So after choosing fishing kayaks as your selected trophy hunting platform, you are going to need a few pointers to help you out along the way. Here are a few tips that will help you on your next kayak fishing trip. The first thing to note is that boat positioning is key, an anchor trolley setup provides an excellent solution. When you set the hook on your fish, and your boat is facing sideways, your exert all of your energy to the side of the boat, and this doesn’t allow you to apply much pressure on the fish. If your kayak is lined up with the fishing line, and the fish, you can apply a lot more force on your hookset, and when fighting the fish.

If the boat is lined up properly with the fish, when you go to she the hook, your energy goes down the length of the kayak, and you can use your legs to help apply extra pressure. Once you start putting this tip into practice, you will greatly increase your fish fighting power. Remember, that this isn’t a big boat, and you can’t rip the lips off of the fish on your hookset, so proper kayak positioning is essential.

On big fishing boats you can powerhouse the fish out of their lips on your hooksets, but you can’t get away with that mindset on a fishing kayak. The boat will just start moving on you, torwards the fish. This is why you need super sharp hooks. As a starting point, if you can poke your skin with the hook and it doesn’t want to go in, it is time to change.

However, if you can apply pressure, and the hook won’t penetrate your skin, it is definately time to throw it out. Think about how it will penetrate the fishes mouth. When you are using sharp hooks with a good barb on them, it creates a small entry point for the hook. This keeps the fish from throwing it, but also helps the fish heal faster, because he doesn’t have a huge hole in his mouth.

The final in this small list of kayak fishing tips that we can provide for you, is that you should always protect your skin. You have seen the typical kayak fishing getup, the khaki pants, long sleeve shirts, and fishing hats. People wear this type of clothing because it keeps you from getting skin cancer, and surprisingly keeps you cool as well. You will get hot, and sweaty, but the sweat will keep you much cooler, than being dehydrated out on the water!

This all put together makes for a decent day out on the water, without dealing with the normal hassles your friends are dealing with. Yes, you are starting to look like a yuppy as well now too, but remember, what is more important? Comfort and life, or what your friends think of you?

It is becoming widely known that fishing kayaks are being bought up like never before. Especially in times like we are in today, people are finally realizing that the big bass boats that go 60mph are just not necessary to catch fish. A lot of people are finding fishing kayaks as a way to get on the water, and more often than not, are catching more fish than they ever did off the big bass boats.

You can sneak into 2ft deep water, back into areas where you would never find a big boat. When was the last time you seen a big rig down in the lumber yard at the south end of the lake? I get down there all the time. We used to have to anchor our big rig back there, and get out to wade fish up and down the shore.

One thing fishing kayaks high sales have going for them is the fact that you can sneak up onto your target. Wading along the bank is fine and dandy, as the fish that are spawning will hardly ever abandon their nest for anything. Fishing from a kayak allows you to spot these fish from a greater distance, and then sneak up onto them to make the perfect cast.

One other reason more and more people are buying fishing kayaks lately, is for the storage part of it. You can’t store a big rig easily, or any other trailered boat for that point. You can store 4-5 kayaks easily on a wall mounted rack, to be able to take your entire family out on the water. Or you can have an excuse to fill up the extra room with more fishing setups.

I have more than a few kayaks, and my fiance hates the fact that kayaks are easy to store. She thinks that I just don’t need that many kayaks, but seriously, different styles of fishing require different setups. Fishing kayaks do force people to know exactly what lures and line setups to bring on the boat for the day, because you can’t carry every setup you have with you.

The gas bills always come into play when owning a big boat. Some weekends, I have blown through $1000 worth of gas, just taking the family out for the weekend. Now that I have sold my boat, it almost upsets me to think about the money we had invested in it.

In other words, it is super expensive to run these big rigs these days. When gas got up to $4 per gallon and higher, more and more boats were sitting in the garage, just collecting finance payments. You couldn’t use the trolling motor, because the battery died so soon, and charging it was getting more expensive as well.

Times are getting tougher now a days, and more are starting to see that you can enjoy fishing kayaks for a very little investment. Fishing kayaks hold their value as well, especially if you purchase used, you can usually get what you paid for it when it comes time to sell.

When reading a book you start out by looking at the cover, and the same is true for fishing. In this case, your cover is the weather and whatever conditions surround you. Note the wind speed and direction, where is the sun, what tidal movement is there if any, the temperature and so on. Whether you are going to fish from a boat, kayak or wade fish this information is vital to your success. It can tell you where to fish and what species you are going to target.

Once on the water it is time to do more “reading”. Pay close attention to all of the early morning activity around you, especially bait fish. There are usually schools of mullet jumping around, and small shrimp popping out of the water if you are looking for them. If you notice bait fish fleeing an area try casting in that direction. Usually this means something is chasing them, so that is a good place to start. Look down into the water for smaller creatures like crabs that may also be running away from larger game fish.

Birds are another great fishing indicator, especially when they are feeding. My favorites to follow are the blue heron, pelicans and gulls. All of this wildlife activity is useful if you know how to read it. Not only can it help to find fish but also give clues as to what they are feeding on.

In addition to wildlife activity, what is beneath the surface matters a lot as well. Look for different structure where you are fishing, like drains. In between islands and sand bars there will be gaps where water flows through. These are high-traffic areas for baitfish, so there are usually predators nearby. I like to sit near the sides of these areas and cast into them, even more so when there is a lot of tidal movement.

When you get into this drain area, try starting off with a top water lure first. This lure is good for recon as fish nearby will usually strike at it, giving you a quick indication as to whether or not there are any fish in the area. Once you see a strike, switch over to a soft plastic fishing lure that will give you the advantage on that big speckled trout. I always throw a weedless lure, about 3 casts into each section before looking for somewhere else.

My lure of choice is a Brown Lure Devil Eye or Sea Devil. There are tons of colors to choose from, and we each have our own favorite. My favorite is Little Pinky (pink with silver hologram). It has been a proven color for me in clear to muddy water for over a year. This method of fishing works well, and I use it whether fishing for fun, with clients, or in tournaments.

Reading these clues can take time to learn, but the edge you get is worth it. The next time you get on the water look for wildlife movement, tidal changes, and pay attention to weather and structure. Hopefully this will help you to catch more fish the next time you are out there.