By no means would I call this a definitive guide to rigging a kayak for photos and video - more along the lines of some personal preferences I have acquired over time. I'm sure they will evolve as fresh ideas emerge and innovative new products serve the needs of this ever-changing sport. For now, I'd like to share the setup I used to shoot footage over the past two years, along with some new items that I've acquired. I will use scenes from my last video, Addiction: Kayak Fishing, to refer to some of the angles I talk about. Although it was a lot of work putting it together, I found it very rewarding to look back, relive, and share those cherished moments on the water.

When most people hear “Float n' Fly,” they think smallmouth - and it makes sense. The Float n' Fly was developed by Charlie and Eddie Nuckols in eastern Tennessee. This technique was aimed at targeting suspended smallmouth and spotted bass when the water temps started creeping into the low 40's. It works because bait fish struggle to stay alive at these temperatures. What a lot of folks don't know is this technique also works well for big largemouth.

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.

The top finalists have been chosen for the 2nd Annual YakAngler.com Rigged Kayak photo contest.  There were many great photos submitted by our kayak fishing nation. Check out the top 5 photos below and vote for your favorite.  Voting will remain open until August 1st Good luck to all the finalists!

As a member of the Malibu Kayaks Pro Staff, I get the opportunity to travel all over our great state, fishing in numerous kayak fishing tournaments and taking part in demonstration days, and I have noticed one thing that most all kayakers have in common. We love to customize our rides towards the type of fishing we like to do. Whether you stalk the flats in search of tailing redfish or patrol the depths for grouper, you can rig you’re kayak to meet those needs.

Much to my surprise, I have recently received several inquiries about how I like the Ocean Kayak Trident 13 and more than a few emails about how I was going to rig my new kayak.  I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude all my readers and for those that had kind words to say about my posts either through replies, emails or in person, I genuinely appreciate it. Thank you.

 

Just like a car or a motorcycle, making customizations to your fishing craft pretty much comes natural.  After using my Hobie Outback for the past five months I started to get a feel for some things I wanted to add and figure out how placement would best benefit my fishing experience.

In part one I covered the basic construction of my dual purpose kayak dry box/livewell. There were certain features that I wanted to add to my livewell setup. 1. Dual water level to cater to different sized bait 2. Internal aerator pump to minimize noise 3. Dual pump speed 4. Easy pump priming when afloat 5. On/off switch to be easily reachable 6. Quiet overboard draining 7. Alternative power source if required 8. External battery charging point and 9. Ability to drain the tank when afloat.

 

For a couple of years now I’ve fancied having my own livewell on the kayak. I did have a half hearted attempt a year or so back with an old cool box, though that was deemed a failure in the very early stages. There’s another issue, just how often am I actually going to use the livewell, perhaps a dozen times a year at best I reckon. The last thing that I wanted to construct was something that was just going sit on a shelf in the garage taking up valuable space. However, if I could produce a lightweight box that was suitable for general kayak use as well as the occasional use as a livewell that would be good news.

So anyone who watches the Bass Master, FLW, or any other bass programs see people drop shot fishing and catching fish.  It has been around for awhile now, molding and shaping like all techniques into a bass catching mainstay. It is one of my personal favorites, I always have one rig tied onto my line at all time, here is how I work and use the drop shot rig.