A fellow smallmouth fisherman introduced me to using the easy to transport and stealth of using a kayak for slipping into some of the best smallmouth bass fishing on local streams. We are talking about small streams I drove past all the time on my way to larger lakes and rivers in pursuit of smallmouth. I never considered these smaller streams because of the difficulty getting in and out of them. I now know better as you can certainly get where the smallmouth bass are by kayak and land some of the nicest smallies to be found, at least where I live!
There are many reasons to get where the smallmouth bass are by kayak. Chief among these is the ease of transporting a one or two person lightweight kayak. Throw in the low purchase price, and portability allowing access to reach prime smallmouth waters, and you have a combination hard to overlook.
Here’s the kind of fun you can have on a kayak!
Stealth
Kayaking into great smallmouth water is also a quiet and stealthy method for sneaking past all the other people wetting lines after this species. Most guys who are targeting bronzebacks with their large, expensive boats pay little attention to a single person quietly paddling along in a yak. They do not even know if you are fishing as you are heading into areas these guys would never consider taking their expensive boats for fear of damage to their boat or busting a prop. Often these feeder streams are too small for even jet boats to go. I know this from firsthand experience. I use to observe single man kayaks serenely gliding over the water of a favorite lake, and assumed they were out for a quiet few hours of exercise. Wrong! Met up with one guy at the dock and he was kind enough to show me the 6 large bronzebacks he snagged by slipping up a small feeder stream where other boaters never tread. I was sold, and began to change my methods to get where the smallies are by kayak.
Fast-water rivers and streams most people avoid are a piece of cake with a kayak. And these are the hidden gems loaded with not only smallmouths that receive little fishing pressure, but other species of game fish as well. One of the best examples of this is fishing the New River in West Virginia. Long known for world class whitewater rapids, this river is also full of smallmouth bass just waiting for someone to present a lure in front of them. Kayaks and rubber rafts are really the only way to access much of this smallmouth paradise, and for those who brave the rapids, the quality fishing will have them coming back for more.
Expand your thinking about our great sport and get where the smallmouth bass are by kayak. Once you do, that fishing boat you are now using just might end up spending more time in the garage than on the water!
Have you tried kayaking for smallmouth bass? Please share this article with others on Facebook and Twitter.
