NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Kayak Fly Fishing => Topic started by: Fritz on November 10, 2017, 09:54:47 AM
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Ok. I'm new here. I don't own a boat. I'm here for advice before I plunk the cash on one.
So, in looking at all the boats I could afford, and talking to some friends that have fly fished out of yaks before, I have a question. How hard is line control to manage on a kayak in really life?
I'm really interested in the Jackson Mayfly, but it's kinda spendy. And I am having trouble finding folks that actually use them and not just guys on YouTube regurgitating the PR lines from the brochure.
I'm not trying to ask 'what's the best kayak for me' cause I know there's too many variables, but how hard is fly line management on your decks and what are some of the things you guys are doing to keep a snag free existence.
We all know how much it sucks to blow a cast and look down and your line is wrapped around the ____________.
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I used to fly fish out of my trident
Occasionally the line would get wrapped on the hatch buckle, but replaced them with a bungee and never had another problem.
Lots of good boat choices out there,
Take your rod and demo as many as possible, then see which has the fewest obstacles to overcome.
Good Luck
;0)
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Hey if you wanna try it out i got an extra boat i can bring out on a morning im in vacaville so grizzly or napa would be good and you can test iy. I have a couple boats with different styles so you can get a feel for what you like and not. Have extra pfd and all that too shoot me a pm if you wanna try it
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I've fly fished in the ocean in big wind from my kayak.
Pretty simple minus the wind.
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I fly fish - I only fish with a fly rod - from my kayak in fresh and saltwater. Having a clean deck is a very good thing and if you look at the Mayfly, it has all kinds of bling and doo-dads that will grab your fly, your leader or your line every chance they get.
You can expect to have twenty to thirty* feet of line, plus six to eight feet of leader, out of the rod when you cast and if you flub the cast or need to lay it down without casting, you want as little as possible on the kayak itself.
I like pre-2017 OK Tridents - they spoiled the 2017's for me - but there are others.
If you're going to fish with a fly rod only part of the time, you'll simply need to learn how to be more graceful than me around the add-ons on your kayak.
* I like to use 18' of T18 and leave a couple of feet of running line out of the tip top. Most integrated lines have a 30' head. Either way, it's a lot of line to keep from getting wrapped around this or that or caught under a gear track or wrapped around a drive pedal...
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What Tote said. You just need to be more aware your area in your kayak.
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Yeah. Ok got it.
I went to Clavey today in Petaluma and looked at some of theirs.
The most stripped one I saw that would work in the OT Predator MX. The only thing it has is foot pegs. I was thinking I could make a shroud for them.
Or just bring a stripping basket... I'm sure there's a solution. And there's no perfect boat for every situation.
The advice about being aware of your surrounding is well heeded. I've fouled a lot of casts by not heeding that single rule. You can double haul till the cows come home but if you're standing on your line...
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I didn't intend to suggest a completely clean deck was essential, but less stuff does help.
I've run in to aggravations when flubbing a cast, after landing a fish, and when changing flies - whenever I have line laying around a bit more carelessly than I would normally, and there's a NWKA member who'd happily tell you how many times I've had to chase him down and beg him to free my fly from the bow rigging. YMMV.
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I stripping basket will help or even a towel laid over your legs can help out a lot. At first it will be total chaos but over time and the more you fly fish from the kayak the chaos will slowly go a way. By the way it wasn't so much as freeing the fly from the bow rigging as to Tinker just wanting to now what that special fly was that was putting the hurt on the fish.
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I just bought a mayfly -"used" demo from CCK for a DEAL. I'm used to fishing out of an Outcast FatCat. I'll share my experience wit the kayak after I take it out.
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After taking a much closer look at the Mayfly it has some great features and some features that I personally don't like in a kayak.
Let me preface this by saying that WAY before a decent fishing kayak was even accessible on the market I fly fished from a float tube..a LOT.
It's pretty hard to get any lower to the water and still be able to toss a line.
When I got my first kayak I thought I was on top of the world, literally. It was such a higher platform than the float tube. I caught all kinds of fish fly fishing from my kayak.
I say 'my kayak' because I've owned several over the years. Six here (at one time) was the max I had...at one time...and even those turned over fairly frequently.
What I don't like about the Mayfly is the width. I like my legs in the water at times and when I think about the width of the Mayfly all I can think about is how bad I'll be limping from the massive groin pull I'll be suffering.
I would like to see that kayak 7-10 inches narrower.
Since I'm not bone fishing standing isn't a big deal (for me). I'll take a more narrow kayak that is much more nimble out of the water as well as on the water.
Another thing about standing; you will have a greater chance of falling into the drink. As with all kayaks, practice self rescue. But along with this kayak, practice swimming too. As you fall while standing your legs will launch the kayak farther away than if you just fell out while sitting down. And PLEASE do not think about tethering yourself to the kayak. That's a drowning waiting to happen.
I also do not like the weight. Watching one review on YouTube the guy said it isn't a barge...compared to what; an actual barge?
Wide and heavy = barge. I would not want to have to paddle that in a head wind if one came up out of nowhere.
This part I may be wrong about as I have not seen this kayak in person, but it appears the foot rest should be at more of an angle, not straight up and down. Again, I could be totally off base as I have not sat in one, just an observation.
What I do like are the rod tip protectors. Several years ago I designed my perfect kayak on paper and this was part of the design. It only makes sense IMO. We carried our fly rods in a somewhat similar fashion on a kayak float trip down the Deschutes about 30 years ago. Worked great.
I also like the side storage boxes. Well thought out with nothing to snag on. Vast improvement over the mesh side pockets so many other kayaks have.
The paddle keeper up front is a sweet amenity too.
This kayak seems like a great design to be used as it was intended, but you will be limited as to where you can go.
As you become more adept to fishing out of a kayak, and read the many reports here, you will want to expand your fishing horizons. The ocean is a great place to fly fish.
Versatility is just one more factor to consider when plopping down a chunk of change for a kayak.
Whatever you fly fish from you will get comfortable with.
If standing and never getting into the ocean, along with a little greater difficulty transporting is your thing, then I think this would be a great kayak.
Always try before you buy...always.
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A big + on what Tote said.
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When I first looked at it, I could only think "Soccer Mom (or Dad) Mini-van" but someone I know recently bought a Cadillac Escalade to haul his boat around and now that I've ridden in that...
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The mayfly is my first kayak and I'll never know until I try.
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Lots of great advice especially from tote.
I pretty much only fly fish from my kayak.
I love my OK Prowler but enjoy hands free of the hobie. I had the Outback but hated the weight and barge feel - minivan on a 4 cylinder. The Revo is more nimble.
I used you throw 3 0ft of T14 but like the feel of 20ft T20. Quicker casts is nice in waves.
I keep a line management system on deck which is helpful when fishing deep.
Good luck with your new boat.
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There's tons of kayaks out there with clean decks. the main issue with most is probably the foot pegs. I would pick one with integrated geartrack probably, as that keeps decks relatively clean, and gives you options for accessories that can be added and removed pretty easily.
I think with raised seats that the width doesn't really matter as much, since you really don't need to straddle your kayak, and you're already in a higher seated position.
There's a few upcoming models that I know of that will have clean decks from Native like the Slayer XC. Might be good to wait until Demo season to try one out in person. I wouldn't have an issue with someone bringing a fly rod with them to one of the demos that we hold, and I'm sure some of the other manufacturers would be fine with them as well. If there's a specific model you're looking into, ask the shop to have it available for demo for you.
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One of the reasons that the Mayfly has a wider deck is that it has a shallower water profile and less keel. If you were to build a kayak with a similar hull shape but make it narrower, it might be fairly unstable for folks from a primary stability standpoint, and secondary would be lost without a keel. Would also result in less overall weight capacity due to lack of volume.
Boats like the Mayfly are purpose built for midwest/northeast river fly fishermen, who need kayaks with relatively shallow drafts and higher maneuverability in rivers. we don't do a lot of shallow draft river fishing up here in NorCal like they do there with the river bassing series. Just different strokes for different folks.
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They're designed for flat, calm bayou fishing and maybe the flats where the current kayak fishing boom seems to be driving the market. I wouldn't have given them a second glance when I lived in the Midwest. Just MHO.