There are way too many reasons why I choose to kayak fish. I am working on writing all the reasons why I kayak fish on my blog. Here is the link to the first post in this series http://phkellnerfishing.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-i-kayak-fish-part-1-begining.html Feel free to leave comments in the blog about why you kayak fish. I enjoy reading them and hearing everyone's stories.

I love the simplicity of it, and the fact that it is relaxing, and for me catching fish is just icing on the cake.

I like it for the exercise I get, and just the freedom of being able to go wherever I want within my limits.

I don't have to worry about gas for the motor and only a snack, a drink or candy bar is all this motor needs.

I've got a small fishing boat with a motor but I hardly ever use it since I got my kayak several years ago.

Those are some of the reasons I do too. Along with, environmental concerns, being closer to nature, the peacefulness, and the multitude of places you can take your kayak that you can not take a boat or reach on foot!

I like to fish rivers and kayaks are perfect for that. Plus a bass boat is too much $$$$$$.

You guys have it pretty much covered. Yakfishing is quick at gear-up time, too. Throw the yak in/on the truck, grab a couple of rods and a drink, and head off to the water.

FM

You know, I hadn't yet thought of that angle of why I kayak fish, but it does decrease prep. time and therefor increase time on the water!

Spur of the moment simplicity and being able to launch anywhere as well as all of the reasons already posted apply to me.

I also kayak fish because of the "unique" nature of kayak fishing.




..."you neek" up on the fish, drop your jig down and catch them! Photo is my son and my catch of crappie at Grapevine on Sunday.

FM

I think kayak fishing also makes you a better angler.

You have to work an area more thoroughly than you would with a run and gun approach as most who use a boat tend to do, where if they aren't biting in the spot your fishing it's too easy to just take off and look for another spot.

Thus you become more familiar with every nook and cranny that your fishing area has to offer and a lot of times go unoticed.

When you do come in with a nice stringer of fish you have a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction for meeting the fish on their terms close to their environment.

On the time angle, I find it much quicker to load/unload my power boat. Kayak fishing takes much more prep time. The deal with kayak fishing for me is getting to areas where a PB can't or I would have to run a long ways from the nearest ramp. Also,several area lakes/ponds/tanks ban motors. Finally, at the coast, I can cartop a kayak and get skinny, whereas I would have to deal with the cost of towing and hassle with a trailer on a PB (parking and security)

I bought a kayak to fish in the gulf. One of the great things is no motor noise. On the Florida panhandle you can paddle right up to bait schools and watch the predator fish rip through them. Sea turtles swim right up to you. Dolphin also come up to check you out. And oh yeah....the sleigh rides!!!!!

Jimbo, I think you are correct, I do feel that Kayak Fishing has made me a better angler. It is funny, the kayak tournaments I fish often have tournaments at the same lake on the same day as some power boat tournaments. It is quite often that you will see better bags of bass from the kayak anglers that the power boat guys.

Hermes, when I hadn't thought about the time angle, I hadn't thought about this side of the time angle either. Could you compare time you spend packing your gear, prepping your gear, loading/unloading the boat or kayak, etc. and come up with a general guesstimate of the amount of time it takes you to start fishing from a power boat as compared to a kayak?

Agreed Craftsman. Had a bassboat ,Champion bassboat at that.I would rather fish from a yak any day.I feel in tune with the lake a little more.Rarely do i spook fish.Which gives me the edge over the boats fishing my area. And as said above," the simplicity of it". Intern brings peace and focus when I'm fishing.To go with last sentence ,some of these yaks i see are like mini loaded bass boats that take 2 dudes to get it to the water !? To each there own i guess. ........All this talk making me wanna .......fish!!

When a big Bass blows up on a frog 3 feet from your Yak and you get splashed and it scares the H_ll out of you, that's all I needed, I'm hooked!!!!

Great read!!