Westernbass Magazine - Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2013, Page 9

Westernbass Magazine - Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2013, Page 9

WB: Why a kayak and not a boat and what kind of kayak are you using? PK: i fish kayaks for several reasons. i originally started kayak fishing when i became fed up with the cutthroat power boat bass fishing tournaments i fished. at that time, most of the anglers i fished with cared little, if at all, for the environment or their fellow competitors. Both are important to me--i dedicate much of my blog to conservation and the environment. That is another reason i kayak fish. Kayaks don’t pollute like a powerboat does. They don’t require oil and gas, just some good, old-fashioned, man power. That makes kayak fishing a little healthier to fish from as well. Kayaks are also closer to nature. You can really get away and lose yourself when kayaking down a remote stretch of river. it is truly peaceful. Kayaks also allow you to access water that many bigger boats can’t fish, and are easy to store and transport from location to location. i fish from Jackson Kayaks. i use the Jackson Coosa when i am fishing rivers and a Jackson Cuda 14 when i am fishing a lake. The Coosa is an excellent river fishing kayak. it is stable and easy to maneuver through the narrow, shallow rapids we have in West texas and the texas Hill Country. The Cuda 14 is a stable fishing platform that is faster than the Coosa and in my opinion, the perfect lake fishing kayak.

WB: How does a kayak in a tournament differ from a boat? Is it a lot of paddling? PK: it can be a lot of paddling, that is true; but a little exercise never hurt anyone. i

enjoy the paddling. i work-out with a special kayaking specific routine that i think helps me in this area. Beyond the amount of paddling, kayak tournament fishing is different from power boat fishing in another way--the amount of water you can cover. You don’t have the opportunity to run at 70- mph in a kayak; so you are restricted to water closer to your launch. i think this forces kayak anglers to become better fishermen. rather than packing up the gear and running to the other end of the lake where the fish may be more active, you really have to spend your time figuring out how to find and catch the not-so-active fish in the water that you are in. i have fished kayak tournaments on the same lake and the same day that a power boat tournament is going on and more often than not the kayak anglers come back with better stringers than the boats.

WB: Does the rod you use for fishing from a kayak differ from the one used for boat or bank fishing? PK: Sometimes; when i am fishing large-open bodies of water, like a lake, the rods i use when fishing in a kayak are the same

spring 2013

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