Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tips To Know The Types Of Fishing Rod To Acquire


by: Travis Clemens




Fishing rod holders take the inconvenience out of fishing for a variety of reasons. For one, it is a convenient storage device especially when one is in a kayak. Rather than holding the paddle in between the legs while fishing, a fishing rod holder stores the rod in place therefore enabling anyone to carry multiple rods or (if one insists so) carry multiple paddles. It also makes trolling easy as a holder keeps the fishing rod in place as one travels to a number of fishing spots. Also, when unhooking a caught fish, rod holders keep the rod secure. More importantly, they help one catch more fish at the same time enabling a kayak look versatile and extremely well-designed.

Here are some tips that could prove helpful in order to determine the types of fishing rods one should purchase.

To attach or to not attach

There are basically two types of fishing rod holders, one that could be attached to the exterior of the kayak and one that is put in the flush. Both have different functions and both work well accordingly. The choice all depends on what one prefers to use and how.

To those who prefer the unattached

The unattached type of fishing rod holder comes in two forms, the straight and the angled. Most kayaks use the angled form. When this type is used, one has a good chance of being able to stroll because the rods veer away from the kayak.

To those who prefer the attached

If the straight type is used, one is able to keep the fishing rod in the middle of the kayak and therefore works best in keeping the rod in storage. This straight type of fishing rod holder is good for the Tower and Cobra Navigator model of a kayak.

The home-made fishing rod holder

One could just as make his or her very own personalized fishing rod holder using common PVC. Or one could also start out by getting a milk crate and attaching it to a kayak with the use of straps.

The alternative type of fishing rod

There is another type of fishing rod holder that could be placed just above the kayak. These are usually tubes that are called RAM as well as Titelock. As the latter’s name implies, it locks the rod in place and usually consists of a male and a female part. This part difference allows the two to be separated. Manufacturers that generally make this type of fishing rod are Attwood, Scotty and Roberts.

About The Author

Travis Clemens is a life time fisherman and he knows the ins and outs of gettinem on the hook! You too can gettem on the hook with Travis as your guide! http://www.best-fishing-tips.com.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Enjoy an Anna Maria Island Vacation

Almost everyone knows that Miami is a top destination for many Florida tourists but there are some other outstanding areas to visit in the Sunshine State. Anna Maria Island vacations are extremely popular even though this setting is not as well known as some of the star studded cities such as Orlando, Tampa and Key West.

You might want to set sail for this tiny Florida Island and make it your main destination for an upcoming vacation. Anna Maria Island is located just off the western coast of Florida and it is so convenient that many travelers add this as a day trip when they are heading to a more southern location such as Cocoa Beach or Miami.

The shimmering white sands provide a wonderful contrast to the jewel toned waters that surround Anna Maria Island. Right now this little bit of tropical paradise retains an intimacy and peaceful tranquility that will mesmerize you. Who knows how much longer you can come here and enjoy a quiet respite from the crowds that are usually encountered at most top Florida vacation sites? If you want to leave the cares and worries of your normal day life behind then a trip to Anna Maria Island is the perfect spot to go.

The Gulf of Mexico extends up the western coast of Florida right into the Florida Panhandle; and these warm emerald waters have been enchanting and delighting millions of guests over the years. Now you can enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Gulf as you relax on one of the world's prettiest island beaches.

Anna Maria Island is a small barrier island that lies between the Gulf and the city of Tampa Bay. There are more than 7 miles of white sandy shoreline to explore and the lack of crowds makes this tiny island seem even larger than it actually is.

Boats and trolleys are available to transport you around the island, and most people do not need to use their personal vehicles. You can enjoy a stay at a bed and breakfast, or one of the other premiere lodging accommodations that are found on Anna Maria Island. No matter where you choose to stay there are always plenty of activities to keep you busy. The beaches are a major attraction, but there are also some great shops and boutiques to explore.

Who could possibly resist the wonderful opportunity for fun in the sun when they stay on this inviting little island? The beachfront rentals on Anna Maria Island make it possible for guests to spend the majority of their time enjoying the sandy shores and sparkling waters. You can rent equipment to go snorkeling, biking or sailing. Perhaps you would rather set out on a guided kayak adventure that takes you through the network of island waterways. There are also jet skis available for those that enjoy the thrill of speeding along the water's surface. Walking tours of the city sites are another popular choice of many tourists and the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium are not to be missed.

Kayak Fishing: The Evolution Of Fishing Kayaks And Kayak Fishing Hand Paddles.

Paddle sports, particularly kayak fishing, are the fastest growing water sport today. Kayaking, canoeing and rafting are now destination activities. With all the green and eco friendly activities available, paddle sports have dominated the outdoor adventure scene. Paddle sports are low impact on the environment, inexpensive, thrilling and always memorable.

Not to be left out, the fishing and sporting communities wanted in on this explosion. Kayakers, anglers and sportsmen merged concepts and technologies. Along with diversity came opportunity. New specialty equipment, gear and accessories evolved. Fishing kayaks and kayak fishing hand paddles evolved from this call to action.

With the rapid growth of paddle sports, there has been a definitive diversification of the sport into various disciplines. All the technological and manufacturing advancements have fueled the sudden increase in the sport. Kayak fisherman and kayak sportsman have recently dominated the growth in the paddle sports arena.

Kayak fishermen, also known as kayak anglers, and kayak sportsmen require specialty equipment, gear and accessories to effectively pursuit their sport. Their fishing kayaks and fishing hand paddles are specifically designed to accommodate their dynamic environments and distinctive sporting activities.

Kayak anglers and sportsmen have designed boats for easy access and mobility. Many facets of their kayak design reflect accoutrements that were found only on motorized fishing vessels. Today you can find rod holders, live wells, storage compartments, battery wells, fish finders, anchors, etc. If they can fit a specialty fishing accessory on a twelve to fourteen foot kayak, they will try to get it on there! They even have twin hulled, foot propelled and battery operated kayaks for the hard core anglers.

For ease of access and dismount, the anglers use a modified version of the sit on top kayak, or SOT. SOT’s were a natural conversion platform for kayak anglers. These boats are self bailing, meaning that any water that gets in the kayak will be drained away by gravity. Getting on and off is much easier than a sit in kayak. Turning or sliding around to access tackle or gear behind you is a much simpler evolution.

With this approach to fishing from kayaks, came another conundrum that caused problems in the kayak angling community. How do you paddle and fish at the same time? Think about it. Can you hold your fishing rod and a kayak paddle at the same time?

Paddling your kayak and fishing at the same time became a comedy on the water. It takes two hands to wrangle a seven foot kayak paddle, no matter how you hold it. Throw in a fishing pole, and you soon realize you need three hands!

Kayak fishing hand paddles evolved from pioneering anglers solving this problem with ping pong paddles, Kadema paddles, modified badminton racquets and the sort. They could hold onto their fishing rod and with the other hand paddle their boat stealthily toward their prey.

It soon became apparent that flailing a seven foot paddle is not conducive to shallow water, or skinny water fishing. The fish can see you! The best way to sneak up on your prey is to glide stealthily toward them. While holding your fishing rod, using a little six or seven ounce fishing hand paddle to propel your kayak, about 16” long, is perfect for the task.

As you begin your foray into kayak fishing, do your research. Peruse the internet, talk to local anglers, visit local outfitters and try various kayak platforms and fishing hand paddles. That little effort will certainly make your fishing trip much more rewarding and memorable.

Fish on!!

A Guide To Sit On Top Kayaks

By: Vicki Churchill



Sit on top kayaks are not to everybodys taste and they are best suited for coastal paddles and generally having fun in the surf. They do however make good kayak fishing boats as they normally sit very flat in the water which in turn makes them very stable.

The Yak Board is a great all round kayak. It can be fitted with a kayak seat and bungee cords as optional extras. The bungee cords will allow storage for your kayak accessories however like many sit on tops there is little or no other places to stow your kayak accessories away.

I recently purchased a Yak Sport which is a cut down version of the original Yak Board and although this sit on top kayak sells for approximately $100 cheaper than its bigger brother the Yak Board, there does not seem to be any less kayak for your money. To the contrary the Yak Sport has a built in back support which will also allow for a padded kayak seat for extra comfort.

Most sit on top kayaks come in a variety of bright colours including banana yellow, orange and red. However if you intend to go kayak fishing you will find sit on tops in dark green and blue which will assist in attempts to remain camouflaged.

You can buy sit on top kayaks which are as little as eight foot long. Being this short you will be mistaken in thinking these kayaks will be light in weight. However, due to their solid chunky designs it would be uncomfortable for even two people to carry them for any period of time so a kayak trolley would come in handy.

When sitting in the Yak Sport it has a real cockpit feel about it with the three footrests allowing for a truly comfortable and adjustable paddle position. The only drawback is that this particular model has no standard accommodation for thigh straps to be fitted.

Many sit on tops have scupper drain holes normally found in and around the kayak seat allowing the kayak to self bail when underway. Be warned most sit on top kayaks will flood as soon as you sit on them so if you are planning to paddle out during the winter months you will definitely need your wet gear on.

That said these kayaks are primarily designed for beach days and for messing about in the surf. For this purpose it is second to none and can be enjoyed equally by both the beginner and professional paddlers. They make excellent boats to take on family days to the beach and due to there stable designs are suitable for children to paddle.

As with an inflatable kayak, a sit on top would not be the kayak of choice on a straight run but as soon as you start paddling they will bring a smile to anybodys face as they are all about having fun.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Inflatable Kayak Accessories providing you with excellent resources and products including reviews on the stunning Sevylor Ranger Inflatable Kayak.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Why We Kayak Fish

Why We Kayak Fish

By Capt. Pat Horrigan

When you think about fishing you realize that there are many forms of the sport. Sight fishing is by far the most challenging approach to be taken. In order to be successful in sight fishing, you must have a stealthy approach or you will do nothing more than spook your quarry. Wade fishing has its’ place for sure but it can be a long walk and as you tire, you are naturally noisier by default. Using a flats boat is very popular and always will be and kayak fishing may not be for everyone as it requires patience. To achieve the most in stealth a quality kayak makes the difference between a long walk and a very expensive flats boat. There are many different fishing kayaks on the market today and that’s great. I looked for a long time for the right kayak to sponsor the Kayak Fishing ClassicS national tournament series. The Freedom Hawk 12 by Freedom Hawk Kayaks packs everything a kayak fisherman needs into a very slick, quiet unit. The biggest advantage yielding feature of the Freedom 12 is the easily deployable outriggers. This feature truly makes it the Stand -Up Kayak Fishing standard on the market. Why is that important? When seated low in a kayak it is difficult to sight fish. Great sunglasses like the Ocean Waves Sunglasses really help however having the ability to stand on a mobile, stable platform is invaluable. The sunglasses are still a must have item and Ocean Waves Sunglasses are the best ,in my opinion.

So now you have a stealthy, stand- up fishing kayak to make the experience better and you can see thru the water like a hawk. That still doesn’t answer why we kayak fish. Before I do that, lets’ add another stealthy approach to the fastest growing water sport in North America. Fly Fishing! Talk about stealth. Fly fishing is so quiet and natural. Light Tackle fishing can be very stealthy as well if done correctly and both are popular ways to fish from a kayak. Albright Fishing Products is the maker of some very fine fly rods and conventional rods. To touch on their fly rods for a moment, we feel that they are the best fly rod on the market today for what we do. That is saying a great deal considering some of the other brands. Tom Brokaw once said “ if fishing is a religion, then fly fishing is high mass.” Fly fishing is a subject for another conversation. Now you are ready to sneak up on the fish. Simply put, Kayak Fishing is extremely challenging and incredibly beautiful. You are on the water surrounded by nature. The fish don’t even know you are there. You lay out a fly and a huge snook charges and takes. If you do that just once, the question will answer itself for you. Many kayak fishermen, and in that I include women of course, also enjoy wade fishing. There’s nothing like a good stretch after a good paddle to your favorite fishing spot. Lets’ talk about that for a minute;

Have you ever heard someone say ‘you have to think like a fish’? To me what that means is what am I doing that triggers a fishes strike or fear responses? I want the fish to strike or take my presentation so how do I trigger the strike response? Or what did I just do that spooked the fish or triggered its’ fear response? One huge factor often overlooked is Visual Quietness. Just what is that? Have you ever been in a swimming pool, underwater and looked up at someone walking around the pool? If not, try it sometime and it will make a believer out of you in what I am about to share with you. In order to better understand Visual Quietness you need to understand Visual Noise. Everything in nature is a blend of many things in nature surrounding it. Wait,..What? For example a bright color on a bird is muted by surrounding dull colors. There are very few birds of a solid, bright color and those that are have developed that for a specific reason in nature. If you look up at someone walking around the swimming pool wearing a bright white shirt you’ll realize just how much that stands out. Or a bright green shirt or black or any solid color just jumps out against the background. If you are in your kayak or doing some wade fishing and you are wearing solid colors, regardless of the color itself, you may as well just go home because every fish in casting distance can see you. Remember, the bigger the fish, the smarter or more experienced the fish is. I never wake up in the morning and say to myself, I think I will go out and catch a small fish today. We fish for big fish because they are more of a challenge and more fun to catch. So why make it harder on yourself. Wearing camouflage clothing that matches the background of where you are fishing makes a lot of sense to me. Let’s take it up a notch. Let’s wear camouflage clothing that matches the background the way a fish see it. Remember how that bright white shirt looked when you looked up form underwater in the pool? It was also distorted and wavy. Here’s the notch; AQUA DESIGN has come up with a camouflage that mimics how the background looks to a fish. That is huge when you think about it.

When you put all of the gear together with a little practice, you have a very Visually Quiet, Stealthy, Stand-Up Kayak Fishing package. In my pursuit of putting together a World Class national kayak fishing tournament series, I searched many equipment manufactures to provide product and expertise for our fishermen. It quickly became evident who made the best gear and why they made it the way that they do. I then pursued those companies as series sponsors. The sponsors that you see involved in the Kayak Fishing ClassicS are not just sponsors. They are the best at what they do and the most qualified in the world to call themselves sponsors of the Kayak Fishing ClassicS. If you take the time to learn about these fantastic people and the products that they make you will walk away with more knowledge of how and why the game is played the way it is. The book is being written on kayak fishing and we want you to be a part of it. Please visit us at http://www.KayakFishingClassicS.com to be a part of it. FishGreen

(ArticlesBase SC #1840439)

Kayaking for Beginners - What are the Various Kinds of Kayaks Used for Kayaking?

There are a lot of varieties of kayaks that you can consider before going into kayaking. Kayaks will normally be categorized as leisure kayaks, fishing kayaks, surf play kayaks or kayaks on tour. Ahead of opting for whatever kayak you think of, you should first of all determine the mode in which it is going to be used. But above all, your wellbeing and ease while using the kayak should be of first and utmost importance.



What you should also know is that there are various types of materials used for making kayaks. It is obvious that the type of material used in making the kayak will also determine the ease and safety in using the kayak. Once you have made a decision to pay for a kayak or any other equipment relating to it, you should first of all get some lessons or even a handbook that teaches you on how to use it. Remember that you are not only scouting an opportunity to perfect your skills in using these equipments, but you are equally making sure that your safety is supreme. Take note of the following types of kayaks:



Fishing Kayaks



This type of kayak is very fashionable. Throughout the years, kayakers have favored this type of kayak when thinking of fishing pastimes. This type of kayak is very convenient in getting to areas in which any other normal kayak will not get to. The fishing kayak is also of two categories.



The first type will involve that which the kayaker normally sits on top and the second will include the type of kayak in which the sitting position is in a cockpit. Whatever design you intend to use, you should make sure that you have researched on the advantages and disadvantages of each ahead of making your decision.



The kayak with a cockpit is habitually used than that with a sit-on position. But this cockpit kayak will additionally require you to wear a skirt just about the cockpit so that water should not get into the cockpit. But if the cockpit is filled with water, this can only be drained manually. Remember that the fishing kayak can be used for any type of kayaking. Some will even include a place where you can preserve your catch.



If you have to put ease of use when deciding on which type of kayak to use, the sit-on-top kayak should be preferable. Keep in mind that the sitting position means that it can be very convenient for you to move your legs about and even to reach the shallow waters and fish. Remember that if you are kayaking in warm waters, it will be more convenient to sit out of the kayak. Some kayakers will also find it easy to adapt a relaxed seat on this type of kayak. This type of kayak should also be preferable if you will be spending longer hours in water.



Leisure Kayaks or Kayaks Used For Tour



Such kayaks are really great for the beginner. Remember that such kayaks have been created with the notion of leisure in mind and have been tailored to meet the demands of every weather condition. A lot of such kayaks have additional luggage compartments that can survive the kayaker for almost two days. Leisure kayaks are just like kayaks meant for touring. But leisure kayaks are more likely to be used on calm waters.



One thing about kayaks meant for touring is that they are stronger than leisure kayaks and they have a storage compartment which can take up one or two day’s supplies. This type of kayak is generally stronger than leisure kayaks. If you want to know the quality of kayak equipments, the best way is to test the equipments. This can be done in person or you can get to the waters with an experienced kayaker.

(ArticlesBase SC #635154)