Yeah, I've been lurking around over there and reading threads trying to figure out the best setup for myself. I agree with you on the slowing down part. I fished a couple tournaments in college and it stressed me out more than anything haha. The guys I would fish with were accomplished tournament fishers and fished quick and moved from spot to spot pretty rapidly. I've pretty much been a bank fisher until last year and really enjoy taking it slow and spending an hour on a spot really trying to pick it apart.

Introduce yourself and mention that you're new at yak fishing and you'll get half a dozen invites by midnight. They're always looking to introduce new members to their "plastic navy" addiction.

If you try to figure out a new lake, especially a large one like Fork, by yourself in a kayak, you'll be frustrated before you get started. The yak forum guys are great about sharing their knowledge of techniques, locations and hot spots (unless you're asking about one they're fishing in a tournament!). At least you'll come away with some general ideas of where to start and not wear yourself out covering water. That is *not* the yak's specialty!

Another option is to hook up with Private Water Fishing. They've got a number of outstanding small lakes you can fish that are managed for big bass. Your odds go up considerably and it's easier to pick them apart. Most of their properties are in East Texas but there are some scattered throughout Central Texas as well. I fished a number of their lakes from my kayak and it was a perfect fit for that kind of fishing. As a bonus, your chance of landing a giant goes up considerably if you stay after them.

Tight lines!

"Plastic Navy" ~~ I like that.

Be careful! "Once you go yak, you may never go back!"

I don't think kayak fishing is for everyone, but it puts you so close to nature, fish too, that it is really very addictive.

And, you can pop a small kayak into the back of a truck and hit a few hours on the lake without near the fuss of a boat so for many, they get out more often.

Brad

The biggest thing for me is the portability. My other boat is a jon boat, but with no trailer it gets pretty tiring to load it up and drag it to the water every time I want to fish.

Yes, portability is outstanding. I can grab my Propel 10 and lift it into my truck bed, cinch it down and off I go.

I hope the kayak you rented didn't give you the impression that it was representative of a true fishing kayak. Go to one of the sponsored events by the big dealers . . . Mariner Sails in Dallas does them as does Austin Kayak, and demo a few different models.

Fishing kayaks are SOTs: Sit on Tops and you'll never experience a wet butt again. The better kayaks can be fished with scuppers either plugged or unplugged and they drain well. I have never seen a fish. like the one you dropped, swim around inside a kayak. That was a hoot!

Storage? There are guys on the fishing tournament circuits who carry 6 and more rods. In general, fishing kayakers go out a bit "finesse" and we usually carry, say, 3 rods or so. And, we sort of know what presentations we are going to fish on a particular day so we bring a few Plano Boxes with us that are targeted to what we need.

Brad

When I returned the kayak they informed me that they forgot to give me two scupper plugs, so that's why it flooded. When I showed my wife the video she said I should have kept that bass in the boat as a fishing buddy

I'll have to try out some of the nicer kayaks. I'm not too far from Austin, so I'll have to make my way down there one of these days. Thanks for the info!