Any dip netting experience?

I am wondering if anyone can share their thoughts on dip netting from a kayak.  I haven't seen or heard much on that topic.  Would Kasilof or Kenai be more kayak friendly/safer? Best places to launch from? Are you restricted to the boat zone?  Should one worry about seals stealing fish off your stringer? Not exactly a lot of on board space for 25-35 fish. I would imagine a smaller size net and shorter handle would be more manageable from a kayak as well? Thanks for sharing!
Max

It won't surprise a few people... but I have thought about this before, just couldn't come up with a safe way to create enough stability to get leverage on dip-nets. 

Basics you probably already know -
1.  Dipnet success is proportional to the square feet of net you have deployed correctly IN the water.  The area is proportional to the square of the radius of the net. The bigger your net you put in the right place, the more fish you catch.  By the time you get down to kayak size nets, you have hardly any square feet between the hoop edges. 
2.  Big dipnets are unwieldy, and have a lot of drag in the water.   If you are dead drifting, the force of drag is less, but with no relative motion, you cover less water, so get fewer fish.   Many/Most PB'rs put on a bit of throttle downstream, counteracts the upstream winds, and helps keep the net bag stretched out properly too.
3.  Running a net off one side of a boat (and none on the other) creates imbalance and a steering nightmare.    With a power boat you can compensate, not so sure with a Kayak.  Even my sailing rudder wouldn't  compete with a 36"+ Diameter net in the water, I am pretty sure I'd spin real quick.

A few years ago I watched a guy launch and fish from a tandem canoe rig - two canoes joined across the gunnels with 2x4 lumber.  I recall it had an electric trolling motor in the middle on the wood braces.   Even with the catamaran style the netters were struggling and imbalanced, with nets going in and out on opposite sides of the canoe-a-maran --> so not a great execution of that idea.

I played with the idea of rigging two kayaks together, with better supports, and running a large net between, but couldn't figure out how to pick a giant net easily.   That brain-child started looking like a serious fabrication project - and got trashed.

In short - gave it some thought, but wasn't successful convincing myself my ideas were clever enough or safe enough to try them... for all the effort I can go line a few from the bank and probably have more fun.

postscript for your other questions - the idea of running my SOT Kayak in between the boats that people launch at the Kenai dock ... No Way.   I dont have experience boating around Kasilof dip nets, but in the lower Kenai I would say you should take out a giant life insurance policy - your chances of getting swamped or run over in the circus that the lower river boat dipping zone becomes ... at least your heirs would come out ok.    Kenai side:  Have seen river otters, only one seal many years ago - must have been lost.  Not sure on the boat zone restriction - you'd be non-motorized, but still could not dinet above Warren Ames bridge, as ALL dip netting end there.   Not sure if they'd allow kayaking the river mouth between the lines of north and south beach dippers. 

I saw it done at Fish creek last year.  the took two kayaks and locket them together with a bar leaving a space between them of about 2-3 feet.  Then they each dipped from the out side edges of the Kayaks to keep from spinning in the current.   It work well, and they moved around by each person using a shortened paddle, again on their outside side of the Kayak to paddle back up stream to start the drift again.  The fish were kept on a stringer attached to the bar on between the kayaks.   Fish creek current is quite moving once the flood water moves in, and they fishery only opens  every few years or so.

Lots of seals in the Kenai river....I had one rip two silvers off my stringer all the way by falling in hole. They probably are a bit more spooked this time of year however with all the boats in the lower river.

Just a thought if the handfull of guys that float the current in a drysuit holding a pvc net get some fish i'm sure a kayak would have similiar success and an easier time getting back upriver for the next float.

I have done it once . It would take a lot of talking to get me to do it again. it's fun but a lot of work and skill. 3 major factors to make it safe and worth it.

1. BE IN SHAPE- You will be doing a lot of paddling/foot pumping. One fish in a net will pull you fast and far. This happens after each fish

2. Floatation- If you flip while netting a fish, its over for you. You need something to prevent your kayak from flipping. Invest in outriggers (pic below)

3. Know where to store all your fish- The weight in the kayak adds up fast. 10 salmon in the back of your kayak can sink you.

I have done it once . It would take a lot of talking to get me to do it again. it's fun but a lot of work and skill. 3 major factors to make it safe and worth it.

1. BE IN SHAPE- You will be doing a lot of paddling/foot pumping. One fish in a net will pull you fast and far. This happens after each fish

2. Floatation- If you flip while netting a fish, its over for you. You need something to prevent your kayak from flipping. Invest in outriggers (pic below)

3. Know where to store all your fish- The weight in the kayak adds up fast. 10 salmon in the back of your kayak can sink you.

That's one heck of a set up!!!!  I agree with your points. But I am prone to doing a lot of silly things for fishing, but dipnetting from a kayak doesn't really even enter my mind.  It just doesn't sound very appealing.

If I tried it, I would use two kayaks as mentioned above.  I would connect them via a rope run through a pvc pipe so there would be some play but still keep the kayaks apart. 

I bet it would be fun once you got out and could avoid the boats though!

Dip net and kayak shouldn't mix. 

I say that because I'm barely managing tangled mess while navigating around currents, swells, and other dip netters.  Last Friday swell was so strong that it was pulling me out the sea. Lesson learned not to follow that wetsuit/flipper guy.

Don't be that first statistic.

Thanks for the input. I didn't imagine it would be as challenging and dangerous as it is sounding now.  I think I will look for more enjoyable ways to catch my fish.