: ...If anyone
: does or has done stuff I would love some details..

Mike, you don't say where you're doing your fishing. There is a world of difference between the way those on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico do things. And then there's a whole 'nuther world of freshwater fishing...

Here on the Texas Gulf Coast, the plastic sit-on-top rules, but that certainly doesn't keep me from using my wood yak. Some use fish finders and some don't. My particular brand of fishing is generally done in shallow enough water that I can sound it easily using a jig or anchor. Practically nobody uses trolling motors.

Here are a few things I do:

1. Carry very little tackle. A severely limited supply is easier to carry, and forces you to become really good at using it. Anticipate what you'll be doing on any given day, and outfit yourself specifically for it.

2. Anchor from the rear. This keeps the boat pointing downwind, thus enabling you to cast with the wind instead of into it, and also keeps your front clear of anchor line for playing the fish. I mounted pad eyes on either side of my cockpit as far to the rear as I can get to conveniently; one for the anchor to clip to, and the other for the stringer.

3. Search the web, and pay attention. Check out sites like
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/ and check out the forum and rigging pages.

4. Write me directly if this is the sort of thing you are looking for. There's really too much to list completely in this limited space. And fishing from a kayak isn't as easy as it sounds. It is every bit as much an "art form" as backpacking.

Cheers,
Kurt Maurer

Finally, here's a photo of my removable rod holder (see my website, bottom of last page, for details):