Handling a fly rod on the kayak

Decided I'd try the fly rod with some sinking line after seeing quite a few people giving this a try at my local fishing hole.   Since I'm a klutz casting a fly line, I figure this would be a fun way to get down about 20 feet behind the kayak and catch some nice 12-14 inch rainbows.

This didn't last very long.

My leader became hung up on the rod tip, and that's a pickle with a 9 foot long 5wt rod holding a reel with weighted line.  Reaching the rod tip means hanging the reel end of the rod off the boat.  Even when using the bow to set the reel end of the rod down while it's sliding off the gunwale.   After what must have been some comical gyrations, I succeeded turning my 4 piece Sage 5wt into a 5 piece 5wt.   It's now sent back for repair.

Good news is I was able to drag the propeller-head green fuzzy bug (did I say I was a novice at this fly fishing thing?) behind me using my ultralight spinning gear to catch a couple nice rainbows.

I'll try the weighted fly line behind a backpacking travel fly/spin rod to work out the sinking line thing while the Sage gets fixed.

What's the trick to managing a 9ft fly rod on a kayak when the line gets fouled at the rod tip??

Practice...that's the key.   
Green propeller fuzzy thing... You crack me up.  That's what I call them.
You'll get a rhythm and a system for handling the fly and the sinking tips, and managing stripped line all from the cockpit of your kayak.

What's the trick to managing a 9ft fly rod on a kayak when the line gets fouled at the rod tip??

Don't foul the line on your rod tip.

You're welcome.

Lots of practice and balancing of putting the butt end up on the extreme bow or if need be head to shore or take a section apart to reach the tip. To make you feel better my saltwater rod is 11 ft. and my kayak is 12 ft. so imagine that?

Put the rod tip in the water and with some slack in the line (and holding the grip) yank the rod straight backwards - so the line is being pulled straight out from the rod tip.  That will often get the line unwrapped.

If that doesn't work, put the rod tip in the water and, again holding the rod at the proper end, gently swirl the rod tip in the opposite direction from how the line has wrapped around the tip top.

If that doesn't work, disassemble the rod at the middle section so you can reach the tip.

If that doesn't work, take a buddy with you.  surf12foot has helped me recover from my foul-ups more than once.

Or head for shore.

The first time I tried to clear the tip, I wasn't paying attention and the rod went over the side.  There are more fun things to do than to recover your rod using the line, and slowly unspooling the fly line and 200 yards of backing, hoping that the arbor knot holds... but it beats busting the rod.

IMHO, you'd have been better off with either a slow-sinking line (1.5ips) or a floating line with a sink tip - a custom cut, a MOW tip, or Polyleader - to get to 20 feet.  A weighted line requires a different casting stroke, and if you're new to casting a fly rod, it might be better to practice a little before adding a kayak to the mix.

Lots of practice and balancing of putting the butt end up on the extreme bow or if need be head to shore or take a section apart to reach the tip. To make you feel better my saltwater rod is 11 ft. and my kayak is 12 ft. so imagine that?

Yeah, but you were born holding a 3wt in your hand.  I pity your poor mom...   

Breaking the rod down is what I'll try next time!   Thanks!

Put the rod tip in the water and with some slack in the line (and holding the grip) yank the rod straight backwards - so the line is being pulled straight out from the rod tip.  That will often get the line unwrapped.

If that doesn't work, put the rod tip in the water and, again holding the rod at the proper end, gently swirl the rod tip in the opposite direction from how the line has wrapped around the tip top.

If that doesn't work, disassemble the rod at the middle section so you can reach the tip.

If that doesn't work, take a buddy with you.  surf12foot has helped me recover from my foul-ups more than once.

Or head for shore.

The first time I tried to clear the tip, I wasn't paying attention and the rod went over the side.  There are more fun things to do than to recover your rod using the line, and slowly unspooling the fly line and 200 yards of backing, hoping that the arbor knot holds... but it beats busting the rod.

IMHO, you'd have been better off with either a slow-sinking line (1.5ips) or a floating line with a sink tip - a custom cut, a MOW tip, or Polyleader - to get to 20 feet.  A weighted line requires a different casting stroke, and if you're new to casting a fly rod, it might be better to practice a little before adding a kayak to the mix.

K.I.S.S. Find a system that works and stick to it until you can cast it blindfolded. There are rod systems, line systems, blah blah blah......some of the best casters I know have down sized to Tenkara rods......line and stick, that's it. Point is there is no magic potion or line or whatever. It's just fishing and practice makes more practice and nobody is perfect.

You probably have a multi piece rod. Break it in half at the middle ferrule, that will bring the tip in arms range. Reel in whatever slack you have between the reel and the tangled tip. Just be slow and methodical, keep the movements to a minimum to reduce tangling. Make sure all the line is on the same side of the rod when you reassemble.

K.I.S.S. Find a system that works and stick to it until you can cast it blindfolded. There are rod systems, line systems, blah blah blah......some of the best casters I know have down sized to Tenkara rods......line and stick, that's it. Point is there is no magic potion or line or whatever. It's just fishing and practice makes more practice and nobody is perfect.

There you are DK, sell your kayak and just start paddling a log, since going primitive will show everyone that you're a great kayaker - and make it easier to untangle the line...   

K.I.S.S. Find a system that works and stick to it until you can cast it blindfolded. There are rod systems, line systems, blah blah blah......some of the best casters I know have down sized to Tenkara rods......line and stick, that's it. Point is there is no magic potion or line or whatever. It's just fishing and practice makes more practice and nobody is perfect.

There you are DK, sell your kayak and just start paddling a log, since going primitive will show everyone that you're a great kayaker - and make it easier to untangle the line...   

Lol! Just listed mine on Craigslist.....thinking about a cow pie instead of a log...but I'm worried about the carbon footprint. 😉

What helps me the most is keeping a clean deck. I always get hung up on my FF post. Drives me nuts.

Also, don't troll behind you. Lay lay fly rod fwd facing right off the bow with the butt end/reel in your lap and paddle backwards. Way easier to manage fly gear when it's all laid out in front of you

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Also, don't troll behind you. Lay lay fly rod fwd facing right off the bow with the butt end/reel in your lap and paddle backwards. Way easier to manage fly gear when it's all laid out in front of you

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

That's a gem of some advice right there... thanks for this!

The backwards trolling bit is good advice....  I reverse my hobie drive and back troll all the time.

The backwards trolling bit is good advice....  I reverse my hobie drive and back troll all the time.

Ding, Ding, Ding !!

Or, put it off to one side at 60 deg from dead ahead.

Actually, that's the correct angle, whether you go FWD or BWD.