From online to on the water – Everything you need for a well equipped fishing kayak

The obvious first choice to talk about is the kayak! A fishing kayak is going to be different than the standard off the shelf kayaks that you would use for recreational paddling around a lake or river. The first thing you are going to want to consider when purchasing a kayak for fishing is the length. You are going to want to pick out a kayak that is longer to allow for great stability on open since you will have it loaded with gear.

The Lifetime Yukon Angler Kayak we selected is 11’6″ which is going to provide you with a great deal of stability on lakes or rivers. Speaking of stability, this kayak is designed to allow you to cast from a standing or sitting position! The Kayak is just under 3 feet wide and has a base weight of 78lbs so you will most likely be dragging this from place to place rather than carrying it if you are alone.

The Lifetime Yukon Angler Kayak has a number of fishing specific features as well. As far as storage goes, it has a rear open well storage area with bungee cords to keep your gear in place as well as a front tankwell storage area to keep gear dry. Its rudder ready, accepting many aftermarket rudder systems and has a side drain hole to allow you to remove water from the hull.

For your rods, you have two horizontal flush mount rod holders and also two 12″ sections of universal track for additional accessory mounting.

So, if you love to fish with more than one pole and find yourself casting from a standing or sitting position, the Lifetime Yukon Angler 11ft 6in Fishing Kayak is going to be a really good option for you.

We all like to think of ourselves as invincible but, life jackets really are an absolute necessity when you are on the water. I’ve seen and experienced some very scary situations on the water over the years that could have been so much worse without a live jacket or life vest. If you are going to be on the water for anything other than swimming, you absolutely need to have a good life vest on.

Stearns is one of the biggest names in the game when it comes to PFDs and this fishing life vest is going to suit your needs very well for a day on the water. It’s available in sizes from S-3XL but, is only available in the color scheme shown here. The vest is designed to keep you cool on hot days with plenty of mesh sections while still keeping it’s US Coast Guard approval. It also features large arm cutouts to make paddling easier on a long day on the water.

The Stearns Comfort Fishing Life Vest also features front pockets perfect for any gear you want to keep handy.

Without a good paddle, you aren’t going to enjoy your time on the water. I’ve cycled through a few lower end paddles in my day and there is absolutely nothing worse than being on the water and breaking your paddle. That’s why we chose this paddle from Pelican.

Pelican is a juggernaut in the word of plastics and water based activities. Not only do they make incredible cases for transporting gear but, they also make kayaks and kayak accessories. I have had incredible experiences with all of the Pelican products I have used and this kayak paddle will surely accomplish the mission at hand.

The paddle is constructed of two pieces of anodized aluminum for its shaft and a polypropylene blade. For those that don’t know, polypropylene is the same material that pelican cases are constructed from. You can opt for one of three color choices for your paddle blades as well, black, lime, or orange.

One of the drawbacks to kayaking is that if you are going solo, you may have a difficult time getting from point A to point B. Kayak’s can be cumbersome when you are transporting them by yourself, so its a really good idea to check out some of the transportation accessories available before heading to the water.

One such accessory that you will thank yourself for getting is a transport trailer. It acts like a furniture dolly by giving you a cradle to place your kayak in and wheels that you will balance and roll the kayak on. It also has a spring loaded stand which will keep the dolly upright when on shore.

What I really like about this dolly is that it breaks down for easy transport so that you don’t need to worry about finding trunk space for it.

Let’s face it, being on a kayak does present some challenges when your main purpose for using it is something other than casually paddling around the water and taking in the sites. The limited space can present some challenges for storage and accessibility which can be easily remedied with the right mobile storage solution. Accessories like the Stearns life vest previously mentioned will give you some extra pockets, but what about the rest of your must have gear that is a bit bigger?

The Propel Paddle Gear Kayak Accessories Bag will float in to that void and provide a really great solution to help you keep your gear organized and safe whether you are on the water or off. With this storage solution, you are gaining a really nice amount of organized space to keep you gear as well as two rod holders on the outside of the case. It is also water resistant and insulated, so you can use it as a cooler as well if you want to keep a few cold drinks inside.

The exterior features multiple spots to keep tools such as pliers that will remain in place with the elastic bindings. Large side pockets are perfect for small tackle boxes or hard cases as well.