Freshwater Kayaking

[Yakety_Yak]

Okay guys.... I usually do BTB fishing. When it comes to freshwater, I am usually doing bank fishing and on a rare occasion boat fishing with a friend. I am going with my son on a boy scout camp out this weekend. While on the camp out, we will be taking some canoes out in a creek off of some lake. This will fulfill a requirement for a merit badge for the kids. I am taking my yak out there. Other than site casting, I would like to troll. What do you recommend to use for lures when trolling and what will trolling catch (or does trolling not work in freshwater?)?

[texnomad]

Trolling works very well. I have caught everything but crappie while trolling. I tend toward white spinner baits.

[Yakety_Yak]

Any particular size I need to be looking at with those spinner baits?

[texnomad]

Actually I use the same lures fresh or salt. My spinner baits that seem to catch the most fishes are the 1/8 oz models. Brand doesn't seem to matter. I prefer to use the blades and frame of a spinner bait with my normal jigs like a bass assassin paddle tail with 1/8 oz head. H and H blade and frame has been good to me.

[Yakety_Yak]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[richg99]

Small chrome rattle trap can catch a lot, especially trolling.

[Yakety_Yak]

Awesome.... I will give them both a try (rattle traps and spinner baits).

[Thinwater skinner]

Small chrome rattle trap can catch a lot, especially trolling.

2X, and if you want to go deeper when the fish are supended use a deep diving crank bait. Might catch LMB, hybrids, and white bass if they are in the lake. Good luck

[MagicYaker]

be carefull not to snag something and flip!

[Yakety_Yak]

be carefull not to snag something and flip!

MagicYaker.... thanks for the heads up. I'm in a Santa Cruz Raptor. That kayak is a beast when it comes to stability. I get snagged occasionally when saltwater fishing but never any kind of threat that would send me flying into the water (not yet anyway, lol). That is one of the many features I love about the Raptor is the extreme stability it has.

Here is a pic of my kayak out at PINS a few weeks ago about to hit the water fishing for kings and snapper. It's the yellow one.




The pontoon back gives it extreme stability. Here is a pic of that.

[jhb]

Depending on lake depth I troll rattle traps, deep diving cranks (and shallow cranks if near cover/structure) and I've even trolled a T-rigged paddle tail. Best piece of advice is to ensure you troll the speed the lure requires. Most lures will impart a little wobble to your rod tip. Keep that speed.

[Yakety_Yak]

Thanks jhb for the info. I definitely have a few rattle traps to throw out there along with some cranks.

[MagicYaker]

be carefull not to snag something and flip!

MagicYaker.... thanks for the heads up. I'm in a Santa Cruz Raptor. That kayak is a beast when it comes to stability. I get snagged occasionally when saltwater fishing but never any kind of threat that would send me flying into the water (not yet anyway, lol). That is one of the many features I love about the Raptor is the extreme stability it has.

Here is a pic of my kayak out at PINS a few weeks ago about to hit the water fishing for kings and snapper. It's the yellow one.




The pontoon back gives it extreme stability. Here is a pic of that.

That's a sick yak...I have seen them demoed before but not myself. Seem very stable. I fish a Jackson Cuda which is known for stability as well. Never had a problem personally but there is always the chance. My budy flipped his Cuda digging his paddle in to hard and catching wind.