hello

hello to all.  My name is paul and I have a small poultry and sheep farm in Snohomish as well as work for a paint company.
  I am hoping to get into kayak fishing and maybe some crabbing over the next couple of years.  I will be starting off slow to see if I can manage kayaking safely and to be sure I enjoy it as much as I expect before I spend a lot on gear.
  I hope to find a reasonably priced class to get started on basic control and safety.  if anyone has suggestions on that I would be grateful.
  If that goes well I will proceed to getting a boat, dry suit, and other gear.  I hope to end up being able to do some bottom fishing, maybe a salmon every now and then, drop a crab pot, and get to some secluded areas for clam digging.  My wife would come on some trips, but she would be less interested in fishing and more interested in the exercise, quiet time, and photography(she loves to paint and would use the photos to take back and recreate on canvas.                                                                                                               
 Eventually I will be asking questions about equipment and about fishing but that will have to wait until I am sure that I am capable of controlling a kayak safely.  I am recovering from a bad break of my dominate elbow and still do not know how much strength and motion I will end up with.

Hi paul and welcome.  If you're worried about arm strength for paddling then look into a peddle driven kayak.  There is the native propel and the hobies.  You'll use your legs to propel the kayak and only have to use your arms to steer and fish.  They are a little more pricey then a paddle kayak but worth every penny in my opinion.  As far as a class to attend I'm sorry, I am still relatively new to the area and to kayaking so I can't help you there but I'm sure some of the more experienced will be chiming in on here soon.

Hi Paul, welcome! I too would recomend a peddle drive if you are recovering from an arm injury. It also helps when trolling for salmon!  I only started kayaking in March, and one thing that helped me decide was going to Scapoose paddling center and testing out a few options. I think they offer courses on kayak safety and fishing too. Good luck Paul!