Ultimate Kayak Fishing: Hello! Newbie, Beginner, From Mass. - Ultimate Kayak Fishing

Hello and welcome, mcawbird (love your name!).

There are a few girls here, we come and go. I bought a fishing kayak last fall and have since bought a second kayak for friends and family to accompany me - so far everyone I've taken with me has loved it. Sometimes I fish in mine, sometimes not, lately most trips are social "come kayaking with me"!

I grew up on lakes too, now live near the ocean but I still find myself taking my kayak to lakes, getting to those bass spots on the other side of the lake under the trees that I couldn't reach from shore. I like the smallies myself, especially when I get a nice looker like a bright yellow perch. I also am learning flyfishing, which has rewarded me with some gorgeous rainbow trout and the experience of fishing a river.

As far as handling a fishing kayak yourself, you can learn how to do that here too. I get mine on and off the roof of my car on foam blocks by myself with a trick for sliding it up the back of the car on a carpet runner - I learned it from Don M when I got my yak. Only once was I unable to do it alone, when wind kicked up so hard it blew the everyting off the roof including the kayak! When you're ready and if that's the way you start (roof racks are out of my budget just now) I will write up how to do it. With two kayaks now, I am thinking (I'm 46 and not getting any younger) of getting a small utility trailer instead of a rack and 2 sets of hooks. Then there are those mechanical things but I just don't have the desire to go there, if you wanted to know about those lots of the folks here use them.

Also, being a girl and having girl stuff more familiar, I devised my kayak wheels from a stripped down baby stroller, and it works great - those brakes that come on a stroller are perfect on downhill launch areas.

And I too still squeal like a little girl when I catch something.

Welcome!