Kayak Anchor vs Stake-Out Pole!

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If you do any fishing from your kayak there are a number of situations where you are going to need a way to hold a constant position to be able to fish effectively, particularly if you are a bait fishermen.                                        

Also, given the light nature of a kayak and the ease with which it moves through the water, they are susceptible to being moved by the lightest of wind. If you are in shallow water, say 3.5' or less you could pin yourself to the bottom with a stake-out pole or even use the stake pole, anchor style with a tether attaching it to your yak. However, if the water is much deeper than that you are going to need a regular anchor 

There are a couple different styles of anchors that are most suited for a Kayak, the mushroom type (abv. right) and the folding grapnel style such as the Attwood model (pictured below) which comes in 3lb. and 5lb.  weights.

 



 

I personally like and use the fold-up style anchor.

The folding grapnel design stays folded and locked up until you are ready to deploy it. The grapnel design when deployed holds well in a variety of bottom conditions. This anchor also has a heavy, hot dipped galvanizing and I use mine in the saltwater more often than not. It still looks like the day I bought it.

A stake-out pole can be made from a variety of items. Even an old wooden broom handle that has a sharpened end will work. Install it through one of your scupper holes and you can pin yourself to the bottom in a variety of situations. The only problem with the broom handle is the large diameter. It is more difficult to press into the bottom compared to a smaller diameter rod style. If you can't push the pole in far enough it will be sticking up in your way while you are trying to fish.

If you are not so handy or don't want to bother with building your own, there are a variety of Stake-out poles manufactured for just this purpose. There are several poles shown below and you can follow the link to Amazon for more information and buyer reviews.

Being able to hold your kayaks position is important for many fishing situations. Unless you only do a certain type of fishing you should have access to both an anchor and a Stake-Out Pole.

Being prepared for any situation that presents itself is a key to success on the water!

Tight lines,
Larry S. 

 

Speck Fishing Video Palm Coast, Fl. 1-19-13

 

We took the kayaks out Saturday for some speck fishing in one of the Palm Coast waterways. We were slow trolling jigs suspended under floats. It was a decent trip but the fish were on the small side. We ended up keeping (16) specks but caught (21) plus another (1) bass.

 

Here is a condensed video of the trip:

 

See ya on the water!

Larry 

 

 



Speck Fishing Report - Palm Coast Area

Wednesday, Jan. 9, ,2013
Weather: high 80 deg, Mostly cloudy to overcast later, Barometer has been trending down
Winds: light
Water temp.: ?

Target Species: Crappie (Specks) Method: Drifting with jigs Location: local canal, Palm Coast, Fl.
Catch: (6) Specks (kept), (3) Bass, (1) Mud Fish, lost (2) Bass & (2) Specks

My wife and I headed to Palm Coast again this afternoon to try a new spot I have been
wanting to speck fish.

 

It started off slow with 3 small Bass and a Mud Fish before we ever caught our first speck. We hooked up with 8 in total and put 6 on the stringer. All of the specks today were pretty decent fish and a step above the size we were catching on Sunday, we just did not have nearly as many.

The barometer is trending down and I feel that might have slowed the bite. Besides that, there is a lot more bait in this waterway as well as cover at the bank compared to the canal we fished Sunday.

 

Good Luck,
Larry S.

Fishing Report-Speckled Perch 1-6-13

Sun. Jan. 6,2013
Weather: 80 deg.
Partly to mostly cloudy
wind: light
Target Fish: Specks (Crappie)

I fished a local waterway in Palm Coast this afternoon for Specks. The plan was to float some jigs below corks and do some drifting or slow trolling.

We fished with a variety of jig colors though a green tube body produced the most fish. I also did pretty well on a pink jig head with a white curly tail body.

The specks were not overly large but what they lacked in size, they made up for in numbers. We ended up catching about 50 in all and kept 38.

The water clarity is pretty good so getting your baits back a ways beyond the kayak really made a big difference.  My fishing partner for the day fished with spinning reels with a clip on cork to suspend the jig about 3' below the water surface. I fished fiberglass cane poles and they were far less effective in the clear water.

Here's a few pic's from the trip.

Good luck on the water!
Larry S.

Ponce Inlet Fishing Report, Sheephead, 1-1-13

I fished in the intracoastal across from Ponce inlet this morning. I fished from my kayak and since dad was there with is Griffcraft, I was able to catch a tow and save a pile of paddling.

Wind; light out of the SW.
Water temp.: low 70's, (super clear)
Tide: half full.
Target Fish: Sheepshead

We stopped on the way to the inlet and caught up some crabs and also scraped some barnacles from a bridge fender. We were after Sheepshead and we has some prime bait.

The water is really clear and I can see a flounder trip coming up in the near future!

Well, we ended up fishing about 3 hours at some docks that have really paid off in the past and we only put (3) fish in the boat. It was slow going to say the least. I was surprised that we did not see some sheepshead feeding on the dock piles with the water so clear.

There was not a lot to report today. There were a bunch of other boats all trying to fish this same general area and we were the only ones that I saw catch a sheepshead.

They should be there! We'll be back!

Larry S.