Kayak Fishing. Do it properly first time

 We have all been there, at some point. Purchased our first kayak. Full of excitement after seeing the fish that people catch. Tied all your traces. Got all your rods and reels set up. Bought some shiny new exciting looking lures. Ready to hit the beach for the first time……..

……But…..As you hit the beach for that first time, it’s dark, and a chilly breeze makes that slightly uncomfortable feeling that little bit more unbearable. You can already hear the waves pounding the beach as you offload your kayak, and start loading your gear and putting on your lifejacket. As it gets lighter you glance out at the sea. The surf is cranking, and there is already one fisherman out, and three others are negotiating their way through the surf zone. Looks easy enough, you bravely convince yourself, forgetting that these are very experienced paddlers already in the zone. Then one of the paddlers hesitates, takes a huge hit on the nose of his ski. Paddler and kayak get spat back on the beach unceremoniously. Your stomach turns as the nerves really kick in. Two more paddlers make a dash for it. Only one makes it. You nervously look around. Nobody you know well enough to ask a question or two, and you don’t want to sound like you are scared by asking too much.

Then another angler quietly moves over next to you. ‘Have you launched before?’ he asks. Is it that obvious, you think to yourself. You tell the truth. No, this is your first time. He quietly suggests that today is not really that day you want to be launching for the first time. Oh crap…you don’t want to bail out now, and look like a coward. Then he tells you he has been in your position before. And there are still days that he turns around and loads his kayak back on the roofracks. It is called a No day. You feel more at ease now. He suggests you start off at a nice quiet launch site such as Vetchies and get your confidence and skill levels up before attempting this type of launch. He helps you load your kayak back on the car, and you look at the sea again. The joker has just had his joke played on him. He is crawling out the sea, looking very bedraggled, broken paddle in hand and kayak all the way down the other side of the beach. You don’t feel so bad anymore. Even have a little chuckle after his remark to try and make you even more nervous earlier.

Unfortunately, the scenario above, is too often only partly played out, and there is more often than not no friendly ‘old hand’ to lead you away from a painful encounter.
Now this is not to discourage anyone from kayak fishing. In fact it is the opposite. All too often, guy’s hit a launch site with bravado and no one to rein them in, and their first experience is really unpleasant. And sometimes it means they may even give up before they have started.

If you are new to the sport then start with baby steps. And if you’re an experienced kayak fisherman and you see a newbie nervously waiting to launch, have a chat to him and make sure he is capable of getting out.

In the Durban area we are blessed with a lovely protected bay which offers a fantastic ‘playground’ to get to know the surf better. Vetchies to the South of uShaka is a great place to practice your launching and beaching without the intimidating bone crunching waves that often frequent the North and South Coast. It also offers enough swell at times to have some awesome fun, and get some good practice in.

Spend time learning the surf and how to read it. Put your knowledge into practice and progress slowly by moving at your own pace into bigger swell zones. Don’t think that after one or two launches you are an expert. Everyone is still learning.
Launch and beach. Launch and beach. Do it over, and over again. Your confidence levels will soar. Don’t worry about fishing just yet. Get your paddling skills up to scratch. Practice falling off and getting back onto your ski in the surf zone. And practice it while launching, and while beaching. Practice getting back to the beach without your ski. And practice these techniques over and over again until they are second nature. I promise you that you will have loads of fun while practicing and you will quickly become a fitter and stronger paddler.
This might sound bizarre…… but can you swim? Not just a bit of doggy paddle in the swimming pool. Can you swim confidently enough that you could make it back to shore without your kayak. Don’t try kayak fishing until you learn how to swim strongly enough. Because you will be swimming plenty when you kayak fish. No matter how accomplished you become on the kayak.

Learn to not panic in a rip. It’s easier said than done but it is better to let a rip current drag you out the surf zone than trying to fight it in a surf zone. A rip current more often than not works in a circular motion, dragging you out and around behind backline. If are being sucked out and you can see where the rip is working swim sideways and out the rip rather than against it. You will never beat the rip but you can get out of it.

A few things to consider. We have been over many of these points before but we can never emphasise them enough.

Always paddle with a buddy. Safety in numbers. It goes without saying. And even better, go with more than one buddy.

Always wear a lifejacket. No matter how competent a swimmer you are, you are never a match for an unforgiving ocean.

Always tell someone where you intend to fish. This includes someone you isn’t fishing with you. In the hopefully unlikely case of getting lost at sea and needing rescue, the search parties will have a good starting point.

Make sure your gear is in good working order. This includes safety gear. Includes your kayak itself, and also your form of communication. Have a fully charged and working phone in a waterproof pouch on you at all times.

It is easy to look at pictures on Facebook and say I want one of those fish, I can easily fish off a kayak. The reality of fishing off a kayak is that it is hard work. If you put in the hard yards though, your rewards can be incredible. So get competent and comfortable and the rewards will follow.

There are a number of excellent Kayak Fishing clubs to join such as UKFC, UBKFC, Scottburgh Kayak Fishing Club, and there are always people willing to help out. Drop me a line anytime for questions on brendan@gofishmagazine.co.za