# What got you started into kayak fishing ?



## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

I actually have fished from a boat and shore for nearly 30yrs , last year money started getting harder to come by and going out a few times a month in the stinker was getting expensive on a weekly balance...rego , fuel , maintanence , lots of bait[fresh and frozen] and all the other bits and pieces...each trip was costing an average of $50.00 , i started fishing from a local rock wall to cut down costs , and noticed alot of whiting and baitfish just beyond my reach and thought if i only had something to get out there and drift around in that was light and cheap to launch from nearby...while picking up pizza one afternoon i noticed a viking tempo fisherman in a kayak shop window then [light bulb moment] i was sure that was what i wanted , next day i bought it and went out straight away for a paddle around the harbour , hooked a flatty on an old gulp worm...HELL YEAH... i was in love [ wife understands ] with kayak fishing , after some exploring on the net i found you guys and havn't looked back since , been out in the stinker 2 times maybe in 12 months , costs to go out in kayak when i want , negligable once set up , plastics last a long time and launching a breeze almost anywhere....
still havn't got round to fishing near the rock wall like planned , having to much fun going much further instead !!


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## roydsy (Nov 20, 2007)

Yeah my main motivations are time, hassle factor - boat ramps etc, money, and exercise. I have a 5.5m full boar but she isn't getting wet much lately. I like having a kayak, there is something about knowing the only fuel you gotta pack is your food and drink!

I do plan to get out more in it as soon as the weather calms down, happy yaking.

roydsy


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## fishnfreak (Jun 22, 2007)

i started getting into kayak fishing after i grenaded my knee in football. This led to a long space of time sitting on a computer, where i found this awesome site, sold a car and bought a yak!!


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

No room for a boat at home
Liked the idea of launching wherever whenever
In expensive way of boat fishing so to speak $500 and i was all setup ready to go in my second hand Viking Espri
No queus at the ramp
Good excersize and fun
And above all it beats the shit out of being land based 

Milt,


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

This is a very interesting topic , its good to hear how we all came to paddle [or peddle] , i came from a background of being a fanatical surf ski rider , and then a long ski and k1 racer with Lilly pilly kayak club , i had fished all my life out of boats and have had too many to think about , and used to fish in the latter years with my best mate mainly at South West Rocks and Durras Lakes always offshore, tragically he died, so my fishing ended , until i managed to get a tumour on my spine and had to give up racing the K1 and skis , so i bought a sea kayak , long before sit on tops became available and while i went for a paddle in the sea kayak , would troll a line , but never catch anything as it went too fast . Then i discovered this site , and thought hey lets have a fish again . i dont fish as much as i would like , but i really enjoy myself when i do , and i love the company of the mad lot on this forum , especially being on the water with them .


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

It's a pain in the arse to have a boat in Canberra, basically.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

i got into yakking early through the scouts, but was a dedicated spearfisher. we would go away camping down the murray or coorong and was invloved in this for about 10 years. i then also started line fishing when shark attacks became an issue in SA and parents weren't keen on us dragging dying and bleeding fish through the water. not many jetties i haven't fished in SA with many memorable catches and not catches (if you know what i mean)

travelled and fished around oz for 3 years and then moved to qld. i lived right next to the beach and the first thing i got was a tinney but disliked the hassle so sold that and got a yak (old fibreglass sik). i bashed that around the beaches and creeks for ages catching many a good fish. then kids came along so sold yak then marriage break up then buy new yak (Outback) after finding them on the net about the same time i found akff.

since then i have got out as much as possible often 3 - 4 times/week but lately it has slowed due to the weather mainly and the 50% custody i have of my boys now. love the site always hanging around and look forward to building on my catch record which i started when i joined here.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I started fishing in early 2002. The first several months I went out on lots of local and overnight sportfishing boats. By the time I became a competent fisherman I had grown to detest the crowds on the boats. I got a kayak and I've rarely set foot on a sport boat since. I love the quite solitude of kayak fishing. I love eating fish that I've just caught. There you go; a two for one deal.


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## Duane (Oct 20, 2007)

I used to really enjoy kayaking until I got stuck in one upside down for far too long, I gave that up and bought a wave ski (goat boat) which I enjoyed in the surf but was severely hampered by it's instability and the fact my heavy frame over loaded it so I never got great speed from it.

Skip forward about ten years and I start to see sit on top yaks floating around everywhere. I looked into it a bit further and found it ideal for my needs and situation.


zero running costs
Low initial costs (compared to a stink boat)
can fish from it
can dive from it
can take it for a sail (once i get one)
easy to store
good for fitness
I can launch and retrieve it on my own

I was also frustrated by the fact every time I went for a shore fish I could barely raise a bite.
I don't think I've dropped a line from the yak without getting a bite.

And the same goes for diving, I was limited to snorkeling in places where it wasn't too far to carry all my gear. These places are generally cleaned out of all the good stuff (abalone.... yum!) from like minded lazy asses who didn't want to drag their gear too far to the water. Now I can launch from the same spots and quickly get to the areas that are too far for the others to swim.

The only down side (compared to a stink boat) is that I'm much more selective about the weather conditions that I take the yak out in. Though in Tassie you can generally find somewhere out of the wind if you want a day out on the water.


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## Slide (Oct 25, 2007)

For me it was becuase it is different. I get to do some excercise and do one of the things I have enjoyed all my life (fishing). I can access areas that can't be fished from the land and I didn't have to pay the huge $ for a boat. I was first exposed to it at Noosa where the local tackle shop used to (maybe still do) have a fully rigged perception swing on the shop floor. From there I started checking out the reports on their website and noticed what the guys around Noosa were getting up to. Just had to try it. Put it off for a few years when I moved to Mackay, but one day I walked into a large tackle retailer and they had OC prowlers on display. Passion re-ignited immediatly. Got the yak cheaper from somewhere else. Since then I have had a great time exploring the area, been shown the ropes by Astro, and catching a few nice fish.


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## AJD (Jul 10, 2007)

Yeah got a Stacer 5m centre console all tricked out but had it on the water 3 times in 6 months. Too time consuming, too costly. Too much cleaning up etc. Also have to take the kids if I take the boat (got 4!). Can do all I did in the boat out of the yak. Fishing, Crab Pots and Cast Netting. I think the boat's on borrowed time!


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

Actually , some of you have made me think of the current reasons i am so addicted to it , peaceful , relaxing , easier to clean , not much prep work before an outing , get more fishing done in hrs per week compared to boat fishing , more an adrenaline rush , appreciate nature more and much friendlier crowd than what "stinkers" are these days....generally most boaties give a wave but still don't give a hoot how close they get to you , i've met many kayakers just by being on the same stretch of water , they come over to see how you are going , offer a hand at launches and retrievals and we seem more generous with our time and info than a boatie who has to get there yesterday and take up the whole ramp because he has a "boat" ....i used to be like that , now i like to take my time and enjoy others company...it really is unique and i think only gaining more popularity because others see us out there looking after each other...i still respect all boaties , i just wish all boaties would respect us .


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## Rick (Dec 19, 2006)

I was inspired after reading a couple of articles by Billybob about fishing from a SOT. Google turned up several forums which showed how wide spread and popular this form of fishing had become plus there was a common thread reinforcing all the obvious advantages of fishing from a yak. In the space of a week I decided I just had to have one. At the time the 4.5 Elite had just been released and as it seemed it was to be the flavour of the month that's the way I went and the rest is the rest is history. The only regret is not getting into this sport sooner.


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## Guest (Feb 26, 2008)

I started fishing at the age of 6 for what we called back then perch (bass and estaury perch) and bream (yes on hard bodies before it became "in fashion") from a canoe using hard bodies. As time went on, and my love for fishing overtook my uncles, pops and freinds that I used to share the canoeing with, I started heading out on my own.

At this point (around 10 I think), I struggled to paddle a canoe by myself so I found a little s^%t box fibre glass thingy sit in kayak (home built I think). Sometime later I then found a sit inside kayak at the local tackle shop that was similar to a perception minnow (I have no idea now what it was). Decked out in camo colours purposly for fishing (I think it was from the states), I was free to fish my heart out.

This little yak did me for years until I left home at 15. Got an Australis Bass sometime later, then back into the canoes for a while, then into a Perception Arcadia, then a Swing, then a Feel Free Nomad, got rid of that for a feel free Gemini (tandem), back to a Perception Minnow with a skirt for the snowy mountains and then finally the Malibu X-factor.

Never had a boat, always canoe's and kayaks fishing hard bodies and fly in small waters. Fished plastics for the last 4 years, and am new to the saltwater yakking, but with the brand new ocean going vessel I am looking forward to giving it a go. If I decide I dont like it, I will probably go back to a perception minnow and back to my beloved bass in their little creeks


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

Well, i grew up in Nambucca, on the beach/river... my parents always had a boat and i hated fishing!

Wasn't till I met T-curve in around March 06, actually i never fished until we went to Great Keppel Island in the November 06. I had no choice but to follow him over rocks, half way round the island, i had no idea what the hell i was doing, but was catching fish with almost every cast... pretty ones too! So we got back home, and soon after that we went fishing (a lot!) I started with his hand me down stuff. A shop in town here had a couple of fishing kayaks in the window, that was enough to get us interested.... we did search after search on google doing research... found this site, got the yaks in bout March 07 and haven't looked back!

Thanks dear!


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## Papasmurf (Dec 16, 2007)

i used to fish heaps on the rocks of my local marina for tailor and herring and the like. everytime i was there i saw lots of people paddling kayaks around the entrance to the marina. after a while i thought, i would have a much better chance of catching fish if i fished off a kayak. it would give me many more fishing oppurtunines and a wider range of fish to target. after researching this on the net i found this forum and it really got me into this type of fishing. i put a 'wanted' ad in the quokka (the local for sale newspaperpaper thing) and a few weeks later bought a finn gizmo off a guy for 200 bucks. i use my kayak as a way to get fit and do what i enjoy at the same time.


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## Guest (Feb 26, 2008)

Although I never had anyone around to teach me about it, I was always fascinated by fishing and have done since I was 10 years old. My 1st trip out was alone and most since have been as well. It was in the year 2001 that I discovered kayak fishing and the inspiration came after countless failed ventures at breakwalls and piers. I kept thinking 'if only I could get 50 more meters out... to reach that damned reef'. I was stoney broke at the time, so all I could afford was a cheap inflatable. I bought it, paddled out and lowered a bait. At the very moment it hit the bottom I was on... hello snapper. And the addiction grew from that moment. At the time I didn't know anyone else fished from kayaks - I really did start right off my own bat, making it up as I went along. I thought I was on my own. At that time it seemed as if everyone at Fishnet thought I was alone to. Amazing how times change - lots of kayak fishos there now. My yak fishing game has lifted by quantum leaps ever since I found this site, and my recent coastal trip helped me progress further by leaps and bounds as well.

Most here would be amazed how often I fished from inflatables as well as what I was able to catch from them. Obviously I wasn't ever able to do what I'm capable of doing these days, but still, I have some rather fond memories of those times. These days I do it for the adventure and exercise just as much as I do the fish. It's the full package for me.


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

I'd fished around Brisbane Waters on the NSW central coast as a kid but then didn't do much of it for about 15 years or so. Then in November last year I gave kayaking a try for the first time and hired a kayak at Berowra Waters with my girlfriend just to paddle around for a few hours. I took along a cheap and old small fishing outfit and a lure. First cast from the yak resulted in my PB (at the time) bream of 40cm (see below).

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12383

About a month later I took delivery of a brand new Hobie Revolution and have been out on average once a week in it.

Can't fault it at all although the girlfriend isn't too happy about me spending so much time out kayaking (and for hours at a time usually  )

I've owned a tinny before as well but kayak fishing is so much more fun.

Marty


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

hey Roberta , i don't want to diss the boaties because alot of us came from or are still there at times , but truthfully you are so right...it's like they think we don't belong on the water...little do they know our little group has amazing membership and POWER, usually its the weekend warriors anyway..real boaties often are cosiderate :lol: 
hey keljad , anything you havn't tried ?  
crazyratwoman , catching pretty fish did it for you hey , i bet even the ugly fish are worth catching on a slow day now !!  
rick , billybobs vids and pics are enough to get anyone to at least give it a try , thats good fishing from a swing !!


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

My story:

I discovered kayaks about 16 yrs ago while backpacking at the Lune River Hostel in southern Tasmania. The tourists would just paddle them in the river but being a fisherman, I would always take a line out and come back with a bucket of flatties or salmon that the Japs loved. The next year I went back to Tassie and Lune River with my newly purchased and modified Sprite (SIK) and made a serious dent in the fish, oyster and abalone stocks. I couldn't believe how easy it was to fill a bucket with ocean/river goodies.

Back in Sydney, I used the Sprite off the northern beaches headlands and regularly filled it with tailor, salmon, bonito, tuna and kings. I was alone in the sport as noone else fished as I did back then (if they did I never saw them). Some people used surf skis but couldn't carry much gear - I had strengthened rod holders and oodles of room to store stuff. Dad had a nice tinnie as did a mate so I also utilised those mediums when the chance arose, but sometimes I'd see the birds working off the Collaroy pool and simply drop the yak in then fill it up with pelagics.

Also around that time I convinced a mate to buy a Sprite which he did, so we could paddle and fish Cape York, FNQ. We drove up there and had a ball, fishing places like the Jardine River and its mouth, Shelbourne Bay, Weipa and the Wenlock River. People we met said we were crazy because of the crocs but I had no fear of them, until one put me up a tree in the Jardine after I'd left the rifle back at camp.

1999 came and did a new thrill, solo kayaking and fishing the Gulf of Carpentaria. Hesitant at first, I survived the four week ordeal but vowed never to go back because of the crocodile attacks and many sleepless nites they caused me. But I did go return, 6 more times in fact (by myself) after raising the bar on personal safety and employing a strict survival guide. Basically, I told myself that people are smarter than crocs and if I think they're not, then I'll become a stupid statistic. To date its worked and I've got to enjoy each adventure without serious injury.

Today:
What I have noticed around the Northern beaches/Long Reef is the sudden influx of yakkers over the last 12mths. What used to be a novelty sport seems to have disappeared now. At least in the Gulf I know I can be alone and experience things that few people have ever tried or seen. I'll keep fishing Longy though, as my 30yrs in the tinnie (yes, I'm a stink boater too) has given me quite a few places to drop a line in that the new crew don't know about! One last thing, I don't think you can generalise that stink boaters are 'stupid'. It's a dangerous comment that shouldn't be made on the forum, as I'm sure a lot of people on the AKFF fish in both kayaks and motor boats.

Cheers,
Rick


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

I wanted a boat originally, then one day I read an article in the Tasmanian Fishing News about a local guy who fished from a Kayak chasing Atlantic Salmon around one of our lakes, none other than our very own Scott. Who I also accidentally bumped into at a local camping store a couple of weeks later :shock: , I over heard him mention fishing from a kayak to a shop attendant, so as he left the store I introduced myself and he told me about AKFF. Meeting Scott and reading his artciles, plus the wealth of information here intrigued me quite a bit, as I was intending to by a small tinnie at the time but a kayak was looking a much better option. I started to investigate the Kayak options more and finally settled on the Hobie due to a stuffed shoulder.

Whether I head out by myself or with someone else I have a ball, I am not a greenie, but I am pleased to say the Kayak is clean and green, I don't have to pay registration, insurance or for petrol. And long term it's the type of thing I want my son to do as well.

These threads are great, we tend to have them once every year or so which is brilliant, it gives us a chance to reflect on our humble begins and in my case total lack of knowledge in yak fishing, not that I am an expert now, most of what I have learnt has come from these forums. Thanks to Mariner who started it all off and, for the sake of not leaving anyone out I will just say, thanks to everyone from the beginning to now who has either moderated or contributed to these forums, the list is long and illustrious.


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## beardys (Jun 23, 2007)

i was looking at a boat and i really couldn't figure out how i could get a boat to the water without a car, and at my age the weight on my own would be a bit to much, then i thought about petrol. After this i went to forums to look for an answer.... i started on fishnet.com.au then i made a thread there and about a week later and 20 replys back to say that it wouldn't work out and one person said, 'Why not get a kayak? you can fish out of kayak, go to akff.net for more, it might be better for you' at first i thought it wouldn't be that great because i was so set on buying a boat, but then i came to the forums and not long after i got my yak and couldn't be happier!


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

what got me into kayak fishing?

After my 2nd child was born in August 2005 I decided that I needed something that would give me some 'me time' away from the family (as much as I love them). I have always played sports but I'd just blown out my ankle and as such my regular games of Oztag on Monday / Wednesday nights had come to an end. I was still riding my mountain bike, surfing and playing golf occasionally but wanted something that would hopefully give me some upper body fitness and get me on the water. I've always fished, surfed, skinfdived and waterskiied so I'm a bit of a water lover.

I'd kayaked a bit in my mid teens at school sport and paddled in some medium distance kayak races (15-20km) during that time but the kayak had long been sold and I hadn't considered getting another. I'm not sure exactly where I got the hankering to get back into kayaking but started looking around at a few models and bought my first SOT - a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 in October 2005. I bought it with paddling/fitness and camping in mind - at that stage I had no intention of fishing from it.

That was until I had the first paddle in it. Silently gliding along over crystal clear water I could see the fish darting away as I approached. A few flathead didnt even move until I was right over them. Then the penny dropped. Hang on, i could fish out of this!

So the next day I had installed a couple of flushmount rod holders (this was before i found this forum ) and paddled off dragging a couple of lures. I can't recall my exact first kayak caught fish but I do remember catching quite a few that day, and I was sold.

Like many other members from that era, i had no idea anyone else was doing this, and thought i was breaking a bit of new ground. I found this site in January 2006 and the rest is history....


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

Some fantastic stories, thanks all for sharing 

I got started with the yak after finding a thread about Hairymick building his own kayak on this website (his Wadefish I think). Got me thinking about building my own. A few short months later I had built my own and off I went. Two years on and it's looking distinctly second hand and stinks of fish  . Wouldn't have it any other way.

I've met some fantastic people along the way. First trip out I nearly sank the damn thing and JT still hasn't forgotten when the rear end of the yak was partially submerged as I (very slowly) paddled off with around 100 litres of water in the hull and another 50 litres in the SOT bit :shock: . Fixed the problem pretty quick with the addition of a bilge pump and had many other great days out around Sydney.

Memorable trips include Barlings, which was fantastic, Clovelly, there were many, Balmoral (followed by a shark) and the outrigger canoe flying past Gatesy and I around North Head.

For me it's just about getting away from everything and everyone and having a great time, with or without fish


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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

we built a canoe for the annual paddle for life fundraiser up here. and we took it out on an exploration of a creek and caught some bass! we were stoked as they were our first each!
we kept on returining to the same creek and got continued levels of successs so we got hooked on it. i suppose they beauty of kayak and canoe fishing is the surrounding nagture of the places you fish in. just imagine a far north coast nsw rainforsest overhaning a prime wild bass fishery!!!

i know some of you are drooling and cursing me in jealosy!

so well, i guess i got into canoe/kayak fishing as a way to get back to nature.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2008)

rob316 said:


> hey keljad , anything you havn't tried ?
> quote]
> 
> yeah, the mighty hobie :lol: Im a bit scared that if I do that I will move to the dark side :lol: Seriously though, I am dying to have a try of the adventurer, revo, and outback in the hobies. I would also really like to have a go of a kingfisher.
> ...


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## AdrianK (May 30, 2006)

I also fished boat and shore - landbased stuff, I always thought the spots just around the corner, unreachable by land looked good, and from the boat, I couldn't get into the shallows, and when drifting in deeper water tossing lures, sometimes found the 70hp Johnson pretty noisy for getting back to the spot. The solution was pretty obvious.


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

I was in a boat with my grandparents before I could walk and have photos of my first fish around the age of four. That was in the early 60s and the boat was 12ft, wooden with a 4hp seagull. Grandparents had a house at Kingscliffe and the tweed river was a goldmine. Not to mention the mud crabs from cudgen Ck.

My father was also a fanatic and we always had a stinker. Early teens he started mackeral fishing off Palm Beach and took me too. That was my first taste of offshore. Sadly he died mid nineties. He had a heart attack and died whilst throwing the crab pots over the side of his brand new stinker in his beloved Tweed R.

I lost the passion in my late teens, but in my twenties, I travelled the world for five years and got back into it when I lived in South Africa in the eighties.

Children in the nineties reduced fishing to beach slug casting on hiolidays  I would stand for hours and watch huge schools of macs and tuna nailing baitfish only 250m offshore. I tried every rod, reel and slug combo over ten years to get the distance. Relentless hours of casting brought pain and few rewards but when they came, they were generally big fish. I had a tinny for a while but the few times I ventured out in it I didnt feel safe.

Marriage break-up in 05 and grown up son, suddenly gave me way too much free time. I shopped around for a while but decided fishing is the cheapest and healthiest addiction and no endless bottles or syringes to dispose of or problems with the law. For twelve months I agonised over NZ fishing kites to get the lure out there but never followed through. They just didnt seem to understand what I was trying to do. I looked at rubber duckies for ease of launch and manouverability in the surf zone. They hurt less when they flip on you too. Still had a trailer and a motor and costs $$$$.

Then I seriously looked at a jetski and at last years Bne Boat Show I very nearly bought one.
As I negotiated a deal, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Hobie stand and just like in the movies, it pulled me over to it whilst the jetski guy followed and kept talking. I stood there for hours and looked at everything. This was what I needed. Hands free, human powered stealth and downlow torque in the heavy stuff. I gave them my deposit and picked it up the next weekend. Now I can get into the strike zone whenever I want.

Handling the kayak has been fine due to fitness from competitive rowing. I have confidence in the surf zone and wider ocean from years of ocean sports. I feel completely comfortable out there in a 2m swell and never feel like Im about to tip. I have had to completely re-learn fishing from heavy old beach gear to light lines, reels and graphite. I made it a mission never to use bait or burley from a yak, other than livies. Its like Im a novice all over again and the only fish that count are the ones from a yak. I love cracking a new species off plastics or the same species from a different plastic. Over six months I have leeched info and technique from everyone here. Last weekend it paid off.

Even my annual four day charter off Fraser Is seems simply a search for food. I am planning on asking the charter boat skipper if I can strap my yak to the front and drop it in the water, when we hit the schools of hundreds of cobia, as we do every year. It may take me a while to convince him Im not crazy. Probably wont be successful. 

Its a shame we havent had decent fish round all year and the weather has been so bad. I have had far fewer trips outside than I had planned in early Dec.
I confess to total addiction to it and to this darn website. I am very close to asking my present employer to block it at the firewall, cos I cant get any work done. I dont have the will power to turn it off and if I do it lasts an hour at the most.
Its comforting to know I am not alone in this addiction.
I love this place.


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## scater (Nov 24, 2007)

i caught the fishing bug about 5 years ago and, sick of being chased out of marinas and limited to land based spots i nearly bought a tinny. then, like a few people here i stumbled across an article by billybob and there was light :shock: it's amazing the opportunities a yak opens up. boats went from looking like the best thing in the world to looking like a heap of trouble and expense. wouldn't even consider one now!

sam


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

After many years of boat ownership I sold a bay cruiser which I was not using as often as previously after 17 years useage, and was content with beach fishing, then about 12 months before retiring I thought a canoe on top of the van would be good for touring when I had my new free time.

Popped a canoe question on the Ausfish forum, and akffer Jake gave me links to AKFF, and Tony's [yaker] website and I discovered SOT kayaks for the first time, and from that point was a convert to the new sport and this forum, and have no regrets


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

paulo...your next mission if you choose to accept it is to catch a 5 mtr mako using old thread from a pair of tracky daks on a 1 o rusty long shank using a bbq spare rib for bait ...from one waterski . thats what i call an adventure..just not a hobie adventure...

dodge , canoes are for the old fellas , your better off with your sot !!


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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

As a child and into my early teans in the UK, I would spend every weekend fishing. I pretty much stopped fishing for many years, till I moved to Aus & then it was only on the occasional weekend away, that I would chuck a line off the beach in hope of a whiting or dart. After a couple of health scares in mid 2000, I started reflecting more on what things I haven't really taken advantage of - such as spending more time exploring Sydney harbour, or Pittwater. In the August 2006 Sydney Boat Show, I started admiring all the shiny new boats and also seriously considered the 'timeshare' options - but I kept on having the nagging doubt that a boat would need at least two people to launch. I looked at a 'timeshare' option, but the chances of getting the boat at short notice when the weather looks favourable, was unlikely ( I estimated I would be lucky to get out a dozen times a year and at 12K per year, that would be $1000 a trip - I just couldn't part with that sort of money.......). Fortunately I noticed the Hobie stand, more especially the power that the mirage drive seemed to give. I figured if I got a double seater (Outfitter), with peddles, I'd be able to propel myself and my two young children out and about. So in September I made the purchase and had a blast, at times there were four of us on the one yak at a time.  
I felt I had to take advantage of being on the water and at least try towing a lure or something - just in case, so I invested in a light boat rod and started watching this forum for tips on where to go and how to fish. The fishing part became more and more addictive - this forum and its trips, took me to places I'd never dreamed of going, helped me find quiet bays I'd never known existed, enjoy the serenity and splendour of being on the water at sunrise - not to mention find great company & friendship through people I've met on this forum.

Then I started catching kingfish at Clovelly & the addiction was complete...........


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## sulo (Apr 9, 2007)

I lived at Port Stephens for a long time and just after I left school I bought a second hand wave ski that I was useless at wave skiing on,so I used to just paddle from Soldiers Point to Nelson Bay and back just for the exercise.Then some years later I had to pay some bills and stupidly sold it and not long after moved up to Coffs Harbour.Now ever since middle age started creeping up on me I was looking for something to help keep in shape [why do middle aged blokes always go through a stage like that ?] .I came close to buying another surf ski without thinking about fishing at all when I happened across an article about sit ons and kayak fishing.Then while researching on the net I found Billy Bobs webpage with the video cam footage of catching a GT. 
That was it.Bout the same time as little sister bought her Wavedance Kingfisher I found a Swing on Ebay and life hasn't been the same.Paradise now is to go for a paddle up any of the skinny creeks not far from where I live and spend the afternoon throwing lures around ,enjoying the scenery and the birdlife while having a couple of quiet beers. I don't get to go as often as I'd like to,and I don't really give a damn if I don't catch much . 
Probably a good thing since I usually don't. :lol: Maybe because of the beers ?


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## yakfly (Jun 8, 2006)

I dont really consider myself a kayak fisherman because In a way Ive been involved with 
kayak or canoe fishing all of my life and to me in some form or another.
Its just been another type of boat/vessel to fish out of as against standing on the shore.
Growing up in PNG as a kid I used to paddle out and fish Port Moresby harbour in either an outrigger canoe
or a "tinoe" which was basically a sheet of roofing iron folded in half with the nail holes
patched with whatever we could find.The missions in the tinoe usually didnt last very long
After Dad transferred back to Oz and spending my teens in Mackay I bought a sit in kayak
when i started working in Innisfail back in the early 80s.In the 90s i went to a plastic canoe
to access the Albert River near where I lived.This i then upgraded to a Hobie Adventure a
couple of years ago after moving to Bribie.
I use my yak because its a quick,fun,convenient way to access to certain waters when i need to.I can be
on the water here and fishing within 15mins of getting home after work.Its easier to take to Awoonga or Faust and fish
than have to worry about towing a boat and trailer 2000kms.It gives me access to areas like the shallow flats 
along the inside of the island without worrying about stepping on a ray when wading and in a month or so
be sitting on the ute as i cruise up the front beach in search of the tuna schools that have working out in the
shipping channel for the last week or so because of the dirty water close in to the island.


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## slider65 (Feb 9, 2007)

i got into yaks for fishing because i was looking for a way to access some of the small waterway around SEQ. it started after one afternoon after walking the banks down at schiltz cannel flicking for flathead. when i got back to my car as it was getting late, that was parked on the other side of the road where nudge creek come up beside the road. i had just put my gear in the car and herd something smashing bait in nudge creek, so i went and had a look. i was amaized at what i saw.There was lots of small rock bars and snags. While i was watching i saw a nice jack hitting small mullet beside this a rock bar. After some more investergation over the next couple of weeks i found the whole creek is full of rock piles and rock bars, the problem is that it would cost a fortune in prop repairs to try to fish these areas in my tinnie as much of the creek is only a foot or two deep at low tide so i started looking at other options and that is when i stumbled across kayaks. Now i only use the tinnie if the missus wants to go out fishing.


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

As a kid, I always used to go out fishing with my uncle on his little tinny. Unfortunately, my family was not blessed with the presence of a boat in our driveway, and my dad only liked spearfishing, so I really didnt get any other option other than walking places to have a landbased fish. As I would come back 90% fishless, i would always envy the times I spent on the tinny with my uncle, and how much better being out on a boat was for results.

Whilst browsing Ausfish last year, i found a perception swing in the for sale section, described as a fishing kayak. This perplexed me, I'd never heard of a fishing kayak before, let alone seen one. Intrigued by the idea, I did a trust google search on the subject, which showed the website of some guy up at noosa selling kitted out swings. Looking at the price of them, against the price of this second hand one, I couldnt go wrong (when infact now i wish I had bought a new one, as the one i got has all sorts of nonsensical fittings attached). I also stumbled across this site, search swings and how much they sell for second hand, and decided 700 bucks with a free combo worth 200 was a good price.

So yeah, I bought it, and now I love it. I'm still getting my confidence up, and continually fitting more extras to the kayak to make the time easier and more enjoyable. More than anything, it gives me a hobby away from my studies which is awesome. I've always loved fishing, and this gives me many more options than what I had from the shore, without the constant upkeep and costs of a stinkboat. Not only that, it has the potential to keep me fit 

Cheers akff for helping me to find a great hobby i can love (other than my half hobbies, drumming, photography, my car ect.)


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## Yakfisho (Aug 30, 2005)

At first i started giong fishing in a canoe because it was cheap to hire in cairns and could get to alot of places were boats could not go, all my my mates thought i was crazy because of crocs etc but it didnt worry me, there was only ever 2 mates that went with me, i moved then down to brisbane were it was safer in a canoe, then found this forum which intist me to get a swing, Which im going to sell in a few weeks cause im moving back to cairns...i think im going to buy a boat this time around, my wife and kids want to come now.. thats how i got into yakin

Tony


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

When I was in my twenties, back in the early 80's, I used to go fishing up at Carnarvon's Blowholes a couple of times a year and I used to take my wave ski to surf in the bay. One day I spied some fish feeding out in the bay, so I raced down with the wave ski and paddled out to the action and cast a chrome slice on a four kilo spin outfit that got smashed by something - probably a longtail or mack tuna, coz it just kept going and eventually the line popped coz I couldn't keep up with the fish. It was quite an adrenalin rush and I always had the idea of chasing fish from such a platform in my mind from that point.
Then I saw Rob Paxevanos fishing in his mirage drive Hobie on TV and I was sold on the concept of hands free fishing from a SOT. Found this great forum in September 06 and bought my Outback in October 06 and now my Adventure around the same time last year  
My missus thinks I'm wasting my time lately, coz I haven't caught a fish from the yak since I caught a nice Coral Trout in January, but I know that good times are just around the corner :twisted:


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

sulo said:


> Now ever since middle age started creeping up on me I was looking for something to help keep in shape [why do middle aged blokes always go through a stage like that ?]


I reckon cos its about 40 when you look down one day only to discover your old rod and reel in the garage isnt the only tackle thats rusted up and inoperable due to infrequency of use and lack of attention. Thats if you're able to find that old tackle without the aid of a mirror. Exercise is the drogue of life. Slows the slide into old age when you reach the other side of the hill.


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## maddog (Jan 14, 2008)

Getting into this was pretty much a matter of economics for me!

I used to own a really well set up 12 foot tinny, and fished out of it for about 8 years. I then moved on to a 15foot cruise craft with a 90HP outboard. I always missed the tinny, it was cheaper, easier to handle and could get into all the tight water i like to fish.

I am now saving for a house... and right at an appropriate time my 90HP blew up. so the choice between 10K for a new outboard, or $1K for a fully kitted out swing was pretty easy!!

I am now hooked on the kayak, its the best upper body excercise I have ever done and I am back in the tight waterways I have missed for years! The poor old boat is sitting under a tarp waiting for me to buy a house... and then a new motor for it


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## jfish87 (Jul 12, 2011)

initially, it was because i was fed up with not catching anything land based and thought if I had more options I might have a chance. I saw a few people fishing in kayaks and that got me interested, so I did some research, weighed up the pros and cons (what cons?), and decided kayak fishing was my thing.

I still catch nothing when I go fishing, but I put this down to me being a terrible fisherman. Oh well, at least I'm getting exercise, and communing with nature, and not having to deal with stink boaters, and saving money, and all the other things that make kayak fishing, and kayaking in general a great pastime.


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## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

What a great thread! No kidding, some of these stories almost bring a tear (sorry mens' men!). Makes me realise that kayak fishing, and fishing in general is something special for many of us.

For me, fishing was an escape for me and my brother as kids when my mom and dad were busy trying to murder each other. We'd head down to the wharfs at Port Adelaide and catch bream and gar all day and head home on the train. That was nearly 50 years ago, and started a life's passion. I was so hooked on fishing that when I got married I took my fishing rod with me on my honeymoon, and even left my new bride in the motel one night to head of to the beach! (Fortunately we both joke about that now!)

I never really thought of buying a boat, and never really had the money to anyway, but several years ago I bought a 4wd to get to the best fishing spots. A regular boat didn't really go with fishing remote spots because launching would have been an issue, as well as transporting it over the dunes and rough roads.

A few years ago I borrowed my bosses 'Condor' crappy fibreglass fishing kayak, and even though it wasn't ideal, I had a ball fishing in it, and caught more fish than I had ever got from shore. When I got home I was determined to buy a yak. My first one was a cheap Chinese import I bought on eBay. It wasn't great, but it floated, and was at least set up as a true fishing kayak. But after only a couple of months I knew I was going to want a much better rig, and after some searching I found the JEM Watercraft site in the US and decided to build my own Stitch and Glue SOT, which I slaved at all over last winter, (which is no secret to regulars here! :lol: ).

This summer is going to be my best fishing season ever, now with a nice yak, fully fitted out and capable of going pretty well where ever I want with a nice sailing rig as well.

I know this is long, but I've got to say also that the comeraderie of the kayak fishing fraternity is another fantastic bonus I never expected. Thanks to this great sporting passtime I'm making some great new friends and enjoying my passion for fishing like never before!


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## Evoids (Jan 10, 2009)

I've always enjoyed fishing and until I found out about kayak fishing it was always either with my brother in his tinny or off the bank somewhere. It was about 3 years ago when I read an article in fishing magazine about fishing for pelagics off hawaii in a kayak and I thought "This looks fantastic!". I had no interest in going offshore with a kayak but the possibilities of exploring all the estuaries seemed awesome. Not to mention I just love being able to easily go for a paddle whenever I want, but the big attraction for me was the time to myself. Nothing like spending the morning chilling out on the water on your own, ahhhh nothing more relaxing.

Well, the missus heard about nothing else since the moment i read about kayak fishing, but since I was studying full time I just didnt have the cash to buy a yak. Imagine my surprise when christmas day rolled around and she handed me a viking catalogue and said "Pick one". My jaw dropped. So the next week we went out and picked up my nemo :lol:


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

All I did as a kid was fish, at least those are the only times I can remember.
When I hit my teens I use to scale some pretty scary cliffs to get to spots that looked fishy and I always thought they has to be a way to get over there.
So when I do the maths it is over thirty years ago that I boat a kayak with the sole intention of fishing from it.
I knew nothing about kayaks so the one I got was the only one I could afford in the local paper. I now know it was a white water kayak and probably the least appropriate kayak I could have found. I cut holes in the skirt to shove a rod in front of me and a hole behind me where, if I learn forward as far as I could, I could squeeze the fish in behind me, where they would beat their tails and make me sound like a one man band in a kayak. 
Now this would be my worst nightmare for a set up but at the time it was a dream.
After leaving NZ I had 14 years in London and the only fish I chased were pike. I always got checked for a licence, as I was the guy in the blue swandry when the rest of the country had green uniform and standard issue equipment.
Arriving in Sydney, I fished the stones for a short while but after a nasty fall I new I had to get back on a kayak. I was sure I was still the only person in the world doing this until I got on the water noticed there were others. One guy said "are you on the forum", I said "what's a forum ? " and here I am.


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## theGT58 (Nov 1, 2011)

Kinda similar to you. After a long time overseas (where there was little/crap fishing available) i came back to oz keen to get stuck into my fishing proper, really missed being out flicking lures about. Had been a bank angler for some 20 odd years and the occasional trip in a boat. Living in canberra I realised a coupla of things : 1) there was a hellava lot of fishing available to me within 2 hrs reach (basically everything, except big pelagic etc) 2) most of the great spots (as usual) are not from the bank and those that are have a lot of fishing pressure.

Having known a few old blokes who had bought hobies I started thinking about this whole kayak thing. Couldn't afford a boat and thought that the running costs would also be astronomical for me plus it would be alot of hassle launching etc by myself (i do most of my fishing solo, that way people don't know im crap) Decided, after perusing the net and having a think about how great it would be to just be out on the water floating around in a yak, flicking lures about and getting a bit fitter in the meantime. Decision was easy after that. 8 months of saving up and buying bit and peices (all up about $7k worth!) of gear along the way, a fair chunk of research and I now have all the gear I want for any yak or bank fishing I want to do and love getting my yak out on the water, flailing about and occasionally catching fish. No looking back now!


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## 4weightfanatic (May 19, 2011)

I got into yak fishing as so many times bank fishing I could see structure and other fishy looking areas inaccessible from the bank and a kayak seemed like the best option.Creek fishing for bass is by far my favourite choice and alot has to do with the enviroment not the fish. Best choice I've made I reckon. Cheers Pat.


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## punchanello (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm only a recent convert. I used to fish a lot as a kid but stopped when I got a bit older and more interested in fishing for women and blowing cash on wild parties. Then about 6 years ago I bought a new rod from Kmart to take on my honeymoon. First time out I caught a banjo shark. I was hooked again, just like a little kid.

Since then I have hired boats and done ok in estuaries but given the costs involved I was mostly landbased. Land based fishing is tough, especially when you aren't all that experienced.

I got my first yak in november this year after 2 full years of nagging. I honestly only got it as a cheap way to get closer to the fish. But it is so much more than that now.

Stealthy, cheap to maintain, easy to launch just about anywhere, gets me to the fish and a great way to keep fit.


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## neale (Sep 2, 2010)

A friend of mine bought a Pro Angler, he gave me a go and BAM!!!!, I was hooked on it.


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## Yolo (Apr 28, 2011)

Buying my Hobie Outback was a coming together of a few things, firstly I love fishing, don't know why because I am crap at it. secondly I can see the Port Hacking river from my lounge window and watching those Kayakers paddling up and down the river made me envious. I bought a TK1 kayak and started using it but fell out every time a boat went past, or I stopped paddling. Thats not too bad in Summer but in winter I got to a stage where the sound of a boat in the distance created panic, so I sold it.
The Hobie gets me on the water, which I love. I can go when I feel like it without any real preparation (thank god for plastics and lures). 
And best of all, it only has one seat.....

Yolo


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

I just drifted in.

I got into whitewater, big time. Full on adreneline, highish grades, first descents. Then my partner in the outdoors had a big fright in floodstage urban Ithaca creek in Brissie, and decided at that moment to give whitewater away for ever (I admit it was a _tad_ out of control).

What are we going to do? We were both outdoors people, bushwalking, walking, bird watching, rockclimbing, max 2 hours TV a week. I'd heard about sea kayaking, so suggested it (all the while thinking I'd be bored senseless, cause of the lack of adreneline). * Wrong.* It was the start of a love affair, and the renewal of an old one, that was to last for many years. I still love her... both that is.

Wild places, stormy seas, tranquil coral lagoons, snorkelling and meeting new people in new places, plus a few scares. I couldn't have been more wrong about the adreneline....mountainous seas and clifflines with clapitus, surf launchings and landings, and more than one near disaster, like being pitchpoled in 3 metre surf in South Passage on a one day circumnavigation of N Stradbroke. And yet, at the same time, the serenity.....many lasting memories of remote islands and coastlines, sunsets and sunrises with not a soul in sight, and a stripey, a school mac, or a squid in the pan. All the time, while sea kayaking, I trolled a hard body lure off a deck bolted Alvey, then 2 Alveys, and sometimes with spectacular results. Note: no fishing skills....fish just sometimes managed to attach themselves to the lures.

On a Herbert River trip (N Qld), we fished at the end of a scary day, and that was an intoduction to sweetwater fishing. Only autumn this year I acquired my first SOT, and am now _totally hooked_ . Many thanks, largely to AKFF, the members, the administrator and the moderators, and to lone yakkers I met on the high seas.

Sea Fever 
John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

I know this is more for the sailors, and the AI owners, but to me it captures the essence of kayaking, including yak fishing.

Thanks guys and gals. And merry Christmas to you all.

Trevor


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