pontoons

i would love to make fly fishing from a kayak loads easier and was going to get some pontoons. does anybody have any certain ones that work better. also the easiest ones to travel with (take up least space).


thnks

Fishing from a kayak is easy there is no need for pontoons, unless you have some personal problems with balance.

you can stand up and fish from your kayak?

Pontoons + "sponsons"
Do a google search for "sponsons"

I considered them once, in order to make my SIT-INSIDE 20-inch wide racing kayak a suitable platform for fishing.   A 20-inch wide boat is so tippy that the paddler cannot put down his paddle.

Yer right......biggest drawback is:   Where Do You Put Them????

For my application...my boat was/is SO tippy that in any kind of uneven water I could not put the paddle down long enough to even blow up the air-bladder designs.

Second drawback....to be effective they have to have a strap cradle under the boat and they require secure mount-points on the upper deck.   

I tried a few experiments including personal designs of foam.   Finally gave it up and only go fishing in my more-stable 23-inch wide boat.

Judd

i have never had a need to stand up in my kayak.

you can stand up and fish from your kayak?

Necessity of standing up in your boat...
There are different "needs" that apply
The desire-to-produce-laughter, for one.
Nearly guaranteed.

Judd

You might want to check out Scotty's kayak stabilizers.

http://www.scottypaddlesports.com/pages/stabilizer.html

I haven't tried the stabilizers yet myself, but I've been very happy with their downriggers and rod holders.

LOL, It begs the question.....why not just get a boat more suited to standing up instead of a kayak?....how bout a pram?...they work great for flyfishing and standing up.

Necessity of standing up in your boat...
There are different "needs" that apply
The desire-to-produce-laughter, for one.
Nearly guaranteed.

Judd

F
there are some who stand and fish from kayaks. kind of a florida sightfishing style.
I enjoy sightfishing the shallows so I try, but the boat still surges forward when I go for the hook set.
I contribute this to not enough practice and I got a little Billy Dance in me.

Go out on a warm day, strip down your boat and practice. Then after you feel comfortable its time to try it with a loaded boat.
Make sure your deck layout is simple and everything is secure then practice, then practice again, and then cool down with some more practice.

the Freedom Hawk is kind of a kayak abomination that markets the stand up crowd. it looks stable but also looks heavy and barge like. I havnt paddled it so I really shouldnt comment

if you want to stand up and flyfish alot you might try out a paddleboard. Spotted a couple guys at LowerTwin lakes last summer and they looked very comfortable but very limited to the gear they can bring along.

hope that was of some help
good luck

Hydro.......there are a million lakes in a million places so I gotta be wrong but...

That last picture is an instant "memory match".......
.....for Wallowa Lake in E. Oregon...

I saw it and my head went:  Click

Judd

if you want to stand up and flyfish alot you might try out a paddleboard. Spotted a couple guys at LowerTwin lakes last summer and they looked very comfortable but very limited to the gear they can bring along.

the other is upper Blue lakes.

all of the practice also helps build solid self-rescue skills

Before I got into kayak fishing I was into the pontoon madness... mostly fly fishing. They work great as I even occasionally put a 3.5hp outboard on it. The pluses: fast, with the outboard; you can work it like a float tube; easily maneuvers; you can stand with the standing platform models (i.e. Scadden Pontoons). The minuses: it takes me about 1/2 hr to set it up; need a license (CP) if using a gas motor; when the wind blows its a nightmare (w/o a motor); prone to air leaks.

I have fly fished (trout, black bass, stripers, etc.) on my kayak since the day I got it. At first, I had some trouble with false casts but learning to roll cast and lots of practice helped me improve my casts. My only problem is when I am using clear intermediate line. I find it hard to keep em wet. 

I would think 2x before I get a pontoon but if you are really serious about it I would recommend Dave Scadden Pontoon boats ( http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/ ). I used to have the Skykomish Sunrise II. I believe the newer Outlaw Series are better. IMO, kayak fishing is the WTG. Been there, done that. Good luck!

LL

LOL, It begs the question.....why not just get a boat more suited to standing up instead of a kayak?....how bout a pram?...they work great for flyfishing and standing up.

There are a lot of watercraft better suited to a lot of the types of fishing we do ... and we still use kayaks!!!

-Allen

You might want to check out Scotty's kayak stabilizers.

http://www.scottypaddlesports.com/pages/stabilizer.html

I haven't tried the stabilizers yet myself, but I've been very happy with their downriggers and rod holders.

I have a pair of these.  I rarely use them, but when I do, the work well.

-Allen

There are a lot of watercraft better suited to a lot of the types of fishing we do ... and we still use kayaks!!!

-Allen

+1