My name is Scott and I am a keen kayak fisherman. This site is essentially a diary of my activities, thoughts and experiences as I endeavour to learn more about the art of catching fish from a kayak.
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| Sunrise is a great time to target the Australian Bass with surface lures. |
I live in the Hawkesbury, near Sydney NSW Australia. Most of my fishing is in the Hawkesbury River, which provides great salt water fishing from Wiseman's Ferry through to Brooklyn. Freshwater in the Colo River, Grose River and the Hawkesbury Nepean system are excellent for finding Australian Bass and other species.
Please check in from time to time and add your thoughts, tell some of your stories and be a contributor to this blog for Kayak Fishermen and women everywhere
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| Dagger Drifter - excellent for fishing |
Choosing the right Kayak for you.
I chose a Dagger Drifter after looking at a wide range of kayaks.
Its specifications are as follows;
Dagger Drifter LW 9.0
Why I chose the Drifter LW 9.0
There are so many kayaks available to choose from, so I chose the boat that would serve me the best in what I want to do. I considered a number of things, listed below.
Price.
It had to fit my budget. I did not want to spend more than $1000 dollars, and did not want anything that I felt was too good to rub against an oyster rack or rock wall. I wanted to focus on fishing rather than having to protect a huge investment.
Weight:
I needed something that was light enough to lift on the roof racks. Some great spots to fish are accessible only after a bit of a walk, so carrying or using a trolley is easier with a light yak.
Balance in the water.
As a fishing craft, the importance of feeling balanced and stable on the water as I move about was important. When I tested kayaks, I moved about in the cockpit as if I was finding lures, looking for my dropped pliers, swinging about with a fish on the line. I wanted to be able to focus on these things, not keeping the yak upright. Just getting in and out easily is important when you find a nice rocky ledge to stop at and don’t want to tip it over getting out.
Manoeuvrability.
To gain in this area, you tend to lose out on speed. I was not in need of great speed, but did find the Australis Bass just a bit too slow and blowy across the water. It is super stable though, but the Drifter was a better balance of the two craft for me.
Appearance:
Not really important, but the colours of the Drifter were good and you want to be well hidden from the fish.
Closed or Sit On?
I picked the closed kayak for the main reason of keeping the sun of me, staying dry in the cooler weather and because I had a preference for closed kayaks as I can keep my gear inside a cockpit.
It does get hot in the summer when sitting in the cockpit and this is a definite down side.
Accessories:
I bought a fishing deck, available for my kayak, but really can’t stand using it. It is nice to have the table, but restricts to access to the cabin area. It makes getting in and out difficult also.
I have added a small sand anchor, 0.75kg on about 10m of anchor rope with a small cleat to tie off.
Rod Holders are a must and I have 2 swivel holders up front and an inbuilt holder in the rear (for the fishing net). I can fish with 2 rods and a hand line easily in the yak.
The kayak has a cargo net on the front and this is perfect for carrying some extra gear.
Storage:
How well will I fit in my gear? I liked the open area behind the seat in the Drifter, rather than to waterproof setups behind the seat on other models. The small lid type opening just did not suit me. I can fit alot behind the folding seat in this kayak, especially things that are bulky such as wet weather jackets and a thermos. I did set up a whole new way of managing my gear in the yak and I will talk more about this in another post. The cargo net up front is most valuable.
I am very keen to purchase a double kayak in the future to give me the option of taking my children kayak fishing. Again, the criteria needed for this purchase will be somewhat different to the single seater and I will work through what I plan to use the kayak for, when I will use it and how I will transport it before making the purchase.
Its specifications are as follows;
Dagger Drifter LW 9.0
Price: Approx $895
Length: 300 cm
Width: 78 cm
Weight: 18.0 kg
Capacity: 115 kg
Cockpit Length: 91 cm
Cockpit Width: 42 cm
Capacity: 1 Person
Weight: 18.0 kg
Construction: Plastic
I purchased from Horizon Line at Penrith Lakes. They allow you to test them on site (in the lake) or hire for a day and give the kayak a good go on a river. Their service was good.
Why I chose the Drifter LW 9.0
There are so many kayaks available to choose from, so I chose the boat that would serve me the best in what I want to do. I considered a number of things, listed below.
Price.
It had to fit my budget. I did not want to spend more than $1000 dollars, and did not want anything that I felt was too good to rub against an oyster rack or rock wall. I wanted to focus on fishing rather than having to protect a huge investment.
Weight:
I needed something that was light enough to lift on the roof racks. Some great spots to fish are accessible only after a bit of a walk, so carrying or using a trolley is easier with a light yak.
Balance in the water.
As a fishing craft, the importance of feeling balanced and stable on the water as I move about was important. When I tested kayaks, I moved about in the cockpit as if I was finding lures, looking for my dropped pliers, swinging about with a fish on the line. I wanted to be able to focus on these things, not keeping the yak upright. Just getting in and out easily is important when you find a nice rocky ledge to stop at and don’t want to tip it over getting out.
Manoeuvrability.
To gain in this area, you tend to lose out on speed. I was not in need of great speed, but did find the Australis Bass just a bit too slow and blowy across the water. It is super stable though, but the Drifter was a better balance of the two craft for me.
Appearance:
Not really important, but the colours of the Drifter were good and you want to be well hidden from the fish.
Closed or Sit On?
I picked the closed kayak for the main reason of keeping the sun of me, staying dry in the cooler weather and because I had a preference for closed kayaks as I can keep my gear inside a cockpit.
It does get hot in the summer when sitting in the cockpit and this is a definite down side.
Accessories:
I bought a fishing deck, available for my kayak, but really can’t stand using it. It is nice to have the table, but restricts to access to the cabin area. It makes getting in and out difficult also.
I have added a small sand anchor, 0.75kg on about 10m of anchor rope with a small cleat to tie off.
Rod Holders are a must and I have 2 swivel holders up front and an inbuilt holder in the rear (for the fishing net). I can fish with 2 rods and a hand line easily in the yak.
The kayak has a cargo net on the front and this is perfect for carrying some extra gear.
Storage:
How well will I fit in my gear? I liked the open area behind the seat in the Drifter, rather than to waterproof setups behind the seat on other models. The small lid type opening just did not suit me. I can fit alot behind the folding seat in this kayak, especially things that are bulky such as wet weather jackets and a thermos. I did set up a whole new way of managing my gear in the yak and I will talk more about this in another post. The cargo net up front is most valuable.
I am very keen to purchase a double kayak in the future to give me the option of taking my children kayak fishing. Again, the criteria needed for this purchase will be somewhat different to the single seater and I will work through what I plan to use the kayak for, when I will use it and how I will transport it before making the purchase.
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