With a veritable jungle of iron weeds, small brush and other shoreline structure to hide in, there are some specific areas that go virtually untouched by fishermen — everyone that is, except members of the angling world’s plastic armada.
Ideally, as the waters recede in the fall on Arkabutla, creek arms in the backwaters begin to shrink and limit access to powerboaters because of acres of shallow water. These areas are the bread and butter of kayaking crappie anglers with their shallow draft and easy launchability.
Another kayak-ready situation is a shallow ditch or submerged island revealed as the water recedes. Both of these areas can be covered with enough water to hold crappie but surrounded by water that’s still too deep or bottom that’s too muddy to wade.
Just about every kayak manufacturer has caught on to the fact that these small boats make great fishing craft and offers amenities on their boats to fit the needs of fishermen.
Most anglers have chosen sit-on-top models over cockpit-style boats, but it boils down to personal preference.
As far as range, with just moderate paddling, kayak anglers can outrun a trolling motor without exerting a whole lot of effort. That puts a kayaker’s fishing range at a mile or better in any direction from where he puts in.
Tackle for kayaking is comparable to that used by wade fishermen. A simple setup is to use a 9- to 10-foot jig pole paired with a simple spool reel to store line. Most anglers favor 1/16- to 1/8 -ounce jigs, and good colors for clear water includes anything in black or a shad.
Be the first to comment