If you’re like any red-blooded human being on this planet, fishing is your life or could easily become your life if you didn’t have so damn much other stuff to do. Once you make this move, buying a fishing kayak, you’re going to be able to reinvent yourself. Start a new life. Ignore the family, or tag them along – up to you! Here’s my list, in no particular order.
#1 – You Can Get Away from People for An Entire Day!
When you buy a fishing kayak you can get away from people for a day or even an entire weekend. If you’re hardy enough, you could plan a trip that lasts a week! I noticed when first bought my Wilderness Systems kayak I immediately had all the time I wanted to myself. And more.
Tell them you’ll be out for a few hours, and make it 10 or 11 hours. Tell them you couldn’t fight against the tide and had to wait it out. You can use that a couple of times before they catch on that you should be doing better planning!
#2 – Exercise!
You can do as much of this as you like. There’s nothing stopping you from dropping your yak in at the top of Tampa Bay and having The Wife meet you in Bradenton toward sunset.
Now with the high quality pedal kayaks that Hobie makes, you can choose to pedal or paddle and get a workout doing either one. Pedaling will be far easier to go some distance, but I think paddling probably is better exercise overall.
#3 – It’s Not JUST Fishing, It’s An ADVENTURE
When I returned home after 10 or 12, even 15 hours on the water kayak fishing some weekends I KNEW I accomplished something. I was completely self-sufficient and problem solved all the little things that came up that day and survived. I DID SOMETHING. You may not realize it, but in this day and age we don’t always feel so great about ourselves because we’re not always accomplishing something.
I think our self-esteem is suffering a bit. We may not realize it. I definitely feel good when I finish and adventure alone or with others that I planned and got through. Thing is, I’ve ALWAYS caught fish during my long outings and so I have those to put in the fridge to eat later and share with others.
It’s just a good feeling. Sort of like when a lumberjack comes home at the end of the day. He knows he did a lot. Fishing is something like that, and a helluva lot more fun than cutting down logs all day in the heat!
#4 – Get Closer to Your Family
Buy a 2-seater kayak and take your kid or partner along. Take a friend. Take a dog. I think it’s ideal for taking one of your kids along. Where else can they go? They gotta talk to you then, right? Consider a 2-seat kayak or one for another member of your family too. Fishing is a great social activity as well as giving you some distance from people you need some time away from.
This is one of the best reasons to buy a fishing kayak as soon as you do your research and find the right one.
#5 – Meet Other People Like You
Invariably when you’re on the water you’ll meet other kayakers you talk to or see in the same spots and build a friendship with. That, or you’ll be online researching where is a great place to go kayak fishing and you’ll meet a group of people who are going out somewhere you’ve not been and they’ll let you go along.
It’s easy to meet other people when you kayak despite being far away from almost everyone. People that kayak fish are a different breed. Probably like you are. Consider it for this reason alone.
#6 – Find New Areas for Catching Bait
One thing you might not think about is that with a kayak you’ll have numerous new spots to find bait. I remember many shallow spots where I’d find sea grass and step out of the yak to throw the net for five minutes and have enough bait for 8 hours of fishing. A yak will help you reach new locations for bait!
#7 – Catch More Fish
The reason is two-fold. For one, you’re going to be out there fishing more to justify the thousand bucks (or few hundred) you spent on buying your fishing kayak and gear.
The second reason you’ll catch more fish when you buy a kayak to fish from is that you’ll be targeting areas you hadn’t before. Areas better than the typical beach, pier, and boat docks you may have fished at before.
#8 – See More Variety of Fish
If you only fish from the shore and piers or docks, you’ll only be exposed to the fish that are there. You may not often catch jacks, sharks, grouper, Spanish Mackerel, Kings, blue fish or other species. You’re kind of stuck with what you’ve got around you.
Having a kayak opens up your fishing options dramatically so you can target new species and taste new fish!
#9 – Get Outside and Get Some Vitamin D and Fresh Air
Let your eyes adjust to distant objects again, not just the computer screen. Get out of the stale air of your home and car. Get some sunshine, but not too much. Remember to cover up with long-sleeved shirts with sunscreen. Polarized sunglasses to save your eyes and to enable you to see into the water to find fish.
#10 – Don’t Forget Rivers and Lakes!
Florida is filled with fishable rivers and lakes all over the state. You couldn’t possible fish even a third of them in your lifetime (my guess). When you buy a kayak to fish from, you’re buying a platform that can take you out over any water and Florida has so much water.
Buying a kayak may encourage you to fish freshwater when you never have before because it gives you a better option to get out there and explore the entire lake or river. Or maybe you buy it for freshwater and then one day think, what the heck? And you take it out to a ramp at Fort DeSoto in St. Petersburg and launch it for your first saltwater fishing session EVER.
Options… possibilities increase dramatically with a yak.
#11 – Expand Your Range and Find Fishing Spots You Never Knew Existed
This was one of the cool things about when I got my kayak that I hadn’t anticipated. The ease of exploring an entire area like the 4th Street mangroves in North St. Petersburg, was a real eye-opener! It’s fun to explore all the areas around an area you’ve already fished and especially when it’s close to where you live.
I remember floating down the saltwater canal I lived on in Tampa/Oldsmar on my kayak for the first time. I had a rough map, but the number of spots I saw to fish on the way down the canal was mindblowing. My goal had been the open area of Tampa Bay but there were so many new spots I couldn’t wait to explore when I got more time.
With a new way to get around into new fishing areas you’ll have endless variety at your fingertips and fishing will never get old like it might if you’re visiting the same dock year after year and catching the same species of fish.
This is probably the best reason to get a kayak.
#12 – Finally, It’s Not JUST Fishing
When you get a kayak for fishing you are also opening up your explorations to include fishing and camping. Overnighting somewhere. You can load up the yak with the essentials like tent, BBQ, firestarter, sleeping bag, hammock, and all the other bits you’ll need for a night of camping on a remote beach.
Sure you might need permission, but it isn’t like email or an online form is all that difficult these days!
Or, load up your vehicle with everything you need for camping with your kayak on the roof, and go find a camping spot that is also close to a lake, river, or the ocean. Combine your love for the outdoors and do more than one thing over a couple of days. This is also where I think bringing family can be a real bonding time and make memories that last forever.
[Photo of kayaker at sunset by Patrick Fore.]