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A Wind-Wind Situation
Everything in life has give and take, ups and downs, if you like that phrase better. As I see it, in a kayak, the plusses are vast. An angler is able to get into waters most boats can't access. It's relatively inexpensive (no gas, registration, oil changes, etc). Kayaking is also quite peaceful and good exercise. You are at one with nature when on a kayak. However, if kayaking has an enemy it's the wind.
I have been brainstorming various aspects of kayak angling and ideas for my upcoming articles. Repeatedly the love hate relationship I and most anglers, especially kayakers, have with the wind is one topic that kept going through my mind. If any of you readers have been following my write-ups since the beginning, you may recall I went on a stretch of outings where the wind was unrelenting last year. It seemed I could not catch a break and was met with strong winds each and every time I planned a trip.
As I have matured as a kayak angler I have learned to better plan my fishing efforts around favorable conditions. Henceforth, this past winter and spring have been more pleasant for me. You can't escape the wind completely but all in all, I have had more trips where I reminisce the quality of the day's action rather than dwelling on how crappy it was fighting a constant 20mph wind in my face.
Learning to work with the wind is perhaps the best generalization of making your next kayak angling effort more efficient and pleasurable. Do not hesitate to rethink your original plan for a new one that affords easier paddling and better all-around fishing opportunity at another.
As a personal example and again referring to the past, you may remember I have a bass fishing membership at a property in East Texas. I find myself looking at the coastal forecast as well as that for the region where my lease is located. I tend now to go and fish the place where the forecast is more promising. Even more specifically, I will look at several places along the coast and choose one that is most suitable to the weather (wind) that is to be.
There are other ways for kayak anglers to adapt to the wind or other conditions such as current. The use of a Stake-Out Stik or anchor are obvious for holding position in a windy situation. Most of you are probably aware that your paddle can be feathered to help reduce drag while paddling. Drift socks are very effective in actually using the wind as a tool to slowly work an area. Hobie even makes a kayak that uses pontoons and a sail to get around efficiently in the wind.
The seasons will come and go and the wind will follow. As kayakers, we just have to be adaptable, in our strategy and with our equipment. Ask not what the wind will take from you but what you can do to conquer the wind. Didn't some famous guy say something like that a few years back?
Well guys, I must say that the past few months have been great in the reader response department. I am getting a great number of emails and Facebook messages and the like. Last month, I included a question and photo from a fellow Texas kayak angler. I would love for this to become a trend for my article. So feel free to email me your kayak questions and a photo of yourself or a buddy with a nice catch. Please remember that photos for publication need to made with a camera, not a cell phone, and resolution (file size) needs to be at least 300 KB.
This month's guest kayak angler photo came from Miguel Martinez showing off a huge trout. Awesome catch Miguel! Good luck the rest of the year and be safe out there.
I have been brainstorming various aspects of kayak angling and ideas for my upcoming articles. Repeatedly the love hate relationship I and most anglers, especially kayakers, have with the wind is one topic that kept going through my mind. If any of you readers have been following my write-ups since the beginning, you may recall I went on a stretch of outings where the wind was unrelenting last year. It seemed I could not catch a break and was met with strong winds each and every time I planned a trip.
As I have matured as a kayak angler I have learned to better plan my fishing efforts around favorable conditions. Henceforth, this past winter and spring have been more pleasant for me. You can't escape the wind completely but all in all, I have had more trips where I reminisce the quality of the day's action rather than dwelling on how crappy it was fighting a constant 20mph wind in my face.
Learning to work with the wind is perhaps the best generalization of making your next kayak angling effort more efficient and pleasurable. Do not hesitate to rethink your original plan for a new one that affords easier paddling and better all-around fishing opportunity at another.
As a personal example and again referring to the past, you may remember I have a bass fishing membership at a property in East Texas. I find myself looking at the coastal forecast as well as that for the region where my lease is located. I tend now to go and fish the place where the forecast is more promising. Even more specifically, I will look at several places along the coast and choose one that is most suitable to the weather (wind) that is to be.
There are other ways for kayak anglers to adapt to the wind or other conditions such as current. The use of a Stake-Out Stik or anchor are obvious for holding position in a windy situation. Most of you are probably aware that your paddle can be feathered to help reduce drag while paddling. Drift socks are very effective in actually using the wind as a tool to slowly work an area. Hobie even makes a kayak that uses pontoons and a sail to get around efficiently in the wind.
The seasons will come and go and the wind will follow. As kayakers, we just have to be adaptable, in our strategy and with our equipment. Ask not what the wind will take from you but what you can do to conquer the wind. Didn't some famous guy say something like that a few years back?
Well guys, I must say that the past few months have been great in the reader response department. I am getting a great number of emails and Facebook messages and the like. Last month, I included a question and photo from a fellow Texas kayak angler. I would love for this to become a trend for my article. So feel free to email me your kayak questions and a photo of yourself or a buddy with a nice catch. Please remember that photos for publication need to made with a camera, not a cell phone, and resolution (file size) needs to be at least 300 KB.
This month's guest kayak angler photo came from Miguel Martinez showing off a huge trout. Awesome catch Miguel! Good luck the rest of the year and be safe out there.