Five years ago I arrived at one of my favorite saltwater flats here in Maine, only to see the beach overrun by tourists with colorful umbrellas and the crystal clear water disturbed by kids and dogs splashing in the water. I bit the bullet, got back in my car and went straight to some kayak store and bought a kayak. I threw the kayak in the water and within minutes the sights and sounds of sunbathing tourists were replaced by miles of endless flats and sandbars. I typically fish dropping tides, so I would use the kayak as a tool to get me from one sandbar to the next. I would beach the kayak and prowl the flats in search of fish. We have 10-12 foot tides here in Maine, making for a dynamic and always changing flats fishing experience. The kayak was just the tool I needed and provided me with the transportation I need to bounce from one flat to the next and follow the fish with the tides. Many times, while paddling from one flat to the next I would spook nice fish. I tried standing up in my kayak, but immediately sat back down and realized how quickly a typical kayak becomes unstable. So, standing up to sight fish was out of the question and I resolved to using the kayak as a transportation tool only. But, another common scenario often emerged. I would see fish on top working bait on the edge of rips or just off the sandbars. The fish were just barely out of comfortable wading range. So, although I did not like sitting down and fly fishing out of my kayak; I could not resist those fish. During these times, I would fish out of my kayak. And even though I was casting to fish on top and pursuing these moving fish, I was still confined to that sitting position. I actually got pretty good at casting, shooting line and fighting fish while sitting down in a kayak, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was always wanting to stand up. Here in Maine, it is not uncommon to spend the morning fly fishing the saltwater flats and the afternoon casting dry flies on trout and salmon rivers. So, many times I would show up to my trout and salmon spots with my kayak still strapped on top of my car. Several times, I would use the kayak as tool to get me to the spots that were totally inaccessible from foot. I would ditch the kayak on a rock pile or on the bank, and fish from foot. After one or two attempts, I realized that I did not enjoy trout fishing from the kayak. Fast forward to 2007 (a couple weeks ago), I retired my old kayak and got a new stand up kayak. I can row, while standing up and looking for fish, across miles of flats and sight fish with ease. I can row, while standing up and hunting for rising fish, up and down trout and salmon rivers. I still beach the kayak and fish from foot the majority of the time. But, when the opportunity arises and I want to fish from the kayak I can do so while standing up and that makes all the difference in the world.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
That is serious business. Way to get in the game. That kayak is sick, it puts a whole new perspective on the flats game for you. Those sippers really got my juices flowing too. Killer vid as well , great job!
Sweet vid, Jer!
I have been considering a kayak for quite some time, but I have yet to find one like that. Who makes that thing? After Whippa’s and my float 2 weeks ago, the dreams of doing a float on the Delaware, and thoughts of using a smaller watercraft to cast to Drake sippers on area lakes, my urge to get something like that has grown. I guess I will have to add this to the long “want list”…right behind the switch rod!
Great video and I have know idea how you pulled that off without a trained Chimp!
The first thing that I thought was what a quick way to get to those spots that are unfishable on foot. That particular craft looked easy to transport and relatively easy to use. Standing up is a big plus, great idea, where you get it?
I am counting down the days as we speak brother. I can’t wait to fish in Maine again this year. Keep up the great video work and see you soon.
Alex
What make is that kayak? I have enjoyed the benefits of a standard sit on top kayak for a few years now, but I wouldn’t dare stand up in it. After watching your video, I think it could be time for me to graduate to a more stable yak.
This kayak can be found on the Orvis website …. here is the link for those interested …Fly Fishing Kayak
me too alex .. i can’t wait for you to arrive in the states … the only difference will be instead of busting stripers … those will be albies and bonito tearing up the bait … hey, you better be bringing me some of those big feather wing patterns for the cow stripers .. i am all out .. and need them for rhode island striper fishing …
I was looking at that kayak in the Orvis catalog. Looks like you put it to the test and it fishes/rides as claimed in the catalog. Dude that underwater footage is killer. Super crisp and clear. Did you get a new camera too? Especially love the brookie underwater part. What colors.
That kyak looks to be the answer to my prayers!! That is probably the best “sell” on a product that I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing…great video and story as usual.
For people in Maine (or anywhere, I guess) LL Bean just started carrying a stand-up kayak. Even as just a concept, it’s fairly interesting. With a brace to lean on and some other features, it certainly seems that it would fit the ticket.
I believe it’s called the Freedom Hawk.
Cool stuff jeremy… much more faster than our bellyboats , only in very windy conditions it must be difficult to go out..
Seabass ( Cornelis)
The Netherlands
for windy and rougher conditions .. there are front and back slips that i can put on … and i have used it in the open ocean on a mildly “choppy” day and was able to stand up and fish … but, during rougher conditions, it is much more stable (sitting down) than a “regular” kayak .. but like all kayaks and personal watercraft (pontoon boats, float tubes etc..) .. of course they all have their limits … but for flats, bays, rivers, lakes, pond and “calmer” open ocean days this is a handy tool …
ps. certainly much “faster” than bellyboats (float tubes) i would think? ….
no new camera … the underwater stuff was done with the sony cybershot .. it has a setting 3 settings 160×120 (no good for anything really, 640×480 (good quality – and you get 45 minutes of time on a 1 gig stick), 640×480 – “fine quality” .. better resolution for sure … 15 minutes of record time on a 1 gig stick) ……. so, if often switch back and forth between 640×480 standard and fine .. depending on if i think it’s a really good shot and might want that better resolution for one reason or another …..
nice vid, great shots of those underwater fish. I am a big fan of easy to transport watercraft.
Thanks for the info…something like this is definitely on my wish list
sweet rig j-bone. It might have to make the journey to Steel Country this fall. That would be a rush chasing a big chromer down the river in your kayak.
Frankie told me that was you out there.
That was me that drove by on 295 and laid on the horn for about a mile!!!!
Looks like a fun way to get after them!
ya man … frankie saw it in action … there was 3 days, when it was filled with fish in the cove, otherwise known as “chaos in the cove” … i was on my way to a meeting one day and saw the birds dive bombing, and fish chrashing.. etc .. it was full of tiny bait and even mackerel … i could not resist … postponed the meeting and threw in the yak immediately and got it done …. i did hear that horn ….
As allways….COOL VIDEO AND STORY!!
Tight lines.
Peterdk
SWEEETTTTT!!! hey know that first spot!!! fished it quite a few times.. nice location.. I love the ability of the standing kayak.. May have to try that some time…. Ever thought of trying that on the upper section of the Saco and casting to some big ol Browns??? River is so Clear sight fishing would be a ball…. We do it with Pontoon boats but that kayak would be the nuts…