What the heck is he doing out here in that
Hey guys. I would like to start a conversation about the latest craze to hit the fishing world. KAYAK's. I have to say it's getting pretty crazy out there. A lot of debates on where they should be allowed to go or even if they should be allowed at all. I am a former tournament angler and have to say I really enjoyed my boat being able to get me where I wanted to go pretty quick. Now it has been a few years since I fished tournaments, but my passion hasn't changed any at all. In fact I have become more passionate since becoming a kayak angler. I have to say that sometimes I miss being able to put my boat in any place on the lake and fish any place on the lake, but at the same time I really like not having to buy gas and oil and registration and tires and tags lol. What I'm getting at is I enjoy fishing out of a kayak just as much as I did out of my boat. Now having the back ground in fishing that I do, I am always mindful of what's going on around me. If I was running and gunning I would always try to respect the other fishermen and try not to rock the boat so to speak. I'm the same way in my kayak. I try to stay out of other peoples way and respect the fact that they might be in a tournament. I stay closer to the bank and out of the boat lanes unless I have no other choice. My kayak is off white, I wear really bright colors, and I have a flag on the back of my kayak. I try to make it as easy as possible for others on the water to see me so they don't have to put any extra effort into watching for me. One of the local lakes I fish is a pretty popular ski and jet ski lake so I try to stay in the coves and up closer to the bank as not to disturb their fun. But even at that I have to say it is pretty crazy out there. This past weekend I was fishing under a bridge for crappie so i was tied up to a piling. There was a boat coming toward the bridge at a high trolling speed. There were a couple of more boats under the bridge so I figured they would slow down but they didn't. Even in a full sized boat the wake they put of would have been rough. I got untied just in time to turn and head into the wake, which broke over the bow of my kayak, so I wouldn't get swamped. Didn't seem to phase them at all. I'm not saying that anyone on this site would do anything like that, but I do think that the conversation needs to be out there about boaters and kayakers and what we can do together to bring more awareness to the fact that we sometimes fish the same waters and need to be mindful of each other. After all we share the same passion. The only difference is the means of getting to that hot spot. Next year I plan to start fishing a couple of tournament circuits for kayaks, and they fish a lot of the same lakes as other circuits, so we might just see each other out there doing what we love. By the way I'll be the guy in the white kayak with the BRIGHT orange HUK shirt and the 10 rods sticking up from the back of my yak, and the orange flag. LOL. I will be fishing for prize money just like the other tournament anglers, so I will be respectful of the area you are in, but I will expect the same in return. Kayaking is pretty big business and it's going to continue to grow with the prices of bass boats what they are now. I'm also speaking to the other kayakers out there to. Yeah to the guy and his wife that kayaked right in front of me and my buddy Sunday right through the spot we were catching fish. Be more aware of whats going on around you and be respectful of other people. We are going to be sharing the same waters so lets work toward some solutions. I truly hope to see you on the water some day and possibly talk to you on the ramp.