Kayak Fishing with Soft Plastics

By Gene Bourque

First light, a dead calm morning and an angler heads out into the bay in his kayak. He can see swirls of big stripers as they feed on some decent size baits, which he can't identify quite yet. The fish are not crashing but feeding deliberately as big stripers will when the water is flat and they haven't yet been disturbed by boat traffic. He knows this opportunity won't last long, maybe an hour or so. The key is to get close to the fish as silently as possible and give them a look at something that swims in a natural manner.

This is where kayak fishing with soft plastic baits comes into its own. I'm lucky enough to find this fishing situation a few times each summer and small to medium size soft baits like the 7- and 10-inch Hogys, rigged without weight so they swim close to the surface are perfect. Being careful not to paddle too aggressively (which is not easy when big fish are swirling just out of casting range!), I'll try to pattern the movement of a particular fish and cast my soft plastic well ahead of the fish and retrieve it so it crosses the fishes' path. Of course, it's an educated guess because fish that are not moving as a school will behave according to their own whims. But when you score as the result of a well-placed cast it's one of best feelings we fishermen can have.

This gets to the importance of casting with a purpose, even when you're not targeting a particular fish. Sure, there are times when a fish slams a bait the second it hits the water and that's a rush. But if your targets are big, savvy stripers that are getting a good look at your baits before they commit, your job is to avoid spooking them, then getting them to seal the deal. I've seen many anglers try to literally hit the fish on the head with their offerings and I think that more often than not, that is big mistake. Remember, we're talking about quiet, flat calm conditions - a big splash right on top of a fish at these times is unnatural and may signal danger to a fish that's spent its whole life avoiding things like diving sea birds crashing down from above. If you're blind casting (not targeting a particular fish), better to have your bait land and then wait a few seconds, then begin a slow to moderate retrieve, using your rod tip to impart swimming/darting action to your Hogy. Our baits are designed to flex and undulate with even a small amount of tip action and this is what will get the attention of a fish.

Usually you'll get a least a look from any fish that's nearby with this strategy but suppose it's a little tough to get them to commit. I have two techniques that work more often than not in these situations. If I'm fishing a 10-inch Hogy and getting follows but no hits, I'll let the bait rest for a few seconds every five or six turns of the reel, and then begin my next sequence of turns with a pretty aggressive pop with the tip of the rod. This is often when the hit comes so it's important to be sure there's no slack in the line. If the fish still don't like what they're seeing, I'll replace the 10-inch Hogy with a 7-inch model and go to a "walk the dog" topwater type retrieve.

But let's suppose the situation doesn't look quite so promising when you launch. There's a bit of chop and no fish are showing. You can still cast of course, targeting obvious structure, drop-offs and rips, but if you want to cover a lot of water it's a good idea to spend some time trolling. This is a perfect way to work a long, supple soft plastic bait because the rhythmic paddling action will cause your bait to undulate and swim in a manner that is just about irresistible to big fish. I use the 14-inch Hogy for trolling (although the 10-inch version will work fine too, as will the new 18-inch model) and more often than not a fish will hook itself with no need for a hard hook set. After dealing with a fish I'll try to circle around and troll the same area a few times in case the fish are holding near some subsurface structure I can't see. The best part is, this is a very relaxing way to fish - at least until a big striper starts dragging my kayak around on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride!

I pretty much stick to the colors I'd use when fishing from shore: black or translucent purple in the pre-dawn darkness or at first light; amber or pink if I know there are menhaden, squid, mullet or other schooling baits around; and bone white as a general searching type pattern.

Take some Hogys along on your next kayak fishing adventure. They're easy to rig, easy to fish, and deadly effective. And there's not better way to put them in front of big, wary stripers or other savvy predators than from a stealthy kayak.