This past Saturday I was fishing in a local lake with my wife and our two dogs, Lily and Lola. We had just left our morning coffee and were in the process of eating lunch when I saw a kayak heading our way. I was so excited about fishing for the first time in years and just went for it.
The Kayak came right over to the bank of the lake and sat in the middle, facing the water. I hooked it up to a pole and my entire family was now watching me fish! We spent about half an hour sitting on the front of the boat talking and laughing about the experience.
I had never fished, so I had no idea how to handle the kayak yet. It wasn’t long before we were getting some pretty good fish. We decided to drop our anchor in one of the nearby lakes and go for a quick swim. It was about a half hour before the kayak came out. I was fishing, and my entire family was now watching me fish.
I’d been thinking about this for a while, so I had prepared myself for this part. But when I was about to cast the line I froze. I could only see my own finger in front of me and my entire family was watching me fish. I was so scared. I thought that if I gave it a kick it would pull my head out of the water. I had to stop what I was doing and do something quick.
I guess that is the point of a kayak, to give you a quick break from real life. But there are other options as well. If you want to get out on the water at a calm, calm lake or pond, you can kayak out to a secluded spot where you can fish without being observed. Or you can take a canoe out and paddle it down to a lake, or even down to the ocean.
There are times where I just want to fish. I don’t know why. Perhaps I’m looking for a way to get away from what I’m doing. But I am also a kayaker. I don’t want to be sitting in a boat feeling sorry for myself every day. It’s like having a pet fish. Maybe if you have a pet fish, it’s like having someone who fishes who loves you.
One of the things we love about kayaks is that they let you fish without looking like you’re fishing. There are times where I just want to fish. It feels good to just float silently on the water.
I think kayaks should be used for the same reason we use cars. I think they should be able to be used as fishing kayaks because they can float and swim and float and swim. But I am not sure if they should be used for fishing.
Kayaks are a great idea because they work so well as a personal floatation device. I suppose that is what they are really designed for. But I think the kayak is too small and too cumbersome to be a general fishing tool. It is a perfect size for the average person who wants to float on a lake but not a great size for anyone who wants to fish or does not want to float.
For the most part, kayaks are actually designed for people who want to float on the water, not fish. If you want to fish, use a paddle. If you want to float on the water, just float. But I think kayaks are great to float on the water. Some people use them as a personal floatation device. Others use them for fishing. But I think the kayak is too small for these purposes.