Rigging a sit-on kayak for spearfishing?

[portinfer]

Might want to get a wing paddle then (more efficient) - you can get south african ones from a guy in the UK at reasonable prices (eBay UK Shop - Childsplay Surf Gear: Category 1, Category 7) or you can buy quite a pricey one:Epic Mid wing (Knoydart Kayaking Systems UK - paddles)

And you might want one of these to make the round trip : Knoydart Kayaking Systems UK - Sea Kayaks Fast and relatively stable and maybe ok for fishing !
Ed

 

[Magpie]

Don't think I'll be spending that much on a paddle mate, not just yet anyway. But seriously, Herm is only 2.2miles from the bridge. The humps less than 4. Its all easily doable as long as we time the tide right.

I'm pretty set on this one now: Kaskazi Marlin Details - Coastal Kayak, Cape Town, South Africa

Just need the permission to make a parking space long enough.

 

[foxfish]

I went to the Humps with my brother Derek in my 12' Portaboat once, the boat had a 5hp motor & could go 14 knots - notice I said once!
The problem is the shallow water & strong tides cause huge rivers of ocean that would take years of experience to understand how it all works. However if you went on a neap tide in flat calm weather then it might turn out fun rather than scary?
Best bet would be to come up when I am going there & if you have a VHF it would be fairly safe or I could always tow you up there at 30 knots?
Seriously I am sure an experienced yak pilot could safely tackle the Humps but maybe a trip up there in a boat to see what it is all about first would be a good plan?

 

[Magpie]

Warning noted thanks mate. Plan was to do the Brehon first, then Herm the next time, and keep working further each time as long as the previous trip went ok. Oh and take Ed with me so it wasn't only me that ended up spending a few nights on the hump that that bloke got washed up on many years ago :naughty

All some time in the future...

 

[Spanishfly]

This is my Sit-on Kayak for Spearfishing.
Prowler Ocean Kayak with Fishfinder and GPS.

 

[scottwilson]

now that is one NICE setup weldone spanishfly. How long have you been using the yak setup like that?

 

[Magpie]

Nice rig Spanishfly, thanks for the pics

Whats the bulbous orange thing between your legs?

 

[portinfer]

Looks like the toggle for fitting the steering wheel ?!

Thought this was interesting : Mike Ladle's Fishing Diary

Tom - def up for a trip - will have to have a few practice sessions in a large bay first I think - a few dismounts and so on...

Nice set up spanishfly - looks cool.

 

[Mr. X]

Portinfer. I haven't speared from the yak yet. I do one activity or the other, my time is generally too constrained to fit both in. If & when I start, I will probably initially use the yak to beach hop & dive from the shore -- as most of the marks I know are close to shore. I am quite comfortable swimming long distances, so often I will swim to a different location if it is not readily accessible from land. Tiring sometimes but I am told I need the exercise.

Trolling & lure fishing from the yak seems pretty straightforward & stress free, so I'll probably do more of that this year. I have a couple of little lead lures like your Maria one but with a cruder silver finish - bought from eBay for shore casting (small so little air resistance, yet fairly heavy - 28g I think). I lost one first cast -- seems to happen quite often with Tobies, they sink quick & catch weed, fortunately they are not expensive. In a similar vein I really like the Shakespeare Slim Jim toby lures - brass/blue or silver. I think Mike Ladle uses the Abu Terminator - nicely finished but a bit pricey from Veals. If I was confident of deep, snagless water, I would troll my silver-blue Rapala Sliver. The professional bass line fisherman recently feature on River Cottage used large-ish (17/20cm?) rubber eels (Eddystones I think) - which he named after female Hollywood stars! Supposedly, this guy makes his living selling bass that he catches with lines from a small boat. Sounds fun but a hard way to make a living.

Re. Magpie's comment about using a lure with some movement, I was thinking this week that it might be good to try & fit some kind on lip on an Eddystone eel. I know they offer plugs with their tail now -I made something similar with an old, broken jointed plug - but I was thinking just a regular eel. The idea would be that you wouldn't need any extra weight to fish it lower in the water. I currently troll an unweighted eel & it does catch fish - can't think of a simpler rig, unless you just use a shiney hook for mackeral! Looking at a fishing book today though, they recommend using an upline weight & swivel for trolling rubber eels. I found I don't need a swivel for Eddystone eels as they swim true but boy you need them for cheap, floppy imitation eels (both catch though). Haven't been tempted to kayak recently, sea kayaking is a fair weather activity for me. The thought of being swept across the channel is one thing but freezing at the same time justs seem a bit much.

 

[foxfish]

I must admit I am a little dubious about what the benefits are when diving from a yak?
What do you do with the thing when you actually dive, what happens if the anchor lets go or you surface 50mts away from you craft & you are in a strong tide?
I imagine the benefits are based around getting further a field or avoiding long swims to offshore reefs. If that is the case & you loose contact with the yak you are in trouble - yes - no?
Fishing from a kayak seems like a great idea but diving from one sounds like a risky business around our coast.

 

[scottwilson]

Foxfish Ive heard about the currents around your little island paradise, and they are not to be taken lightly.

I live in Torbay and the only places here with strong currents are Berry head and hopes nose which Ive watched with my own eyes and the thought of been caught in one on a yak does not full me with happy thoughts

but having said that diving from a yak opens up many possibilities along the coast that you simply would not be able to swim to and to rougher ground for a boat, even a smallish boat. thats when a yak comes into its own. they are also very low maintenance. The one mistake I did make when I first started was cluttering it with gadgets which just got in the way. as Henry Gilbey says " keep it simple"

 

[Mr. X]

If you plan to cover a lot of distance in open sea (I wouldn't) it's probably worth telling the Coast Guard what you are going to do before leaving. It might also be worth looking into some of the tricks of those that have done this before. I'm thinking of the guy who recently kayaked around all of the Scottish Islands - an incredible feat. Also the small triangular kayak sails used in the Carribean & down-under. The Hawiians seem to have tried most things: out riggers (Hawaii-5-0 theme in the background) and kite assisted kayaking. Read an interesting article on the latter last year (large pocket kites, £12 in the local toy shop).

 

[portinfer]

Was thinking about the shimano butterfly jigs this morning... I know that most are heavy weights but one or two are 55g. I was wondering if this might work from a kayak in 15m to 20m water ? (ie the likely depth at mid tide or high tide close in when you can't dive anyway [no protection from currents at high water]).

Looks like the butterflies have more action ? Just an idea ! My rod is rates 10g to 50g so maybe too much ?

As for diving - I find it useful to have a kayak for some spots. I tie mine to the belt and it offers no drag. I have anchored it by tying off to kelp but was nervous of the knot (Dave will know what I mean !) so now use it like a large float - whack up a diver down flag and also have the dive float linked off it too just to make sure I'm not winched up by a fishing boat.

I think that they are useful ... for example one place out of my bay I can swim to but by the time I get there and start fishing it is normally a short dive session and alot of surface swimming. I can get there quicker, dive for longer, stay out longer as I can stay in until the current is picking up (kayak rides over most currents and has little/no drag) and also I can try some spots that I wouldn't be able to get to if I was swimming - I'd have to take three sessions to do all of them under fin power but with a kayak I can get to three or even four spots in the same time. So I think it focuses on efficiency. Also I can carry the kayak back up the beach by myself.
I guess it would be better to have a small boat but then you start getting into trailers and lauching points and heavier craft and motors etc. Still puts a grin on my face when I get the first blade in the water

 

[foxfish]

O I agree Ed that a yak has its uses but not every one wants a 13' long float. rofl
I just wanted to point out that there are risks involved when you leave you craft unattended to get in the water, it just might not be there when you come up.

 

[Jace]

Let us know how you go as im keen on getting a dive yak soon for spearing and fishing.

 

[Magpie]

You do Ed a disservice mate, he packs at least 18ft

Not sure you need to spend that much on something like them butterfly jigs. Redgills or any similar eels would IMHO work better and be a lot cheaper. (Your rod would be fine with up to 70g at least mate)

 

[dario_deli]

Hi
I just bought a sea anchor, in the mediterraneum sea it is a nice way to spearfish when there's the current, of course the current isn't as strong as here but it is possible to use bigger sea anchor for stronger current. Does anybody use it? If it works we don't need to leave the yak and risk to lose it!

Anyway if the anchor system is well done the kayak can't go anywhere. Moreover how we go back to the shore we'll be able to go back to the yak unless we haven't been so unonscious to leave the yak in the point of most current.
Dario

 

[land shark]

Whats the bulbous orange thing between your legs?

__________________

Thats a marker buoy always a good idea when your drifting.

Thought I would chime in on paddles. I Got bored last spring and made a Greenland style paddle. I now keep the expensive paddle in the hull as a back up. This type of paddle is a lot easier on this old guys shoulders. It's a pleasure to paddle with I doubled my distance It is not as efficient as the newer paddles but more of a tour type. Not to hard to make too it cost $2 for the board. Now thats cheap fun I'll post a pic when the darn snow goes away arid here. If it ever does

 

[portinfer]

Will back you up on that GP paddle land shark ! Made one from western red cedar last year and prefer it to the euro paddle, - as fast but less effort and def better in wind. more versatile in general. Next project is a storm paddle (WRC) for backup/safety.

THere are plans and a nice video over on paddling.net somewhere.

Ed
but a wing paddle.... hmmm tempting

 

[land shark]

I didnt go to any great efforts to hilt the flat parts or anything. Im over six ft tall so I was trying for a little more length. I like to paddle in the backwaters too so I wanted a beater. I love this thing prob make some more too. Not only that it makes a great prop stick. One of theses days I am thinking of taking on a sof