Been kayak fishing for a few years but still lots to learn

I recently changed my user name from Kayakflyangler to Michole, and figure this is a good time to introduce myself. First off, the spelling of my name was made up by my parents and I was named after my grandfather.

I was born and raised in Eastern Oregon and started fishing when I was five. I picked up the fly rod at age 11 and my dad and I would see who could catch more fish - the bait fisherman or the fly fisherman. He would usually win but it would often be close and I learned a lot.

About three years ago I modified an 8-foot Old Town Otter to fly fish for steelhead. I even took third place in the first Next Adventure kayak sturgeon derby with that boat. I kept upgrading my kayaks and now use a Hobie, usually turning the mirage drive around so I pedal my kayak in reverse.

I am a photojournalist by training but now I manage people. I use my blog, www.kayakflyangler.com and Youtube channel by the same name, to be creative and an excuse to give my wife for why I go fishing every weekend.

I am always experimenting and prefer to fly fish, especially in the kayak. My other fishing buddies are not into kayaks so I am always looking for people who kayak fly fish. I keep learning and this site is a great place to find tips and throw out ideas.

Nice BC steelie!

You have a very nice blog. I can tell you're a trained photographer by the quality of some of the pictures and the angled you use.
Thanks for sharing!


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If you ever head back to eastern oregon, I'm always looking for someone to yak fish with.  And yes, I like to fly fish as well

I like using flies from the kayak.  Sometimes it's the most productive way of fishing.

Can you go into more detail about using the mirage in reverse. I've heard it talked about but never tried it.  What fishing technique do you use it for and how well does the rudder work in reverse?

Good to see you on the forum.  I knew you were on board, but I forgot your screen name.  You should remind the folks here about how much "fun" you had using your otter during the tournament. 

snopro - I simply turn the mirage drive around, use the number 1 slot in the drive and pedal slowly. I found kayak fly fishing tough when I was paddling because I like to troll when the fish  aren't rising - which is most of the time. I lost a lot of fish because after they hit, I would grab the rod from the holder, strip in line while the bow of the boat turned towards the fish thus causing slack in the line. I did a lot of research on the Hobie but found very little on using the mirage drive in reverse. The one post I remember was from someone in the south who said "why would you ever do that?" My thought was to fish the kayak the same way I fished a float tube - in reverse which for fly anglers is critical for maintaining line tension. I found turning the drive around works well and I have fished lakes, the Willamette and the Columbia. Both turbo and regular fins work fine and the drive easily drops in the slot in the Outback (although I have had some difficulty locking it in on the Revo 13). My primary recommendation is to make sure your Hobie has a sail rudder. The standard rudder doesn't work nearly as well and I found it frustrating. If you have more questions, let me know.

Justin - I will look you up. I grew up in La Grande and my parents still live there. Have you fished Thief Valley Reservoir much? I know it's often windy but I remember that it had some big fish. I would really like to try Wallowa Lake for those monster kokanee. I have many great memories fishing the lakes, rivers and streams in that area of the state.

ndogg - Yeah, it was a little dicey in that otter, and I really appreciate the Hobie now. What I remember most that day was the Willamette being high and muddy and full of junk. I only caught the one fish and did not feel safe trying to measure it. I went out the next day and bought a much more stable fishing kayak.

Thanks guys!