Keeeping It SIMPLE

 
    As I look through the many,many threads about modifications some of you guys do to your Kayaks I have to smile.
    Ya'll put a fish-finder on here,an anchor attachment there,pole holders,camera mounts,net holders,and on and on.
     Gear heads
     Just for shits and grins I'm gonna bring my "floating coffin" someone called it---out to the Wishkah River this Sunday for our "Coastal River" fishing expiditiion.It does not have a fish-finder,a pole holder,a camera mount,or any other accessory except for some bungy cords on the front deck.
    There is the possibility that I may be "out fished".I might even look a little goofy compared to some.But odds are pretty good that the fish won't care.As long as I do my part--they will come...............

    I'm not throwing this out there as any kind of challenge ..I just like to keep my life un-complicated.
    So we'll see how this turns out...Gonna be a good time for sure.

    As I look through the many,many threads about modifications some of you guys do to your Kayaks I have to smile.
    Ya'll put a fish-finder on here,an anchor attachment there,pole holders,camera mounts,net holders,and on and on.
     Gear heads
     Just for shits and grins I'm gonna bring my "floating coffin" someone called it---out to the Wishkah River this Sunday for our "Coastal River" fishing expiditiion.It does not have a fish-finder,a pole holder,a camera mount,or any other accessory except for some bungy cords on the front deck.
    There is the possibility that I may be "out fished".I might even look a little goofy compared to some.But odds are pretty good that the fish won't care.As long as I do my part--they will come...............

    I'm not throwing this out there as any kind of challenge ..I just like to keep my life un-complicated.
    So we'll see how this turns out...Gonna be a good time for sure.

There are days when I leave everything behind and just fish.  Those are good days.
Too often I find myself stressing over something I've come to think of as essential only to realize that, in the end, the only essentials are my kayak, a paddle, a fishing rod, a lure and appropriate clothing.

Bravo for not falling victim to the gear-head mentality. 

-Spot-

There is a time and place for everything.

On our last Alaska trip, I was running a GPS and Fungunnin was running a FF.  He'd call out depths as we tracked the 180-220 range and I'd mark spots as we caught fish.  Some of the other guys would at times go off on long drifts not finding any fish.  I'd radio them to come back to us and they'd get on fish.  This is an all too often occurrence and I could go on and on with many other examples to show it.

That being said, I relish the times I get on the water with one rod, a handful of lures, and barely anything else.

-Allen

    As I look through the many,many threads about modifications some of you guys do to your Kayaks I have to smile.
    Ya'll put a fish-finder on here,an anchor attachment there,pole holders,camera mounts,net holders,and on and on.
     Gear heads
     Just for shits and grins I'm gonna bring my "floating coffin" someone called it---out to the Wishkah River this Sunday for our "Coastal River" fishing expiditiion.It does not have a fish-finder,a pole holder,a camera mount,or any other accessory except for some bungy cords on the front deck.
    There is the possibility that I may be "out fished".I might even look a little goofy compared to some.But odds are pretty good that the fish won't care.As long as I do my part--they will come...............

    I'm not throwing this out there as any kind of challenge ..I just like to keep my life un-complicated.
    So we'll see how this turns out...Gonna be a good time for sure.

Ah that's half the fun! If I don't have something to modify I end up taking apart things that work perfectly fine

Although I hear what you're saying, I think I used about 10% of the gear I end up loading into the boat. 

Ok... I'll say it, and stand behind it..  Hats off to you for fishing and rigging your yak in a way that works for you, If it works for you and you're having a good time in the process then how can it be bad...

BUT for most fishing on a day in day out basis a person running a fish finder and a gps will consistently out fish someone without one. 

Guess this cancels out my "SAT Dish mod" thread I was going to start. 

Part of what has drawn me to kayak fishing is it's simplicity.     By the standards of todays electronics ran in most PB's,  the FF and / or GPS units that many of us have installed in our kayaks is "Keeping it Simple"

I have to admit that I feel naked without my sonar.  Especially in the saltwater.  I've learned to read rivers fairly well in my life time but the oceans are something else.  I don't use a GPS though.  I will say it has been a long time since I have seen marked fish hit, or say find a bait ball stay on top of it and catch fish.  So far I'd say I would have caught 90% of the any given fish without the sonar.  Basically because I am fishing where everyone else is fishing. 

To me its a confidence thing which makes a lot of difference in the enjoyment of my day.  Though the sonar itself didn't help catch a lot of fish, I am willing to bet it helped me stay focused and on the water longer which may have led to catching the fish.

But the last few floats down the river, I have taken my mini-x with fairly minimal gear and its been fun.  Before I launch, I kept thinking "I HAVE to be forgetting something cuz that's just ain't enuf stuff!!!!"  Maybe as I get more familiar with the "kayak waters" I fish, then I can do without.  But for now, need my eyes underwater.

   Rudy,
  I'll agree that in salt water I depend on my sonar w/gps too.However,in  a river situation,where the underwater structure is constantly changing,and quickly,I personally, don't think a fish finder does you a whole lot of good except to find out the depths of certain holes.And I can not say I've ever caught a fish (in a river) after marking it on my sonar.Can anyone else make that claim ?
  Being able to read a river and anticipate possible fish holding lies seems a much more important skill to learn in my opinion.The only or perhaps the best way to learn that skill is time on the water.Preferably with someone that knows a lot more than you do.And who is a willing teacher.
  If you ever find a person like that------nurture the relationship......a lot.The value will be immeasureable to your fishing future.............beisdes that------------it's a lot of fun.Always be a student....no one knows it all.

It depends on the type of river fishing you do.  I have never used my sonar to find fish (other than baitfish and panfish).  However, I use it all the time to locate underwater shelves and holes for sturgeon fishing.  Also, for locating bottom structure for bass and walleye.  But then again, the river I am fishing is 120 feet deep in some spots.  That being said, one of my best bass fishing days on the Willamette River was a day I forgot my sonar.  It is also the day I lost the most crank baits to unexpected snags which I would have known were there had I had the early warning of the sonar.

I use the gps when trolling to keep track of my speed and I like to know how many miles I have paddled just for shits and giggles.  I have never marked a way point because I saw a passing fish on the sonar.  I have marked way points in large bodies of water in locations that happened to have good underwater structure and were particularly fishy.

The only time I have felt I have had too much stuff was when I brought extra gear for a completely different species of fish and then never got around to fishing that species.  An example would be bringing bass gear out to the coast a couple weeks ago in case I had time to hit one of the lakes after surf perch and salmon fishing.  If I did not want the points for AOTY, I would not have even thought of trying for bass (or surf perch for that matter).  The one thing I do end up bringing too much of usually is fresh drinking water. I always bring extra in case something happens, but I have  never had to use it.  I also bring other things that I have never had to use use either (at least to this point of my fishing career) such as: my first aid kit, a compass, a signal mirror, a whistle, a bilge pump, and my radio. I just feel better having them along.

???I might even look a little goofy compared to some.

Hmmmmm,
an "under rigged" kayak or a porcupine boat.
Which of those looks goofier?



Besides, if I was ever concerned about how I looked, I'd have never gone fishing in what many folk consider pool toys (not to mention the pink paddle top).
In '98 when I asked a humminbird rep at a sportsman's show about mounting an FF in a kayak, he looked at me like I had three heads.
Now they are practically de rigor.

Bottom-line, function over form wins for me eight days a week.  But if no rod holders in a sit-in-side is workin for you; well rock on with your bad self.




BTW: I do paddle a yellow Malibu in PDX and sometimes pack like Mark Sosin, but that's not my boat in the picture and I rarely carry more than one rod.

Holy cow. I'm definitely a function over form guy but after seeing this, I'm still in the "minimalist" category....

I'd break half those rods every time I went out!

Hey, the new dude has an opinion (imagine that). Actually, its a quote from my deceased father and while he was not the originator, it suited him, myself and this thread quite well and that is, "To each his own" Thanks Dad. 

Gotta say, I really love this topic! I've spent the last 4 days adding even more doo dads to my already overcomplicated Twin Turbofin Peddle Drive Sailing Trimaran Kayak. While spending all this time in my garage I've missed three days of fishing when the tides looked perfect. Ah, well, as a newbie who's retired and is loving all the tinkering I'll just plead guilty to biffin' the simplicity vibe.

That said I'm heading up to Yakima Sunday early with just my fly rod, spinning rod, a few lures and waders to fish a few Eastern rivers.

But come Monday-Wednesday I plan to be using my BatBoat to harass some finny fiends in the Columbia around Camas.

My middle name is "MacGyver" so all my hobbies and past times have a large component of futzin' and fartin' about with gear and equipment.  Gonna learn to weld soon. 

  Holy crap
  That picture Fishesfromtupperware posted had 11 poles that I could see in that yak.Talk about ready for any situation....goodness gracious alive. A porkupine boat is right...
  A quick thanks to all who have replied to this thread.......like I said ...I'm not trying to start any debates or controversy.just saying..it amazes me that folks put so much stuff on thier boats.I did put a lot (I thought) of "stuff" on my power boat.Thus my earlier comment about ff/gps on the salt.And even then sometimes I felt a little under-gunned.
  I think/hope that all of us try to keep safety in mind while on the water.And then comfort comes into play.And I'm not saying that tinkering is a bad thing.Like Cast Iron Trout said "to each thier own".We all choose our own paths......and if it works for us...then power to ya.Even if you wear a pink top.(Sorry FFTW I couldn't resist)
  Some day I might "upgrade" to some fancy-dancy kayak that needs/wants to have all the bells and whistles made by man.But it ain't gonna be today.........The evolution of this sport (historically speaking) is pretty incredible.From a hollowed out log to peddle power with all the trimmings, the growth is amazing.Maybe my love of history prompted this thread.That,or just being an old fart that prefers the long established traditional way to do things.
  Regardless----------thanks for all the input----it is entertaining.......