Fly fishing lakes in a kayak

[Joe_M]

Hello all,
I recently bought a fishing kayak to be able to go out on the lakes and explore some other species such as bass with a fly rod. I’ve never fly fished for anything other than trout/steelhead on streams so I’m looking for input on leaders, rigs and flies. I plan to use my steelhead rod (8wt). Any advise is great!

 

[tomgamber]

Have any lakes in mind? I have a kayak and a couple of float tubes. I enjoy this in the warmer months as timing need not be so calculated.

 

[Joe_M]

Nothing in particular. I plan on trying to get out weekends in July once all the camping trips with the kids are over. We can hook up then

 

[pcray1231]

I'd make a point to not overlook rivers and streams. You need a partner to have a put in and take out vehicle, but it's a great way to really see a river and cover water. So many of our smallmouth waters are tailor made for kayaks. They're light, you can put in and take out wherever you want, no ramp needed, you can draft in an inch or so of water and bounce off rocks to your hearts content.

All those places you can't cover enough water or can only skirt the edges while wading, yet don't have a ramp or have shallow riffs for a proper boat. Kayaks are perfect.

 

[RLeep2]

I've been fly fishing lakes out of an inflatable kayak for the past 4 seasons, the first 2 in a sit down in and the last 2 in a sit on top. If I've learned anything new, it has been that the notion it is difficult to FF out of a yak is mostly nonsense, even in a sit down in kayak. It is mostly about how far we think we need to cast. I routinely work shorelines with casts that average 20-30 feet and seldom exceed 40 and do well enough to keep interest and anticipation high. With a 9' rod and a decent WF line a 30 foot cast is one back cast, aim and shoot. Easy peasy, IMO.

I don't think anybody should be intimidated or have concerns about being able to effectively FF out of a kayak. It's different, but it shouldn't be seen as difficult.

 

[use2wuz]

Go for it! Keep the gear selection simple on a smaller boat (like the ones pictured on the shore of Lake Ontario) - a box of your favorite bugs, spare tippet, hemostats, nippers, and somewhat shorter (yes … shorter as in the 7.5 to 8.5 foot range) rods for lifting power and shorter hook set sweep. I’d recommend a small dry box from Pelican for signaling device, phone, safe boater card, cigarettes etc. Find a way to secure everything that can fall overboard! Parachute cord and cheap carabiners are wonderful - you will get wet on this ride! I usually wear neoprene dive boots instead of “water shoes” as they keep sand and gravel out and provide better padded protection to the ankles when portaging. WEAR YOUR PFD until you get familiar enough with handling and if you don’t choose to wear it - KEEP IT ACCESSIBLE at all times. Don’t forget sun protection and a small soft side cooler for snacks and drinks - you’ll have a blast!

 

[Marc Fryt]

For starting out with bass, I would keep your leader on the shorter end (7.5-8ft) and down to 0X or heavier tippet, and paired with top water fly patterns first (poppers, sliders, etc.) with weed guards. It can be frustrating having to paddle over and un-snag your flies repeatedly so having a short, stout leader and weed guards can help to pull flies through weedy areas. You'll also want a floating fly line that has a powerful front taper in order to turn over those air resistant bass flies.

Leech, streamer, and crawfish patterns are great to use along the seams between weed beds and more open water. Cast the fly right to where the weeds begin and strip it towards open water. Again, weed guards can help to prevent snags. The floating fly line works fine with this as well. As the season progresses, a sink tip line (or full sinking line depending on the depth of the lake you are fishing) can be more useful.

Lastly, I like to use popper-droppers when the action is slow. I'll cast a popper into more open water (along shallows, points, or even a large open spot amongst a weedy area) and have a nymph pattern suspended 1-3ft below it. This is also a good tactic to use if you plan on floating any smallmouth bass rivers.

For casting tips, the best advice I can give is to practice casting in the yard with your elbow on your knee. If you are right handed- Kneel on your left leg, place your casting elbow onto your right knee, and work on making smooth casts. This will help to reinforce the lesson that casting power is driven primarily at our elbow (the fulcrum). Practicing this will pay dividends when fly fishing from a kayak.