Trolling is a great way to fish for a big game and enjoy a thrilling ride at the same time and it can be done from a kayak. If you’re looking to add a little excitement to your kayaking, consider trolling.
How to troll in a kayak? You can troll with any kayak, though fishing kayaks designed to hold lots of gear are the best for trolling.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of trolling in a kayak and share some tips to help you get started.
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How To Troll In A Kayak?
The simple way to troll in a kayak is to paddle while dragging a lure. This is called “passive trolling”, where the kayak doesn’t provide any forward motion for you instead, it’s making use of your existing paddling effort. If you’ve ever fly-fished from a canoe, this will be familiar.
Tips For Staying Safe While Trolling In A Kayak
When fishing from a kayak, you want to avoid hitting rocks or other obstacles. This can happen when pulling your lure over submerged objects that you didn’t see before. To avoid this, get into the habit of paddling in reverse while dragging your lure.
You should also take extra precautions when trolling near current seams, drop-offs, and rocks. Think about how your lure will behave around these obstacles because the wrong lure at the wrong time could easily end up getting stuck on a rock or underwater structure.
Don’t neglect safety when fishing from a kayak. A personal flotation device goes a long way in keeping you afloat if something happens while paddling, and a good set of dry clothes and a blanket can help ease the pain if you fall in.
The Benefits Of Trolling In A Kayak
The benefits of trolling in a kayak are the low cost, easy storage, and ease of transportation. A kayak has relatively low wind resistance so you can get on a plane with less power than other vessels.
You can troll in shallow water without worrying about propellers getting stuck on obstructions like rocks or weed beds since they’re located behind the boat. This makes trolling in a kayak a great way to catch fish in windy conditions.
You can troll from your front deck, which gives you a full view of the water around you and makes it easy to spot fish. Our article How To Fish From A Kayak covers this topic further.
Trolling from a kayak also gives you the ability to approach fish from an angle, which is beneficial if you’re hunting game fish like red drum or kingfish.
Trolling For Game Fish With A Kayak
The most popular game fish that are trolled from kayaks is salmon. You can troll for salmon by paddling and pulling the rod at the same time, or you can engage an electric trolling motor to travel long distances if rivers are nearby.
Another option is to use a downrigger, which will use a line and weight to get your lure down into the depths where salmon lurk.
Certain saltwater fish such as kingfish, tuna, wahoo, and swordfish are also popular for trolling from kayaks, but they can be harder to catch. Kingfish in particular tend to eat lures with a lot of action, so they’re best trolled using plugs.
If you’re trolling to catch a saltwater fish, make sure your kayak has rod holders so you can keep the bait in front of the fish for as long as possible.
The methods used to troll are similar among all game fish, but it’s important to consider their habitat and behavior to tailor your presentation. For instance, while tuna live in open water, they tend to stay closer to the surface when they’re on the hunt for prey, so a lure that moves vertically is more likely to attract their attention.
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you a good idea of how to troll in a kayak. Remember to be safe when fishing from your kayak and understand the behavior of your prey. The more you troll, the better you’ll become at interacting with fish underwater and finding out what they like best.
FAQs
Q1.What kind of fish you can catch trolling in a kayak?
You can catch salmon, saltwater game fish, and freshwater game fish trolling in a kayak.
Q2.What’s the best way to troll in a kayak?
You can use downriggers, electric motors, or paddle and pull while trolling in a kayak.
Q3.What’s the best lure for trolling in a kayak?
The best lures for trolling in a kayak are plugs, spoons, jigs, and crankbaits. Spoons are best for saltwater game fish.