Kayak Fishing

From Sea Kayaking Dot Net:

Above: a bonito (a migratory pelagic tunoid) caught from a 17.5′ CLC Patuxent sea kayak in the warm waters of Monomoy Island, Cape Cod. Note rod leash, fish tether, and how the fish has been gutted and bled to prevent oxidization and to remove the peanut bunker the bonito swallowed while feeding. Bonito are delicious.

If you fish from a sea kayak with a rod and reel, there’s not much that’s more discouraging than dropping your gear overboard and watching $100 worth of finely-machined gear sink through the depths.

In short, you’ll want in addition to your fishing gear (which can be as simple as a handline or as complex as several rods and reels) a couple of leashes to be sure you don’t lose gear overboard.

If you fish with a handline, the issue of a leash is simple. Wrap your dacron fishing line around a wooden shuttle. Drop the handline overboard and the handline will float. Reach down and pluck the handline from the water. If it’s leashed it won’t float away.

By the way, dacron fishing line is probably the best choice for kayakers who want the simplicity of handline (You’ll in a few days find a rationale for handlines once I get around to writing it). Dacron line is limp and not as prone to snarling as monofilament. It’s easier to unravel if it gets tangled.

Similarly, use a leash for your paddle.

Yes, paddle leashes are a controversial item among sea kayakers, but let’s leave that dog in the house for now.

Fashioning your leashes won’t cost more than $2.00 U.S. per leash.

All you need are a length of 1″ webbing, a side-release clip, a ladder lock, and 24″-36″ of thin bungie cord, all pictured here (double-click the image to enlarge)

Note that the leash is fastened to the rod’s butt end with a tight bowline, among the four best knots for sea kayakers. Alternatively, you can drill a small hole into the rod butt and loop the leash there.

Above, the rod rests in a foredeck rod mount. Angled back towards the cockpit with its tip in the air, over the kayaker’s head (see photo below), the rod stays out of the way yet stands ready for trolling:
A couple of notes. If you use one leash for your paddle, another for your rod and reel, attach one leash to the foredeck rigging, the other aft, so that the leashes don’t tangle with one another.

Second, if you’re installing a rod mount on a fiberglass or, as shown above, a wooden kayak, add beneath the deck a large plate to reduce the localized stresses the mounting bolts exert on the deck. You don’t want to crack the deck nor risk the chance of the rod mount getting yanked out by the bolts.

What’s nice about the mounts pictured above is that the base plate remains attached to the deck, yet you can remove the cradle by removing the wing nut.

This is Part 4 of seven-part series.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

copyright 2008/North American Kayak Fishing