Reprinted from Backwater Kayaker

[BoarBuster]

Read this on Backwater Kayker and thought I would share it with others that like kayaks.

Backwater Kayaker

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Why I prefer to fish from a kayak Have you ever heard about those unbelievable fishing trips 50 years ago when it was possible to catch 7 lb bass like we catch bream? When fish aggressively attacked your lure with no caution or hesitation since they had not yet received a lure education. These days you hear people talk about fishing pressured lakes and trying to give fish a look at something they haven't seen before and ways to finesse fish into feeding. Just like the Alabama Rig was hot a few years ago and is still fairly successful today, new lures means new opportunities to catch fish that haven't seen that lure before and are tricked in new ways. Now what in the world does this have to do with kayak fishing? Well I believe kayaks give us an opportunity to find and catch fish that are uneducated, or maybe some would say less pressured. When you can paddle through grass fields that trolling motors would choke on in the first 10 yds. When you can paddle over rocks in 4 inches of water that would give an aluminum jon boat a bad day. When you can drag your boat over railroad tracks and launch into water that few have even seen let alone fished. That is when you suddenly travel back in time, back to a time when fish were ignorant of fisherman and when they didn't know to be cautious. I believe there are still untouched waters out there and I believe one of the best ways to fish them is via a kayak. Does that mean every stagnant swamp that people don't go to is a gold mine? No not at all but I can give you a few tips to help you find productive waters. One of the best tools we have as fisherman today is satellite imagery shared with us through Google and Bing and sometimes Yahoo. When you find a body of water off the beaten path it's important to see if it's accessible, I know of one spot in Huntsville, Al that looks fantastic, however, unless you're born into the family that owns the land around it you can not have access. Another key in my opinion is to find green grass or lily pads. If you can find growing plant life in water you can find bugs, frogs, and minnows. Where you find those you find bream and where you find bream you find bass. This is why I use all three maps, depending on the magnification some of the maps are during the winter in certain places so you may have to switch between them. That doesn't mean the winter one is useless though, they can give you clues to structure and contour lines you wouldn't be privy to otherwise. A lot of times people will get discouraged when they see a field of grass with no apparent openings. I don't, that just means the feeding spots are significantly reduced and so also my work to find fish. Here in lies the biggest help of google maps and bing maps, find blue water. I know that sounds crazy in a swamp but you wouldn't believe how many backwater spots around here are fed by springs. Those springs have usually sunken a little below the typical bottom line and don't allow grass to grow. What you have then is a cooler spot during the heat of summer and a warmer spot during the winter, both of these concentrate fish and the open hole makes it a little easier to catch the fish. If you can't find springs don't worry, grass needs to be shallow to grow and it needs a decent amount of sun. That means two things, the channels will typically be highlighted and the banks are always an option. Just like you will likely find that padding these open channels is a little easier fish moving from one point to another will also use these highways. Often I have scared more fish out of these highways than I ever have paddling through grass mats. Now mostly I've specifically talked about swamp like waters but flowing little creeks way above what any typical boat can handle is another place kayaks can excel. You don't have to always float the ones that have pickup and drop off services. One of my favorite places to fish out of a kayak is a little creek that can even be a challenge to get a kayak through. But when you do there is usually fish there and they aren't usually that hard to catch. Often when you're up in these creeks you can find slack pools or eddy waters that hold big fish waiting to ambush smaller fish as they come by. Here is where you need realistic presentations and to be quiet and stealthy, the clear shallow water will give you away and typically if you can see a fish or if they can see you it's game over. There are other reasons to fish from a kayak like exercise, relaxation, cost, and the general fun of catching fish from a plastic boat, but besides all of those kayaks give us a distinct advantage when it comes to finding fish less pressured. After all fishing where others don't has been very kind to me lately.

[NYHellbender]

Excellent read - Thanks for sharing

[BoarBuster]

I had not clicked on the highlighted line in "Why do you fish from a Kayak" so I did not realize I was posting the same thing as someone else. Sorry.

[JimmyS]

I enjoyed it, thanks for sharing. Jimmy S.