Thinking about giving this a try

Hi everyone. Been a long winter. And a boring one. Thinking of starting spring off with something different. For the last couple of years, Ill get the idea in my head to try this kayak stuff  out, then decide its not worth the risk or investment. But it seems some of you guys are going out pretty often and getting results!

As a lifelong alaskan I appreciate the dangers of our waters here and the unpredictability of them.

My biggest concern is flipping in the ocean. What do you guys wear to keep you warm and or dry if that happens?
THen what about seas? What kind of conditions are safe? What about big boats and the big wake they kick up?

Now on to the practicality of this stuff.

How far out do you need to travel, and how long does it take?
Is there any advantage to kayaking over just having a zodiac type boat.
Is there a lot of variety in places to go?
What kind of money are we talking about?

Im thinking of booking a trip with liquid tours out of seward this may or as early as they recommend. Hopefully I can talk my dad or a buddy to come along.

Ill keep looking around here and see what I come up with on my own too. Tight Lines everyone!

My biggest concern is flipping in the ocean. What do you guys wear to keep you warm and or dry if that happens?  Dry suit for the win.  I have a Kokatat SuperNova Angler.  Lots of guys have that or the Stohlquist bPod, or similar.

Now on to the practicality of this stuff.

How far out do you need to travel, and how long does it take?  Depends on boat and comfort level.  Lots of guys can average 3-4mph and will go up to 5 miles out.  Many won't go nearly that far.
Is there any advantage to kayaking over just having a zodiac type boat.
Is there a lot of variety in places to go? Very much.
What kind of money are we talking about?  Like anything the sky is the limit.  I spent $400 on my boat, and $90 on a paddle.  By the time I account for the dry suit and all the other stuff, big and small, I'll be at least $2000 into the hobby.  You can spend more than that on just a boat very easily.  But you don't have to spend a fortune.

Im thinking of booking a trip with liquid tours out of seward this may or as early as they recommend. Hopefully I can talk my dad or a buddy to come along.

Do it.  Chris at Liquid Adventures will treat you right and you'll learn a ton!

-Allen

It's a blast!  You wont regret it.  I'm into my stuff for under 1k that includes a fishfinder/GPS.  (not fishing gear)  I'm pretty cheap & somewhat poor and most of it is used.  I make do with a Drytop, (sometimes less) and Neoprene or breathable waders.  If I were in AK I think I would find the money for a drysuit somehow, I dress well, have taken a swim,(50s temp for air high 40's water) and never been cold.  I'm probably a bit of a Cowboy in regards to safety but am working on it.  I fish Ocean environments solo but I"m in the Strait and know the terrain well and always have an out plan.  But yeah, take a trip first just in case it's not for you.

   Wecome to NWKA rimfirematt,
  I've seen a lot of your posts over on AOD's forum so I feel like I kinda know where you're coming from.
  Alaska has a lot of opportunity for kayak fishing.Salt water out of Homer,Seward,or even Whittierr are all close to Eagle River.Lakes are everywhere in south-central.Rivers are also very do-able in a kayak--think Big Sue,Kenai (both upper and lower)Kasilof,and one of my favorites-Swanson River.20 Mile and  Placer River are a little closer to ER and can be fun as well.
   You might want to get together with kardinal-84.He lives in Anchorage and is a fanatic when it  comes to kayak fishing.Plus he's a lot of fun to fish with.Search through this forum for his posts and check out his fishing blog.You will get inspired...guarrenteed.
  Taking a trip with liquid tours is a great idea.I don't know if you'll catch a lot in May but some rockfish or early butts is certainly possible.Might be a little early for any salmon.But you never know til you try.Just go do it.
  Be aware though that this is very addictive.Keep reading on here and you'll see what I mean.......
  Give it a try and best of luck to you.........you won't be sorry.
                                                                                          Mark

Absolutely agree with Allen and Mark -- take a trip Chris at Liquid Adventures (next to Miller's Landing @ Lowell Point). I spent an afternoon on the water with him early in the season, learning about safety, launches and landings, deploying a drift sock, getting back on the kayak from the water.  Then I followed the instruction with a guided fishing trip, just out to Sunny Cove via water taxi. Chris is a natural teacher, easy going and encouraging, and a total professional. 

Staying dry/warm -- a semi-dry paddling suit (neoprene collar rather than rubber gasket renders it semi-dry) works well for me, giving me the ability to layer underneath to address warmth needs. At times in the summer, the suit gets hot if I'm working really hard and there's no wind to speak of. That "no wind" thing isn't common though.

You can fish inshore waters as you gain skills and confidence; there are fish to be had. My first solo trips had me fishing close in very protected waters, though I soon ventured farther out.  Shotgun Cove out of Whittier is a good place to start (although that thing they say about the weather in Whittier is so true -- check before driving through the tunnel). There are lots of places to go.  And you have the option of getting comfortable fishing from a kayak on local lakes too.  Early on, Mat-Su lakes for trout after ice-out ...

Zodiac vs. kayak? That's personal preference mostly. I can get to more places to launch, and have a more intimate connection to the water, without the din of an engine in my ears or the smell of fuel in my nose. I value all of that.

Cost of entry to the sport is low, especially in contrast to that Zodiac. I believe in having good gear in Alaska, where our margin for error is slimmer than Outside. So I don't economize too much here.  For this, I bought a Hobie Revolution, a wheeled cart for transport from car to water, turbo fins to give me extra power against tides and current, a VHF, safety flag and light.  Probably $2500 in new purchases in the first year, making due with existing fishing gear and dry suit, boots, etc. from river kayaking equipment.

Call Chris -- that's a good place to start.

YES YES YES and YES!!
Alaska is the cold water Mecca for kayak anglers, or any anglers really. The abundance close to launch makes it ideal!
If you already have fishing gear your basic needs are Kayak, PFD, Paddle, and dry gear. One the cheap you might be able to do it for $1000 but 1500-2k is more reasonable. Fish finder and GPS are very nice to have but not necessary right off the bat.
Here are a few AK kayak pics to prime the pump for you.

Thanks for all the great responses.

Haven't even gone to work yet! Spent the morning watching youtube videos on drysuits, cold weather kayaking and safety. Then of course switched to fishing videos, then found myself browsing kayaks.

I have checked out Kardnals blog. Actually his blog was the big motivator for my interest in this sport. I've been reading that thing over the year. I was gonna drop him a line and find out why he hasn't posted for awhile!

I don't even know why I mentioned price. Shoot everything is expensive these days. Also I have motorized vehicles now that are nothing but expensive PIA things to deal with. Im about ready to sell those and start going human power for everything.

Now you mentioned rivers. Can you go upstream with a kayak? And right now Im liking that Hobie pro angler and the mirage drive.

Also it looks like the hobie can carry a load. Im also thinking of using this kayak for moose hunting. I was thinking the nancy lake area. I like the way the portage wheels mount on the hobie.

Fungunnin where were those pics taken? in southeast or south central?

   Hey rimfirematt,
  Here are a couple of pictures of a friend and I fishing for silvers on the Swanson River in August.Also a shot of kardinel-84 and Jammer on the Kenai last July.They'll show you different water conditions--the Swanson is pretty easy with a minimum amount of current.The Kenai moves a lot more water.
  As far as going up-river---totally depends on the river.With a Hobie you can go upstream even on the Kenai.The picture is just above Beaver Creek a little ways.On the Swanson..there is very little current so you can go up-stream all day there.
  We fished the Anchor River Salmon Derby last May from kayaks and had a blast.We put in at Whiskey Creek.Even in the strong currents of Cook Inlet we were able to maintain position without too much effort.But you do have to pay attention to what's going on around you.That current can sweep you out pretty far in a hurry if you're not paying attention.
  I've taken my yak out of Homer several times and had success within 1/2 mile of the spit catching silvers,halibut,and cod.I've tried a few times out of Seward and never got any salmon but have done ok with rockfish.You just gotta get out there and give it a go.
  Again--------good luck.

  Fungunnin's pictures are much more impressive--nice fish............

That trip was SE.
If you are ever in Ketchikan give Howard at Ketchikan Kayak Adventures a ring.
Not sure if he is booking 2013 yet or not but his Misty Fjords remote trip is a damn good time. 

Woo Hoo another Alaskan!!  Welcome to NWKA.

  I have not yet pulled the trigger on purchasing a kayak and necessities as well and when I do Im going for the Pro Angler. I plan on having it before May so I can start going after the butts.

  Kardinal was the man who got me interested in this as well. I saw him in seward last summer when I was rowing my giant cataraft and fishing in the bay. He stopped to chat for a minute and then was on his way trolling. After that encounter and some internet juice, I was ready to get a Hobie and go fishing. Then the snow fell so here I am waiting and reading about all the fishing and watching the AOTY points going up.

  I will probably start off this year by heading down to Ninilchik and Deep Crk area and try for the butts. If you are interested and want a fishing partner let me know and we can pool our resources together and cut some costs.

Welcome aboard.

Hey BearToothClaw and rimfirematt -- Just wanted to let you know that Alaska Raft and Kayak is bringing in a Hobie Pro Angler to show at the Alaska Sportsman's Show the last weekend in March. Earlier this year I bought a Revolution 13 through them, and they're going to show that boat too -- just to have some variety for us to look at.  Unless we travel Outside to shop and demo boats, we don't have too many opportunities to put our hands on Hobies up here, so this might be a good chance for you to kick some tires as it were.

The other thing to keep in mind is that REI carries Ocean Kayak boats -- and in May you can knock down the price of a by 20% if you're a member, with no shipping charges for delivery to the store in Anchorage.  Good savings there too. 

If you buy an Outback or Pro Angler, just fly down to Seattle and peddle your way back up

I have a buddy in the raft rental/sales/repair business. He has a direct connection with old town and can beat everyones price when it comes to them. But he also said the Hobies were awesome. He said he will make some calls and see what he can do to get me one.

He said he can get me lots of different brands of drysuits too. I can't remember which ones though.

He said he can get me lots of different brands of drysuits too. I can't remember which ones though.

rimfirematt – I have a Kokatat dry suit that I have been using for about 5 years, I guess. Started out using it for windsurfing, then have used it for the last 1 ½ years for kayaking. It has been a very good suit – no issues with it at all. It also has the relief zipper, which is not a necessity, but is really nice when it is cold and windy. REI carries them, as well as others.