Kayak fishing newbie

Hello Everyone,

I just moved to the Seattle area from Wyoming and was really excited about the fishing opportunities in the area. After talking to the people at my local tackle shop I was a bit discouraged about getting into fishing here. It sounds like you can't go fishing anywhere without crowds of people around.

Then I discovered Kayak fishing. It sounds like the perfect solution for me to fish the Sound and area lakes. I've been looking at kayaks from Ocean Kayak that are specialized for anglers.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get started in this sport? Should I go and take a class? Can I just go buy one and take it out on a local lake to get some practice? Any information would be helpful.

Thanks!

Mr. Clinton,

I would encourage you to start with the kayak shed portion of the forum.  You'll find reviews on many of the boats we use with reasons as to why we chose them.  You'll also find notes about why we wish we chose something else on occasion. 

also review the product discussions and the safety sections.  Reading all the posts should get you heading in the right direction, and get your brain flowing.

Some others have better writing/communication skills and will likely reply over the next few days. 

Have fun and be safe 

Can someone point me in the right direction to get started in this sport?

This is forum is about as good as it gets for kayak fishing in the Pacific Northwest.

Should I go and take a class?

There aren't any kayak fishing specific classes in the area.  For the fishing end of things there are often clinics and lectures at local sports shops run by guides discussing the various fisheries and how to fish them.  It's worth hunting them down.   If you have the money, hire a guide and take notes.

For the kayaking side of things a basic kayaking class will help a lot.  You'll probably learn in a more traditional sea kayak, but most of the skills transfer to your sit on top fishing kayak.

Can I just go buy one and take it out on a local lake to get some practice?

That's probably the most common scenario.  Start on calm local lakes, learn how the kayak responds, learn how to get back into the kayak if you should happen to fall out.  When your confidence is up, add a fishing rod to the mix and see how things go.  You'll be out on the sound catching salmon in no time.

Welcome to NWKA Slickwilly!

Don't get too discouraged already; there are many opportunities in the greater Seattle area to fish sans crowds.  The tackleshop guys are undoubtedly referring to powerboat lakes and the Sound.  There are quite a few "electric-only" and even a couple "human-powered" lakes in the area that would be great places for you to start out.  Crowds are part of the landscape if you are only interested in the Salmon and Steelhead fisheries or only going out during opening weekends and holidays like most powerboat fishermen that bitch about crowds do.  I have found that many tackleshops in the area don't consider people fish for anything other than salmon, trout, & steelhead.  Bass and panfish are present in most of the freshwater lakes in the lowlands (sub-alpine) and don't recieve nearly the level of pressure as the others.

There are plenty of primers on this forum regarding how to select the right kayak for you and what gear you should have to get started.  I bought mine cold turkey and am happy with my choice.  As far as gear goes, many of us have accumulated a lot of stuff over time; don't feel pressured to have drop a ton of money on everything at once.  Save your money on a class, unless you are trying to make your wife feel better about the whole thing.  I, or most anyone else on the forum, would be happy to hit the water with you for your first time to lend a hand and give you a few pointers.

Save your money on the angler editions if you are the slightest bit handy.  You can often do better (money, quality, & comfort) buying the components yourself... especially the seat.  Austin Kayak (http://www.austinkayak.com/) is having a free-shipping sale this month on their kayaks.  These guys are great to deal with and have very competitive prices.  You're going to pay a premium at REI.  Our forum sponsors have also been very good to our community and worth checking out as well.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get started in this sport? Should I go and take a class? Can I just go buy one and take it out on a local lake to get some practice? Any information would be helpful.

Welcome Slick!  You came to the right place.

Hmmmm, I may need to look into getting an Oregon fishing guides license....     

-Spot-

Hmmmm, I may need to look into getting an Oregon fishing guides license....

With the way you're racking up AOTY trophies not many more qualified than you. Heck, I'll be your first client.

Z

Hmmmm, I may need to look into getting an Oregon fishing guides license....

With the way you're racking up AOTY trophies not many more qualified than you. Heck, I'll be your first client.

Z

Awwww, I love you too big boy! 
    

Hello Everyone,

I just moved to the Seattle area from Wyoming and was really excited about the fishing opportunities in the area. After talking to the people at my local tackle shop I was a bit discouraged about getting into fishing here. It sounds like you can't go fishing anywhere without crowds of people around.

Then I discovered Kayak fishing. It sounds like the perfect solution for me to fish the Sound and area lakes. I've been looking at kayaks from Ocean Kayak that are specialized for anglers.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get started in this sport? Should I go and take a class? Can I just go buy one and take it out on a local lake to get some practice? Any information would be helpful.

Thanks!

I'm guiding trips in Washington and Oregon and offering classes. check out http://www.kayakangler.blogspot.com for info on me and http://www.aldercreek.com for info on trips.....or just send me a PM.

Jason

Welcome to the great Pacific Northwest from the hot and muggy Southeast.

You have stumbled into a great place to get a TON of good information on SOT fishing in your area. That's especially good because its a tad bit different than SOT fishing in most other places.

I gotta respectfully disagree with Yarjammer though*. While I agree that most yak fishermen never take a lesson and have a great time, a one-day sea kayaking class is worth every penny.

What any kayak class worth its salt will give you is a good lesson on basic proper paddle technique, boat entry and exit, and just how it feels to be at a little more than eye level with the water. It's a very different experience than being on a boat or the shore. Most people love it, but some don't get it. The one's that don't get it and skip the class tend to provide us with some great buys on craig's list.


Again, you can have a GREAT time without any formal lesson(s), but your back and shoulder's will thank you profusely if you do. After a one-day lesson at your local shop (or even Nanook's class)    you'll have a whole lot more fun when you get out fishing. Then, when you get out with pretty much any of the folks on this board, you'll learn what you need to know about fishing on an SOT.
Again again, you can do all this on your own (most folk have). But a day on the water with somebody who's BTDT will shorten your learning curve tremendously.

YJ is right on the money with taking a pass on most "Angler edition's" though. Proper fishing yak rigging is really a personal thing. Best accessory placement comes from a few times on the water and feeling out where YOU need/want your rods holders, fishfinder,etc.,,,,(the list is endless). The "Angler Edition's" are ok in fact some are downright,,,acceptable. But custom is much better and, with a modicum of craftsmanship, is not at all difficult to do well. Lots of tuts on this site and others will give you plenty of guidance. On the other hand, rigging from reading without getting out a few times can quickly lead to porcupine boats***  
Bottom-line is welcome to the most fun you can have in wet pants.








*that's something else that's VERY nice about this board is that we respectfully disagree
 A LOT  

**BTW: Jason posted before I did and I am neither berating nor endorsing his course as I have not seen him teach.

***porcupine boats are over-rigged kayaks with accessories and rods sticking out in every direction that seemed like a good idea at the time but just don't work out so well.

No worries FFTW   I guess I will add a qualifier to my previous statement: if you choose to forgo classes you should pair up with someone your first couple times out on the water and I would strongly suggest you don't just venture out into the salt or congested waters until you get quite a few strokes under your belt regardless.

Other than Nanook's adventures to the north and Adventure's through Kayaking (ATK) to the west, I'm not aware of any SOT based kayaking courses in the area.  (REI has one but it is May each year during their demo days).  The guys in OR have more support for our community than we do up here.  I would have suggested Aqua Sports in Redmond, but that guy pissed me off recently.  The elitist sea kayaker community pretty much dominate the paddle shops up here.  I personally think the most important thing you're going to get out of a class is how to save your own ass... it is a different technique for a SOT than a SINK.  I'll show you how to do that for free.

Buy a copy of "The complete kayak fisherman" and go from there... http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Kayak-Fisherman-Ric-Burnley/dp/1580801471

Wow, Thanks everyone for the information. I haven't been this excited about something in awhile. I can't wait to get my kayak and get out on the water. Being from Wyoming and Illinois I'm experienced with Trout fishing and your standard warm water fish such as Bass, Crappie, Walleye, Catfish etc. I look forward to exploring some of the saltwater fishing opportunities in Puget sound area.

So far I haven't been able to convince my wife that kayak fishing is safe. She thinks of the SINK types of kayaks when she thinks kayaks, and of course everyone thinks of rolling over. I went and looked at some SOT types at Sports Authority today with her just to show her what they are like. We've always gone fishing together before and I'd like to get her into kayak fishing also.

I'm interested in making modifications to the kayak myself if I can save a few bucks doing that. I found this sweet ride
http://www.kayak-charters.com/html/signature_kayak.html

The guy wants $4000 for one of those! I like the trolling motor outfit though.. that's pretty cool.

Do you guys run your kayaks in the winter time around here?

I'm interested in making modifications to the kayak myself if I can save a few bucks doing that. I found this sweet ride
http://www.kayak-charters.com/html/signature_kayak.html

The guy wants $4000 for one of those! I like the trolling motor outfit though.. that's pretty cool.

Do you guys run your kayaks in the winter time around here?

OK, I didn't earn 3 asshats for nothin'.

If you're serious about that level of pimping, I think you'd be better off with a powerboat.

Winter?  Oh, you mean the season when the sun doesn't ever come out.  Sure we do.  Here's a pic of Deepcolor with a keeper sturgeon from last December.  As I recall, the air temp averaged 33 that day.

You should rent a paddle kayak, go fishing with someone with a Hobie, then go buy a Hobie....I'm just sayin'

I need more asshats...

Do you guys run your kayaks in the winter time around here?

Winter?  Oh, you mean the season when the sun doesn't ever come out.  Sure we do.  Here's a pic of Deepcolor with a keeper sturgeon from last December.  As I recall, the air temp averaged 33 that day.

Did I mention that SOT fishing up there is a tad different than most other places?

I'm interested in making modifications to the kayak myself if I can save a few bucks doing that. I found this sweet ride
http://www.kayak-charters.com/html/signature_kayak.html

The guy wants $4000 for one of those! I like the trolling motor outfit though.. that's pretty cool.

Do you guys run your kayaks in the winter time around here?

   Personal taste aside, you'd be miserable in something like that here in the NW.  You are always going to be dealing with wind in some way or another... consider it the cost of the beautiful landscape.  That canopy would become your sail.  If you are digging the whole motorized aspect check out the OK Torque, a BassYak's conversion, or a Hobie with a Mirage drive.  The latter has a strong following for many good reasons and you don't have to deal with lugging a motor and battery around.

The water doesn't ice-over here on the western side of the state during the winter like you may be used to in the midwest.  The temps are more moderate as well (upper 30's-low 40's) allowing for year round fishing opportunities.  The biggest challenge you are going to experience here as compared to warmwater species fishing in Illinois and possibly Wyoming is the gin clear water.