flyakfishing

Have you ever heard of flyakfishing? (flyfishing from a kayak) I've come accross people who have THOUGHT about it, but they figure flyfishing is hard enough as it is, that they don't even want to attempt it from a kayak. True, flyfishing is an art to be learned, and though it does have its own set of challenges from a kayak, flyakfishing is my technique of choice.
One of the first things people worry about is getting tangled easily. The general rule for flyakfishing is, if it CAN get tangled on something, it WILL get tangled on something. The trick is to have as little on your yak as possible for your fly line to get snagged on. When I have my flyrod out, I leave the fishfinder, the gps, and the net that would normally stand upright in one of my milk crate rod supporters at home. I've come accross people who try it with SIK's, and claim it works great for holding your stripped line inside with you, preventing snags. I use a SOT myself, and as long as I keep potential snaggable objects to a minimum, I have few problems if any.

I find that while flyfishing from my kayak, I do not need as long a cast as I would from shore, so that's a plus for the skeptically curious. A 20' cast is a long cast from a kayak, as one doesn't need to throw 60' of line since you merely need to drift or paddle to your target fish stealthily. More often then not, I catch nice sized trout within ten feet of my yak!
The only thing I would caution you is if you plan on attempting this in a river with currant, be aware that if there is any wind at all, your kayak will not drift at the same speed as your fly on the water, causing you line tension problems. If this occurs and you are like me, you will find yourself frustrated at having to strip the line while attempting to regulate your speed with the extra set of hands that you don't have. What works well is a drift anchor, causing your kayak to drift slower then your fly, keeping the slak line away.

As many of you can attest, flyfishing is more hunting then fishing, as you are constantly seeking and then stalking your prey, as opposed to blind casting or bait fishing, where you wait for fish to come to you. In this respect, "flyakfishing" makes perfect sense!

Stroover