Oh, my aching knees… I put in two days in a row on a Native Slayer, including three or so miles pedaling against oceanic-strength currents and gusty winds at the mouth of the Chesapeake. Fortunately, this was during one of our many recent heat waves so it was around 100 degrees in the shade. Of which there is none on a kayak. I might have come through the ordeal in better shape if I hadn’t been trying to keep up with a group of 20-somethings. That said, I did survive (just barely), and I did learn a thing or two about being a boat angler transitioning to kayak fishing.

pedaling a kayak to go fishing
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow pedals furiously, trying to keep pace with some slightly younger kayak fishing enthusiasts.

First and foremost, I learned to schedule future long-distance tidal kayak fishing excursions with people of my own age group. But also:

  • Don’t keep your net behind you, even if it’s obvious and convenient to drop the handle into an aft holder, because it will be uber-tough to access while fighting a fish. Instead, once you get where you’re going rest it on the bow where you can easily grab for it.
  • Don’t just take your boat rods and go, because many of them have butts that are uncomfortably long for use on a kayak. Sit in the backyard in your kayak and try a few practice casts, and you may find that half of your usual armaments are less than ideal.
  • When using live fiddler crabs for sheepshead bait keep them in a bucket inside of the cooler. Whatever you do, don’t try putting them into a bag because they’ll scramble right out. Once they’re loose these things are very tough to catch, and if they hit the deck of the kayak they’ll instantly disappear through a scupper hole.
  • Use some self-restraint when choosing tackle. I failed to do so, instead trying to cover all the bases—and then some—by bringing multiple tackleboxes and stowing them here, there, and everywhere. As a result, half the time I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Eventually I ditched most of the stuff and consolidated a few items from three boxes and a bag into one box. It may have meant carrying less, but I was able to utilize what I did have much better.
  • Slow and steady wins the race. Try to pedal hard to reach the hotspot (or beat out the youngins) and you’ll crush yourself instantaneously. But if you settle into a comfortable, mellow rhythm, you can pedal pretty much all day.

Did I have fun on this calorie-combusting adventure? Absolutely, even if those kids did out-fish me, and maybe they even giggled a time or two at my expense. But when I got back home and saw my boat, I hugged it.