Tips for kayak fishing

By news@duluthnewstribune.com

June 05, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while kayak fishing, as offered by Forrest Rieder of Superior and Rob Roningen of Duluth.

Landing nets can be somewhat cumbersome in a kayak. Neither Rieder nor Roningen uses one. Roningen sometimes uses a floating gaff hook to land his fish. Rieder usually just grabs them with his hand. If you do use a net, you can store it by inserting the handle in a rod holder.

Don't take much tackle. The key is going simple. "Take a couple of good lures and don't worry about switching up," Roningen says.

Tie your gear in. "In the heat of the moment, it's easy to drop stuff in the water," Roningen says.

Rieder really likes the rod holders on his Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 kayak. Elastic straps hold the rods flat to the kayak. He fly-fishes, so he doesn't want rods standing up where they could snag a cast. The elastic straps secure his paddle while he's fishing.

If you take live bait, make sure it's in something waterproof, Roningen says. "Otherwise, you'll have minnows swimming in your lap."

Rieder uses a Yakima kayak rack with a feature called a "Boatloader." It's a pull-out extension of the rack's horizontal crossbar that allows easy one-person loading. Prop one end of the kayak on the Boatloader, then lift the other end onto the rack.

Tips for kayak fishing

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while kayak fishing, as offered by Forrest Rieder of Superior and Rob Roningen of Duluth. Landing nets can be somewhat cumbersome in a kayak. Neither Rieder nor Roningen uses one. Roningen sometimes uses a floa...