough and secure enough to do so. Smaller accessories like cell phones, fish finders, and camera mounts won’t require as beefy of a track.  

Downriggers

Trolling on a kayak can be straightforward. You drag a lure behind you to target rainbows, or you can utilize a cannonball weight to get you down to chinook salmon territory. 

Now, if you want to have more than just an idea of the depth your gear is at in the water column, you need something more surefire. Enter the downrigger. 

Because most of my kayak fishing is in the ocean or the Strait of Juan De Fuca, I’ve opted to leave the downrigger trolling to my aluminum boat. The constant attention to equipment while on the water and the inherent risks associated with snags make it an option easier to perform on a vessel of larger size. With that said, a downrigger is not only doable on a kayak, but it’s a technique that can increase your chances severalfold, and if you’re fishing lakes where currents and large waves are less of an issue, a downrigger might be the exact thing that puts you on the fish.    

The most common spots to mount a downrigger are just past the midline of your kayak somewhere out of the way of your peddling or paddling, but also close enough to you so that you can operate it without too much struggle. Most kayakers opt for smaller downriggers like a Scotty lake troller or the Cannon mini troll downrigger. When mounting your downrigger, you’ll want to add a backing plate in the hull of the kayak where your bolts will attach. This is essential for the kayak to be able to handle the added weight and pressure. Fish finder and rod holders should be mounted in close enough proximity to the DR so that you can monitor your rod tip, fish finder, and DR at the same time. Instead of using the steel cable that comes with most downriggers, it’s wise to swap the cable for 250 # - 300#  braided line. This will lessen drag and it will also allow you to cut your line in case of an emergency. With that in mind, you should always have a knife attached to your person in a place that is easily accessible in case that emergency were to happen.  

Stringers 

For the longest time, I struggled to find an effective place to connect my stringer to my Hobie Revolution 13’. I would typically have my stringer attached to a carabiner and then the carabiner attached to a strap that was a part of my seat’s recline system. Eventually, the rubbing from the constant motion and tension of the fish that were hanging off the side of my boat would fray the webbing around the strap. I now have a stringer cleat attached to one of my track systems that holds and secures that line out of my way. Metal clip stringers are a top-rated option for kayaks due to their ease of use, though rope stringers and chain stringers will certainly get you by as well.

Fish finders

The process of setting up a fish finder on your kayak is going to differ depending on what type of kayak you have. Mounting the screen is simple- it can go on a track or be permanently installed on the boat. The trickiest part of the process will be mounting your transducer. Many fishing kayaks come equipped with a transducer mount directly underneath the hull. This allows the transducer to sit in the water while also being protected from the sand and gravel if the boat were to drag along the bottom. For most kayaks out there, transducer mounts are not built in.  If you don't have a transducer mount you will need to mount it either off the side of your boat or better yet, inside the hull. This gets tricky and typically involves using some plumber putty for the transducer to both stick to the kayak and to also create a sealed surface without air bubbles. The solid putty allows for the transducer to transmit through the putty, through the kayak material, and into the water. YouTube is a valuable tool for these types of setups. 

Bilge pump and BP storage 

If the hull of your kayak fills with water due to crashing waves or due to a capsize, you don't want to be bailing water out of the boat with an empty tackle box. A manual bilge pump is your strongest line of defense against a sinking boat. Some kayakers will stow their bilge pumps inside a hull compartment underneath a hatch. This could seem like a sensible home for your bilge pump, but if you are in a situation where you’ve taken on a lot of water and you’ve lost half your buoyancy, and on top of that, you’re being battered by oncoming waves, leaning over to open a hatch might be just the thing the kayak needs to capsize once again. Instead, stow the pump somewhere within arm’s reach and have it fastened down with a bungee and secured to a lanyard so that it has no chance of going overboard. 

Cell phone mounts 

Having your cell phone mounted on your fishing kayak might seem like an over-the-top luxury, but if you consider the vast number of apps that can be utilized to help improve your fishing trip, you will find that having your cellphone on the ready and in view at all times is a must. When I’m on the water, I use Navionics to navigate and to get a good sense of underwater topography.  I also use weather and wind apps to keep me safe and informed on changing conditions. Using a cellphone mount along with a waterproof cell phone case gives ease of access to all of these things. Phone mounts can be installed directly on the kayak or on your track system. 

Bungees and straps 

Bungees, straps, webbing, all these small investments will protect your larger investments in the event of a capsize. Strap everything down as if capsizing was just a normal part of your program. This is particularly important if you plan to do any surf launches into the ocean. 

Rod holders 

Rod holders are an essential part of your fishing kayak set-up. Your kayak likely comes equipped with flush mount rod holders, these are almost standard on most kayaks these days. However, the position of the standard flush mounts is generally aft of the kayak seat, and this isn’t always the best location when you want to have eyes on your rod tip. Additional flush mount holders can be installed in various locations of your boat. 

 Fixed and elevated rod holders. These will be installed directly to the boat or to a track. Fixed rod holders tend to be one of the sturdier options. 

Adjustable rod holders. Adjustable rod holders can move from horizontal to vertical and can be found in various styles that are suited for whatever type of fishing you plan to do. 

When installing your rod holder, be sure to place it somewhere where it won’t be in the way of your peddling or paddling. 

Fish Storage 

There are quite a few options when it comes to fish storage. Some folks will carry a small cooler on board. This is a good option when fishing for smaller fish on hot days and if you can afford the room on your kayak.  

Fish bag. Insulated fish bags are great options for larger fish and are easy to secure on your kayak. If you’re fishing for spiny fish, be sure that your cooler bag is puncture-proof. 

In-hull storage. Some anglers have rigged fish bags inside their hull, and if you can make that work, you are ahead of the curve on the fish storage problem that plagues many kayak anglers. If in-hull fish storage is a possibility, be sure that your fish are well insulated as the inside of a kayak can get quite toasty on a hot day. Also keep in mind that if your fish bag leaks inside of the hull, you will have the difficult task of cleaning a stinky mess that gets more stinky the longer it sits unattended. Finally, having the hull open frequently presents the danger of water from crashing waves getting inside your kayak. So, if you choose this method, be wary of the risks associated.

Kayaks offer endless amounts of angling opportunities without some of the drawbacks of larger boats. I hope these tips give you some direction in planning your next outdoor adventure on the open water.