Kayak tests impulse to buy more ‘stuff’

The problem with fishing, hunting and other outdoor sports is stuff. No matter how much stuff we have, there always seems to be something else we need, never mind that our shelves are already full of other stuff we absolutely had to have but used only once or twice.

This need to acquire new stuff often rears its ugly head when we are in the field or at our favorite fishing hole.

Imagine sitting on the rocky shoreline waiting for a fish to take your bait. After a while, you start thinking how much better the fishing would be if you could just cast your bait a little farther from shore. Then just as you wade back to shore, with water squeezing through the holes in your old tennis shoes, some show-off kicks past in his float tube and hooks into the huge fish you have been trying all morning to catch. Odds are the next day you will be shopping for a new float tube and trying to figure out how to justify the purchase to the banker back home.

That's how the float tubes ended up in my garage. Come to think of it, that's also how I ended up with the inflatable pontoon I just had to have after fishing for bass on Pahranagat Lake with a couple of guys who had pontoons.

The key, of course, is learning to control the urge to buy. It's a talent that comes through years of experience.

Just the other day, I went striper fishing at Nelson's Landing on Lake Mohave with a friend who fishes from a kayak. As George (I've changed his name to protect him from the banker back home) glided across the water, easily trolling his trout imitation, I rowed my pontoon in a frantic effort to keep up. George soon paddled up with a fat striper in tow and explained the benefits of having a kayak. I listened politely, but wasn't about to run right down to the store. That didn't happen for a couple of days.

"This is the perfect boat if you want to troll, if you want to cast. If you want hands-free fishing, this is where it's at," said Vince Console of Hobie when I interviewed him at the ICAST Show in Las Vegas. "It allows you to get into more places. It allows you to get there quicker, faster. It gives you freedom. It puts you more in contact with nature. When you land a fish, especially a big fish, it gives you a bigger satisfaction as opposed to a (traditional) boat."

Perhaps this is why we are seeing an increase in the number of kayak fishermen.

Take Las Vegas resident Rich Carson, who has been kayak fishing for about a year. One of the reasons he likes it is because the draft is shallow so he can access water that he can't from a larger boat. Launching is easily done from the shoreline.

Now comfortable fishing on a lake the size of Lake Mead, he is looking at paddle fishing the Southern California surf.

Joe Rawling, who has participated in tournament bass fishing, got his start in kayak fishing two years after receiving his kayak as a gift. After it collected dust among his other stuff, he found it to be a good choice not only for catching stripers but also black bass and smallies.

Carson also uses his kayak for fly-fishing. Carson and Rawling told me kayaks are a more stable platform than people think. Carson recommends a longer kayak and said it's important to look at a kayak's width. He prefers a wider kayak for stability and balance. While kayaks come in a variety of configurations and price ranges, Rawling says a basic setup will suffice.

Maybe it's time to figure out where I can put a new kayak.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His column is not affiliated with or endorsed by the department. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.