By Paul Lebowitz

Spring 2008

Imagine taking a sleek missile-like touring kayak through a nasty, twisting stretch of class IV whitewater. Ends with an ugly smash-up and a swim, no?

In these scenarios neither paddlecraft is the right tool for the job. It’s plain; purpose and place dictate a boat’s design and outfitting.

The same concept applies to fishing kayaks, only doubly so. Not only must it fit its intended water –tranquil or boisterous, serpentine or as wide open as the big blue sky – it must mesh with the fishing styles effective for an angler’s intended targets.  

A typical Southern California surf launcher’s boat is out of place in the vegetation-choked mangrove channels of Florida. Not only it is too long and straight-tracking, it’s rigged to the hilt with unnecessary electronics and studded with gear that catches over-hanging branches rather than fish.   

Now on to business. Managers of specialty shops already have a leg up in understanding the relatively new and fast-growing kayak fishing market segment. They know their local water back and forth, and therefore intuitively understand which boats are best suited to their regions. If they also know their local recreational fisheries inside and out – and the main tricks anglers employ to catch their finny adversaries – they’ll have the answer to both sides of the kayak fishing equation.

To John Upchurch of Southern California’s Southwind Kayak Center, a traditional touring shop that has added significant kayak fishing business, fishing know-how equals more sales, not just of fishing kayaks but of their indispensable accessories, items such as rod holders, fish finders, live wells, anchor systems, and more.  The rub is the angler-favored accessory mix varies from place to place.

“Bait tanks are one of those things. If live bait is used predominantly in your area, they are important. If not, they are meaningless,” Upchurch says.

Now let’s take a quick look at the major regional variations in kayak fishing boat and accessory preference. 

California Dreaming
Southern California arguably spawned the first modern sit-on-top fishing kayak. This is surf-launch central, where live bait is a mainstay, and finding and keeping it alive makes fishfinders and live wells necessities. Favored kayaks are longer, swell-eating models in the 15 and 16-foot range, often bristling with rods. Saltwater bass anglers make up another important sector; these guys use similar gear, although range is not as important.   

The Pacific Northwest
It’s a cold and rough watery world north of Point Conception. For our purposes, the great northwest includes northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Longer, surf-launchable boats are preferred; in-hull rod storage is a desirable plus. Fish finders are invaluable for locating reefs and the bait schools often haunted by salmon.

The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast is bayou country, home of the kayak as taxi between knee-deep fishing spots. Complete Kayak Fisherman author Ric Burnley, who surveyed kayak fishing personalities across the country for his new how-to book, dubs Texas ‘yaks “floating tackle boxes” – they stress high storage capacity. Where fish are hunted by eye, standing on a kayak is a virtue, hence a preference for stable boats. Stake-out poles are de rigueur for staying put in the shallows. A second growing segment of Gulf Coast kayak anglers is challenging the open ocean. In this mode, they resemble their west coast brethren minus the livewells.

Fabulous Florida
Shallow water paradise Florida enjoys two glorious coasts and the tropical keys. Here, canoe-kayak hybrids are gaining traction and flat-bottomed ‘yaks are popular for enhanced stability. Where mangroves grasp, shorter, simply rigged boats are favored. Burnley says Florida anglers often take little more than a single rod and a small box of tackle. Here too, a few are paddling out to the big blue; these kayaks sprout accessories. 

The Greater Eastern Seaboard
Neither Florida nor the West, the East Coast has a little bit of the best of both. Boat choice is dictated by the water, either shorter kayaks in the shallows or longer models out to sea. Anchors are big, as are lights for fishing at night.