Kayak Fishing Tips

Fishing from a kayak is great way to stay active and get up close with nature. There’s a unique angling challenge around each bend. Try these tips to get you started.

Travel light

Leave your packed tackle box at home. Bring only the basic tackle you need for the specific fish species you are trying to catch.

 

Be Confident

Make sure you are confident paddling before you load your kayak with fishing gear. Learn the basic paddling strokes and how to rescue yourself if needed. Hands-on instruction and online paddling safety courses are available.

Stay Safe

Check water levels before you go. Fish with a buddy and let someone know where you’re going. Wear a properly-fitted life jacket and bring along a basic first aid kit. Carry your cell phone in a water tight dry-bag for emergencies.

Go with the flow

If you’re on a lake with a light breeze or a current, start fishing the shoreline on its windward side and let it push you down the shoreline.

Stay hydrated

Bring along plenty of water to drink. Wear light, loose fitting clothing that dries quickly. Make sure you have a hat, good sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.

Be cautious of your surroundings

Stay well downstream of any low head dams. Use caution fishing around wood debris (strainers) on the outside bends of smaller fishing streams. Be careful paddling around obstructions - new snags, log jams, submersed logs and other debris.

Get an appropriately sized anchor (~10 lbs or less)

Major sporting goods retailers sell specialty kayak anchors that have a folding “claw” system for a better hold in current or winds. Most kayaks move at the slightest breeze or even from your casting motion. An anchor is helpful when you want to lock in your position so you can continually cast into a school of fish or a piece of cover/structure.

Secure your gear

Tie down your paddle, tackle box and other fishing necessities to avoid losing them.

 

Use your strengths

Kayaks are smaller, quieter, and more maneuverable than almost any other boat on the water.  Head deep into the flooded timber on a relatively new reservoir (e.g., Brushy Creek or 12-Mile Creek Lake).  Get close to shore in areas where other boats have to rely on less accurate, long distance casting. 

Fishing Fridays at the Iowa State Fair

Join the IDNR Aquatic Education Program, IDNR Fisheries biologists and staff, and several Fish Iowa! school groups for a fun-filled fishing Friday!

August 14 & 21, 2015

Noon to 4:00 PM

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Building Courtyard

at the Iowa State Fair Grounds

Activities will include:

• Fish cleaning and cooking demonstration – try a sample of Iowa fish!
• Casting – try your hand at casting for accuracy.
• Fish printing – create fish prints on paper.

Hooking Summer Catfish

Fishing for catfish is a fun summer activity for the whole family. Bring along a cooler with ice to keep your catch cold and preserve that great taste. Try these simple tips for catching Ol’ Whiskers.

Fish Rivers
Iowa rivers are loaded with catfish. Look for eddies, fallen trees or brush piles, below riffles or the outside bends of rivers where the water is deeper and there are snags or log jams that provide cover for catfish. Fish upstream of the snags and log jams and cast the bait (prepared cheese/stink baits) back towards it so the scent of the bait is carried downstream into the structure by the current drawing the catfish out. Use the smallest slip sinker possible, a longer rod and 8-pound test line. Also try below navigation and wing dams on the Mississippi River.

Move Often

Catfish will either react to the bait or not. If there’s no nibble in 15 minutes, it’s time to move.

Try different baits

Try different bait on each rod to help figure out what works best (e.g. worm on one and chicken liver on another).  Other great catfish bait include cut bait, stink bait, crawdads, frogs or live minnows, and chubs.

Fish after Dark
Catfish are bottom feeders, so they are more accustom to cooler water. The water in the shallows gets cooler at night, drawing the catfish in.

Go Live for Large

Catfish longer than 15 inches primarily feed on live bait such as large minnows, sunfish or night crawlers.

Cats Fight Back

Catfish have three spines that can cause a nasty puncture wound or cut: one on each pectoral or side fin and one on the dorsal or top fin. The barb is sharp and serrated. Use a glove if you are not comfortable handling a catfish.

Visit the DNR website for more information about Iowa catfish and tips for catching channel catfish throughout the year. Sign up for the weekly fishing report to find out where the catfish bite is the hottest.