First kayak Fish

[Captain_Zero]

Hi all

I hired a Bilbao kayak from Goodtime today and took it down to Manly and fished around the entrance to the boat harbour. It was not set up for fishing (no rod holders etc). As I am a novice paddler and was on my own I stuck pretty close to the shoreline and tried to stay away from any boats coming and going from the harbour and the nesting sea eagle that seemd to get angry when I approached.

My first ever fish from a kayak came soon after launch, a little 15cm bream. All up I caught a alf dozen undersize bream and about the same number of undersize whiting on bloodworm and prawns, as well as a few nuisance stripey trumpeter.

It was a good learning experience for me. A couple of things:

- The Bilbao is about the maximum weight/length I could manage on my own as I am not as strong as I imagined.
- Getting in and out of the kayak is something I need to work on.
- The 6 and a half foot rod I used today seemed to be a comfortable size for kayak fishing.
- The bilbao seems a fairly stable fishing platform.
- You need to be aware of what is happening around you. At one point while landing and trying to release a small bream I drifted too close to the rock wall and had to hastily paddle out of there to avoid the oyster encrusted rocks.
- Small spikey fish with hooks in their mouths have the potential to do some damge to your legs if left on the floor of the kayak while paddling away from the aforementioned rock walls

All in all a worthwhile day. The research continues with a view to a purchase later in the year.

Any feedback from experienced kayak fisherpersons on places to fish and similar sized kayaks I could try would be appreciated.

Regards

Chris

[chief 1]

nice work mate

[imnotoriginal]

Good stuff Chris. I've been kayak fishing twice and canoe fishing a few times with nuggstar and am already addicted to the feeling of stealth you get. It's also great being so low to the water. Gotta keep saving, I tried one of the best kayaks and now nothing else will do! What kayaks have taken your fancy so far in your research?
Joel

[Captain_Zero]

Joel - research is in its early stage. The only other kayak I have tried the prowler (which at 4.5 metres and 30 odd kg was too big for me to manage on and off the car on my own. it was very good once on the water.
I have done a bit of a web search and a few of the small kayaks suggested on another webiste were:

Feel free nomad
Espri
Cobra explorer
Viking pacer
Dagger voyager
Perception flow
Malibu minin x

Regards

Chris

[Awesome]

Good on ya Chris. It is a very relaxing & entertaining way to fish I reckon. The stealth factor helps too.......
I have two yaks & at times prefer yak fishing to boat fishing.
Great for the entire family to use. My kids are 6 & 8 and have no trouble paddling them.

[ar-we-ther-yet]

Captain I would check out AKFF (Australian Kayak Fishing Forum), you'll get plenty of good info there. http://www.akff.net/forum/index.php

I just about only fish out of a kayak now and go out at least twice a week.....it gets addictive.

I havent seen or heard of anyone fish out of the BIC kayaks, not to say they aren't good, but I would say that there would be better brands on the market....Like perception, hobie, ocean kayaks, viking kayaks etc.

[bobbyb]

hi guys.
i have 2 bic kayacs and finde them excelant. the are fitted with rod holders standed and lots of storige space. they are very stable so if you fall out you can get back in easerly.and enviromentaly frieniy.

[For Steve]

Hi Chris

I'm yet to have a go but really like the idea of kayak fishing. When I was a lifeguard, ski paddling was my favourite event and I still haven't got it out of my system. I imagine surf lifesaving surf skis are very different to the fishing models - they are extremely fast but hard to balance when you first start out. In training sessions we'd often paddle up to 10km out to sea straight into 15 knot + winds and 1.5m seas. It's amazing that a vessel weighing only 20kg is so durable.

I've done a bit of research too but can't decide if the traditional paddle type or the Hobie pedal type is the way to go. The Hobie's seem like top quality gear and have the price tag that goes with it. Having the option of pedelling and paddling is pretty cool - especially when your hands are full with fish or fishing gear. I just don't know so I'm interested to hear others thoughts.

Have you read about the guy up at Noosa who trolls for big GT's and spaniards? I found some video footage on a website recently. Looks awesome.

Good luck with your search. Please keep us up to date.

Cheers
Brad

[theclick]

Yup, another kayak fisher here. As ar-we-ther-yet mentioned, check out AKFF (cant remember if i have met ya yet ). All the info you need there mate

[LostNearBribie]

Sounds like you had a ball mate.
I too am looking into the Kayak way.
There are a few prime spots up here around Bribie.
But as a few others have said, there are so many really nice options out there.
They come with not so nice price tags though.

[nuggstar]

yep kayaks rock. well done

[Just_chips]

You need to decide which type of fishing you would most like to pursue from your kayak. Eg: If you were to do lots of fishing up the creeks and access lots of skinny water where boats just can't get to then you will need a shorter more manouverable kayak such as the espri or pacer. If you were looking at paddling out into the deep blue and launching from the ocean beaches etc then you would sacrifice the manouverability for a bit of length to be able to ride over ocean swells and chop etc. This will also help in the Bay in less than ideal conditions.

Good luck with your decision and have fun. As has been said before there is alot of info on AKFF including reveiws and fitouts of most kayaks that are used regularly in Australia.

Cheers Kev

[Captain_Zero]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I like the bilbao but will check out some of the others also before making a decision.

I am looking for something to fish estuaries, creeks, canals etc and would not see myself venturing too far in to the bay.

I have been on the AKFF website and looked at the forum but have not joined.

The things i liked about the Bilbao are: size and ease of handling, the wheel at the back that lets you drag it along, the stability on the water.

The sports option I used was not fitted out for fishing but there is a fishing model with rod holders and a compartment at the front.

Cheers

Chris

[DavShmav]

Hi Chris

Check out the latest Freshwater Fishing magazine out at the moment. You will find a 10 page guide on kayaks (both SIK and SOT) and canoes with a list of stockists around australia. BIK kayaks are popular in SYD according to a mate who lives down there. Always seeing them on the Nepean river

Good luck with your choice and the you have to accessarise/kit it out. More decisions.

Cheers
Dav