Kayak Fishing is a Quiet Ride

Saltwater fishing takes on a whole new dimension with a fishing kayak. Not only can you get to places you previously couldn't reach by boat or by boots, but the quiet ride makes them perfect for getting up close and personal.

Fishing Kayaks Offer Freedom

There are two types of hard-chine fishing kayaks. The first features an open cockpit with either one or two seats. Water stays out of the boat. In the event you capsize, there are no worries, simply swim free. A second option is a sit on top kayak. These boats are a lot like a deluxe surfboard. Your weight keeps you on the boat and the water laps around your legs as you paddle about. Some folks like to ride the sit on tops while kayak fishing in the waves, sort of a kayak-surfing experience, but you can paddle just as easily through a marsh in them. If you work up a sweat, just step out of the boat and dive in the water. They’re that simple.

Did You Say Maintenance Free?

Many of the newer recreational fishing kayaks are made from recycled plastic and polyethylene to add stiffness and light weight. Net-net, they’re virtually maintenance free. A wash down here or there gets the sand and mud out of them. Portability is king and you’ll never huff and puff to get unstuck. The kayak’s length determines its weight, but most of them are in the 40-50 pound class, easy to pick off of a car roof or drag down to the water’s edge. They don’t draw more than a few inches, so paddling is a breeze.

Safety First

Safety is important, so be sure to include a low-profile life jacket. There are many that are designed to accommodate the active movement required by a paddler. A spray skirt keeps the water out of the boat. Try before you buy, and you can do that at a paddle shop near the beach. Then you just get a license and add water.

Tom Keer

Tom Keer is an award-winning writer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  He is a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Writer for Covey Rise magazine, a Contributing Editor for both Fly Rod and Reel and Fly Fish America, and a blogger for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing program.  Keer writes regularly for over a dozen outdoor magazines on topics related to fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor pursuits.  When they are not fishing, Keer and his family hunt upland birds over their three English setters.  His first book, a Fly Fishers Guide to the New England Coast was released in January 2011.  Visit him at www.tomkeer.com or at www.thekeergroup.com.