My Evolution of Fishing: Boats and Kayaks

In January of 2012 I purchased my first boat, a small 14 foot aluminum jon boat. Up until this point I was limited to fishing from the banks of local lakes and wading small creeks. I had my fair share of fishing success from the banks, but after 8 years of bank fishing I felt like I needed a change. In 2011 I began scouring the internet for local boat sales, and in less than 2 weeks I had my first boat. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what I could afford at the time.

After nearly a year of fishing from my small jon boat I discovered a few major flaws.  First and foremost, fishing 3 people out of the 14 foot boat was unsafe and uncomfortable.  Wind, waves, and wakes off of other boats became an issue when we met or exceeded the recommended weight capacity. Fishing behind two other anglers while casting for bass or crappie often caused arguments. In hindsight it made me a better fisherman, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want a first cast at each good looking spot too. There came a point in time in which I would have rather fished from the bank than fish 3 people out of the small jon boat. This put me in a tough position, to which I had to choose between fishing with my fishing partner, my girlfriend, and or family members. At the end of 2012 I began brainstorming on how I could keep everyone happy. Getting a larger boat was out of the question since I was still a broke college student with a run down vehicle. The question became: "How could I get 3-5 people out on the water, allow them to fish where they wanted, and be able to haul all of them and their gear in my car?" The solution…….kayaks!

In March of 2013 I purchased 2 kayaks from our local kayak retailer and brought them home on the roof of my car. A few weeks later I sold my boat and trailer and purchased a small 4x8 utility trailer, which I later modified to haul multiple kayaks with. After I had a means of hauling more than 2 kayaks I purchased a 3^rd kayak for my brothers to use.  We spent the next 2 years exploring small creeks/rivers, small state lakes, and even larger waters such as Lake Erie and the Ohio River. If I had to be honest, we caught more fish from our kayaks than we had in the past. Five pound bass (21.5-22.5”) became somewhat common for us.  We even stumbled upon waters in which flathead catfish were under pressured and landed multiple fish that exceeded 30lbs (40+”).  No one had to fish behind someone if they didn’t want to, we each had our own personal space, and we could fish for whatever species we desired individually. (bass, catfish, crappie, etc.) By the end of 2014 I had acquired a total of 5 kayaks and a heavily modified trailer. In total I had well over $5,000 tied up in kayaks, paddles, kayak accessories (mounts, leashes, rod holders, crates, lights, waterproof gear….), etc. Fishing 3-4 times a week was beginning to wear on our old kayaks, the kayaks we had bought in 2013 were starting to show significant signs of wear. The hulls were scuffed and scratched, the seats were sun-faded and falling apart, holes from old mounts riddled the decks, and new kayaks were hitting the market almost monthly.

Last year, 2014, I found myself having much more success on larger bodies of water than I did on small rivers and lakes. However, the kayak I was using at the time was not suited for larger bodies of water. It’s wide flat hull design was perfect for floating through swift shallow river sections but it was too hard to paddle in wind and waves on larger bodies of water. I knew that I needed to find a longer and narrower kayak to help me cover water more efficiently for my big water adventures.  At this point I sat back and started debating what I wanted to do. Since 2012 I had purchased a new vehicle that had a towing capacity of 3000lbs. I could now haul a larger boat if I wanted to.  With this in mind I began brainstorming. [Thoughts in my head] "What would benefit me the most? Do I buy a 6^th and 7^th kayak for Amanda and I, or do I just purchase a large aluminum boat?  If I bought a boat what would I need? A boat capable of handling 2 foot waves would be sufficient for 95% of water and weather conditions in Southern Ohio. Etc..."

 In the end I chose to purchase a 17.5’ aluminum bass boat.  I chose to go with a boat for 3 reasons:  1.) Cold Water Fishing: It honestly scares me to kayak in water below 40 degrees.  It’s not that I fear for my own personal safety as much as I do for the others around me. If I had the option to fish from a boat or a kayak in cold water I'd probably chose the boat for safety purposes 2.) Comfort: I’m 6’0 and 270lbs, I can stand in most of the Sit On Top style fishing kayaks on the market, but fishing out of them while standing is next to impossible.  Fishing from a kayak for extended periods of time (8+ hours) resulted in leg, hip, and back stiffness/pain. 3.) BIG Picture: For $2500 I could purchase two big water yaks for Amanda and I (for a total of 7 yaks) or I could buy a boat for ~$5000. A boat that would allow me to fish our local big water, fish cold water safely, and be comfortable.  At this point I also considered my investment and resale value. It appeared that a few years of extremely hard abuse was as much as most kayaks would take and to be honest after that point I would feel bad even giving it away to someone.  An aluminum boat on the other hand last for decades.

Conclusion:

In the last 4 years I have fished from a small jon boat, kayaks, and now a large aluminum bass boat. The question that I find myself asking, and even some of my kayak fishing partners asking is, “Is there a place for both kayaks and a bass boat in ones fishing schedule?” In my opinion if space, money, and your significant other allow I say yes there is a place for both in day to day fishing. Just as one doesn’t limit himself/herself to driving a car, truck, motorcycle, four-wheeler, etc. you don’t have to limit yourself to one fishing vessel. Each watercraft has its own purpose; A kayak for an adventure, comradery, and challenge;  a boat for comfort, safety, and proficiency. 

Here are some questions I found myself asking while writing up this article and the answers I found from reflecting on the past.

Q+A:

Q: Is owning a kayak/s cheaper than owning a boat?

A: Yes and No.  In short, the initial investment of kayak angling will be less. If you plan on purchasing multiple kayaks, and probably close to 9/10 of my friends do, you’re looking at roughly $1000+ per boat for most of the big name kayak retailers. If you plan on floating sections of rivers with friends you will need a means of hauling multiple yaks……which means buying roof racks and or trailer. ($200 for cheap racks up to $2000 for high end trailers.) And then you have accessories……rod holders, rails/track systems, mounts, etc. which add up over time. More than likely you will have a few thousand tied up into kayaks, significantly less than buying a new boat but not too far off of a quality used one.

Q: Is maintaining a kayak cheaper than a boat?

A: This one is simple…..Yes. Typically once a month I run my kayak trailer and kayaks through a car wash and give them a good bath. Boats aren’t quite that simple. Carpet needs cleaned monthly, carburetors need rebuilt annually, motor needs winterized, moving parts need greased, trailer bearings need replaced, batteries need charged, ….the list goes on and on. 

Q: I frequently fish with a half dozen different people; which would be best for me, a kayak or a boat?

A: Kayaks are by far the most enjoyable method of fishing with multiple people. As mentioned above, you don’t have to fish directly behind someone if you don’t want to. You can choose to paddle across the river and fish, or even fish 70 yards behind/in front them if you’d like. You can choose to fish near your friend, and  avoid your that guy your friend brought along who only wants to talk about last night’s game or even worse, his marriage. (Just as an example. )  In a boat you are stuck with whoever is on board.  The sport of kayak angling is very club oriented as well, tournament trails are hosted all across the states, forums specific to kayak angling have been created, etc.  

Q: I am limited on space; will kayaks take up more space than a boat?

A: Again this is really determined by how many boats you own. I know a few guys who own small homes and apartments that bring their kayak inside and store them in a spare room or on a back porch. With a roof rack system installed on your vehicle you should be able to cut down on space requirements as well. However for a few of us, our fleet of kayaks do take up more space than owning a boat. I personally have 5 kayaks (2 of which are typically on the trailer and the other three are lying beside the garage), 4 paddles, 5 removable seats (since I store the yaks outside), 3 milk crates, a kayak trailer, etc. 

Q: Will I catch more fish from a kayak than I would in a boat?

A: This one may get me in some trouble with my kayak angling friends…..but: Yes, In my opinion you will catch more fish from a kayak than you would in a boat. Kayaks allow anglers to get to more unpressured waters such as streams, electric only state lakes, and wilderness area ponds such as the AEP Wildlife ponds in the eastern part of Ohio. Catching a fish that’s only seen a lure/bait a few dozen times its entire life is much easier than catching one that sees a lure/bait a dozen times a day. With this said landing a fish in a kayak is much harder than landing one in a boat. With a little practice and whole lot of patience it will become second nature to the angler.

Q: If there were a tournament with boats and kayaks who would win?

A: Assuming that the skill levels of the anglers were the same I would presume that the anglers in boats would win the majority of the time. The benefit of fishing under pressured waters no longer matters at this point because both anglers would be fishing the same water. There are a lot of factors that could play a role here such as water displacement (advantage kayak), shadow created (advantage kayak), noise of trolling motor vs. paddle strokes (Even or even slight advantage to boat), etc.  In my opinion the largest benefit would now go to a boat that could move from spot to spot at much faster speeds.  Throw in the fact that a boat can hold a dozen rods with a dozen different bait combinations, multiple fish finders/ larger screens, hold 4 times as much tackle, etc. and you have an seemingly unfair advantage.

2014: Year in Review

As each year passes I find myself wondering how I will top the previous year. In 2013 I set a handful of new personal bests, but for the most part it will be remembered as one of the first years I consistently caught quality largemouth bass. Twenty inch bass became common, where as in the previous years I may have been lucky to land one or two twenty plus inch bass all year long. I surpassed my 2012 personal best bass of 4lbs 0oz. a minimum of 12 times and tied my 2013 personal best bass of 5lbs 1oz twice.  Throw in a bonus 31 pound flathead catfish and you'd have the makings of a pretty darn good year. 2014 on the other hand was in a league of its own. Here's a few of the highlights with links back to the original posting.



March 2014: Hybrid Striped Bass

23.75" 6lb 6oz Hybrid Striped Bass

In March I was fortunate enough to run into Todd of Smack Tackle one evening on the river. To make a long story short he pretty much schooled me on how to use a blade bait for hybrid striped bass. At the time I wrote a blog called Building Confidence with Todd, check it out if you haven't yet. (I share what I learned and was able to snap a few pictures of Todd's giant hybrid striper.) A few weeks later I took what Todd had taught me and I put it to good use, which happened to be good enough for a new personal best 6lb 6oz hybrid striped bass. Check out that blog post here: 4 Days on the Water


May 2014: Lake Erie Walleye

6.25lb. 27.5" Walleye

In May I had the privilege of fishing Lake Erie with Jim Martin and Aaron Stiger. Jim had arranged the trip a couple of weeks in advance and we patiently waited to see if the wind and waves were going to let us out on the water. Needless to say the weather and fishing was absolutely phenomenal. We trolled up a half dozen giant walleye including this 27.5" 6.25lb walleye, my new personal best.  I wasn't the only one to set a personal best though, check out what everyone else caught here: Lake Erie Kayak Trip




August 2014: Flathead Catfish

44" 46lb flathead catfish

August was a hot month for flathead catfish. Russ and I spent many nights out on the water and were graciously rewarded for our efforts. We kicked the month off with a bunch of little guys that had just finished up spawning, blog here. We didn't get much size that night but in the back of our heads we thought that maybe some of the bigger fish were still spawning. With that in mind we hit the water a few more times and found exactly what we were looking for. On the 20th of August I shattered my personal best of 33lbs with this incredible 46lb 44" flathead. I titled the blog, "The One That Didn't Get Away" . Russ had his shot at a giant too, less than a week later he landed a giant as well. Check it out here: Flathead Red Hot



September 2014: Largemouth

22" 6lb 3oz Largemouth

As mentioned before, 2013 was really my first year of consistently catching 20" bass. That trend continued well into 2014 as I racked up well over a dozen 20" bass, including 3 over 22". Although my personal best bass was broken during daylight on this particular trip: Two Trophy Largemouth in under Two Hours , I'd have to say that 90 percent of my quality fish came well after dark. Night fishing for bass was new to me, and as you can tell from this blog post I'm willing to learn just about anything if someone is willing to teach me. In early Summer I met Shawn Skidmore a night fishing guru, and he began teaching me how he went about night fishing. We hit the water and immediately had success....Night Bassin' In this blog we try to hide our fishing waters, particularly because we were the only ones on the water fishing after dark....and we liked it that way! I can say that the lake that put up the largest fish on average was one of Southern Ohio's largest lakes.....exceeding 2000 acres. The night bite was red hot nearly all year for us, in fact we had a success rate of over 80% when it came to landing a 20+" bass each trip. I cant remember the exact numbers but I do know we had 7 or 8 trips in a row before we broke our 20" streak....Night Bass Fishing SMOKIN' HOT



Conclusion

At first it may seem that I'm pretty arrogant, posting and re-posting quality fish....your may even be thinking, "I've seen it once already. Quit bragging!" Or at least that's what I think could be going through your mind. However, in writing I get a unique chance to look back and reflect on the past,  which I think is something everyone needs to do from time to time. So often things happen and we only get to experience that event once, in writing about it we get to relive the experience again and again. In reflecting on the past year I began to realize that many of my quality fish came from the help or indirect help of others. The hybrid striped bass in March wouldn't have been possible without the proper direction from Todd; in May I surely wouldn't have caught a personal best walleye on Lake Erie without the invite and guidance from Jim; the flathead both in 2013 and 2014 came from one of Russ' rivers and if I hadn't met in through kayaking in 2013 I would have probably given up on flathead fishing; and finally the 6lb 3oz bass came from a lake that I had only discovered while waiting for Shawn to get off work before one of our night fishing adventures.

Good luck to everyone in 2015!