Fishing kayaks

I have just bought a second hand sit on type kayak.
I used to compete in canoe slalom, canoe surfing, whitewater and marathons in my younger days, so I don't need to know about how to paddle it.
The questions is he practicalities of fishing from a kayak. I have a rod, plastic bait, hooks, weights etc (I have fished from a boat before, though never caught anything more exciting than dogfish).
I know I will need a rod holder, but where abouts on the boat do you mount it? A friend was on about attaching a chilly bin, but I was only planning of catching a couple of fish at a time and not sitting out there for hours. She also mentioned an anchor but did not rate the nylon type ones, but a metal one seems a lot of weight to carry.
What would you carry to whack the fish over the head with?
Do fishing rods float?I was thinking of tying an empty plastic bottle to it.
Where do you get those stickers which give the legal size of fish on them from?
Any other things I should know.

I have seen rod holders mounted on a hoop that sat about shin level on the kayak, your legs going down through the hoop. Most sit on top types have openable screw lids into the inside, a great place to store things in bags while paddling, plus that puts weight down low, helping stability.

You can get the stickers from most reputable fishing and tackle shops, some come free with MPi or old MAF ag n fisheries logos on them, others are free with rod and tackle advertising logos on them, the best are nice clear and uncluttered but you have to pay for.

My only doubts about using a kayak for fishing is can you anchor it? I would worry that you could get pulled out to sea should you hook something big and strong.
Sports stores like Rebel or specialist rod shops would have the rules and regulations re fish sizes and allowable catches. Even your local tavern might have those if they have a fishing club.
A net would be a good piece of equipment to have. Makes landing the fish a lot simpler if you are sitting. I'd mount any rod holder (if the kayak has provision for one) where is is set, otherwise in the most stable part of the vessel.
A thin small bladed knife is better than a whacking stick. You push it into the head, between the eyes about where the fishes brain would be and it is quick and relatively humane

Google kayak fishing nz. Plenty of sites on the net

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Stikkibeek, good advice about the knife, I have a filleting knife, the scabbard floats, but the knife doesn't though it does have a rope through the handle, so could either be attached to a float, or to the kayak itself, so it doesn't get lost.
I do have a landing net, but it is quite big, so did wonder if it was practical to take.

I would think if a fish is big enough to tow me and the kayak more than a couple of metres (I am no light weight), it would be time to cut the line as there would be no way of landing something that big.

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We have fairly recently been through this process having bought and outfitted 2 kayaks. These are some of the lessons we have learnt.
A Drogue or sea anchor (like a big funnel) that you drag behind you is a must. You drift very quickly in a kayak, you can't just sit in a spot and fish. You can use a little anchor but the drogue has worked out really well for us.

Leash EVERYTHING to your boat! You can get little eyelet things to attach things to with a bungee. Make sure your paddle, fishing rod and any other gear is leashed. Trust me you will not regret this.

Never open the hatch when you are out in the ocean.

We use a 6 inch nail on the end of a string (which is tied to the kayak) for finishing off the fish and the fish stay on there as a type of stringer thing.

ALWAYS carry a knife attached to your life vest - if you get washed overboard or whatever you may need to cut your self free from various bits of bungee rope etc. The expert kayak fishermen I know take 2 knives - one which they never use which is the one attached to their vest. They also have an Epirb (or however you spell it).

We marked the legal fish sizes on the side of the kayak with a sharpie - it doesn't wash off and you don't have to carry anything.

Cut up your bait before you go, use a tupperware or icecream container and bungee it to your kayak.

Take at least one extra bungee or a piece of rope (learnt this one the hard way

I bought my husband a little bum bag thingy made specifically for carrying hooks, sinkers, softbait etc which he has really enjoyed.

EVERYTHING WILL GET WET!!! Including you - think carefully about what you wear. The wrong clothes can make you very cold even in great weather.

Take sunblock and water. Its hot out there

Go to FCO and buy a proper rod holder. I would put it on the side of my dominant hand at approx knee level.

And I'm sure you know all the safety things about telling someone where you are going and for how long - make sure you come back on time or if not let somebody know you are going to be late. It is a horrible feeling when someone has not come back by the time you think they should have...........

Have an awesome time and enjoy your fresh fish! It is a lovely way to pass a couple of hours

Some good advice there. I was wondering about he hatch as I thought if you leant forward, he front would go under, though you could get at it safely if you jumped into the water. A hint from my previous canoeing days, keep a sponge in there in case it leaks or you have to open it to get something out and water goes in, it is the only way to bail out.

The boat has lots of eyelets on it already fortunately.

Darn, just gave away a bum bag that could have been perfect for the job!

To begin with, I was just planning on fishing fairly close to the coast, probably in front of the life saving club.

We also use an Iki spike, but having missed the spot and put the fish through unnecessary suffering, I now carry a photo in my tackle box of were to place it. kapitifishing.co.nz/how-to-kill-a-fish-snapper/

We use 5ft rods as anything longer gets difficult to handle, and for anchoring we use a bag with stones, then we don't get stuck in the rocks.

Looking at the picture, for me I will remember it as if it was a cat, it would be through the ear.
Practically on a kayak how do you hold the fish and stab it with your weapon of choice without either stabbing yourself or the kayak? Do you carry a chopping board as well?

I think my rod will only be 5ft as well, so a good size.

Here the beach is 100% sand. does that make a difference to the choice of anchor?

I do a lot of freediving. Try iking a fish while in the water, breathing through a snorkel with waves breaking over the top of you, trying to stay away from rocks (which is where you find the fish) and not getting tangled in your own speargun lines...... Now where's this photo?

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Hi Aquila,

The photo is here www.bogagrip.co.nz/iki.jimi.aspx

Hi kai,

We have an inflatable kayak and have to be very careful not to puncher it, even though we have a chopping board I usually use the lid of the tackle box, we also use circle hooks then the fish hook themselves, no need to strike, something else I forgot to say was you also need a fish finder,
Absolutely essentially []



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Sorry the sarcasm didn't carry very well..... I use a knife to iki fish between the eyes or just behind, push it past the hard but then swing it back and forward till the mouth springs wide open and the fish stops moving

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There is a Kayak shop at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge that has a lot of gear f/s. I imagine that they will install the rod holders etc if needed.

We do mess around in kayaks off Otaki Beach in the summer, but haven't bothered trying to fish from them.

There is the boat place in Paraparaumu which sells kayaks (though their prices were well and truly out of my price range), I suppose I could call in (will be passing on Thursday) and take a pic of where the ones they have for sale have their rod holders mounted. Actually thinking about it, mention the word accessories, no doubt they would be more than happy to try and sell me all sorts of stuff.

tehoro, keep in touch, would be good to have someone to mess around with in kayaks later in the year.

A silly question... but why do you need a rod to go fishing from a kyak?

As a pre teen I used to go out fishing in my small dugout canoe with 2 sisters and Labrador dog.
We had a rock on a rope for an anchor, fishing lines on plastic framed holders, half coconut shells for bailer and bait holder, paddles, hats, lidded tin for the replacement hooks and sinkers, some drinking water and occasionally snorkelling gear and picnic lunch if we headed cross the lagoon to the island opposite our home. We had to check the little beach for saltwater crocs before heading out. Nothing too fancy, but a lot of fun. The water was clear enough to see where the fish were.