Jaffa

Then send it to me !

Looks ideal but I'd want to know what its like to deploy when your in the water and being thrown about a bit, if it ends up in the sea is it easy to empty and get flying again. If it does that then it looks a great bit of kit for when the S*** really has hit the fan. Looks like a great bit of kit Elton. You intend trialling it??

Yakity, hope to get out for a couple of hours if the wind dies down. Got some of those new fangled shads to try out

Reflective kites??? sounds interesting.

There used to be a UK company that made folding creels. I think the guys name was leakey, but that was a few years back and they never caught on with the commercial guys. For those interested in creel designs check this site out: http://www.hauling.2cuk.co.uk/index.html Might be worth dropping the guy a line to see if he knows of a UK version of the folding trap. Chris.

Good list Yakity. I'd add some more safety gear too though: 1. Safety knife worn on either you PFD or your body. It should have a serrated blade, and you should be able to access it one handed. The smaller diving knives are ideal. 2. A whistle; again attached to you and not the yak. 3. A compass. In my area sea mist can, and often does , roll in on the best of days. 4. Its sensible to carry a set of flares too; again dive shops carry small waterproof ones. It can all be done much cheaper than £280 if your willing to improvise and shop around. You can make a lot of yakfishing gear your self - eg paddle leashes, carts to carry the kayak, rod holders, anchor systems etc. B and Q may become your best friend Salar, I dont know of anywhere giving lessons, other than regular kayak clubs, but no doubt someone will start a place up soon. I just found myself a safe bit of water to build up confidence and practice righting and climbing back on the yak. Don't sweat on the kayak technique aspect; they do work and are difficult to capsize. A couple of hours practice and im sure you'll be happy. Its an undestanding of weather, sea conditions and tides; just like for anyone going to sea in anything, that really matters. BTW, as far as damage to the wallet goes, I see Yakity is about to buy a second Yak; im up to three now ...... Be warned Chris.

Your right Newt and the welcome has been friendly . Perhaps I am just being paranoid after reading through all the previous topics that mentioned "kayak" . I apologise to jeepster and Sandtiger for taking it as any more than a joke. Sorry guys.

Well thanks very much for all the "jokes" guys - My very first post and you just about manage to say "hello" while getting on with a **** take. Got to respect you 4k posters for that As the big man said " I feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit" Call me super sensitive if you want, but my first post??!!

Davy, are these from big escapes where a net has been busted or just odd ones that have slipped over during handling or something? if the former, does word spread among the locals ? Chris

Yakity, thanks for the tips before btw; sry, was'nt trying to be rude, just missed your post and you pack a lot in... Unlike my wife i can only handle one point at a time I like to think its that focused "hunters brain" but im sure she'd say different and blame guiness The prowler not a good boat for beginners? Having never tried one I would'nt like to say; surely its going to depend on what they what to do with it? It might well be the ideal boat for many judging by its spec and reviews. A shorter kayak is better in surf, but thats not an issue if someone rarely launches or lands through surf. I can launch from fairly sheltered places so its not an issue for me for instance. I totally disagree with you about short and wide being better in the wind. In the wind the better tracking (ability to go in a straight line) and increased speed is the thing to have every time. Wind speed can pick up real quick where i live and when it does i want to be able to head for home quickly. I agree about the weight issue but my fishing kayak is only 5lbs or so lighter than the "prowler" and I find it manageable. Things like the "fish and dive" model would be too much for me though. IMHO its better to do the research, ask the questions, and get the kayak thats right for your conditions and fishing method. Whats the point in blowing cash on a yak, only to have to "upgrade" a short time later. Don't know about you but i was pretty confident on my first one within the first few hours. Chris Chris.

Divided by a common language eh Newt? . Don't know much about the Eskimos/inuit and how they did things but you got me curious and a search found a couple of site, one of which has some modern enthusiasts coping the sealskin idea. Called a "tuilik" apparently. Some old photos of eskimo boats here: http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/labradorinuitkay...ayakphotos.html Grainy photo of the sealskin setup here; http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/2003/dj03inuit.php and a modern "tuilik" design; http://www.seacanoe.org/tuilik.htm Looking at how flimsy their boats were its a wonder there are any inuit people left Tough people to do what they did eh? Chris.

Peter, sorry if these dumb questions but I know nothing much about modern light tackle fishing Do you use the braid straight and rely on the rod to cushion it, or do you have mono in there somewhere? When i think of a "pirk" i remember those huge mirrored norwegian, banana shaped ones with a big treble on the end. Are you talking about a smaller version of them? Chris.

Nice one Newt and can't really see anywhere that you messed up. 1. Canoe but in the UK canoes and kayaks tend to get lumped togeather as canoes by anyone except the kind of enthusiasts pictured in 6. and 4 . 2. Typical "cheap and cheerful" sit inside kayak (SIK) used by Scout groups, park depts etc, to train people in safe areas under supervision. Turn easy but horrible to try and keep on a straight line. Yakity says the people going in endless circles are "enjoying becoming at one with their kayak". Aye right ! it's newbies in useless kayaks having a nightmare 3. The half canoe/kayak is a good description. There is one that is popular with sheltered water guys in the states. Called the "pungo" i think. Might be good for FW Pike anglers and the like here. Big advantage is that you stay dry but if you tip your stuffed and need to get to land to drain it. 4,5,6 "Serious" touring kayaks. Fast but tippy and you have to know how to "eskimo roll" . For experienced and trained people only. Nah use for fishing. People have done some huge seagoing trips in these though. 7. Sit on top (SOT). Loads of different makes and sizes that work for fishing but this particular one (the OK prowler) is interesting because its specifically designed for fishermen following feedback from US Kayak anglers. Never seen it in the flesh but the people that have them seem to love them. The milkcrate with rodholders cabletied to the frame is pretty typical and similar to what i use myself. Chris

Newt, quote: I guess these fall into the fairly broad category along with water skiing, fast cars, and fast boats that were fun when I was a good few years younger. No "fast women" in that list !!!? does that mean they are still fun ? Not sure we are talking about the same kinds of kayaks though. Oh for a picture or two, this would be easier There are basically three kinds of canoe/kayak; The sit in one you mention, with two pointy ends is the classic kayak (or often "canoe" in the UK just to confuse everyone ). The paddler uses a single long paddle with blades at both ends. Paddler is sitting in an enclosed cockpit in the middle. These things are strictly for use by people who have been trained properly. Fishing from them presents a lot of problems and dangers but some people manage it. Eskimos have done it for long enough i guess. Then theres what in the UK is called a "Canadian canoe" (Just "canoe" over your way) which ,in my imagination anyway, is the classic "Red Indian" canoe. Its still double ended but open and basically a thin dingy. Its paddled using a short paddle with a blade at one end only. Paddler usually sits at the back. I believe these are used a lot for FW fishing in the states but not something you'd want to take to sea at all. Quite popular up here for camping trips and the like as they can carry a ton of beer, ermm, I mean "supplies". The last, and newest design, is the "Sit on top" or "Recreational" kayak. These things look very much like the traditional "sit in" kayak from a distance and are paddled in the same way. Instead of an enclosed cockpit the top of the hull is moulded into a seating area, usually with an area to stow gear just behind the paddler. Its these things that are being used by some anglers and divers now. Not sure which of the last two you saw with the dad and his two lads. Your proberly none the wiser after this post either . Confusing myself here... Chris

Awesome catch. Thx for the post Vidar. Its the thought of a monster Saithe on rod and line that appeals to me though. Seen the french trawlers returning from the edge of the continental shelf with those huge black eyed beasts. Oh yes that would be something on rod and line (dreams on) Charlton, always a slim chance I'd guess. I have seen small "chicken" butts, (under about 3ft length) landed from time to time by inshore trawlers working the Scottish east coast. All the big ones i've seen came from grounds around Orkney, Shetland, Rockall and Faroe. Guess somewhere like the pentland firth or yell sound would be the place to try. Might be a long wait though....... Even for the commercial guys (except the great liners and i think the last of them gave up in the mid eighties) Halibut has always been a fairly uncommon fish to take. Chris.

Nice as a Kayakfishing forum sounds I think its a bit early yet; give it a couple of years.

For Paul, and anyone else interested these are a few that i find useful; Kayakfishingstuff.com is a commercial site but has very active forums with a really helpful group of people. Its an east coast of America site but has contributers from all over the place. The best all round site for kayak fishing info IMHO.Tons of info here. Its forums are at ; http://kfs.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=418607442 Just watch out for BillW http://sit-on-topkayaking.com/ is really useful for info on the kayaks themselves, also has helpful and friendly forums. Not a fishing site as such but good articles on safety, technique etc. Good place to ask questions. Cool site that i keep going back too. Coastal Kayak fishing. http://www.kayakfishing.com/feature001.html Very West coast America but if you want to know how to land a thresher shark from a 13ft plastic log..... http://www.paddle-fishing.com/ Some nice reviews, rigging tips etc. Bit west coast and a lot of the stuff does not translate to our conditions well imho. Anyone got other good links? Chris

Hi Yakity, reckon Davys pets would solve Pauls anchor question . Paul, anchoring is no problem.I'll stick up a couple of my fav links where there are threads on diy anchoring systems etc. There are loads more links but a lot are from people that fish on mirror calm water and think that keeping cool is the biggest problem Yakity,Never seen the cobra other than in pictures but was impressed by the Caper when i saw one. Both seem to be popular over the pond though. You must clean up on the bass with the places you can get My fishing is pretty basic Yakity; while i'd love to try lure fishing bass this is cod country. I drift the reefs with a set of feathers, or the modern equivilent, bounce the lead on the seabed and get loads of codling...... I'd like to try some new stuff though. Catch the odd decent pollock once in a while and they give a great fight so would like to know how to target them. Also see a lot of Salmon/sea trout jumping and can't help wondering if American trolling techniques like Tube and worm baited with rag might not work well for them. Going to experiment over this summer.... Chris

Thanks for the welcome all Thanks for the club idea Alan . I do have a kayak club near me but for various reasons im not sure that the kind of kayaks used for fishing (Sit on tops) would be compatible with a traditional kayak club outing. There are safety and speed issues, plus they will no doubt get bored when i want to stop and fish every 200 yards . . Ummm, skate from a kayak; think i'll give that a miss - great way of tagging them though ! Hi Paul, like yakity I think these things are really going to take off over here once people get over the initial shock of the idea. It's starting to get serious over on Newts side of the pond and thats still the best place to get an understanding of the sport atm. I got an awful lot of help and advice from US kayakfishing forums and I'll put up a list of links to the ones I found most useful if anyones interested. The only downside to the US sites is learning their language! Guess you have it the other way Newt Took me ages to realise a Sandworm was basically rag ! Also, they REALLY seem to like a good "exchange of views" that took some getting used too Newt, I've got a Perception Freedom (called a Swing on your side of the pond i think) which i do most of the fishing from, and a couple of Ocean Kayak Frenzys. All are "sit on top" designs. What kind are popular in your part of the world? Chris.

Hi all. Nice forum, which i'm delighted to see has a few posts about UK Kayak fishing I was begining to think I was the only one I've pleasure fished for more years than I care to remember, mostly on Scottish East coast rock marks, and for the last two years from a kayak over local inshore reefs. Like I suspect many pleasure anglers i'm a bit stuck in my ways about fishing methods, ie shore fishing consists of 3/0 hooks (do they really go smaller?), peeler and a lob of a cast. Boat fishing is jigging feathers on the drift for cod and mackerel. Braid, jellies, leadheads,??? etc - i have a lot to learn...... Kayak fishing has gotten me enthusiastic again and this looks like a good place to pick some brains and help me find some new fishing methods that would suit my kayakfishing. Hopefully I can contribute a bit in return if anyones interested in the kayakfishing madness . Also I am a bit opinionated when it comes to conservation, fisheries and aquaculture and I don't always agree with a lot of what i see posted on sea angling forums - not sure if thats a good or bad thing Anyway, I look forward getting to know you all. Chris. [ 05. June 2004, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: Jaffa ]