When I woke up Sunday morning, it was 9°F. I wasn’t going to go fishing, so I decided to watch some of the Sunday morning fishing shows while planning out the day. On one of the shows the host mentioned something about keeping a log book, which reminded me about my New Year’s Resolution.  

With the advent of loop-to-loop connections from fly to leader, many fly fishers have gotten away from the tried-and-true nail knot. I’ve tried both (and other options), and among them all I find the nail knot to be the strongest connection with the least likelihood to “hinge”. My long-time tool to make tying the nail knot easier was an inexpensive small U-shaped channel that was attached to a nipper. It was great for years in fresh water, but only a year in the salt had the pivoting joint bound up tight in spite of being cleaned and lubed after every trip. I went online to dig up a replacement, and found the Duncan “Tailknott’r”.

By no means would I call this a definitive guide to rigging a kayak for photos and video - more along the lines of some personal preferences I have acquired over time. I'm sure they will evolve as fresh ideas emerge and innovative new products serve the needs of this ever-changing sport. For now, I'd like to share the setup I used to shoot footage over the past two years, along with some new items that I've acquired. I will use scenes from my last video, Addiction: Kayak Fishing, to refer to some of the angles I talk about. Although it was a lot of work putting it together, I found it very rewarding to look back, relive, and share those cherished moments on the water.

On Friday, February 17, kayak anglers from around the country will descend on a little island in the Everglades. Now in its second year, the popular three-day weekend kayak fishing event is a joint venture of KayakFishingRadio.com and YakAngler.com. The get-together offers kayak anglers the opportunity to meet up and fish, and to share tips and techniques with like-minded individuals.

Most of the contestants in the Kayak Fishing ClassicS spend a lot of time on the water pre-fishing the areas of our next tournaments. Scouting an area is a key to success in any fishing tournament and it can take up a lot of time. In a kayak, just getting there can do the same. “Bassyaks” has the answer!

The 2012 Kayak Fishing ClassicS Tournament Series (presented by Diablo Paddlesports) is a 10-event “open to the public” run. Contestants earn points throughout the series based on their catch. The “Southern Redfish Classic” is the series championship, and the series point’s leader at the conclusion of this tournament wins a Diablo Paddlesports kayak. High point scorers qualify for the National Championship invitational tournament in November.

There are very few accessories for your kayak that you’ll use more during a day of fishing than your seat, and probably none that will contribute more to your comfort while you’re on the water. I have low back problems, so after a bit of sitting with my legs out, I generally need to get into shallow water and on my feet for a while. I’ve tried several seats with “traditional” cushions, and always wind up shifting my weight every few minutes to eliminate the “pressure points” under my sitz bones. I was looking for a solution to the problem, and I found Skwoosh.

I will be the first one to admit that I am not too keen on change. I have been paddling fishing kayaks for about ten years, and have never had any issues. The folks at Estero River Outfitters had been after me for the last couple of years to be on their Hobie Fishing Team. I kept declining because I liked the kayaks that I was using. Finally, Jeff Stuller talked me into trying out a Hobie. WOW!

For many of us YakAnglers, this is the time of year when we begin to feed this kayak fishing addiction by attending boat shows, Googling anything related to the sport, and preparing for local and regional tournaments.  I wanted to take a moment to share the upcoming schedule for the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour.