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Freshwater Kayaking


Marginmaster

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Hi,

 

Although classing my self as a carp angler for the last 16 years, I have been reading the Kayaking topics with inetersted and am thinking about giving it a go, but living 3 miles frokm the centre of england means that I can't get to the sea that easily. I was wondering if anyone uses the method on rivers, whether its legal what equipment you would need to start out etc. I can see me working my way along the severn or warwickshire avon trolling for Pike perch and Zander. Can anyone help ?

 

Stu.

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I'm glad someone else asked this. I've been contemplating it for a while as well. Thinking of tackling some of the big lochs in scotland with one (loch awe my fave) for pike. Anyone else from up here tried it?

 

Paul.

There's no such thing as a bad days fishing..
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I'm doing just that on the Waveney. Trolling with one rod on a Prowler 15 see's me picking up fair sized perch, and occasional pike - am using floating lures to avoid the weed in the beds. certainly i'm hitting better perch than I do from the bank. If my wife had got back from the zoo in time i'd have gone out this afternoon too, this time with two deadbaits out and a lure on a spinning rod once i'd trolled down to where I wanted to stop.

 

Legality? Need a canoe licence/tax thing and the usual fishing licence. That's it as far as I know.

 

Half the time I don't take a rod with me and just go out for a paddle, which is the beauty of the thing. My wife and kids love it too and we all go out quite often - doubtful that would happenwith a rowing boat etc.

 

You have wider access to fishing spots (no restricted access to banks, no barbed wire fences, no cows, change sides of a river at will, no overgrown swims) and all this for the downside of a wet arse and a more exciting viewpoint on unhooking pike.

 

I'm a newbie - couple of months or so - but this beats the hell out of bank fishing and is a more pleasant and exciting way to fish.

 

Here's me with my biggest ever (!) pike:

 

YakPike1j.jpg

 

Here's the missus and my youngest in a Frenzy, bringing me a fresh coffee and some lunch and taking away the breakfast tray...

 

DSCF0249.jpg

 

now tell me that doesn't look worth the investment?

Edited by Mark Crame

Wetter than an otter's pocket.

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Mark,

 

Absolutley, that was a really good post, the appetite is even whetter now.

 

So what did you have to purchase to get your self started and roughly how much did you need to shell out. Having has a quick look I can imagine :-

 

Where can you get a licence from ?

 

Kayak £400 ish ?

Paddle £60 ish ?

lifejacket £60 ish ?

Wife £ A fortune !

 

Thanks in advance

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Well, The kayak I chose was the OK Prowler 15 Angler - £530, except I got a discount of a tenner and a free paddle (normally £30 I guess). I wanted the prowler 13 (£500) but the distributor was out of stock so I couldn't have one. I got it locvally, by special order, so didn't have to pay delivery.

 

The PFD (ie lifejacket) (definitely need for the sea, have yet to use in the river - but will because it is comfortable and handy with its pockets) was £40 inc post, it was a Fladen from here: http://www.uk-fishing-tackle.co.uk/product...87ffd7ed863e0f5

 

Licence you can get from the Broads Authority in my area, or the British Canoe Union (includes insurance). Not really sure who would be best to contact in your area.

 

I make a profit out of y wife, when all's said and done, so she can go on the credit side rather than the debit side - just don't tell her I appreciate her as she'd use it to stop me fishing and get me doing more responsible stuff.

 

To be honest I already had all the tackle. It's only really a case of buying the kayak. The PFD was an afterthought - and were I not going in the sea I wouldn't have bothered - i'll get attacked for that but as a strong swimmer who has been around water all his life it doesn't seem neccesary to me. After all, I have swum in rivers often enough. But I guess in winter i'll be in more than swmming trunks and a t shirt when i go piking so perhaps it is for the best. The licence around here is £20.

 

I don't have a high income, so looked at it as being a long term 'toy' - it's going to last ten years, say, so that's £53 a year. It's a hobby that will contribute to fitness, it's a hobby that costs only in the fuel to get it to where I am going to use it. It's, long term, a cheap and pleasurable way of fishing.

Wetter than an otter's pocket.

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So when a club has the rights to fish part of a river its just the bank? Would it be acceptable to fish there from the confort of a kayak?

 

I believe so, yes. Just don't moor up...

 

The Mrs also has a Fladen PFD, but we are a bit slack at wearing them on small rivers.

Wetter than an otter's pocket.

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