Kayak Fishing
My thoughts are of anticipation as I’m driving down Santiago Canyon Road towards Irvine Lake this morning. The latest stocking of brood stock quality trout reported by the lake has me hoping to finally catch a double digit to which I’ve seen but never have caught. I’m not unlike most anglers that patronize this urban fishing mecca but today I’m fishing in a kayak.
Like many kindred anglers I have used a float tube for years both locally and countless times in the frigid Eastern Sierras waters. I’ve enjoyed some good times tubing but the years have caught up to me and the neoprene waders that once fit me well, no longer fit. Oh yeah, add to this the setup time and let’s not forget to mention just how cold that water “feels” early in the morning hours. These are just several reasons that I made my decision to take the plunge and purchase a kayak. I drove up to the pay gate and wondered if I was to be charged for a private boat launching but to my wonderment, Francis only charges me for a float tube launch. Clearly, she can see the kayak on top of my car but I’m not complaining and enter as if I’ve been doing this for years. As I look out onto the lake there is a beehive of activity at the boat launch on Trout Island. Boat trailers are six deep in line to launch and the rental boats dot the lake in the usual hotspots along the west shore. A short drive down the dirt road leads me to the boat launch but do I really need to use the launch? Away from the confusion and hustle I look out to a clearing of cars and trucks to my left and see an area free of vehicles and a small open area in a shallow part of the lake. A couple of float tubers are there preparing for a day on the water and as if compelled, I drove over to them. Just how much water depth do I need to launch my kayak, I’m thinking? I didn’t bring any boots so I’m hoping that I can launch without getting my feet wet. I unloaded the kayak off my car and carry it to the water’s edge close to the float tubers who are still inflating their inner tubes.
Another trip to the car and I’m organizing my fishing gear and kayak equipment at the water’s edge. My kayak is a Wilderness Systems Critter model that has a length just under 10 feet. It is a sit in kayak that most people would recognize as the conventional style when thinking kayaks. Today, kayaks come in many types and models. The two most popular used for local fishing are the sit-in and sit-on-top models and host numerous manufacturers to choose from. I researched several internet websites on kayaks to get the information on equipment and proper setup needed to make the most of my investment. I visited several kayak stores locally and asked the owners questions relating to fishing with kayaks and found them to be really knowledgeable and very helpful in purchasing the needed equipment that I thought I would be using. There are several items worth mentioning that can be really helpful to a fisherman. I found that rod holders and a lightweight anchor to be essential. A paddle float bag can also serve as a great way to store an anchor and the nylon rope used with it. You need paddles and I choose a lightweight set of aluminum poles with ABS plastic paddle ends. One other item to mention that I purchased was a portable fish finder as I felt that would a good investment in locating fish and tracking the lake’s depth. I had the kayak ready to launch in under ten minutes and eased the kayak into the water allowing enough space for me to get into the kayak without getting my feet wet. The only problem was that the kayak was still part on land and half in the water. By using my paddle end, I pushed against the shore and freed the kayak and was on my way. I’m amazed at how easy it is to launch and I didn’t even get my feet wet!! Paddling out I turned back to shore to see the float tubing anglers still working on their rigs.
There is a sense of freedom in a kayak that can only be experienced when on the water that is hard put into words. You paddle with a sense of solitude gliding over the water and yet it takes very little effort to get moving along at a fairly good rate of speed. Before I knew it, I was paddling around Trout Island heading to one of my favorite spots in the flats and keeping up with several rental boaters that were trolling. I had rigged my poles before I launched and decided to try trolling. I installed rod holders up in front and my fish finder between them. Another rod holder was installed in the rear as well. The rod holders can be angled to almost any position for trolling and before I knew it, I was hooked up! I was using a Phenix 7'3" foot 2 piece graphite rod and could easily reach forward to grab the rod. The kayak turned itself to the fish as I was reeling him in, without the use of paddles. This was something I didn’t expect and was pleasantly surprised. Reaching with a free hand, I grabbed my net and caught my first fish of the day! A small stocker in the one lb. range but still a good fighter. After stringing my fish, I paddled to my destination in the back corner of the flats. As I came to my destination, my realization was that this would not have been possible to kick a float tube that far in a lake. Things were really adding up on the plus side for kayaking I thought.
One of my favorite techniques used for trout, is to mini jig fish. I was taught by one of the best there is Marlon Meade. Our friendship goes back a long time and he is my Eastern Sierra fall fishing partner. We can spend hours talking about fishing. I told Marlon that I thought drifting jigs would be a great way to catch trout. I decided to test my theory by using the fish finder to locate a school of trout and drop down a 1/32 ounce bi-color yellow/white jig. I cast out my two lb. test lines and then pulled off another ten or more yards and closed the bale arm. Next, I placed both rods in the rod holders and used my paddles to move very slowly backwards. Within a few minutes I was hooked up! This one had a lot of heft and the rod had major bendo. I fought the fish and felt it was a good one. A little while later, I netted what turned out to be a really nice 5.65 lb. Rainbow.
One of the biggest advantages of kayaks over float tubes is the fact that you aren’t stuck in one area of a lake. I kayaked all over Irvine Lake that day. This is something that I normally would only do in a boat. I paddled to the dam and down the west shore. I nailed two more nice three pounders on a Rapala Firetiger CD5 and another on a Gold Thomas Buoyant for my limit. I thought that by the time I got back to my car that I would be very tired paddling but amazingly enough, I wasn’t! This is just a simple taste of what kayaking is about and if your waders are getting a little too hard to get into these days then maybe kayaking is your thing. I know it’s mine.
See video on You Tube.com Click on URL below
(37) Beginner's Tips for Kayak Fishing - YouTube
