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 Hobie
Kayak Fishing – Opening Doors For Anglers
 By:
Tyler Dunn
Tyler Dunn Guiding
Anglers spend huge amounts of money each year on
fishing. They are not only shelling out cash for
bait, tackle, electronics and the newest cutting
edge equipment. Add in running, maintaining and
upgrading their boats and motors can have quite
the price tag. What’s an easy alternative? A
kayak!
Traditional kayaks are typically seen throughout
Ontario on a regular basis but are more commonly
used for paddling rather than fishing. Hobiecat
is one company in particular that has taken
kayak fishing to a new level. Hobie offers an
amazing line of fishing kayaks designed to fit
any angler’s needs. These fishing kayaks give
the angler the choice to use the Mirage Drive
(foot pedals) or paddle option. Even with the
option, 100% of my kayak fishing has been with
the Mirage Drive rather than paddling. The
following are some tips for anglers interested
in kayak fishing with the best innovation that
industry has ever seen!
 Trolling
Probably the biggest advantage I have
noticed from using a Mirage Drive kayak is the
ease of trolling deep, hands free. When paddling
a kayak or even a canoe for the matter while
trolling isn’t an easy task. Add a little wind
and it can be a complete headache. When using my
feet on the other hand. I can troll with my rod
in the holder and always have one hand steering
the rudder while my other hand can be used for
whatever is necessary. I can control my speed
and incorporate speed changes, power turns with
pin point accuracy using my graph and GPS. Most
of my deep trolling is targeting summer lake
trout. This is when I want to get my bait deep I
usually use a 3-way swivel with a 2-3 ounce
weight when I’m targeting fish in 30-60 feet of
water and just adjust how much line I have out
to keep bottom contact. This rig is hard to beat
for consistent results in any inland lake trout
lake that I’ve been too when downriggers were
not an option.
Trolling shallow water from a kayak can be a
stealthy method when you’re trying to cover
water with minimal noise. Shallow fish tend to
be spooky and the virtually silent kayak is much
quieter than any outboard or electric motor
available.
Casting
Casting from a kayak actually turned out to be
much easier than I had originally anticipated.
It is definitely different when you’re beginning
just because of the fact that you’re casting
sitting down. After you get used to this (which
will only be a dozen casts) you will be firing
your bait into the same areas you would from a
boat and again with a much more silent approach.
Hobie kayaks are unbelievably sturdy boats that
offer a ton of room for your gear allows anglers
to cast comfortably with no worries of tangling
in their other rods, nets, tackle bags or maybe
even themselves. Like most, when I am
approaching a spot I want to cast. I always like
to have a couple different lure options quickly
available. Some Hobie models offer multiple rod
holders give you the opportunity to have a
variety of rods rigged with different
presentations without having to keep tying new
baits on. Landing fish beside the boat by hand
sometimes is the easiest way to land and release
a fish. Although, I usually opt for a rubber
coated net especially when dealing with a big or
toothy fish.
Mirage Drive kayaks are simple to run, cost
effective and quite honestly allow you to fish
in the exact same areas boats can.....Sometimes
even better ones!
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