WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » casting

Opener 2011 – Minnesota Kayak Fishing Trip Report With 18′ Mothership

W kayak — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:13:23 +0000

Gary, from MinnYaks wrote the following fishing report on his Minnesota Kayak Fishing blog:
Opener 2011 was a success! (see photo gallery) Weather was lousy, but that made for good fishing. We caught and ate a lot of crappies, caught and released a lot of bass and northern pike. Didn’t really fish much for walleyes, but managed to catch and eat a few anyway. The W500 was really fun to fish from. I was able to go anywhere I wanted, and was never tired, even after hours of fishing. Trolling, casting, bobber fishing, and fly fishing were all easily managed. We tried transporting the ‘W’ with our ‘mother ship’, our 18′ bay boat. It was too easy! The long run into the wind to the fishing spot took only a few minutes! We will be doing that again. All in all, I can honestly say that fishing from the ‘W’ was one of my more memorable fishing experiences to date!

Big Angler, Small Fishing Rod, and a Twinhull Kayak

W kayak — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:19:54 +0000

When you’re 6’3″ tall and weigh 245 lbs, like Jeff McGovern, you can speak softly (he usually does) and carry a big stick, or a small one – in this case an Emmrod fishing rod.

But you can’t stand up in a fishing kayak unless it’s the real deal, that is a kayak that works in real life, and not just in the mind of some kayak manufacturers, and in their marketing hype…

So Jeff, who likes to feel comfortable anywhere and anytime (he usually does), especially when he’s kayak fishing, uses only a W500 fishing kayak – and he won’t use anything else.
He calls his W kayak “a therapeutic yak”, since last year he had sciatica problems after a long drive from Florida to Chicago and back, and his W kayak helped him relax and stretch.

This photo was shot by Jim Green, Jeff’s son in law, and a promising kayak angler himself.

Just look how Jeff is perfectly relaxed while casting…

Casting From a W Fishing Kayak Compared to Casting From Sit-In and SOT Fishing Kayaks

W kayak — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:38:50 +0000

By Jeff McGovern

In preparation for comparison to the new W500 I have been spending time “relearning the joys” of sit inside and sit on top kayaks.

Besides the obvious back issue already known there is the concern of shoulder pain. I have had some discomfort, but in talking to a few other fellow kayak fishermen they mentioned the pain associated with casting from the awkward L position. I noticed soreness the next day trying to power out long casts from the L position. It was far easier to just get out and wade since in the standing position the casts were braced.

I think in many cases the so called fishing kayaks are really just fishing transport devices, since actually fishing from them is a constant compromise. Many times getting out on a suitable bank or sand bar is far more comfortable. Besides, in many sit on tops the wet butt syndrome leads to other comfort problems down the road…

If we compare a standard cast from the W kayak to a cast from a sit on top we see two different things entirely: The sit on top cast is a controlled flail with the hope for distance and accuracy. It is many times followed by a winch from the angler as they deal with the pain. A cast from the W kayak is a powerful controlled launch that accurately places the lure right where it needs to be. It’s quite a difference, and one that can only be experienced – it is difficult to describe.

I’ve mentioned the Emmrod fishing rods before both in articles on the your site, and in articles for Emmrod itself. Out of the W kayak the Emmrod casting rods are deck guns in power and distance. The W riding position allows the angler to use the Emmrod to it’s fullest. From the L position that same rod on a cast will not get the same results.

Jeff’s New Fishing Rod Positioning Device

W kayak — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:55:57 +0000

Jeff McGovern has introduced many innovations in fishing from the W kayak. His latest rigging improvement is a device that helps you position your fishing rod inside your kayak’s cockpit. Says Jeff:

-”I took one of those paddle clips and attached it to a section of pool noddle. I plan on using it in place of the rod positioning one I have now that is just a crude grove cut into a section of the same stuff. You might notice the screws holding the piece in place in the foam. Those are actually not into the foam itself. I used plastic screw in dry wall anchors with the tips cut off first, they work pretty well when working with foam. They won’t handle a heavy load but for this purpose to position the rod tip it should be fine.”

Casting From a Fishing Kayak

W kayak — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:51:31 +0000

Jeff reflects on casting from various fishing kayaks:

-”Yesterday got me to thinking again about just how good the casting position is from a W kayak. In the riding position the power that can be put into a cast is nothing short of incredible. Gear balance is important but with the W kayak it is possible I believe to impart more power to a cast than from virtually any other water craft. This includes standing on the deck or a bass or flats boat. The W is the base of the a launcher in the form of a human body. The other thing is under windy conditions the angle of the cast from a W kayak with the increased power allows better distance if you must cast into the wind. This whole thing is a subject for much more study.

–Jeff”