too cold to fish

.. at least for me... gonna stir the pot. I asked this on another of the Yak boards... somebody tell me.. why is it that a lot of yakkers... not all,... but many think their yak should look like a 14 ft Swiss Army knife? I know to each his own, but my philosophy has always been that of a minimalist... I carry a small depth finder and most of the basic gear... but good Lord... LOL!

Sports and related endeavors tend to go in circles. The advent of kayak fishing started with a minimalistic approach. Small, light boats, carrying little in the way of gear and tackle. It was a complete departure from the large, gear laden bass and flats type boats and therein lay the appeal for many. Now the "kayaks" are getting larger, heavier and more gear laden and this will likely continue until guys realize they're nearly back to where they started with their bass and flats boats. At which point, you'll see a "new" trend towards smaller, lighter and less gear laden kayaks. It all comes around over time.

One possible reason: These may be the kayakers that have yet to experience a capsizing or fall out due to inclement water conditions. With all the rod holders and doodads I see some people have on their gunnels, I wonder how they would re-enter from the water? I doubt they have even thought of it.

I started small: Hobie Sport, two rods in the factory supplied rod holders and a catch bag. Then I went up in size a bit to the Revo11 and found that I was carrying livebait and 3 rods in a crate plus catch bag and fishfinder. At this point I fell out in 4ft seas and lost some expensive gear, but I was able to get back in. I started carrying less gear afterwards. Yet, once I got the Outback, I started carrying more gear again and its been an exercise in self control to try and keep it simple.

Now I've sold the Outback and have my sights set on a 2015 Revo13. The temptation of mounting more gear on the Outback would surely get me in trouble, I was even considering a downrigger and larger fishfinder! So perhaps the kayakers who go straight for the larger models (sorry PA guys, its not all of you, but many) are the worst offenders because they haven't learned how to keep it simple yet.

Well, I got a Revo, Outback and PA.... I did put very small depth finders on the PA and OB and a Hobie livewell on the PA..., tha's all I'm doing...

The more you fish, the less stuff you need because you start to know what you're doing.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

I'am I glad I read this thread ! I am a newbie to the Hobie Forum . However, not new to either Sailing Hobie Cats or Fishing Fresh & Salt waters . I recently discovered the Hobie TI Adventure, and have fallen head over heals about getting one . To the point . I have been reading the Hobie Forum daily for the past few weeks . I wanted to gleam as much wisdom and experience from y-all that I could .
I confess I started thinking . OMG, everyone has so many cool gadgets and accessories ! I 'am going to do the same thing . But after reading this thread and thinking about the information Y-all have shared . I am going to slow way down on thinking I need all the gadgets to be cool like everyone
Else. I am going to concentrate on simplicity . I particularly want to thank Mr. Kirkman and Mr. Redsinthehead for their comments .

RJ
I sail because I love it and I fish because I love it too.

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Rj
Hill Country Texas
Near Canyon Lake

Look at Ronbo's awesome photos in the Hobie Kayak Fishing section as well, he shows how he gets it done without any extraneous gear cluttering the decks.

When you have to carry a kayak and all your gear down a cliff in the dark and haul it back up again after fishing all day, you keep the gear to a minimum. After a rod, reel and a couple lures, what else do you really need?

Kayak fishing is a simple, basic kind of fishing; a quiet, maneuverable boat and a fisherman.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

How much fishing gear you need in or on your kayak depends on the kind of fishing that you're doing. If you're fly fishing or flipping lures into the weeds for pike or bass, all you may need is a rod, a net, and a box of lures or flies. On multi-day unsupported whitewater kayak trips, I fish in this style, using only a telescoping rod and a box of lures. For example, see my description of a 4-day kayak fishing trip on the Selway River in Idaho which I posted at http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/in ... ic=13913.0 , and my description of a 6-day kayak fishing trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho which I posted at http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/in ... ic=14090.0 .

But you need more gear to fish effectively for some kinds of fish. When I'm fishing for lake trout or kokanee, I have a fish finder with GPS, a downrigger, and a rod holder mounted on my 13' Revolution. This equipment lets me locate schools of kokanee and run my lure right through the schools. It lets me locate underwater features where lake trout hang out and run my lure only a few feet above those features.

Nice camping/rapids/fishing reports there! Definitely not Hobie country though.

Yep. At least two feet of hard still over most of my waters. Soooo, this is the time to organize gear so as to keep your Hobie from looking like a Cabela's outlet. Spend a day (or days) Separate all your lures into types, species and level specifics.

Label the ends of the boxes, as in Bass/top water, etc. I fish for every thing from trout (freshwater) to all the warm-water species. Currently, there are about forty boxes stacked on shelves, label ends out. Then I keep a half-dozen Plano Waterproof boxes empty. (Never, ever use a box in your Hobie that is NOT waterproof!) When I am planning a trip in my little RV Coachman with trailer and two Hobies in tow, I load up a number of empty boxes from the lure-specific storage depending on waters I aim to fish, and it might often be a number of different species. When I load the Hobie for the day, I only stash aboard a limited number of the small specific daily boxes. Morning fishing may require one specific range of lures, the evening another.

I limit myself to one rod in action, one of different line weight and action on standby. My rods and net are rigged to float if necessary, and sometimes the necessary comes when you least expcect it!

I use a Lowrance Elite 5 that pops on and off with a Ram ball and GearTracs, same with the transducer which is on a Ram arm over the side allowing me to be electronics ready in less then three minutes with minimum clutter. My battery sits behind me in my H-Crate in a foam cutout. The wires I run along the gunnel to the sonar and keep out of the way with a couple strips of duct tape. I know, not pretty, but fast and secure, and I do it new each time. Try it! K.I.S.S.

In your front hatch, keep your emergencies which have been covered many times in this forum. In my crate I keep an old ping-pong paddle within easy reach. It is easier than using your paddle when you need to back up out of a hole or want to whisk away from shore or shallows without unlimbering your Hobie paddle. If I am fly fishing, I carry one fly box, one rod, extra leader material in my vest, leave the electronics off, and carry a large beach towel to drop in front of me to keep line from fouling.

Oldguysrule (CO)