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new guys seeks advice before i go drown meself :D


Hungry Fisherman

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hi ppl i aint been on this site for over a year

 

when i came here last year yakity yak planted the kayak seed in my head well any way i came into a little money recently and instead of getting a new motor bike car etc i fancy giving kayak fishing a serious go i live in london

 

well to get to the point id like some one to give me starter advice i know i need a kayak a paddle life jacket possibly but i basicly want a check list of items i will need and may want :D

is there a complete starter pack available out there? do i have to [or is it suggested] i buy from america? all i know atm or think i need is a training where can i go b a yak and gear and b fishing gear what should i buy and c the helpful stuff like fishfinders location on where to do my first kayak trip [if theres a planned forum trip somewhere oneday ill come along] etc etc well ya get my drift [pun intended] id say atm i can spare £1500 is it enuff?

beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

 

LOCATION:london

KAYAK :ok scupper pro (green)

launches 2009 1

species caught 1 cod

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Hi

 

Here's a safety checklist on this link enough to get you thinking.

 

http://www.anglersafloat.co.uk/Kayak%20List.html

 

I was in your position a year ago and being safe is Number 1, a paddle jacket (bouyancy aid) is a must. So, I'd get all the information you can from the guys on here and anywhere else you can before you part with that money.

 

The choices are endless, and you can get fully equipped by buying in this country.

 

Am sure the others will follow with more advice.

 

Nick

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cool ty for a fast reply so i print that and go to a kayak shop armed with a grin a wad of money and my wits :D

 

im thinking maybe a kayak klub should be started for ppl like me id feela lot happier knowing i can plan a trip with some one get advice etc maybe even kayak rental training etc to get me started judging by the amount of ppl interested in kayaking i rekon we could get a good club started

beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

 

LOCATION:london

KAYAK :ok scupper pro (green)

launches 2009 1

species caught 1 cod

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Hi HF

 

Here's my advice which won't cover everything - like Yaskalos I am sure others will follow.

 

Firstly some further info will be needed to help you with this.

 

The choice of kayak should be influenced in part by how tall and heavy you are.

 

Where do you plan to paddle?

How will you transport and store the kayak?

Will you be fishing fresh water, salt water or both?

What time of year do you plan to be out on the water - during the summer or year round?

 

You've given your budget. To quickly answer the 'money question' without details, £1500 will get you more than started. You won't need to spend all that to get out on the water safely.

 

You could do it for half that amount including clothing and essential safety items as listed on the www.anglersafloat.co.uk site mentioned above.

 

Sit on top kayaks suitable for fishing cost roughly between £350 - £650 depending on the model. You can get an idea of prices from this site Bournemouth Canoes .

 

There are no official meets as such. However some of us meet up from time to time to fish with one another. These trips are usually posted on the site beforehand.

 

If you can provide answers to the questions I have asked (and others may put more forward) then we can give you better advice.

 

I feel it would be also worth you visiting another UK Kayak Fishing site.

Kaskazi Dorado - Yellow

Location: East Dorset
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Hi HF

 

A buoyancy aid is listed although it is referred to as a PFD (personal floation device) on that page - these terms mean the same thing.

 

By the way, a US site also worth visiting is www.kayakfishingstuff.com. It has some great articles there including a kayak comparison chart, forum and kayak & equipment reviews.

Kaskazi Dorado - Yellow

Location: East Dorset
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well ill try be more informative ill be using this thread to post a lot of new yakker questions

where i dunno yet im based in london can get to most of essex coast where i am towards dover folkstone etc as well im hoping some one will give me a good starter place i would like to hook some mackerel for bait then go for something better :D

transport will be on my cars roof most likely

want to fish sea only

and being new ill probs stick to pleasant weather fishing but if i get hooked heheh who knows

and im 5.8 ish 12.5 stone

 

i would like to know if its possible to erm have a guide and hire a kayak for a day maybe some one has to and some gear get a taste for it or not etc

 

plus fishing tackle wise what should i be looking at a bass rod maybe? light weights or heavy ones 6 oz being heavy feather use?

its all so big exciting and confusing lol is it true if ya use a heavy weight with grips you can use it as a minnie anchor? stop ya drifting :D

i saw a link some one on this forum posted diva was it? selling kayaks with a free paddle any idea if that place do ful pakages make it easier for me guess im looking at a starter pack lol

beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

 

LOCATION:london

KAYAK :ok scupper pro (green)

launches 2009 1

species caught 1 cod

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Hello Hungry Fisherman.

From what you are saying it would be worth you travelling to meet a couple of us on a trip. There are different kayaks out there with very different characteritics. Your build and size means you can take your pick!

 

The kayak you choose needs to satisfy several things:

storage facility - Speciman is hampered by available room, so has a shorter kayak (OK Caper) to fit his storage facility.

 

Transport - ANY of the fishing kayaks will happily sit on the roof of a normal family car or Ford Escort Van. You can either just use foam blocks on the roof, and the kayak sits on those (about £20) or a two bar roof rack - like you would use for ladders, better for distance and I think more secure, about £90 for a good aftermarket one. CHECK THE LOADING - some roof bars don't have the required strength to take the weight! Thule are good and some car manufacturers own kit is actually very competitively priced.

 

If you have never kayaked before it would be worth you going on a familiarisation day with one of the British Canoe Union's recognised instructors - there is a big difference in knowing how to do it and being able to impart the information to others - instructors are trained to impart the information in a logical sequence.

 

Anchoring is useful. A well set up small anchor will work better than a poorly set up bigger one.

A short length of chain (1.5m) on the anchor will provide more than double the holding power of just an anchor on its own. That means you can downsize and still have good holding power. The length of anchor line you need is, roughly, 5x the depth of water you wantto anchor in. For your piece of coast there are some strongish tides about, but 30 - 50m of line will do you. Especially if you go to Ramsgate, Margate, Herne Bay, Whitstable or down towards Folkestone and Eastbourne. The best fishing down there is not far out and the water is prety shallow - by West Country or Scottish standards anyway! In some of the Scottish Lochs you can be in 40m of water within 100 yards of the shore!

 

The actual stuff you buy will depend on your outlook - but a good kayak shop will guide you, especially if you go armed with a shopping list. You would find it of benefit to go and have a look around one BEFORE going to buy, you will then have a better idea of what to expect when you go back armed with cash! If you go with a shopping list you should get a good deal on all the kit.

 

Fishing gear - light! Speciman uses a large fixed spool, even for the tope. If you do any beach fishing now, then your existing casting multiplier will be ample for kayak fishing - an Ambassaedeur 6500 size or similar is perfect. A rod in the 8lbs - 15lbs class is also ideal. Length is the major factor - DON@T get a short rod! You need one in the 8' bracket, so as to be able to reach around the bow (front of the kayak) should a fish swim underneath the boat you simply pass the rod tip round in front of the bow and you are clear again - stern if the anchor line is at the bow! The extra length is also useful when dealing with fish in the kayak - a string of mackerel feathers is a nightmare if the rod isn't long enough to hold them up, otherwise you end up with jig hooks all round your toes!!

 

That SE corner - Ramsgate and the like, has good fishing for flatties and Rays from what I can gether. The Sea Fishing forum will get you that info though. Tope, smoothound from the Essex estuaries, some of which are sheltered enough to kayak in - watch for shipping! A ship cannot just stop, or manoevre and in dredged channels they can't anyway, not without running aground. YOU have to get out of their way. So don't anchor in a channel, or close to it!

 

When looking at paddles - buy the best one you can. A touring paddle in carbon is the best option - fibreglass shaft with carbon blades. The lighter the paddle the more comfortable you will be when using it. You lift it many thousands of times in a day - imagine every paddle stroke.......! A stiffer paddle transmits more energy to the water too.

 

The safety gear is covered on Starvin's site which Speciman gave you above. Go and read it, a couple of times, each item has variations, but they are all similar. I would suggest that a buoyancy vest with pockets is the way to go - the handiness of small items in and around your person when fishing. A film tub with spare swivels, beads, split rings or clips etc - that kind of thing. It saves you rummaging about in a box for those tiny bits which always find their way to the bottom...

 

You can't run before you can walk, so bide your time before rushing off to buy a kayak outfit - a week spent researching will save you the cost of your entire outfit, because you won't buy something that later you then wish you had bought the other one. Rush in and I guarantee you will end up buying most things twice, because the first one won't be quite as good or as useful as the next one you see.

 

Get the basics right. Details can be added to as you go along and realise what you need for your own way of doing things. You don't for instance, need a fish finder straight off. It would be better to not have one at the outset. Your time is better spent concentrating on paddling practise (on your way out and on the way in again) and getting the feel of fishing from a fairly moveable platform. These things don't sit still, not for a moment. When we talk about stability, it is not a pier we are sitting on, the boat rocks, but doesn't turn over. And remember TIE EVERYTHING DOWN. If you drop it, it is gone forever. A length of 3mm shotcord will make you up some rod leashes - so if you capsize or drop your rod it gets wet, but you can haul back to you again. Elastic is better than straight cord.

 

That's enough for you to digest now. Come back to us when you have more idea of where and what you want to fish for.

 

Be lucky,

Simon.

Simon Everett

Staffordshire.

Fishing kayaks:

White& Orange Dorado

Olive Scupper Pro

Yellow Prowler Elite

 

Touring kayaks

Red White Skua

White & Orange Duo

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i have the brighton water sports site

http://www.thebrightonwatersports.co.uk/wa...orts/course.php

 

there offer an introduction to sea a 1.5 day costal trip and a mackerel fishing trip i will ask if i can do it all in one week end :D

 

btw just to let ya know im 33 so do have a little wisdom armed in me i have scuba dived have open waters cert cousin has dive master etc etc so i have some knowledge [understanding] of water safty as in how important it is and what water is like as an entity instead of being under it ill be on top :D i may even incorporate scuba to the hoby at a later date spear fishing or just a visual search of a potential fishing spot but any way look at the link and let me know if that is a good first step

after that ill plan my buying a kayak and gear with a meeting of some one on this forum lol as advice when purchasing will help me a lot what to look out for what sort of thing i can expect etc etc keep the info flowing in readig it all if any one has time to tell me what the gear setup is when kayaking names models help too that will aid me :D as in kayak kayak gear fishing gear

beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

 

LOCATION:london

KAYAK :ok scupper pro (green)

launches 2009 1

species caught 1 cod

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Some of those courses look ideal as a good intro and there's supervised fishing too!

 

It would be worth finding out beforehand if you will be using Sit-on-top kayaks although they are shown on that site somewhere.

 

The BCU offer training courses specifically for Sit On Tops with their 1,2 & 3 star awards (which I think that link offers too). I made enquires about doing Sit On Top training at a school based near Poole Harbour - they never got back to me and I never chased it up.

Kaskazi Dorado - Yellow

Location: East Dorset
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