Swimbait fishing from a kayak

[Alex Burton]

I just got a Hobie Mirage outback and was wondering is anyone has any tips for swim bait fishing out of a kayak? Interested in positioning and power when setting the hook and fighting a fish. Also what is a good net for it?

[CG_Fishes]

It's something that you have to get the feel for. You will be moving a lot during the retrieve so you constantly have to monitor the angle of your rod in order to 1. Keep the kayak straight 2. Keep the bait running right and 3. Set the hook if need be. Don't go overkill on your hooksets either, it will spin you all around and make fighting the fish a nightmare

[Jon P]

I highly recommend getting a YakAttack anchor pole. I’ve been using one with my canoe and it’s about as close as you can get to power poles without spending a paycheck. I tie it off with a 6’ chunk of rope, and use it as a push pole til I get to where I want to cast. Stab it down into the bottom and just pull it up when I need to move. Hell of a lot nicer and precise-r than lifting and dropping an anchor all day. 

[swimbaitrookie]

I use a combination of a stake-out pole with a tether line clipped to an anchor trolley, a chain anchor off the stern, and a heavier anchor that I clip to the anchor trolley - which one depends on the conditions.  I rarely fish while moving, I like to setup on a spot and make small adjustments in position as needed for presentation; the pole or anchor(s) let me do that.  

As for hook setting, I haven't changed a thing from when I fish from a yak or boat or shore - you still gotta get the hook in 'em and being in the yak - aka less stable craft - you lose a bit of the power on hooksets.  I don't notice it on treble hook baits but do on weedless baits.  Take your time and learn to stand in the yak which helps a lot with casting bigger baits and hooksets.  

I bought a $15 floating net from Academy, put the short handle inside a 30" long piece of pvc pipe, capped the end and painted it with flex-seal.  Looks pro-ish and floats!

Lastly - wear your PFD!

[buzzed bait]

57 minutes ago, swimbaitrookie said:

Lastly - wear your PFD!

It gets overlooked way too often but I’ll just echo that….  Find a comfortable one that fits you well and wear it!!

I used to have a wilderness ride 135 I put a million miles on and caught many Swimbait fish and hardly ever anchored up  in that one. I had the stake out pole and anchor trolleys and all that and still didn’t do it. I just hate the effort of it and despise any leashes, cords, etc. that aren’t necessary. Just a hassle and another thing to worry about when fighting a fish. Let alone the danger imposed with a dozen cords or leashes to contend with it you happen to roll or anything catastrophic!  I have a hobie pro angler now and don’t even have the stake out pole anymore nor any anchor trolley or anything, I just pedal.   For the net I have the yakattack large deep leverage landing net. It’s ideal. It’s big, it floats and the curve in the handle is perfect for landing solo from the seated position. Even if you are a fumbling/bumbling idiot like me!!!

[swimbaitrookie]

5 hours ago, buzzed bait said:

..... I have a hobie pro angler now and don’t even have the stake out pole anymore nor any anchor trolley or anything, I just pedal.  

My yak is two-arm propulsion - I don't have the luxury of hands-free locomotion 

 

[Bakerlounge]

I use a Yak Gadget anchor spike, it is basically a poor mans power pole, works great and I need it in current and wind or if I need to get into a fish.

[ikaika]

Congrats on the kayak!  Outbacks are sweet, you're gonna have a blast.

I run a net very similar to what swimbaitrookie described; Promar floating net with a 2ft PVC handle attached with JB Weld.  You can even cover the handle with xflock shrink tube to keep the swimbait-y aesthetic if that's your jam.  Yankee Tanker on Youtube has a walkthrough of how he did this, which is approximately what I followed.  Total cost of like $30, works great.  Instead of a pole or anchor I use some Brush Grabbers from Amazon that are basically a clamp that ties to my kayak with paracord...lets me grab on to tules, wood, docks, hyacinth, etc. without having to muck up the bottom.  Takes up zero space, and if your lake has stuff to clip them to they're awesome.

Biggest thing you're going to learn is how to position yourself to work with the wind/current instead of fighting it.  If you want to fish a point, set up on the upwind side of it and allow the wind and current to move you through the area so you can focus on fishing it thoroughly.  If you're fishing down a bank, learn how to manage your rudder and pedals to stay at the right angle and distance as you drift.  I always keep my paddle handy even though I run a Titan so I can use it to quickly adjust the angle of my kayak relative to whatever I'm fishing.  Good luck!

[Jim137a]

Congrats on the Outback - I’ve had mine 2 years and love I’ve fished countless lakes in it and floated the Delaware for miles.

‘My advice is get familiar with the yak before loading it up with gear, find out the tipping point, get your seat and pedals adjusted properly, know how to pull the drive up quickly for landings and other emergencies ( I made a tether for the the pedal drive as u don’t want to lose it ). 

Incase you should flip or fall out of the yak know how to get back in - in the summer I jumped off my yak to see how easy it is to get back in. If you load up the H-Rail with a ton of gear re-entry gets tough. 
 

Tether everything you care about - stuff goes over board on occasion.  Some guys put a piece of pool noodles on their rods incase they tip to keep them afloat. 
 

‘’Once your confident with launching, landing and maneuvering the yak start adding the gear you need like pliers, nets etc. 

‘A kayak crate is really nice to have to hold your rods, tackle, rain coat etc. 

‘For safety gear - PFD, a decent length of rope, a whistle, head lamp, a bilge pump or large sponge are good items to have. 
The rope is used for pulling the yak in shallow water and is also used to help upright the yak if you flip. I keep about 8’ of para cord with carabiners on each end tucked into those rubber storage nets on the side of the Outback. There’s plenty of YouTube videos on how to use the rope to right your yak. 
 

Anchors - learn how to use them properly.  Anchoring off the side of a yak in a strong current or tide isn’t a good thing. Affinity plenty of videos on safe anchoring techniques.
 

‘’as far as setting the hook goes when setting up on a spot don’t point the bow of the yak directly at your target - if a fish should bite you lose a lot of hook setting power as the yak will move towards the fish. Cast to your target at an angle. I think Chad Hoover had a video on that but I can’t find it now. 
 

Here’s a pic of my Outback rigged up and the last pic is an image of the happiest place on earth and it’s not Disney no matter what they say. Lol

Good luck, enjoy and be safe. 

[buzzed bait]

18 hours ago, swimbaitrookie said:

My yak is two-arm propulsion - I don't have the luxury of hands-free locomotion 

 

i feel you, that's why i made mention of the ride 135 i had for years. i had all the anchoring goods on that thing and just almost never anchored up, always just found it to be such a royal PITA!!