Jim and Client in La Jolla
While working as a kayak fishing guide over the past sixteen years, I’ve seen people make just about every mistake possible. And so this week, I’m going to give you some tips that will help you avoid those embarrassing moments when you’re learning to kayak fish.
One of the biggest problems with kayak anglers is that 99% of them are fisherman first, and kayakers a very distant second. Now, if you’re going to be bass fishing close to shore in a small, sheltered bay or pond, that’s fine. But you’ll still be amazed at how learning proper kayaking technique can help your fishing. You’ll be able to cover a bigger area because you’ll be paddling way more efficiently. You’ll also be able to get to the fish more quickly and more quietly, and you’ll be able to fight and land fish more effectively. Of course, you’ll also develop the confidence and skills you need to safely fish in more exposed conditions.
The bottom line, is that once you’ve decided you want to pursue kayak fishing (which you will want to do once you’ve tried it!), it’s a great idea to take a kayaking class; learn the strokes and learn how to self rescue in case you fall off your kayak. If you will be ventureing beyond the the surf zone it is also a very good idea to take a surf class, as the surf zone takes very specific skills and the cost of not knowing them can be high in lost gear and injury.
Punching out through the surf
Bracing in the surf
Now with that said, here are three tips that will help you avoid embarrassing moments when you’re starting out kayak fishing.
First off, Dress to swim and rig to flip, Dress to swim simply means that you should dress with the expectation of swimming. Of course, this means wearing your PFD, but it also means wearing clothes that still do their job when they’re wet.
In the San Diego area, this means wearing quick dry clothing like ExOfficio’s, rather than a cotton t-shirt and shorts, which will stay wet and uncomfortable. In other areas it could mean wearing waders or even a dry suit to keep you good and warm.
Dressed for the cold in Chesapeake Bay. PFD, Kokatat Waders, dry top and lots of layers underneath
Rigging to flip just means making sure everything you bring is either secured to the kayak, that it will float, and that anything that can’t get wet is secured in a drybag
The next rule is, where your head goes your body will follow: In other words, to stay upright, keep your head centered over your kayak. If do you this, your kayak can rock and roll under you while you stay comfortable and balanced on top.
I’ve seen more people fall in the water while reaching for a rod behind them because they simply lean off the side of the kayak to look around. The best way to get at gear behind you is to turn side saddle in your kayak.”
Matt Moyer sitting side sadle in the kayak
The third tip is this: Always give yourself a rods length of line:
I see more people fighting themselves and fighting their equipment because they wind in too much line. You’re then stuck doing the star fish because you have to reach all the way out in one direction with the reel, and all the way in the other direction to get at the fish, or weed that’s on your line. If you just leave yourself a rods length of line you can grab your fish or lure, and work with slack line.
A rods length of line when landing a fish
So there you have it… a few quick tips to ease your learning curve while just getting into the sport of kayak fishing.
My Adventure on the Ottawa River or If you are going to try and kill yourself do it in spectacular fashion and get it on video
With the Ottawa river kayak fishing episode of our show airing this week, I thought I would republish the article I wrote about the trip.
My Adventure on the Ottawa River.
Or
If you are going to try and kill yourself do it in spectacular fashion and at least get it on video
Well I am just back from the filming of the next segment of Game On, our kayak fishing adventure video . This segment was filmed on the Ottawa River in Canada and to my surprise would prove to be the most extreme segment so far. I would be spending time on the river with two former world champion white water boaters, Ken Whiting and Brendon Mark, so I felt was in good hands.
After a long flight from San Diego to the small airport in Ottawa I was dragged into immigration for a closer look. I was given the second degree and we had to go through the process of them deciding if I needed a work permit to be in Canada. From the entire airplane I was the only person they pulled into this secondary process. After a long debate and convincing them I was not getting paid they let me pass. It was after midnight when I was finally released and I was met by our videographer Will for the ride to his place to crash for the night. He told me we would be getting up early to meet the guys to fish the next morning.
This was an adventure I was really looking forward to and got no sleep just itching to get on the water. This would be the first of three days of running whitewater and fishing the eddy lines and pools that most anglers had no access to.
Other than floating down some small rapids in streams on inner tubes when I was a kid I had zero experience on rapids, but I have a ton of time in the surf on my kayak so I was feeling fairly confidant that I would handle it OK. The start off point on the river was as flat and calm as could be and I got slammed on my first cast of the lure in this spot.
I wish the rest of the river were this calm.
I figured they were going to take it easy on me for the first day even though Ken, Brendan and Will had joked about humbling me on this trip. I was feeling pretty good, that is until I saw this.
Yes I was scared
We watched three rafts in a row dump their passengers on the very first section, sending the people floating down the river. All except this one girl who took the raft for a rodeo ride.
Rodeo Ride
We watched and laughed, mine was a very nervous laughter.
Ken gave me a run down on running the river and made a plan, which was I would follow him closely down the rapids and the raft, which they were filming from would follow me down. I asked Ken “what happens if I get dumped” he said “just climb back on the kayak if you can, if not you should just float down river and the raft will pick you up.
Ken heading down first
I took a couple of deep breaths and said “well lets go, it’s only water right”. This was the start of what is, to this point in my life, the scariest thing I have ever been through. I quickly learned that running rapids is nothing like surfing, and unlike surfing there is no break between waves, the water just keeps flowing and pounding and comes at you from multiple directions at once.
Rough Ride
I did as instructed and followed Ken closely down that first section, passing one of the large rafts still stuck in the hole, and was quickly ejected from my kayak. As they told me I was right next to my kayak and quickly was back in the seat and setting up for the next section. So far so good all things considered. The next section was a different story, though to me it did not look as challenging there was a hidden obstacle that my inexperienced eye did not see and that was a hole that reached out and grabbed my kayak. I went from gliding down the river, to my kayak coming to a complete stop and me shooting right off the deck into the water and into the hole. I was later told this was Joe’s hole and I was not the first person to fall victim to its grip. Upon hitting the water I was quickly dragged back upstream and into the churning water which, even with a PFD, forced me under water. I popped up a few feet away and was quickly sucked back into the churning water to repeat the process over and over again within seconds. I could not catch my breath and even when above water could not get a good breath of air because my PFD had been too loose and was covering my face. I knew in my mind that I had help but I was scared to death that they would not be able to get to me, how could they in these conditions? Thankfully they did get to me in what felt like my final breath. First in was Ken, when you see the video you will understand why he was a champion kayaker. He side-surfed his kayak in the hole leaning over so far it is hard to believe he stayed in as I was doing my best to pull him over. He lost me once but quickly got back to me and finally pulled me out of danger zone. Brendan was next in with the raft and dragged me out of the water, adding one final insult to injury, baring my backside, as he pulled me from the water, to the crowd watching on the shore. Will did his part by keeping the camera rolling so we have some cool and exciting footage for the video. Which would have been shown at my funeral had I not survived, I have shown the footage to a few friends and the general response is “Holy Shit”. The rest of you will have to wait for the show to come out to see it.
This was a pretty scary introduction to kayaking the river and something I will not ever forget. Thankfully I had these experts there to come to my rescue, I will be forever in their dept, then again they put me in that spot I may have to try and get them back on our next trip.
Brendo and Ken
Though I was pretty shaken this was only the first day on the river and we had a lot of rapids and days of shooting to go, so after about a half hour of regrouping I was back in the kayak, this time in some flat water and doing what I love most and that is fishing. Catching my first pike and several small mouth bass.
My first pike
I still had to face the music and that meant running the next set of rapids. Though pretty intimidated I was assured this set was much easier and I should have no problems. The guys were right and I ran that set without incident and actually really enjoyed it. We ran several more sets of rapids over the course of the day with me only hitting the water a couple more times but always getting right back on board my kayak. I was so happy to have sacked up and run the river the rest of the day, it would have been easy to sit in that raft all day but I know I would of never forgiven myself. I opted not to tell my wife about the scare until I returned home.
Here are a few more shots from the first day.
My first Waleye
Doing a bit better in the whitewater
With a little bit of poetic justice I managed to catch the biggest Pike of the day right after the guys had taken their kayak out of the water at the end of the day.
Biggest pike of the day
Day two on the river was to be the same plan on the same section of river as the day before. Though I was glad I got back on my kayak the day before, I was not ready to run that top rapid again so I took a side chute of the river and fished my way to the bottom of the big section, while the boys ran it again. This time Lisa had raft duty and she flipped it in the top section. I was fishing and missed all that action.
Pike, look at those teeth, the entire roof of their mouths are teeth a true predator.
I am happy to say I ran the rest of the rapids that day and managed to stay on my kayak for the rest of the trip.
Ken running a fun section
Brendan in action
Fishing the eddy line
The next day was supposed to be the start of a two day camping trip on the river but heavy rain was predicted for that night so we opted to investigate a nearby lake the guys had never fished. The water was super clear and the lake was a very cool spot to fish, we all caught bass and Pike.
As predicted the rains came that night and we were all happy to be sleeping in beds not a wet tent. The forecast for the next day was rain until about 3:00 pm then clearing and cool.
Once again the predictions were correct so we loaded for our camping trip and headed out fishing in the rain. The fishing this day was pretty steady on small mouth bass, pike and Will got one four pound large mouth. Even better the sun came out and turned into a beautiful day.
Brendo with the big pike of the trip
We only had to run one section of rapids this day and I managed to get through unscathed. After that we were in some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen, It was almost too beautiful to be real, of course my camera battery died and I only got a few photos from this, our last day on the water.
Ken taking the lead
Dinner for our camp out.
Dinner
The last morning we had to jump in the kayaks and make an hour and a half paddle in the fog back to the car so I could make my plane. I did manage one last cast on the paddle in and landed one last Pike.
I have landed a lot of what could be considered extreme fish in a kayak but at my skill level this was the most extreme kayak fishing I have ever done. I can’t wait to do it again, this time with my PFD nice and tight and my rescuers near by.
I hope you enjoy the episode of the show that documents this adventure.
Jim Sammons
Jim@Kayak4Fish.com
After the airing of our first episode of The Kayak Fishing Show, I went looking around some of the kayak fishing web sites for some reviews of the show. What I found were mostly fantastic reviews mixed with a few suggestions. Thought I would share some of those reviews with you.
“Just finished watching it on my DVR and the segment was great, can’t wait to see some more.”
David
That was great!! I have set my DVR to record the whole series.. The 1st episode was really good ,informative and got me nuts since I will be in Panama next week targeting similar species,, Great Job Jim , Congrats , you should be proud!!
Tom
Great episode. I saw pics of that episode in kayakfishing magazine. Please give us a heads up for future episodes. The kayak surfing session looked like lots of fun. Something I want to get into this summer.
Now if this doesn’t set a new standard in fishing shows, I don’t know what does! It’s been a long time since I voluntarily watched those dingbats in their $50,000 bass boats yanking out 4 lb. smallies on 30 lb. braid, but still, they’re never ending on WFN. What a kickoff for this series!
What I found good? No deception. They went to Baja, ran into bad weather and reported honestly on what happened during their filming week. A 250 lb. marlin from a kayak? Unbelievable!
DGW
I have to agree DGW, is was an honest a varied cast that represented what you can expect when out.. I enjoyed the tips of the day for both Ocean Kayak and Exofficio.. great show and looking forward to more
Pour it on. Looking forward to the Ottawa segment next week.
“Well done Jim, I really enjoyed that. And kudos to Ken and Will at Heliconia Press for bringing this to TV.”
akfisher
“Good show, now I’m pumped to go yaking.”
Joe
Just watched the show in spectacular HD. Looked great! Really showed the size of Howard’s fish – huge! Loved the Heliconia produced commercials. Even C&K got in the act.
Paul Lebowitz
just enjoyed the first episode of The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons. Congrats to producer Ken Whiting and director Will Richardson and all the folks at Heliconia Press.
Don
Just saw your show, man! Marlin from a yak? who’da thunk it? Kudos to you guys!!! That’s it, that’s all: come this summer, I’m goin’ after the northern bluefin tunas! Lol!
Jean-Claude
Great show, Jim! Can’t wait until next week’s episode!
Well that did not disappoint! Howard McKim with a hammerhead, Ken with a beauty roosterfish, then a Howard and Matt double up on a couple marlin… makes me wish it wasn’t January
My hats off to Jim and the lads at Heliconia Press. Game On II should be quite impressive.
Don
Excellent show guy’s.
Enjoyed the show, nice cameo shot of Jamie and a ski. I especially like the tips of the week. Great for promoting the sport and getting new folks to cross over. I want to go to Baja tomorrow 4 hours on one fish I will be glued to each show as with Jamie’s. Was it me or did it seem they where pretty calm landing these fish. You would have heard me in the jungles of South America if I hooked into any of those beast.
I enjoyed the show this morning, great way to start the day.
I just added the channel last night to get the show, and it was well worth it.
Jeff
…Great Show
Neil
jim, you are the man….keep up the good work.
Congrats Jim,
Really fine job. You should be proud. keep it up you make us look good.
As a HYBERNATOR in JERSEY, I will welcome any KAYAK FISHING adventure/show to pass the time during the winter months.
I’m glad that this is a beginning of a fruitfull adventure. I hope that many more excitefull shows will come forward.
I give it a 8/10 due to the fact that it’s nice to finally watch kayak fishing on tv while I’m nicely iced in here in Ontario and my kayak is buried by 2′ of snow in the backyard.
Heliconia are monsters! Really impressive!
Chris
All I can say is “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” Congrats, guys!
To who it may concern..
WOW what a show the other night,
that show on kayak fishing,I fish out of my kayak all the time,but have never seen anything like the saltwater fishing they where
doing,,That show rocks,,Hope to see more of that show.. thanks for the Awesome show and keep up the Great work at WFN
Jay
I am so glad folks liked our show and thanks for the kind words. We are always happy to hear input or suggestions so please send them our way.
In next weeks episode we will be on the Ottawa river, running white water and fishing for Pike. You will even get to see me almost drown, which is great TV and fun to talk about now but was the single most scary thing ever to happen to me. I hope you enjoy this next episode of Ocean Kayak presents The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons
Jim Sammons
Jim@Kayak4fish.com
Well the date for the first airing of The Kayak Fishing show is only a few days away and too say we are excited would be a huge understatement.
If you would like to see a bit more about the show take a look at this press release, sent out today.
The first show will air on Monday January 11 at 10:30 pm Eastern, 7:30 pm Pacific time zone. I did not realize the show times I posted previously were for Eastern Time zone only. So please adjust those times to your time zone, I know you don’t want to miss the show. 
If you have not had a chance, take a look at our NEW KAYAK FISHING SHOW Website.which is filled with videos, and information about our trips, locations, sponsors, as well as the the guys we fished with. Look for this site to keep growing over the course of the upcoming year so book mark the site and visit often.
I have heard from a few people that the show is not showing up on the TV schedule for Dish network, I have been assured that they are working on that and the show will be on, so no worries there.
I plan on meeting up with some friends and family at a local sports bar to watch it, my cable company does not yet carry WFN.
If your cable provider does not offer WFN at this time, please contact them and let them know you want it, it is your voices that will get us on more TV’s. You can also join our FB group People for the expansion of WFN to all cable providers, which is basically an online petition to the cable providers.
I hope you all have a chance to see the show and enjoy it.
I look forward to hearing what you think of the show.
Have a great weekend.
Jim Sammons
Well 2009 is now behind us, and what a great year it was. We went to some great locations and fished and hung out with some wonderful people, I honestly feel like the luckiest guy in the world some times.
We started the year fishing with my friend Jeff Herman in Galveston Texas for some fun shallow water action on Reds, Trout and Flounder.
Jeff Herman with a nice Galveston Redfish
From Galveston we ran out to the Manske Ranch in Texas for the Heroes on the water event, where we had the opportunity to take some injured servicemen out fishing. This was a truly rewarding experience that I hope to be able to be part of again. Anyone interested in more information on this great organization should contact the guys at HOW. They are always looking for help.
Our next adventure for the year was fishing with Pesca Panama out of David Panama. We were able to fish areas that had never seen a kayak and would daily out fish the power boaters on the trip. The highlight of the trip was being the first kayak anglers ever to fish Hannibal bank and landing a 120lb yellowfin tuna. I would return to Panama and fish with these guys in a heart beat, it was truly a kayak fisherman’s dream destination.
Jims 120 pound Tuna from Panama
In August I made my first foray into fly fishing with a trip to Montana, another dream destination. On this trip I was joined by my son Randy and once again by Jeff Herman and our new friend C.G. Feldman. CG was a great teacher for my son and I and was a huge help in getting us our first ever trout on a fly rod and many more after that. We stayed in a great cabin provided by Rainbow Valley Lodge in Ennis Montana which was in close proximity to lots of great rivers and lakes. I have never seen so much wildlife and I hope to visit Montana again with my family.
Jeff Herman with the Big Brown for the trip
In September I headed up north to Algonquin Park in Ottawa to do some more white water kayak fishing with Ken Whiting and Jamie Pestilli. This was a six day paddle trip down the Petawawa river right during the changing of colors of the leafs on the trees, one of the most beautiful places I have been. The fishing was not bad either as I caught my first Musky from my kayak and a lot more after that. Having a white water expert like Ken on the trip was a huge help and I learned a ton from him.
Ken giving some white water instruction
Jim with a smaller Musky
Our last stop for the year was Cedros Island off the Baja coast. This was a six day mothership trip aboard the sportfishing boat Islander for some incredible Yellowtail fishing. The weather was tough on this trip with lots of high winds but we still managed to get some great fish.
Jim with a Cedros Yellowtail
Baja Calico Bass at Cedros Island
Of course the highlight of the year for us was signing on with The World Fishing Network (WFN) for our own TV show.
We got all these great trips on film and they will each be an episode of Ocean Kayak presents The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons and on our movie Exofficio presents Kayak Fishing; Game On 2.
2009 was a great year and 2010 looks to be even better, if that is possible. We are currently working of some absolutely insane destinations that have not been fished by kayak, as well as visiting some of our good friends around the country. We will keep you all up to date on the blog, as well as on our NEW KAYAK FISHING SHOW Website.which is filled with videos, and information about our trips, sponsors, as well as the the guys we fished with. Look for this site to keep growing over the course of the upcoming year.
If you have any general questions on kayak fishing or just want to share a story please visit the forums on my site, you will find a wealth of knowledge there. We also have a list of kayak fishing records that you can look over, and hopefully contribute too.
Don’t forget to look for our show on WFN starting next week.
The airing schedule is as follows.
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 10:30:00 PM Monday, January 11, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 6:30:00 AM Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 2:30:00 PM Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 8:30:00 PM Sunday, January 17, 2010
WFN HD ONLY (On Air) 4:30:00 AM Sunday, January 17, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 12:30:00 PM Monday, January 18, 2010
And please let your cable provider know you want WFN if they don’t provide it already.
As always feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or have a great destination that you think we need to visit. I hope you all have a great 2010
Jim Sammons
Jim@kayak4fish.com
Before closing I have to give a huge thanks to my friends behind the scenes that make this happen and to my wonderful wife and kids for putting up with me being gone so much.
My great wife and kids who I love so much.
Director, Videographer, Editor, Drinker of good rum, Gets outfished on his own water, Will Richardson
Montana Still photographer, cook and bartender, Kendal Larson, on the left in the big fruity hat
Marketing, Sales, royal pain. Brendan Mark
Producer, life saver, poor fisherman, Ken Whiting
Still photographer and one mean Rower Lisa Utronki
Of course we couldn’t of done any of this without our great sponsors. I hope you will visit their sites and give them the support they deserve.
With the first airing, on WFN ,of Ocean Kayak presents The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons coming up in just few weeks. We are very excited to announce the show times for the first quarter. The first episode, Baja Big Game, will air for the first time on Monday January 11 at 10:30 pm and will air a total of 6 times before episode two begins. This first episode takes us to The Hotel Punta Colorada in Baja’s East Cape in search of Marlin. I am joined by my good friends Howard McKim and Matt Moyer to target some of the biggest fish ever fought from a kayak.
The airing schedule is as follows.
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 10:30:00 PM Monday, January 11, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 6:30:00 AM Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 2:30:00 PM Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 8:30:00 PM Sunday, January 17, 2010
WFN HD ONLY (On Air) 4:30:00 AM Sunday, January 17, 2010
WFN HD & SD (On Air) 12:30:00 PM Monday, January 18, 2010
Episode 2, Our Alaska Adventure, will begin airing 10:30:00 PM Monday, January 18, 2010 and will follow the same airing schedule. This schedule will continue through all thirteen episodes of our show.
Episode 2 will bring us to Prince of Wales Island and Rocky Bay Lodge for some absolutely amazing fishing action and some close encounters with Humpback and Killer Whales.
Once again we ask, if you are not already getting WFN please contact your cable provider and ask them to start carrying it so you can see ours and a lot of other great fishing shows. If you are not sure if your provider is carrying WFN here is a great place find out, with links to your providers so you can ask them to start carrying it. The World Fishing Network.
If you would like to learn a little bit more about kayak fishing, visit Kayak Fishing Tales Web TV.
Here you will learn some great kayak fishing tips, see some of our unique destinations and meet some of the great people we have had a chance to fish with while shooting our TV show and Exofficio presents Game On 1 and 2, our kayak fishing movies.
Our newest video is now up and you will meet my good friend Kayak Kevin Whitley. He gives us some tips on fishing with live eels for Striped bass in Chesapeake Bay.
You can also see these videos on the WFN Kayak Fishing Tales video page.
At this time we have 20 of these videos on line and will continue to put up new videos about every two weeks. Make sure you visit Kayak Fishing Tales on a regular basis or subscribe to the channel so you will be notified when ever we put a new video up.
If you any questions about kayak fishing or our show please feel free to contact me directly, I am always happy to answer your questions. We are also always looking for the next great kayak fishing destination to visit and shoot for our show, so please forward your ideas.
Jim Sammons
Jim@Kayak4Fish.com
(619) 461-7172
All Smiles
A Happy young angler
As a fishing guide, one of my greatest pleasures is watching a new kayak angler land their first “kayak fish”, that feeling is multiplied a hundred fold when it is one of my kids. I cannot begin to tell you how many times, after a day of hooking and handing off fish to my son, he has bragged to me that he out fished me and that he is a natural. I will never forget the time, during a trip to Punta Colorada, that my, then eight-year-old, son and I had a double hookup of Dorado from the kayak. I told him he was on his own on this one, and he handled the task like a pro. Yes, I was the proud father on that day. He is now 14 years old, taller than his dad and has become my favorite fishing partner and every once in a while he actually does outfish me.
My son Randy kayak fly fishing in Montana
If you want to get a child into kayak fishing the first thing you want to do is make sure they are comfortable on the kayak and on the water. The best thing you can do for your child is to enroll them in swimming lessons, this of course is something they will carry with them the rest of their lives. The ability to swim will take away much of the anxiety involved with sitting on a kayak, there will be no worries of “ what will I do if I fall in.”
Until the child is old enough to handle a kayak on their own, with most kids that is between the ages 10 and 12, kayak fishing with a child is best done from a tandem kayak such as the Ocean Kayak Malibu II XL. These bigger kayaks will give you plenty of stability for those times when the child suddenly wants to reach for something floating in the water. In addition to the added stability, you will have plenty of room and a dedicated place for the child to sit. When my kids were small, I would turn the forward seat so that it was facing me. In this configuration, I could always see my child’s face, making it much easier to judge how they were doing. This setup also makes it easier for me to help them with a hooked fish or retying a jig.
Setting up a Tandem with the front seat faceing backward
Going old school here, my daughter in the tankwell of my scupper pro. She is now 17.
You should start by just taking the child for a short paddle on flat water such as the bay. Leave the rods at home; see if they enjoy being on the water. This first outing, if the water is warm enough, is also a good time to practice getting on and off the kayak in the open water. Try this first in water that is just deep enough for you to touch the bottom. If your kids are like mine, they will have a blast jumping off the kayak over and over again. This will lessen any worries they have about getting back on the kayak if they fall in. The adult should get back on the kayak first, so they can balance the kayak and assist the child to get back on. If available in your area paddle by one of the haul out buoys with the Sea lions on it, this is always a thrill for the kids. Do not forget that kids get bored fast so keep this outing short and entertaining.
There are several reason we recommend starting out in the bay, you will get a better idea whether the child is comfortable on the kayak and there is a much lower chance of them getting seasick. Yes, you can get seasick on a kayak and a seasick child is a miserable child. The surf zone can also be very intimidating for kids, and many adults, unless you are very proficient in the surf zone you risk dumping your kayak along with your child and gear into the drink. Another nice thing about fishing the bays is the ability to get off the kayak for a break. When out with my kids I try to break up the day by fishing for a couple of hours, then hitting the beach for lunch or just goofing off in the sand, then fishing another hour before heading home.
A nice spotted bay bass on San Diego Bay
You want your child to be comfortable while out on the water, a kid sitting in wet clothes is going to become cold and miserable in a hurry. Just like yourself, you need to dress your child appropriately for the conditions. Along with the required PFD (personal flotation device), putting your child in a small wetsuit will keep them warm all day. You can pick up a child size wetsuit from Costco for about $24, and kids love wetsuits. I always carry some extra clothes in a drybag in case my kids get too wet. A light windbreaker is always a good idea, even on the warmest days the wind can cool your child down in a hurry. Do not forget a hat and sunglasses as well as a lathering of sunscreen before you head out. It is a good idea to also bring along plenty of your kids favorite snacks and juices, it will just make the day feel that much more special.
If the child is old enough to help paddle, that is great, they will really enjoy it and it will make them feel like they are helping with the work. If the child is going to help paddle, make the investment in a child’s size paddle. A child will struggle with a larger paddle and will become discouraged very quickly.
Just as with any type of fishing with kids, the most important factor to remember is, this outing is about the kid catching fish not you. Most kids that are just being introduced to fishing will be happier catching ten Mackerel than they would trolling around all day hoping for a Yellowtail. Again, the bays are a great place to start; you will have the opportunity to catch many fish to keep a smile on your kids face. In our local bays, your child will have a chance to catch spotted bay bass, Sand bass, Halibut, Bonita, Mackerel, and many other species.
Another nice Bay bass, and look at that smile
Bring light tackle spinning or spin casting reels that are easy for the child to master, a bait caster in most kids hands is just asking for trouble. Though you want to use gear that is easy for the child to handle and not to expensive, I steer away from the low-end “kids” rods. These rods can actually cause more problems than they solve. I do think that the child should have their own rod for which they feel responsible; I always make sure the kids take part in the cleaning of the gear after the trip. I generally load the reels with six to eight pound test to entice more bites. Fishing the drift on the moving tide, with a small grub just bouncing on the bottom, keeps the casting to a minimum and will ensure many bites. You can add a small piece of squid to help entice more bites. Another good option is to setup near one of the bait barges, there are usually a good number of smelt, mackerel or small barracuda willing to bite and give your kid a great fight. For the smelt or Macs a small sabiki or bait catching rig works great, cut it down to two hooks to avoid problems and your child will have a blast catching fish all day. Keep another rod with a small crank bait, such as a Berkley Frenzy, handy. When you make a move, let the child hold the rod while you troll to the next spot. You will be amazed how many fish you can pick up this way.
A big bat ray makes for a suprise catch for this young angler
Teaching a child to fish can be a bit frustrating at times, I know that I have had times when it was announced “it is time to go home”, just as the fish are starting to bite. Remembering that the day is about hanging out with your kid and turning them onto a sport that you love, this means patience and sometimes sacrificing what you would like to be doing like staying on the water all day. Sometimes the shortened trip will mean less hesitation the next time you want to take them out on the kayak. The rewards will be well worth it in the end when you find you have a fishing partner for life.
Take a kid kayak fishing and this is what you will see. All smiles
You can learn more about kayak fishing on our website Kayak4Fish.com
This is a repost of an earlier blog but it has been updated to include our most recent trips.
My wife was asking me the other night what fish we have caught while shooting Ocean Kayak presents The Kayak Fishing Show and Exofficio Presents Game On. I told her, “a lot”, but it was just in my head I had never written it down. So it got me thinking about all the fish species we have been lucky enough to catch during our 2 years of kayak fishing and shooting Game On 1 and 2 and The Kayak Fishing Show. Anyway I sat down and made a list of the different fish we caught in different locations. I am sure I am missing some but here is my list along with a few photo.
Species caught During the shooting of The Kayak Fishing Show, Game On 1 and 2 by our crew.
Game On in Florida
Florida:
Speckled trout
Lady fish
Salt water Cat fish
Blue fish
Alaska:
Ling Cod kayak fishing in Alaska
China Rock fish
Black bass
Tiger rockfish
Quill back rockfish
Yelloweye rockfish
Canada
Pike in Canada
Pike
Small mouth bass
Large mouth bass
Chesapeake bay
Jim with a Red fish in Chesapeake bay
East Cape:
Matt and his jumping Striped Marlin
Snapper
pargo
humbolt squid
Amber Jack
Howards Blue Marlin
Blue Marlin
Dorado
Roosterfish
Hammerhead shark
Texas
Texas Redfish
Red fish
Speckled trout
Flounder
Panama
Jim Sammons and 120 pound yellowfin tuna
Roosterfish
Mangrove snapper
Cubera snapper
Rainbow Runner
Jack Crevalle
Blue Trevally
Paul and his Panama Snook
Snook
Pompano
Triggerfish
Greater Barracuda
Porcupine puffer
Black tip shark
White tip shark
Montana
My first Rainbow trout on the fly
Rainbow Trout
Cutbow
Cutthroat
Brown Trout
Jeff's Brown Trout
Petawawa Canada
Kens' Musky
Musky
Catfish
Walleye
Smallmouth Bass
Tiger Musky
Jim with a Walleye
Cedros Island Baja Mexico
Mothership trip on the Islander
Jim with a Yellowtail
Yellowtail
Calico Bass
Yellowfin Tuna
Paul with a Calico Bass
San Diego Bay
My son Randy with a Spotted bay bass
Spotted Bay bass
Sand Bass
50 different species so far, and I am sure I am missing a few. With more great locations to come this list should continue to grow.
Of course we are still in search of more species and more great locations. If you have any ideas or suggestions on places you would like to see please let us know. We may even put you in the show. You can reach me at Jim@Kayak4Fish.com
I think we have hooked another angler on the kayak fishing addiction
Mark Olis with his first Spotted Bay Bass on San Diego Bay
Last week I took outdoor writer Mark Olis out for a day of kayak fishing on San Diego Bay. He will be writing about our day on the water for the Cabela’s Outfitter Journal magazine . Mark is an avid outdoorsman but kayak fishing was a new experience for him and he really seemed to enjoy it. You can read his first impressions of our day of kayak fishing on his blog. Outdoor Addictions
Catching Spotted Bay Bass in front of a Navy ship
San Diego Bay is a great place to fish and the fish are generally very cooperative. You will get to see a little of this fishery during an episode of Ocean Kayak presents The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons and on Exofficio presents Game On 2.
