Are you a kayak fly fisherman?

My limited fishing via kayak thus far (maybe 10 trips) has been roughly 60/40 fly fishing vs. gear.  In general, I prefer fly fishing for trout and steelhead (and bass when they are willing to take poppers).

I decided kayaks and flyfishing don't mix.  Once I outfitted my boat with a depth finder, rod, holder, etc. there were just too many snags.  Not to mention it is tough to get any distance casting from a sitting position where the line is close to the water. 

signed - happy kayaker/reluctant gear-head

For distance from the kayak (or a float tube/pontoon), go to a longer rod with a slower action.  My Deschutes River nymphing rod (a 10' 5wt Temple Fork, medium action) works great from the kayak.   Snags have not been too much of an issue for me in my Hobie, but I have the advantage of not having a paddle to worry about once I'm out on the water.

To be honest, though, 75% or so of my lake fishing via kayak has been trolling a bugger behind the boat (with great success).

Some kind of stripping basket (for the line, not you ), makes a big difference. When you strip line in, drop it in to some kind of container. The best ones have protrusions in the bottom that help keep the line from tangling. Stripping baskets are also invaluable for beach fishing, and for using shooting heads.

Fly fishing is such an effective method, I'd hate to have to give it up.

Well, after a good push from other flyfishining friends I made a jump and added a flyrod to the quiver. I mostly fish the salt so use an 8# rod and baitfish imitations. Has been a lot of fun drifting and casting from the yak and looking for that big hookup. Have been doing it for a week straight and it's been a ton of fun!

Z

I fished North Beach, at Deception Pass, this weekend, while the wife and kids hung out. Lots of candlefish in the eddies. Caught a few shaker blackmouth and popped off something bigger, on the take. I'll be bringing my 8wt to Moutcha.

I'll be bringing my 8wt to Moutcha.

Awesome. Me too. Hooking up w/ a big Chinook would be insane... Let's go get 'em!!

Z

I was going to bring a flyrod to Moutcha as well, but have no time to pick one up.  Got an extra?  Otherwise I might just pick one up at that fishing store on the way.  Is an 8 wt. appropriate for large kings?  I can't see myself using a 10 wt very often, but an 8 wt would get some use.

-Allen

An 8wt is a little light, but in a yak, as opposed to fishing a big river, I don't expect any big trouble. It's a good weight for bonefish, coho, rockfish, etc.

I don't have any extra big rods, but your welcome to borrow mine during the weekend. I'll probably try hard on Friday, to see if I can get dialed in. I fit doesn't produce, I'll switch to conventional gear.

I am interested in learning about fly fishing and fly tying and I was wondering if anybody has any resources to suggest. 

I have very limited experience in fishing with flies, fresh or salt.  I am excited to spend a bit of time on the rivers this winter.  I hope to be able to use my kayak on many of these adventures.  I envision fishing from shore primarily, using my kayak to get from spot to spot, until I perfect my cast. 

I am also interested in learning more about saltwater fly fishing.  It would be fantastic to catch Mahi, Tuna, Wahoo,....Yellow Tail....OH MY!!!

Fishdog and I are going to explore the Snohomish on Friday to get started and warmed up for the derby. 

Jesse

Dunno how close you are to this shop but the guys there are super nice and helpful. Pacific Fly Fishers www.pacificflyfishers.com

They even have a pond out back and can give you pointers on casting every third Tuesday of the month. (through Oct.)

I'm pretty much just starting as well and so far it's been a total blast. The coolest part to me is not having to bring so much crap! I have 1/8 of the stuff I'd normally carry now. Simplicity is something I've been chasing after for a while and fly fishing is really helping with that! If you have any specific questions about my setup for salt ask away.

Z

BTW. am looking into tying some basic fly's I use a lot. Will let you know how it's coming along.

I didn't pick up a rod yet.  But I still need too.  I think both Z and I are planning to fish BAMIII using the bug wands.  I'll have to check out that shop Z.  BTW, it's near where Fishin-T lives and I wasn't even aware it was there until I had picked T up on the was to Friendly Cove earlier this year.

I too would like to tie some flies.  I'd also like to tie some bucktail for some jig ideas I'll be working on this winter.  So many things to do, so little time ...

-Allen

I didn't pick up a rod yet.  But I still need too.

The Redington set up I have is quite a good deal IMO. You can give it a spin in Everett if you want.

I think both Z and I are planning to fish BAMIII using the bug wands.  I'll have to check out that shop Z.

Oh yeah braddah, flies only for BAMIII... gonna work that bonus 8oz!

I too would like to tie some flies.  I'd also like to tie some bucktail for some jig ideas I'll be working on this winter.  So many things to do, so little time ...

I'm thinking of getting a White River Fly Shop saltwater kit.

It comes w/ everything you need to make 6 saltwater patterns and a DVD. Sure it's not the best quality but an easy entry into fly tying would be nice.

Z

Here are a few saltwater fly tying tips:

Use monofilament fly tying thread, and coat the head of your flies with 5 minute epoxy. This makes the fly much more durable, and also adds some weight at the head.

For streamer patterns, stick-on eyes seem to make a big difference. The bigger, the better.

You don't need to use expensive stainless steel hooks. Regular iron hooks hold up just fine for several hours of fishing, and aren't as brittle as the Mustad stainless steel hooks. Another advantage is that if the your tippet breaks, a regular hook will rust out quiickly so the fish can get rid of it.

Flies weighted at the head have a jigging motion that saltwater fish like. Clouser nymphs with lead barbell eyes are good, but are a pain to tie and difficult to cast. A good alternative is the "Shock and Awe" pattern designed and sold by Puget Sound Fly Shop in Kent. This fly uses a metal cone head slipped over the shank. Much easier to tie than a Clauser, more durable, and easier to cast because it's more streamlined. I was using a pink-over-white version for Pinks this summer and it worked great.

Keep your flies sparse.

Use natural, flexible materials such as calf tail, goat hair, arctic fox, marabou, bucktail, or yak hair for wings. If you use flashabou, crystal flash, etc..., keep it sparse. It's illegal to possess polar bear hair in the US (OK in Canada), but this is the best wing material there is.

Olive over white streamers work really well.

I want to play around with trolling flies. Take a look at the video on this web site. I bought a few of the plastic disks this summer, and have tied up some of these. If I was a fish....
http://www.fineflies.com/Trolling/trollingindex.htm

Fly tying is a lot of fun. I've been doing it for 40 years. Let me know if I can help...

Tom