Pike angling boat or kayak

[Tipp Angler]

Hi all,

Was wondering what people have used for Pike fishing was hoping to get back on the water and wondered whether a small boat for piking or a kayak would be best. Would mainly be fishing rivers and part of lough.

have caught pike trolling from a cruiser before but never done this from a kayak so would people recommend using a small boat trolling or go with the kayak.

Any experiences or advice welcome

[JOHN1]

PM sent

[gd]

plenty of yak info here,

http://..org/


Edit: that link is not working just google "kayak angling ireland" or buy a orkney

[TubeNFish]

If you are planning to pike fish on the large loughs then by all means get a boat, because those very big lakes have put in launching slipways and road access.

On the other hand, the vast majority of pike lakes have no slipway, or road access launching place at all. These lakes need over the fields or down the trackway access, and that means that portage of your water craft is a vital part of fishing these particular lakes.

A kayak can be wheeled in, and a float tube can be carried.
That makes both the kayak and tube are the most versatile options by far.
Comparison between yak / tubes:
The kayak covers distances better, but must go on top of the vehicle, and be stored outside the house.
The tube covers shorter distances being slower, but has better presentations of baits etc. It goes inside the vehicle and inside house/garage while not being used.

I prefer the float tube myself.

[MAC]

lovely fish.... 24.5lb

A cracker on in the tube, Can I ask how and what time of year.

If you have the cash a Portabote gives you the best of both... Not cheap though, but the re-sellers might have a stand at the upcoming Angling show on Feb 13th. €2300 should see you walk away with one...... rrp is €2700 ish. Otherwise I'd opt for a kayak just for the ability to cover that extra ground

Kev

[martblue]

If you are planning to pike fish on the large loughs then by all means get a boat, because those very big lakes have put in launching slipways and road access.

On the other hand, the vast majority of pike lakes have no slipway, or road access launching place at all. These lakes need over the fields or down the trackway access, and that means that portage of your water craft is a vital part of fishing these particular lakes.

A kayak can be wheeled in, and a float tube can be carried.
That makes both the kayak and tube are the most versatile options by far.
Comparison between yak / tubes:
The kayak covers distances better, but must go on top of the vehicle, and be stored outside the house.
The tube covers shorter distances being slower, but has better presentations of baits etc. It goes inside the vehicle and inside house/garage while not being used.

I prefer the float tube myself

A lot of rubbish in that post... you can carry a kayak, it does not have to stored outside,all depends on what your circumstances are, most popular angling kayaks average between 11 and 13ft. "better presentation of baits"???
To be honest a kayak will last for years take plenty rough and tumble and can be enjoyed on any piece of water be it sea or lake/river..
It is a lot safer and will open up a whole new world..you might think you just want it for lakes, but that will soon change once you get one.
Float tube to me is just a glorified tractor tube more at home in the pool in spain than the lakes or Ireland.
And for prices being quoted, portaboat etc,, you can get a top of range kayak, mini kota engine and every bit of gear you will ever need for that!!!

Oh and your legs wont be dangling in the water....

[TubeNFish]

Hi Mac ... yes that one was a whisker under 25. Trolled sardine, either Sept or Oct.

Hi Marty ... by presentation I mean after you locate fish with a tube you can "hover" against wind drift and current drift maintaining position while both hands are free to cast at the fish. A yak (or boat) will drift off position unless someone is manning the oars, and a drogue will counteract wind but not current drift. If it's a yak and you are holding the paddle, who is holding the rod to cast? The pedal yaks Native Ultimate and Hobie Revo can do this already at a higher cost than normal SOTs, about 500-600 more. So I'm waiting for the new pedal kayaks to get cheaper .. then yaks have an answer to that, but tubes have it all along at no extra cost.

Storage refers mainly to leaving the yak outside the car. The tube goes in the boot. Handier when stopping over in strange towns for a meal or overnight.
As far as I see it the yaks are the better choice for trolling and for bigger waters. You won't ever see a float tube angler out in the sea where yaks are the answer.
But for small waters a tube weighs 12lbs and a yak about 60lbs. So carry or wheellie cart, I doubt I will ever see a kayak angler fishing a high altitude mountain lake with no road, that's prime float tube territory.
There is a summer winter difference too. Fish spread out more in summer which if you don't know where they are favours a kayak for searching fishing styles, like trolling. In winter they concentrate in certain spots more and the speed of kayaks is less useful for getting the fish, and precision of presentation counts for more.

It's horses for courses .... Marty said it depends on your circumstances and I'm totally in agreement with that.

[MAC]

I do like the Yak option, Mainly went for the Portabote as it fishes 2 and suites me a little better. If I didn't own a porta I would have snapped up the recent Yak Ahab had for sale on this site. There are also quite a few lads on the site with Yaks and mini meets will be on if we ever manage some settled summer weather.

Kev

[martblue]

yes all valid points too..

maybe this might be more like it..
http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/angler_editions/torque.html

you can fit a motor to a few yaks in some shape or form which would help for trolling, the pedal yaks tend to be very heavy from what I read/see..

[TubeNFish]

That Oceak Kayak Torque is one interesting boat!
I did notice however that they give the weight of the hull, and the weight with motor, but no weight with battery included!
I assume they expect people to use a lead acid battery (cheap) which weighs a ton!. But if I had one of those I would get myself one of the lithium manganese batteries designed for the upmarket electric cycles, that would weigh a fraction of what lead acid cells weigh.

[MAC]

Hi Mac ... yes that one was a whisker under 25. Trolled sardine, either Sept or Oct.

Very nice. Would have pushed 30 in Feb for sure. Nice to see a big pike like that. I've not see a 20lb plus in a few years. Managed an 18.5lb about 7 or 8 weeks ago. My biggest in a some time. Still on the hunt for a lake that hasn't been pillaged to within an inch of it's life.

Kev

[silversurfers]

Hi, I fish for Bass with my Trident 15 and last winter I turned to Pike fishing at a local lake, making use of my Bass lures in the winter was great and I am ready to get out again . I caught on the drift, at anchor and backed into tight spots. This has made this craft a great all rounder for me.(Also go snorkeling from it - leaving it at anchor) It is easily wheeled anywhere I can comfortably walk to, no problem on a roof rack and happily lives in my garage. I have the 15ft to cover distance and also to cope with keeping live sandeel and mackerel aboard or alongside. I felt that a short paddle every once in a while during my fishing last Jan,Feb and March kept me really toasty whilst wearing just waterproofs and light clothes ( This year may be different ) Takes time to decide - hope this helps. James

[vlad 1976]

nice pike