Open Water Fishing

I'm purchasing a PA for duck hunting and fishing. I live on the Gulf of Mexico and was curious what kind of sea conditions any of you have been caught in. Are you ok in 1-2's? 3's? Do you only go out on slick calm days? Also, when you hook a 50lb cobia or king, what is the technique for fighting it? Into the bow?

In my experience when you get into 3 ft waves the cockpit starts to get wet so plan accordingly. When ya hook a fish in the PA the bow tends to swing sideways towards the direction the line tension is coming from...

seal up the front hatch more, it tends to nose dive and leak, also a big fish i pull up my rudder and keep the rod facing forward and turn with the fish.

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cool thanks for the info. When you say pull up the rudder do you mean pulling it out of the water and letting the fish pull towards the bow?

yes this only really applys to large fish when caught on light gear. if u think the fish could spool you can do this to minimize the drag of the kayak and slowly fight them down. now if you have heavy gear you can fight the from the side for max drag!

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I either pull my drive out completely or have the fins lying against the hull...

Unfortunately, I've had fish get tangled up in my drive and I've heard of others getting their fins cut because of big fish...

Like in all water, be sure everything is secure and lashed down (Rods, Ice Chests, Anchor, Paddle, etc).

God Bless,
Doc S

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Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The first thing I do when I hook up is turn the boat towards the fish. Then, feather the Mirage Drive Fins. The rest is easy, usually.

All of the above applies:

I live on the Gulf coast and fish offshore exclusively................the PA is no big seas kayak, but you can make it work.

First off it does not have enough rocker to ride up and over waves and it plows through the surf waves. Be sure and have all scupper plugs open because often you will have a cockpit full of water. Fortunately it drains quickly.

The kayak is bow heavy and even in 2 ft or larger waves, just plows through them and you will get water over the bow. This is when you need your hatch modification that seal it better.

When hooked to big fish, either have your mirage drive out or at least flat against the bottom of the hull. Sharks are particularly troublesome about getting the line wrapped around the fins.

Always keep your rod between 10-2 on your bow and your kayak will follow the direction of the line. I, too, like to have my rudder raised should I unhook from my anchor for a "sleigh ride". Otherwise the kaykay doesn't follow the line properly and sometimes goes off at an angle.

Bring a gaff or boga, as you can lose a few fish by trying to lift them via the leader into the cockpit.

Last but not least, it doesn't re-enter the surf very well either. To be as wide as it is, you would think it would be hard to flip, but I have and have seen them flip in the surf with regularity.

That being said, the Pro Angler has the most room, carries more and is the most comfortable kayak I have ever been in. I can sit in the seat all day and never get as tired as I do in other yaks. Anytime the seas are two feet or less, it is my go to kayak. The problem arises when I leave it is 2 ft but becomes higher seas while I am out on the water.

I still like my PA and I never fish or paddle anywhere but offshore in the Gulf.