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.