# Just got a kayak



## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

Hey guys, I am coming into possession of a 12 foot sit on top old rental kayak. I know it's not the best in the world, but I don't care haha. I live right on the water on Hatteras Island. 

I was wondering if you guys had any tips as far as gear to pack, structure to search for in the sound as the water temps rise (chiefly hunting reds)?

Also, I'm real close to the beach where I live, maybe a 3 minute walk across hwy12 to get to the sand. Do they make carts, etc.. to hand tow your kayak to the surf? And that brings me to the question of the hour...

Fishing the ocean!? I don't see many people here fishing the ocean with yaks, but have read/heard some awesome stories about it. I am roughly 1/4 of a mile from a ramp, but with beach closures, etc. i'm concerned about just being able to toss the kayak on my 4x4 to gain access to the ocean. 

Once I figure out how to hand-pull my kayak to the surf across the street, what is the best way to hunt down kings/cobia? do you just paddle out in the calm a.m. and just sorta hang out and wait to see if you see one? Are there pro-active measures to find these fish? I'm getting pretty excited thinking about getting out there. Do you guys carry a very limited amount of gear seeing as you might get swamped/dunked?

Basically I am asking for some surf kayaking 101! Thanks for any help guys!


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## mud (Sep 23, 2007)

they do make carts the strap into your scupper holes with rolleaze wheels for sand. Kayakfishingstuff.com is a good place to start.


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

Surf kayaking 101
1. practice launching and landing in surf before you decide to fish in the ocean. Getting dumped is embarrasing; getting dumped and losing, breaking, generally screwing up gear is embarrasing and expensive. In my experience launching is easier than landing. I know a few guys that just don't paddle trough the shore break. They jump out outside the breakers, wait for a wave to break and the run through the whitewater dragging their yak.

2 .chasing reds in the sound. I concentrate on a few key areas for reds. High tide along a grass line that has a good sharp drop off. Preferably close /adjacent to an oyster bar, a creek mouth or both. I really like the ones where it takes an above normal high tide to flood the marsh grass.
Shallow oyster bars on points that lead to deep water. 
Flooded marsh grass flats with hard bottom. I'll set up on an incoming tide and wait for the fish to come into the grass. If I get out late I set up on the mouth of the main drainage creek. Generally have a great time with both trout and reds in this setup. Trout under a popping cork and reds on the bottom on a 1/2 blue crab.

I can't offer advice on cobia or kings, hopefully Ryan will chime in. I'm going to try my hand at cobia in the Broad river in May and I'll have at least one kayak with me at Nags Head in June.


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## PLASTIC BOAT (Jul 13, 2007)

Trout=Canadian hole sound side north of buxton.
Reds=new inlet in the swamp
Flounder = bridge at manteo
Ticket = the pond at origon inlet's north side if you get off the yak.


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

ready for some sharkinthis summer? haha


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## Hannibal (Aug 10, 2007)

Mike - welcome to the dark side. 

Plenty of good folks on here to help with you with your rigging needs. Plenty of other good sites as well.

As for carts, you can buy one from a vendor or make your own out of PVC. I can hook you up with some details on how to build your own.

If you aren't in a hurry, I will be down in your neck of the woods the last part of April (staying at Drumdum's) and will build one for you and bring it down with me when I come. You cover material costs (maybe $50-$60 - I will provide receipts) and I will trade my labor/time for a little bit of your time showing me the good spots of the week. I use to follow your post a good bit when you first got down there so I know you got plenty of sand time under your feet. I will also provide the beer.


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## Fly Swatter (Dec 7, 2008)

*toting kayak*

I pull mine from the house across the dune access point to the water
with a sturdy dog leash attached to the short handle/rope it came 
with. That way I'm not half lifting it all the time. 

I tried a moving dolly - the short 4 wheel version you place furniture on
to help you move things basically a wooden square frame and 4 wheels
that I bought at Lowe's home improvement. Bungee corded the kayak to it
and thought I would go down the road to a public access point. Well it
turned all different directions including into the traffic, so totally embarassing
and of course that wouldn't go into the sand. Too much trouble and ditched
it so now I just use the dog leash. :beer:opcorn::fishing:


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## PLASTIC BOAT (Jul 13, 2007)

The best sand cart








folds up and will fit inside your yak & rolls easy on soft sand with a full load of gear on the Yak

$109.00
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/st...KFS&Product_Code=Roleez-Mini&Category_Code=kw 

Jeff


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

Hey guys!! Thanks for all the responses! Well it turns out the kayak that I got is actually a 2 person sit-inside. I took it on it's first run yesterday in the sound and it felt great! Easy to paddle, stable, etc.. I do think it will be interesting figuring out exactly how I'm going to fish in it though (where to store stuff, etc.)

Thanks for the offer Hannibal but I don't be using it in the surf after all (since it'll just fill with water and roll I'm guessing) but if I'm around I'll be happy to try and show you some spots! I'd certainly try to con DD into a few pointers though! hehe

Do any of you guys use a sit-inside on the surf? Only if it's super flat? Thanks for any tips you guys!


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## notso (Jul 18, 2005)

JeepMike said:


> Do any of you guys use a sit-inside on the surf? Only if it's super flat? Thanks for any tips you guys!


My wife paddled her sit-in (Pamlico 135t) thru the surf the 1st time she ever paddled it. She made it out fine, paddled around for a while all was well. When she came in (1st ever surf landing) she got turned a little sideways & that's when it got interesting. In stead of rolling her as you would expect, a wave broke over the top & it i*nstantly* sank the yak all the way to the bottom. No harm, no foul, but I certainly wouldn't suggest surf launches in a sit in.


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## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

i got that cart from wheeleze.com. watch out if you have a wide yak like a redfish. they make a larger cart for non-touring kayaks. i took it apart and built one out of pvc tees and 1.5 to .5 reducer bushings. used .5 elec. conduit as an axil and the balloon tires off the cart. 4-1.5 tees, 4-1.5x.5 reducer bushings, 3' .5 conduit and a couple ring pins to keep the wheels on. also re-used the little bushing to keep the wheele from hitting the red. bushing, used cotter pin to hold it in place so all is removable to switch from my redfish to my tarpon depending on where i'm going.


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

surfnsam said:


> i got that cart from wheeleze.com. watch out if you have a wide yak like a redfish. they make a larger cart for non-touring kayaks. i took it apart and built one out of pvc tees and 1.5 to .5 reducer bushings. used .5 elec. conduit as an axil and the balloon tires off the cart. 4-1.5 tees, 4-1.5x.5 reducer bushings, 3' .5 conduit and a couple ring pins to keep the wheels on. also re-used the little bushing to keep the wheele from hitting the red. bushing, used cotter pin to hold it in place so all is removable to switch from my redfish to my tarpon depending on where i'm going.


you got a pic of that setup by any chance? i have the smaller wheeleez cart as well, and the redfish 14 with gear seems to be pushing its limits. i'd like to go with the larger version, but the wheels wont fit in the front hatch like the smaller one will.


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