When people who are not familiar with kayak fishing imagine it, they probably think it’s fairly basic and simply involves getting a kayak and casting a line. However, it can be a lot more advanced than that. Some people may prefer to keep kayak fishing bare bones and not deal with some of the newer technology out there, but if you like using tech while you fish, there are plenty of options for you.
This tech is nothing crazy; you do not want to take the simplicity out of kayak fishing. That reason alone is why so many people prefer fishing this way. You do not need a high-powered motor or advanced navigation gear when you go fishing. If you do want a little bit of newer tech, here are some options for you to use while fishing from your kayak.
Graphs
If you still want to use a depth finder when you’re kayak fishing to attempt to locate the fish, most that fit onto regular boats will work just as well for kayaks. Take into account the size of your kayak and if a specific depth finder will work with the type of fishing you do. Avoid getting a monitor that’s too large; you’ll quickly realize how small your kayak is if you get an oversized monitor. With this technology, it can help you track the depth of the water, the temperature, and locate some fish.
Apps
While these apps do not necessarily need to be used exclusively with kayak fishing, they can be incredibly beneficial. We use our smartphones to snap pictures of our catches and then post them to fishing specific apps like TourneyX or iAngler, or simply share on more common social platforms, like Twitter and Instagram. To find the places we want to fish, we use Google Maps, Hummingbird, or my favorite, Navionics, to study the layout of a body of water. If you travel a lot to fish (like me), Navionics can allow you to download the depth/contours of almost any body of water in the country! It can also perform GPS navigation, position marking and even calculate your speed! With the use of apps, you can even begin utilizing charts to track information about your favorite fishing spots; record the dates you visited, the weather, water temperature, and what kind of fish you came across. Now, you can record this data while in your kayak using technology instead of waiting until you get home to write everything down and map it out.
Security
When you’re traveling to your fishing spot or taking a break from the water, you want to ensure that your kayak is safe. Unfortunately, plenty of fishermen have had their kayaks stolen because they’re relatively light and easy to grab or were not secured properly. Here are some pieces of tech you can use to better secure your kayak. While you could use a lock similar to those for bikes and even find some that connect to your phone to let you know it’s still functional, a great piece of tech is the Arachnet security web. You can use this web to also keep camping or hunting gear safe.