Fishing results in a collection of supplies: lures, terminal tackle, rods, fishing line, tools…
These are just some of the space demands you confront when you begin kayak fishing. If you’ve read just a few of the articles posted here you’ve discovered how obsessed I am with kayak fishing. Fish on a kayak and you’ll realize exactly how little space is available for storage. It can become the most intensive demand on your planning when preparing for a kayak fishing trip.
I started fishing in a time of my life when my plate was completely full. With two jobs I rarely had time to get away. The demands of bills, taxes, and household expenses left virtually no money for recreational activities. Being a beginner in outdoors adventures, I felt that I was going to need extensive time for studying and research before making an informed decision. It became almost an instant mission for me to find cost saving measures that would give me the most access possible to my outdoors quest: fishing, hunting, kayaking, and more.
With the restrictions I faced, I wanted to be as prepared and organized as possible.
I made several attempts at storage and organization that were dreadfully lacking. Many of the common solutions easily found on the internet and YouTube were less than adequate for what I wanted and needed. A few of the solutions I attempted were great but turned out to be significantly more expensive than what I could afford.
After about 10 years of intensive experimenting, I have found three storage solutions that I routinely use and keep readily at hand.
Face it, we’re anglers at heart. Kayaking gives us a means to an end for being able to fish. We will, inevitably, end up taking more gear with us than what we truly need. More often than not, we’ll take more gear than what our kayak really needs to hold. In an effort to reduce these problems on my kayaks, I started installing storage onto each kayak that limits me to just the gear my kayak and I can handle. How did I make that determination?
Mostly through experience and observations.
I have routinely taken my kayaks out for multiple fishing trips before deciding what modifications each one needed. My process is rather routine now.
The first trip is my “I can lose everything and still be okay trip.”
Remember the other articles about how much of a clutz I am? I never take my “good” fishing gear on a kayak for it’s maiden voyage because of this. I take two cheap poles that I’m not particularly committed to and a minimal bag of gear. That bag never seems to have enough supplies for a full day of fishing. A few times I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the skeleton version of a kayak and found myself staying out on the water longer than I had planned. These have become my most favorite and protected kayaks.
After the maiden voyage, I take the kayak out at least two more times and always in different waterways. If my first trip was on the shallows of a small lake, my second trip will be through a creek or a river. The third trip, if the vessel has proven to be sturdy enough for more intensive preparation, will be onto a larger lake with deeper pockets and potentially neglectful boaters that will inevitably create travel challenges for my fishing preparations.
Why do I make these three, specific, trips?
To know what the vessel can handle, what I can handle in that specific kayak, and to determine what the most productive usage for that kayak will be.
Let me give you an example. The Bonafide SS127 is a popular choice among tournament anglers for the addition of a trolling motor. They take the vessel on all types of waterways and travel significant distances with the motor. I prefer paddling the SS127 over any of my other heavy duty kayaks. While I wanted it to be set up for tournament fishing, I did not want it to be motorized. The added weight of the motor and battery would hinder my comfort with paddling. As a result, I have created an incredibly stable, spacious kayak that allows me to fish a variety of fisheries (including the ones that do not allow any motor propulsion).
While a lot of the storage on these kayaks is very kayak specific, there is a generalization to my storage practices that I have found remain consistent kayak after kayak.
First: I have my bulk storage solution
Depending on my kayak and my desired pricepoint, I use one of three solutions for the bulk storage. This is going to be where I keep my general safety gear, USCG mandatory gear, and backup fishing gear that will not likely be used (we all take these lures and baits).
For my tournament kayaks I use a YakAttack BlackPack that I have modified to suit my preferred setup. I have everything organized where I want it so I can easily access each item when I need it and can take the entire box from one kayak to another. This makes setup incredibly easy so I’m not reorganizing every time I go out.
The all day, intensive trips require a similar setup, but in a slightly more compact platform. It has become relatively standard practice for me to use a homemade crate for these outings. I am able to secure the safety gear, mandatory equipment, and my bulky tackle in an enclosed box that can be stored in my truck during travel and quickly moved to the kayak when I’m ready to launch.
My quick creek trips are usually in a smaller, significantly more compact kayak. There’s less demand for mandatory gear and my overstock supplies are almost non-existent. This makes it easy to use my simple Tackle Bag and just secure it to the cockpit. Another bonus for this system is the ability to condense the fishing supplies to just one container.
Easy to transport.
Simple for storage.
Quick access for anything and everything I take with me.
When I do this type of storage system, I have very little that has to be transported separate from the one container.
Second: I have my “immediately at my fingertips” supplies
No matter what kayak I am on, this is a common setup for me that rarely changes. I have a 3 container system that holds my most important supplies. There is a container of terminal tackle (EWG, Dropshot, and treble hooks; bullet, split shot, and dropshot weights; and my mandatory tools such as lip grippers, worm bands, scissors, and forceps). All of this can be contained in a multi pocket bag, a money bag, or multiple small 3400 or 3500 storage boxes.
On my Bonafide SS127 or Perception Outlaw, this is broken down into 3 boxes so that I can space them out into the pockets surrounding my seat. The terminal tackle is in the box to the left of my seat. The Tools are in the box to the right of my seat. My hook box is directly under my seat.
My smaller kayaks are a bit more condensed. The terminal tackle and hooks are kept together to my left and my tools are kept together to my right. I avoid putting anything under my seat so that my rods can fit under the seat while I’m traveling and unhooking fish.
Third: I have my rods stored on my kayak.
While it is most common for modern day anglers to keep their rods upright in rod holders directly behind the seat, I am vehemently opposed to this setup. Remember me mentioning being a clutz? Or maybe you’ve read my other stories about flipping my kayak? This rod storage process is the biggest reason for me flipping my kayaks. I fish under overgrowth on a regular basis. My rod tips inevitably get tangled in the branches and pull me in a variety of directions I never intended. I have come up with a variety of solutions to overcome this problem, all of which keep my rods horizontally on the kayak.
This platform I built allows me to attach the platform at the front of my kayak with 90 degree track mounts. Three rod tips fit easily into each holder and allows the paddle to be stored between. The rod handles are then secured beside my seat for quick and easy access.
Between my bulk storage, my quick access storage, and my rod storage virtually everything I could possibly need during a kayak fishing trip is at hand. If I need to expand my storage for a multi-day tournament or a camping trip or any other big event, these storage methods allow me to expand as needed.
That is, as long as I keep safety restrictions in mind: Weight capacity, securing gear, and mandatory safety gear.
If I plan to take a short trip or am going to be fishing rough waters kayak storage will be compact enough to limit risks.
Explore the options above, experiment with different supplies available within your budget, and make the storage system your personal setup.
When you’re comfortable with your setup, post it to the Outdoors Quest Group and let us know how it worked for you.