Rigging a SINK (sit-in-kayak) for Fishing

alright, to start with, we are new to kayaks in general, although we have had a couple boats before. i don't know how we got interested in kayaks, maybe it was how i was telling my family about my canoe trips at summer gym. anyway, what's appealing about a kayak is that you need no trailer, and they are relatively cheap, and require no work. i didn't know you could fish out of them as well, most kayaks in the stores are the sinks (sit-in-kayak) style, for recreational use. the best kayaks for fishing though are the sot's (sit-on-top) kayaks. sot's are more stable, but less manuverable... they are super stable, most people will tell you they're impossible to tip. anyway, they are much more expensive. a good sot will be over $800, but you get tons more storage and things. anyway, the sink's that we got where cheap. we got them on sale at dicks sporting goods. i got a "kayak by quest" for $229, and my dad got a future beach- trophy 126 dlx for $299. his was already rigged for fishing.

the main purpose of this review is to share my rig, and hopefully give other's idea's on how to rig their sit in kayaks for fishing. i'm 15, 5'6- 110lbs, and my kayak suites me well. they're durable too. i wasn't looking for much other than something that floats and is some what stable. my dad though, got a better yak that tracks better and is more stable. but im still happy with mine.

i'd recomend you sit in the kayak before purchasing, test it out. we took ours out, making sure we didn't scratch them so if we needed to we could return them. my dad did that, started with an old town vapor 10, but ended up with the future beach 126 dlx.



please check out my "how to make a fishing lure with office materials in under 5 minutes"

thanks!

Step 1: The Front of the Kayak

i added a 5 foot rope to the front with a snap-hook and i snap it to the carry handle. this works best for tie-ing it to shore.

since im short, i adjusted my foot pedals accordingly, and i shove my tackle box up against the front. it's really easy to slide it back when i need it.

i also added some zip-ties to the elastic holes... just in case i want to tie something down i can

Step 2: The Paddle Holder

i took an old clothes hanger, and bent two hooks using the elastic holes that where already on the boat. i didn't want to drill anything, and wanted something that was easy to access. at the top i added some electrical tape for added strength.

Step 3: The Crate

i was thinking about adding two flush mount rod holders to the rear, but at $10 a piece i wanted something alittle cheaper. i ended up getting an old milk crate, the good ones (not the new junky office ones) from my grandma. i bought a 2 foot- 2 pvc pipe from home depot for $2.10, i then took and cut the pvc pipe in half- 2- 1 foot pieces. i zip tied them to the corners of the crate. then i notched the pipe for the rod handles, and used a hair band to tether them down... to a bolt. i drilled a hole and notched the crate for the two orange bungee cords. same with the back, notching it was a good idea. i took the stock elastic cord off, so i could replace it with some loops i made with rope... this is what i used to attach the bungees to. i also added the stock bungee to the top of the crate to make sure nothing would fall out in case i tipped it. i also added some rope to the crate. since the top of the kayak wasn't flat i simply added a towel to make it sit better. it worked. now i can't wait to try it on the water, although, filling the cooler will make it a bit top heavy, but the crate works well as i already tried it with a temporary rig. the bungees work best to take it off for transportation.

Step 4: Paddler's Seat

i added a free foam cushion to the seat, but this changes your center of gravity alittle, and makes the yak less stable. i took and added a mag lite box to the side by taking the seat screw out, drilling a hole in the box, and screwing the box back on. this works great for a pocket knife or lures.