kayaker’s
journal
o t H E r o P t I o N S
Super Handy
The waaycool Kayak
handline may be handline
fishing’s equivalent of a
better-built mousetrap.
The moulded plastic spool
comes preloaded with
3 mm rope in place of
fishing line that’s easy on
the hands and tangle-free.
Just attach a hook and leader to
the swivel and you’re ready to reel.
$30 uS // waaycool.com
Crab Catcher
a favourite of west coast guides, the
4-kilo Flex Fold crab Trap looks and
performs like a full-size commercial
trap yet folds down to the size of a
dinner plate. reported to haul in 20
dungeness crabs at a time, it’s for
hungry paddlers who don’t mess
around.
$159 cdn/uS // flexfoldtraps.com
SKILLS By vIrGInIa marShall
Handlining
Fly Fish on the Fly
ihell
m
For those norman maclean types
onor
who fish for style as much as
c
tHE No BoNES waY to CatCH DINNEr
sustenance, the orvis Frequent
Flyer fly rod breaks down into
p
hoto:
seven hatch-friendly pieces—each
HANDLINeS offer fishing without the fuss. A simple plastic spool or wooden shuttle wrapped less than 18 inches long—without
with 60 to 100 metres of monofilament line, a handline avoids the storage hassles and maintenance
sacrificing casting performance.
woes of a rod and reel.
$215 uS (6 wt) // orvis.com
Handlines are dirt cheap to buy (5 to 10 dollars for a 4- to 6-inch spool) and damned easy
to make yourself—use a jigsaw to cut 1-inch plywood into an I-shape with one end roughly the
width of your grip, and wrap the line around a shaft of 5 to 6 inches.
Handlines are best used for trolling or jigging. Save casting for the cottage; without the mechanical
advantage of a rod to assist your toss, you’re more likely to capsize than catch a fish. Kayaks are the
perfect vehicle for trolling since most paddlers tour at the ideal pace for spoons and diving Rapalas.
Whatever method or lure you use, heavy line (15- to 20-pound test) is necessary since handlines don’t
offer the line-saving flex and drag capabilities of a rod and reel.
for hands-free trolling, attach the handline spool to your kayak’s deck line with an 18-inch length of
bungee. Play out as much line as you want and tuck the spool under your deck bungees. When you get
a bite, the spool will be pulled off your deck and the bungee will dampen the initial jerk, set the lure and
keep the spool within easy reach for the retrieve. Tip: To avoid snags and shredded Gore-Tex, replace
troublesome treble hooks with single hooks.
www.adventurekayakmag.com 19
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