We are a group of anglers in the central Florida Area who fish from kayaks in fresh and salt water.
By: Kirk Dunaway
One
of the key areas where I see novice kayak anglers making a mistake is
with their anchoring methods. Traditional anchors do have their
place, but typically not in the kind of fishing that we do on the
flats of Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. First of all,
anchoring just to stay in one spot is not necessarily the best plan.
How do you know that area is going to produce your catch? Unless you
see fish in the area, let the wind push you along or cast and paddle,
and be sure to cover water to either look for signs of predators or
until you get a strike.
Second,
consider your anchor itself. Traditional anchors such as this folding
anchor
aren't
necessarily optimal on the flats. First of all, these anchors can be
clumsy and noisy to deploy by the time you find fish . Secondly,
considering the shallow water where we normally find fish, the
stakeout pole tends to be the best method. It's fast and stealthy:
once you see fish simply drive the point end into the bottom of the
flat. Make sure you stakeout on the proper side of your kayak so that
you don't bump into it either due to wind or current because this
would negate the stealth factor. Some kayakers simply drive their
stakeout pole through a scupper hole but I would worry about the
sound. In addition there is a seam around most scupper holes and I
would also be concerned that this could stress the hull over time.
You
can either buy a stakeout pole or make your own. Many that elect to
buy one consider Captain Dick's Stakeout Pole, which you can find at
http://www.captdick.net/StakeOutPole.htm.
Check out the pictures so that you can get an idea of how anglers use
stakeout poles. Some kayak anglers find Captain Dick's product quite
expensive but remember that it's not just intended to hold your spot,
it's also intended to be used as a push pole to help you get into
position.
If
you would prefer to make one consider either using an old broomstick
or my favorite, which is an old golf club. Don't use PVC pipe because
in harder bottom with shell or oysters you will find it very
difficult to penetrate. For a useable golf club go to Play It Again
Sports and look for the $2 or less golf clubs, and pick a graphite
model. I once made a stakeout pole out of a metal club and it
corroded too quickly. Cut the head off at a steep angle to create a
sharp point, and drill a hole through the handle so that you can pass
a piece of thin rope through it so that you can tether it to your
kayak.
Now
you're set to stalk fish: Find some tailers, get within casting
distance, stick your stakeout pole into the flats bottom, and start
casting.
The
most important aspect of this is to remember that fish have tails.
This means that instead of holding in one place they tend to move
around a bit. Be prepared to pull up your stakeout pole and plant it
again once you relocate them.
Check out these other low cost stack out pole substitutes.
Writen by Kirk Dunaway
