Light & Loaded

I'm trying to come up with gear that is essential but also light to keep the weight of my kayak as light as possible so here is what I have so far:Heavy   vs.  Light

• Anchor vs. Chute Anchor or tying to Kelp
• Live Bait Tank with Battery vs. Floating Bait Cage
• GPS/Fish Finder with Battery vs. Humminbird Watch Fish Finder with floating Transducer
• Calcutta Gaff vs. Promar Aluminum Floating Telescoping Gaff
• Standard Landing Net vs. Promar Collapsable Floating Net

Any other ideas or comments please reply

Really... weight doesn't matter that much.

Z

You mention gaffs and kelp so I'm guessing you're talking about going out for rockfish.  In my opinion, if you want to go light nothing on your list is essential.  Although having a gaff might be nice if you do manage a decent sized fish.

Absolutely essential items..
kayak seat
paddle w/ leash
life jacket
fishing rod
a few lures
VHF or whistle (for safety)
gaff optional

That's how I started in this sport and I do it occasionally these days because I enjoy the simplicity of going light.

Brian

Hey, TDI.  Welcome.   

Don't take an anchor unless you have a specific use for it - diving is where I use mine.  Others mostly use them in the bay or on rivers, but there are inherent risks to using an anchor that you should educate yourself on.  Drift chute - I've had one for years and never used it.  It's always aboard because Hawk told me it's good safety gear for keeping yourself in one area if you become disabled.  Someday I'll try it out for the drift...

Live bait and floating bait cage.  You may want to go artificial until you do more research about how you intend to roll.  I've never really used live bait (thanks, Tote, for the charity minnows at Tahoe!   ), but I can imagine the advantage for some kinds of fishing.

GPS - get a waterproof handheld unit for the best safety.  Fishfinder - I keep meaning to get one, and it'll be mounted with its own battery pack.  I used the wrist-unit from Humminbird years ago and it wasn't that reliable and only went to 100'...

Whatever on the gaff - a few ounces or a pound or two isn't going to make a big difference...  I leave all the gaffs at home and run with the big salmon net now.  ALWAYS!  I love to gaff a fish - it's cool!  BUT we all have the potential to hook into a huge pig of a ling when in the ocean, and I highly recommend netting that thing in the biggest salmon net you can find.     A twenty+ pound ling with a head the size of a medicine ball is not that cool to gaff unless you have a big deck to swing it up onto - with the net you can let it thrash about until you can grab it, photo it, and let it go!   

Good luck - report back about how you rigged up and what you learned.   

Fishing equipment is kind of species specific. Are you gearing up in general, or for ocean only.
What Brian listed is the important stuff.
Weight is usually not an issue unless having to carry kayak or its overloaded.

Fishing for rockfish just bring lures and maybe some squid

I use a drift chute to control speed when drift fishing-rockfish,halibut

A kelp clip is good in the ocean or to grab a tree branch on a lake

I anchor for still fishing bait, sturgeon/striper, and a drift anchor for river salmon/steelhead.

Live bait mainly used for hali's, stripers, and pelagics---
bait tube for hardy baits like mackeral and smelt.
livewell for chovies and shad (die easy)

Save for a good Gps FF you will feel a lot better when the fog blows in...and you know where to go.

Gaff 2-3 ft. or lipper tool , net if required or needed (big fish or to release toothy critters away from your crotch)