Ask Juan: Holding your position in a kayak

I enjoy getting comments on my posts and articles here at centralpafishing.com. There all great questions so please keep them coming! Periodically, though, I get a question that requires more detail therefore would make a great post. That’s why I’ve created the “ASK JUAN” section on my website.  I hope you learn as much from reading this post as I did writing it!

This question is from John W. who writes

Juan,

I have been following your blog since the beginning of July when I discovered it. I bought my first kayak on july 3. I’m from Lewistown (mifflin county) and have been mostly fishing small lakes in the area. I’ve also been on the juniata river a couple of times. I’ve caught a couple of small bass on the river but find that I spend most of my time trying to keep my kayak in position and very little time actually fishing. I have better luck on the lakes. According to your posts you got your kayak close to the same time as I did. Obviously, you are having a lot of success fishing in it. Obviously you’re a much better fisherman than I, but I don’t understand how you can keep control of your kayak and fish at the same time while the river’s current is pushing you past the hotspots. I would appreciate any advise you can give on this matter.

As for your blog, keep it coming. I enjoy reading every post you make.

First, I want to say that I do not use an anchor in moving water and I do not recommend it. You can sink your kayak in seconds. It’s a risky venture that I do not recommend.

Second, take some paddling lessons from a certified instructor. You can learn a lot about safety and paddling technique. Many local kayak shops offer classes or they may be able to refer you to a paddling instructor.

Here’s my quick list of tips for holding position:

• Keep your kayak pointed parallel to the current while fishing. This will slow your drift significantly. Learning to do very small correction strokes with one hand is essential here. It’s not that hard though. I liken it to the old days of bow mounted trolling motors that you had to control by hand..no foot/remote controls. We learned pretty quick to fish with one hand and make small adjustment to motor speed and direction with the other.
• Use eddies and current breaks to hold position. For example, when I’m fishing a submerged ledge I’ll nose in behind the ledge using the slack water it creates to hold my position. I’ll then fish my bait parallel across the back side of the ledge. Not only are you holding position, but it makes for a great bait presentation angle. Another example, If  I want to fish a naturally occurring “wing dams” or some guys call them points, I’ll paddle past my target location, turn back upstream and position myself just off the current break in the slack water at the very bottom of the eddy. Once again this puts me in excellent position to make the absolute best presentation. I can also maximize the efficiency of my position by fishing the bottom part of the eddy first then slowly work my way upstream to the top of the eddy. Bottom line..I can catch more fish from that one targeted spot.
• Don’t be afraid to get out of your kayak and wade fish good looking spots, where it is safe to do so of course. Look at your kayak as a vehicle that gets you from one spot to another. On a recent trip I caught almost 20 smallmouth out of a 5X5 depression on the river bottom. I noticed the depression because it created a hole in a weed bed that I was paddling past..so I paddled over to a shallow spot near the bank within casting distance. I never would have caught that many smallmouth if I’d just floated by. To make things easier, I attach a painter line to the front handle of my kayak and clip it to a belt loop on my shorts. When not wading I stow the rope away for safety reasons…you do not want to be attached to your kayak or have a rope hanging off your kayak while paddling. Both situation present a safely risk.

These are just a few quick tips. There are certainly other ways to hold you position in a kayak but these will get you started.