Kayak fishing 101

Beyond as a kid fishing perch with a cane pole, bobber and worm, I’m totally new to fishing. Always have loved being where you fish but not so much fishing. The wife and I got Revos last summer, love ‘em,  and both of us think that this has just got to be perfect for fishing too.  So….with my badge of ignorance right up front, what do you have prepped ahead of time, what do you best organize it in,  and how the heck do you keep leader setups from exploding into a ball of junk. I’ve tried wrapping line around things but besides not really working well I tend to kink the line from trying to consolidate. Right now this is geared primarily to lake fishing trout and bass. Thanks for any tips.

This is going to be a good thread, I can feel it!

I won't claim to have it all figured out yet, but I try to simplify as much as possible, compared to fishing out of a powerboat. I try to get my rods 100% rigged before I'm in the water, and think out ahead of time what the 3 or 4 options I want to have are, and just have that ready to go, nothing else.

This is going to be a good thread, I can feel it!

 I try to get my rods 100% rigged before I'm in the water, and think out ahead of time what the 3 or 4 options I want to have are, and just have that ready to go, nothing else.

Like captain said.if you go out rigged up you can be fishing as you get to where you want to go.no rigging in the wind and drifting off your spot.use a little leader wallet to keep spare leaders coiled and rigged.you can have different sizes of leaders categorized several per divider. since you mentioned trout, lindy makes a Snell keeper.most tackle shops have them.you can put 8 or so wedding ring spinners or most anything with a hook and leader.they make 2 size.remember keep it simple.I still have a hard time with that lol. Good luck.

I've recently switched from wrapping leaders around foam to single-packaging them in snack-size zip locks. You can get a pack of 50 or 75 at the dollar store. It's space-efficient and light, and you don't tangle with other leaders. Just remember if you put a wet leader back in one to open it up when you get home to dry out.

I've recently switched from wrapping leaders around foam to single-packaging them in snack-size zip locks. You can get a pack of 50 or 75 at the dollar store. It's space-efficient and light, and you don't tangle with other leaders. Just remember if you put a wet leader back in one to open it up when you get home to dry out.

I need to do this.  I hate having the foam taking up so much space.

Exactly. Less is more. I don't bring a tackle box full of stuff. In fact I don't bring a tackle box at all. How much stuff out of that box do you ever actually use when you go out anyway? I like to use a fanny pack for a selection of gear for whatever I am targeting. I don't ever actually wear the fanny pack but I do like the clasps that I can use to keep it secured to the boat. My PFD also has zippered pockets for my gear I use most. I have a couple different sized dry bags for some things that stow easily such as my wallet/fishing license, car keys, protein bars, cell phone, etc.  Your Revo has a hatch between your legs that can store some more gear as well.

Save those little wire ties that come on a loaf of bread for tidying those leaders. Coil them up, tie them up and put them in a Ziplock sandwich bag. I do this with leaders, drop-shot set-ups, wedding rings, trolling flashers, etc. It takes a bit of self-discipline to prepare and do these things before you get on the water. I will be the first to admit I am working on trying to do more than I currently am, because I find myself tying up stuff on the water wasting fishing time that could have been done ahead of time.

Good topic to start! I won't claim I have it all figured out, and everyone will have their own system they have developed that works for them. I look forward to learn new ideas about what works for others!

I've recently switched from wrapping leaders around foam to single-packaging them in snack-size zip locks. You can get a pack of 50 or 75 at the dollar store. It's space-efficient and light, and you don't tangle with other leaders. Just remember if you put a wet leader back in one to open it up when you get home to dry out.

Another option similar is to use a round CD holder wallet.  The kind that holds 10-20 CDs and zips up. 
Put your individually coiled leaders into one of the pocket flips.  I did this for a while with my rockfishing shrimp flies.  Worked great! 
You can just toss it in the hatch and all stays put.

Best part is you can pick these up at Goodwill for cheap! 

I currently use this method made from PVC and Velcro.  Very similar to the Lindy.
With the holes drilled, I can put single tip hooks inside the tube and never get snagged up.  Although I don't use treble hooks, on hook can go in the hole, and the other lay pretty flat and can be covered with the Velcro as well.  They can be made to any length a user wants, and really any diameter PVC to suit.
The curly Velcro on the PVC is the industrial sticky back kind. 

As a kid, I packed tackle for every possibility I could think of...but the odds of catching sharks in the Snake River, or large mouth bass in the high mountain lakes of easter Oregon are slim.  None the less, I packed it, and my tackle boxes were huge and stuffed with crap.
I also watched way too many Bill Dance type fishing shows...that didn't help the addiction at all...

Fast forward a few years...Now fishing with my kids. Packing tackle that they can use, so we've got another tackle box just for basic trout fishing in creeks and ponds...simple.
Camping trips nearly require a trailer for all the tackle boxes and gear...

Fast forward a little more...I found kayaks, and couldn't figure out just where I was gonna put all this tackle.  I was starting to wonder if I should tow another kayak or cheap inflatable boat to hold all the tackle boxes. 
I sat down and started looking at what I THOUGHT I was gonna need.
I separated that into 1 pile on the kitchen table (the wife doesn't even blink at that anymore).
I broke it down even further by putting rubber jig bodies,weights, swivels and hooks in separate ZipLock bags...Jig bodies are separated by color (to keep colors from bleeding)
All of this fits into 1 1-gallon ziplock bag.
An empty peanut butter jar (plastic and cleaned) works well for jig heads...or anything larger with treble hooks
A couple aluminum fly boxes hold any small spinner types...

All of this goes into a cooler/fishing bag (basically a 1 strap back pack style...gear in a top compartment with a draw-string and a small soft sided cooler big enough for 4-5 cans on the bottom)

I have used this packing technique for both fresh and salt water...both from the bank and from the kayak...
Works really well for me, as I don't end up packing  a ton of crap I'm not gonna use anyway...

Go with the KISS mentality...
Keep It Simple Stupid
(I had a Drill Sergeant tell me that 20+ years ago...I use it every day)

Get a bunch of various sizes of plastic baggies at hobby stores.  Like mentioned before on this thread, I like to keep leaders looped up and in baggies.  Plano boxes, Ziplock bags, and small plastic baggies make up most of the items I use to keep my tackle organized.

I currently use this method made from PVC and Velcro.  Very similar to the Lindy.
With the holes drilled, I can put single tip hooks inside the tube and never get snagged up.  Although I don't use treble hooks, on hook can go in the hole, and the other lay pretty flat and can be covered with the Velcro as well.  They can be made to any length a user wants, and really any diameter PVC to suit.
The curly Velcro on the PVC is the industrial sticky back kind. 

I like that.way cheaper than a lindy.I wondered how to do it with PVC.now I know.

I've recently switched from wrapping leaders around foam to single-packaging them in snack-size zip locks. You can get a pack of 50 or 75 at the dollar store. It's space-efficient and light, and you don't tangle with other leaders. Just remember if you put a wet leader back in one to open it up when you get home to dry out.

I also store lures in snack-sized ziplock bags, which I put in tackle boxes.  The bags keep the hooks from getting tangled.  However, it can be difficult to stuff leaders into a ziplock bag, because the leader tends to try to explode out of the bag, and it gets stuck in the ziplock.  So when a lure has a leader, I wrap the leader around a strip of cardboard with notches in the end.  I punch holes in the cardboard with an awl so I can stick a hook into the cardboard.  Like Captain Redbeard, when I return home from a trip, I open up the ziplock bags which contain lures I used during the day to let he lures dry out.

Thanks for the ideas. We’ve got a plano tackle box we take in the truck with 4 trays full of “stuff.” I too have a wife used to everything spread out on the table(s) to reorganize. One tray went in each kayak but they’re too thin to hold the taller bait jars.  We got 2 more smaller plano boxes today, thicker though to hold those jars good. More of those emptied jars will work for weights, hooks, swivels. I’ll be making some of the PVC leader storage gadgets tomorrow…those look pretty slick. Went fishing day before yesterday, better prepared, mostly, and with less “stuff”..…great weather. Didn’t catch anything…but hey….like I said, we like to be where you go fishing anyway. We’re gonna go again middle of the week.....and have fun working out the bugs. Too cold yet for shorts and sneakers of course and with waders and boots my feet are kinda clunky navigating over and around my depth finder and rod holder that are mounted just in front of the rudder pulls.  Need to smooth out that arrangement a bit or just get used to it.  Good motivation to get rid of this belly I suppose so I could more easily reach and twist and turn to reach all this stuff……..but then where would I put my beer at the end of the day.

Aside from all the tips here, if you are new to fishing, you might want to read "300 Tips to More Salmon and Steelhead" by Scott Haugen. Probably a lot of the 300 tips won't apply to what you are doing but there is plenty to consider. Being efficient and having your line in the water as much as possible is key to catching more fish.