Anchors are one of the first things people add to their fishing kayaks. There are many ways to do it, and there will be several YakAngler Workshop Episodes on the subject. In this episode, I add a dog leash type anchor setup to my Jackson “Coosa”.

Most “angler” edition kayaks come from the factory with flush-mount rod holders already installed. What do you do if you have a standard kayak without them, or you decided to purchase the “standard” model so you could save some coin and install them yourself? Luckily, flush mounts are easily installed in just a few minutes with some basic tools.

The weather in the Northeast has been unseasonably warm this past week, with temperatures in the 70s and even breaking into the 80s. On Friday afternoon I got out of work a few hours early and took my new Jackson Kayak “Coosa” out to a local pond for its maiden voyage. I picked up the Coosa this winter specifically for this purpose. Last year I did not fish fresh water as much as I would have liked, since I rig my kayak very differently for stripers then for chasing bass in ponds. Couple this with the fact that my old kayak was quite large and cumbersome - it made quick trips for an hour or two more work than fun.

Welcome to the YakAngler Workshop. This is a new series of articles and videos I am putting together with tips, tricks, and how-tos centered around kayak fishing. In these articles, I hope to share with you not just how I do things, but why. I’m also looking for your requests and ideas for new episodes. If you have a suggestion, please post it in the YakAngler Workshop Suggestions forum. As with most things in life, there are multiple ways to do things, and I will be presenting one or maybe a few ways to do a project. We will have a forum topic for each episode so everyone can share their thoughts.

When I woke up Sunday morning, it was 9°F. I wasn’t going to go fishing, so I decided to watch some of the Sunday morning fishing shows while planning out the day. On one of the shows the host mentioned something about keeping a log book, which reminded me about my New Year’s Resolution.  

Last fall, I received a YakAttack “Mighty Mount™ Scotty® 241 Track Mount Kit” to try out. This kit comes with two “Mighty Mounts”, a Scotty “241” base, and the hardware to install it on Wilderness Tracks (5/8” track) or ½” wide tracks like the YakAttack “Gear Track”. The kit retails for $30 on YakAttack’s website, and for an extra $5 you get both sets of hardware so you can mount it to any track system. I don’t have a kayak of my own with a track system, so I had to sneak my wife’s Tarpon out to give it a try.

While kayak fishing last year, I “discovered” that my camera did not float. I needed a camera quickly for an upcoming tournament, and at the time did not have $300 to buy another high-end waterproof camera. After doing some research and talking to some friends, I decided to order the $65 Kodak “EasyShare Sport”. A few days later, an Amazon.com box was waiting for me at home after work.

If you were to ask most anglers what their favorite childhood memory was, I bet eight out of ten would tell you about fishing with a parent or grandparent. So how do you create these memories for your kids and give them a lifelong love of the sport? Here are a few tips to help make their time with you on the water experiences they will remember.

I use my Malibu X-Factor fishing kayak on many different bodies of water and to chase many species of fish. I paddle the cold water lakes of the Northeast looking for Smallmouth Bass and fish the salt water flats of South Florida targeting Redfish and Sea trout. I have tried to keep the rigging on my kayak very flexible so I can adapt it to the current conditions and fish I am chasing.

As I sit here thinking about what to write about, the leaves changing color outside remind me about some recent posts I’ve read on some forums concerning YakAngling in colder water and an experience I had during my first season in a kayak.  Where I’m not going to cover specific safety and dry gear except for your PFD, and your better be wearing it. What I’m going to talk about getting back into your kayak when you end up in the water after playing turtle, specifically deep water re-entries or self rescues.