WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » saltwater

Solo Kayak Fishing Trip, By Gary Rankel

W kayak — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:19:49 +0000

Just me today – didn’t want to call the guys with scattered storms predicted. Turns out the weather was great and the fishing wasn’t bad either with 2 reds and a few trout. I was going to bring the bleeding trout home for the neighbor but it got away from me, which was unfortunate for the trout as I think I saw an osprey carry it off about 10 minutes later. Oh well, one good deed for an osprey, and one bad deed for a seatrout.

Gary

Standing in Your Fishing Kayak – New Picture of Jeff Taubes, Cape Coral

W kayak — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:32:31 +0000

Here is yet another picture contributed by Jeff Taubes, of Florida Fishing Kayaks, in Cape Coral:

Doesn’t the color of the water in this picture just make you want to leave everything and take a vacation in Florida?

Rare Pictures of Legendary Kayak Fisherman With Rare Catch…

W kayak — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:40:02 +0000

This is a sequel to yesterday’s story about Gary’s first pompano -

Says Art, one of Gary’s fishing buddies:
-”Each time I’ve been out with Gary good things have happened: super snook; super trout; and now, Gary’s surprize…He never expected that the large “Red” he was fighting (and it did give him a fight) would turn out to be his first pompano…Gary’s comment:”that’s one more off the bucket list”…

Photos: Art Myjack

My First Pompano – Kayak Fishing Trip Report By Gary Rankel

W kayak — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:31:00 +0000

We had perfect conditions today so we paddled to the open Gulf and fished around a moored crabbing boat named the Viagra Express (we thought we better not peek through the window). We got some nice trout and I got my first pompano which was more amazing since I got him on topwater, which is really rare. What a great fighter for a not-so-big fish. We also ran into a school of rays, a couple of manatees hosting a bunch of remoras, and a disappointed osprey who crashed into the water near my W only to come up empty. What a great day.

Gary

Gary's first pompano

Bob fishing standing in his W kayak

Ted Stevens, Stand Up Kayak Fly Fisherman, Florida

W kayak — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:06:59 +0000

Here are pictures contributed by Ted Stevens, courtesy of Gene Andrews, W fishing kayaks dealer in Palm Coast, Florida.

Ted is a fly fisherman who practices sight fishing: He paddles his kayak standing, and scouts for big fish (e.g. redfish, tarpon). He wants to stand as high as possible, since this extends his range of vision. Once Ted spots a fish, he instantly casts a fly at it.
Many fly kayak anglers and reel anglers sight fish while standing comfortably in their W kayaks. However, Ted wants to stand higher, so he can look further.
Unlike Kevin, who fly fishes the flats standing on top of his W kayak saddle without using outriggers, Ted added both a pair of outriggers and a frame to his W500. This setup puts him about 15″ higher than he would have been if he stood on the bottom of his W kayak hulls, and he’s perfectly stable.
The drawback of paddling from such a high level is that you lose some leverage on the paddle, so you can’t go very fast. However, if the water is shallow enough, you can push pole, like Kevin does.

Safety:

Standing as high on top of such a small vessel as a kayak means that sooner or later, the fly fisherman is going to lose their footing, or lose balance, or both – It’s a statistical fact, and every experienced angler knows that “Stuff Happens” is the rule out there, on the water.
So the real question is not “What if” but “What happens when” (-get the subtle difference?…) -
When you stand up on top of a conventional fishing kayak (SOT, sit-in, or ‘hybrid’), you need to somehow manage to fall on your knees, or on your butt, and regain your balance instantly. Good luck with that! Although it never hurts to try, you’re more likely to find yourself in the water.
But things are different when you’re standing high on top of a W fishing kayak, as Ted does: He can drop on his kayak’s saddle, with a leg in each hull, and stabilize himself while he’s in the Riding posture, which is similar to riding a jet-ski, a snowmobile, an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) – or a pony. In other words, it’s the most stable, and most powerful position you can hope to be in when you’re trying to regain balance and control in your kayak. When Ted wants to switch from standing to sitting, it’s just a matter of hopping down -