Kayak-fishing is a popular sport and is adorned by numerous people around the world as an easy getaway for the weekend. More and more people are getting into kayak-fishing every day.
One of the biggest confusions the newcomers face is choosing the right kayak. Getting a short kayak is beneficial for fishing. Here’s why.
Short kayaks are obviously lighter than long ones. Hence, they are easier to carry and manipulate. Short kayaks also tend to be wide. For that reason, they offer more stability on the water.
They are not great at tracking, but they surpass their counterparts in turning. All of these traits are preferable for a fishing kayak. On top of them all, short kayaks cost less as opposed to long kayaks.
But this does not mean that long kayaks are redundant in fishing. You can obviously use the kayak of your choice.
If you are an occasional angler and have a long kayak, it won’t be worth it to get a shorter one. But if you are a regular angler and go fishing on a regular basis, then you should consider getting a short kayak. Let me explain why –
The Benefits Of Using A Short Kayak As Opposed To A Long Kayak
Short kayaks offer a handful of advantages over long kayaks when it comes to fishing. On a fishing trip, you will only paddle to the destination and either anchor yourself or not.
Either way, you will remain stationary at the spot until you make your return journey. The point is travel time is minimal. The biggest selling point of a long kayak is impressive tracking and speed. Both of the traits are more or less redundant in fishing, and it’s easy to see why.
It’s very unlikely that you’ll have to paddle a long distance to reach the best fishing spot. If you are still not convinced, here’s a detailed explanation –
Short Kayaks Are Made For Stability
As I mentioned before, short kayaks are also wide, wider than most long kayaks. The wider the object is, the more balanced it is—simple science. And the more balanced an object is, the more stable it is.
Hence, by nature, short kayaks are more stable than the counterpart. And stability is a much-desired perk for a fishing kayak. Fishing kayaks stay stationary at a point for the majority of the time.
Most of the fishing kayaks are SOT(Sin On Top), meaning the user sits on top of the hull. Science says the higher the angler sits on a kayak, the higher the combined center of gravity is. In English, it means less stability.
A wider hull helps to counter that. It gets even worse when the angler stands up, which does happen more frequently than you’d expect. Hence, shorter kayaks are preferable for fishing.
A Shorter Hull Allows Sharper Turns
As mentioned above, “quick turns” are one of the traits of a shorter hull. The ideal fishing condition is when there is no current or wind. But in reality, that never happens.
There is always some breeze. And if you are fishing on rivers or creeks, there is always current. Eventually, they will move you from the spot you initially parked at. Therefore, adjustments are necessary.
Since a shorter hull allows for sharper turns, you can easily turn and paddle back to where you wanted to stay put in the first place. It would prove to be more tedious on a long kayak.
Even when there is no nuisance of current or breeze, shorter kayaks will prove to be helpful when you want to make slight adjustments to the water.
Short Kayaks Are Easier To Carry
Fishing kayak is called upon much more frequently compared to racing or recreational kayaks. Those two are more of a luxury than functional, whereas fishing kayaks are both functional and recreational.
Hence, they are used more often. So, the lighter the kayak is, the easier it will be to carry them to the site. Every time you want to go for a fishing session, you will need to load up the kayak on the back/top of your car.
A frequently asked question from the kayak owner is – How To Load A Kayak Onto An SUV Without Scratching? So, I will recommend you to go through a complete tutorial about How to Safely Transport A Kayak?
You will have a harder time loading a long kayak on the car, driving with the kayak sticking out both on the front and the back of your car, unloading the kayak, hauling it to the shore, and deploying it. And things do not get any easier on the return journey either.
Not to mention the road safety law, which prevents cars from carrying an item with parts sticking out on the front or the back of the car in certain states. It is manageable when the usage of the kayak is very rare.
But when it is used as frequently as a fishing kayak, it will prove to be a major issue in no time. Thus, Short kayaks are more suitable for fishing.
Short Kayaks Are Easy To Maneuver
Short kayaks are easy to learn to control and maneuver. They are smaller, light, quite responsive to turns, and do not like to stick to a straight line. All this means they provide greater control over long kayaks.
While they may seem quite a challenge to the absolute beginners, they do grind out the skill. After a couple of rounds, when the kayaker will get the vessel under control, That will be a training and a half.
Due to the slower speed, greater stability, and full control of the boat, short kayaks are excellent to introduce children to kayaking. In a few days, they will get used to it. It is easier to switch to a long kayak from a short kayak than the other way around.
Fishing kayaks are usually paddled a short distance. A shorter kayak, being lighter, is faster at acceleration and brake. This, paired with the ability to turn sharp, makes them the perfect choice for short travels, such as fishing.
Short Kayaks Are Budget-Friendly
Plainly speaking, it takes fewer materials to build a short kayak. So, they cost less. Simple as that. Many people think that since they cost less, they are made of worse quality. But they are not.
As a matter of fact, you can find short kayaks of significantly higher quality than average recreational or even whitewater kayaks. Less material is one of the reasons that bring down the production cost.
Another reason is the simplistic design of it. Since short kayaks are not usually made competitively, they are designed and made considerably simplistic. This also reduces the production cost by a decent margin.
Overall, short kayaks are more available and affordable, making them suitable for almost any budget situation as well as for beginners.
Summary
These are some of the benefits of using a short kayak for fishing as opposed to a long kayak. But this is not all of the advantages of a short kayas. Shorter kayaks are also easier to store when not in use.
Anyway, These are the general ideas. By no means do I imply that longer kayaks are not for fishing. At the end of the day, everyone has a different taste, and you can, rather you should go as you feel comfortable.
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