History of the Kayak | Kayak Facts

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Kayak Fishing in recent years, has become a sport in and of itself. The kayak has long been a means of transportation and to a certain extent, a means of accessing spots where fish were to be found. However, today's kayak fishermen have taken advantage of the most sophisticated fishing equipment to create a new dimension of the sport.

Kayak Fishing Near The Conowingo Dam

The inclusion of rod holders, electronic fish-finders, live-bait containers, and other state-of-the-art equipment have placed kayaks in almost the same league as their much larger fishing boat siblings with kayak anglers boating not only highly-prized bottom feeders like halibut and cod but also pelagics like amberjacks, dorado, tuna, sailfish, wahoo, and even marlin.

While kayak fishermen will never enjoy the range of deep-water fishing grounds that can be reached by their colleagues in boats, their kayaks offer just enough range potential to place them in waters where anything is possible. While bottom-fishing or jigging could be done pretty much from anything that floated, it was long thought that effective trolling required speeds of between five to ten knots, a speed well out of the range of someone paddling. However, the discovery that fish could be taken at much lesser speeds accelerated the popularity of kayaking and brought a whole new interest in the sport.

Largemouth Bass caught at Piney Run Park. Maryland

Many of the techniques applied in kayak fishing are simply carryovers from those techniques employed on boats. The big difference lies in the set-up, how each piece of equipment is fitted to the kayak, and how each activity is carried out on such a small craft. From the tackle box to the container for fish, every item on a kayak has to be cleverly laid out so as to allow for effective operation on a craft that could flip over quite easily at any time.

The most popular kayaks for fishing are rotationally molded from polyethylene due to their durability and lower cost. Generally, kayak fishermen look for stable and comfortable designs. The new generation of twinhull (catamaran) kayaks that was recently introduced into the market is stable enough to enable both paddling and fishing in the standing position. This technological development also solves some ergonomical problems that are associated with sitting for long hours without being able to change positions, and frees kayakers from the need to sacrifice speed to stability, which is another problem that characterizes monohull kayaks. Some kayak manufacturers offer special models for fishing that are designed and accessorized for this sport, including specially-designed hatches, built-in rod holders, catch bags and equipment mounts.

The excitement of catching a game fish on a kayak is such that some anglers have launched their kayaks from larger boats well offshore so they could try to hook up and fight large gamefish from a kayak. As one would expect, there seems to be a unparalleled excitement that is derived from fighting a fish as it pulls the very craft you're on through the water.

Provided courtesy of Kayak Kayaking Info

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