kayaks are weird to flyfish from. You are really low to the water, and with sit-in style boats you may be casting from below the water. Trying to cast across your body like that is tuff ( you cant really cast in front of the kayak) Sit on tops are funky too. Maybe somebody has a different experience than me.Although if you use it to get to sites then beach that thing and fish then hey why not.
-- Edited by CJ on Sunday 7th of March 2010 06:48:24 PM
I do a bit of fishing in the bay area from a Kayak, well its not really a Kayak its more of a two person inflatable canoe for white water. Its actually a very handy boat as I can roll it up and throw it into the back of the car. There are a few draw backs with it, the boat is specifically designed to be used in rough water to class 2-3, so there are drainage holes that run the length of the boat. However, these holes also allow the water to come into the boat and you end up getting wet. When I use the boat in the bay or other flat water I run a strip of Duct tape along the drainage line and that solves the wet foot and arse problem. The second problem is that there is no draft on the boat and when it gets windy the speed of the drift can be a little to quick. This could be sorted with a small drough to reduce the speed.
Overall its a comfortable platform to fish from as the inflatable seats put you high above the water and make casting a little easier. I typically use a 10.5 foot 7 weight lake rod to help keeping the line above the water when casting.
Two photos from its maiden bass fishing voyage from Point Isabella in Richmond. I'm looking forward to doing a lot more of this as the weather warms up. I'm also heading for a two day trip through Cache Creek Wilderness Area in June. Its not that big of an area but it should be enjoyable, It going to be interesting to see if it is possible to float, row and fish all at the same time.
Regards,
Denis
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Fly fishing is so enjoyable, it should be done in bed.
get pontoon boat. much more versatility. make sure its atleast 8ft x4ft, but better if its 9x5. anything smaller than that i would not recommend on rivers unless you are very good at rowing. i have one that is 6x4 and take it down the yuba and american. i do fine on that, but decided to take it down the lower sac at 5500cfs, i definitely needed a boat a tad bigger, i was fine but found a whoral pool the size of a car that wasnt so fun. so from personal experience get one atleast 8x4 if not 9x5 to take down any river you want.
many pontoons online on craigslist forsale. majority of them under 400 bucks and come with everything. i could make a call and see if my buddy still has his dave scadden pontoon boat. great boat and even better price. pm me if you would be interested.
dont go cheap on a pontoon boat, it wont last you long. get a good one out the gate and take care of it, leave it semi inflated so it doesnt rot out.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Well to be honest the Idea came from fishing from a inflatable kayak in cabo that a friend has told me about, but he is using a spin casting set up. Fly fishing being so close to the water and keeping your line up I could see a problem. I have a float tube and hate it. It would be great in a small pond I guess, but I put in at Markley cove area at Berryessa a few years back and the wind picked up and ispent almost a whole day getting back to the same side of the lake. That was the end of that. I had a pontoon boat and kind of liked it, but the wind was a problem again. It seemed that I would get set up and start casting and with the slightest breeze it would go into a spin and my line would be in a aquward angle to the way I was sitting. I ma talking about lake fishing. never got the chance to try a river, it was stolen from my camp site at Lake Almanor. I appreciate you guys chiming in. I think I am past the Kayak thing. I may go back to the pontoon boat but right now $ is tight.
-- Edited by timmosazz on Monday 8th of March 2010 08:47:13 PM
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God does not subtract from your life the hours you spend fishing. Herbert Hoover.
I think I saw you while walking my dog at Point Isabella that day. I was wanting to ask you how it was going and what your approach was, but didn't want to geek out about it in front of my wife. So how as it and are you going to do it again?
when you get a pontoon, your best bet, get force fins, i can stay right where you need with little to no effort. when i fish ponds or lakes, i use the wind as an aid in drifting, so i dont have to paddle or kick, just let the wind take me along the water the way it wants to. and ill use my feet to keep me straight.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Brian, I'm not sure if the force fins work on the same principle as a drouge, but if they do it is indeed a very simple and easy way to slow down a boat that is moving to quickly. I'm not sure if you guys use drouges over here, but it works on the same principle as a sea anchor. The best way to describe it is a wind sock that is used in the water to slow down the movement of the boat. If you attach a line to the bow and stern of the boat and place the drouge halfway along this rope it will allow the boat to move in a parallel direction to the wind. I have used this on numerous occasions on the large lakes in the west of Ireland where strong winds are in permanent residence.
You could easily make one yourself and it only needs to be a fraction of the size.
J, that could have been me but there is also another guy who fly fishes for bass in a small inflatable boat (rectangle) from Point Isabelle. He uses a small trawl motor to move around, but I have never talked to him. Before I started fishing I had seen him on a few occasions and saw him catching multiple schoolies but nothing very large. But a small fish is better than no fish!!! Its really good fun and I will defiantly be going again as the days get longer and more fish move back into the area. I typically use weighted deceiver patterns on a braided super fast sinking tip. If you see me again don't hesitate to say hello and feel free to Geek out in front of the wife. If you do ever go paddling out there, make sure you stay out of range of the guys with the silver bass bullets. I've had some land really close to the boat, however I'm not going to say a word to some of those guys that go fishing down there. I may live in Richmond, but its Richmond Annex, so I'm not that tough.
Regards,
Denis
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Fly fishing is so enjoyable, it should be done in bed.
I'm sure the boat I saw was your style. I just got a new reel for this very purpose, look forward to trying it out. If you ever wanna get some folks together and give it a group go, let me know.
I remember the day I saw you, and noticed those guys chucking metal way the hell out there. Made jealous as a shore fisher from way back when.
fins work great, especially force fins. most of my fishing in on the rivers, so a chute would not work one bit. yes it would work on a lake, but behind a float tube i dont know. if i am on a big lake or pond ill stick with my pontoon, fins and an anchor and call it a day. but i have used a chute back in upstate new york and they work great for fishing weed lines that will be parallel with the bank and that chute keeps you where you need to be.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Although if you use it to get to sites then beach that thing and fish then hey why not.
