LIP GRIPPER
Don’t let your stick come up short. PHOTO: BRIAN COPE
KAYAK RODS THAT STICK IT TO THE SIZE QUESTION
Shakespeare’s seven-foot Ugly Stik Inshore Select is as durable as the original Ugly Stik, with the addition of a split grip. This is a great rod for chasing redfish with soft plastics. $49 •
www.shakespeare-fishing.com
[G EAR]
Size Matters “I
t isn’t the size of the tool, it’s how you use it.”
Bull pucky! Would you want a popgun in a
firefight? Heck no. When it comes to weapons, size matters. That’s especially true for kayak anglers and
the fishing artillery we call rods. The wrong answer leads to the road of humiliation and the shame of lost fish. Bigger isn’t always better. What we’re aim-
ing for is just right. Few of us can walk around the deck while
fighting a fish. Kayaking calls for a rod that can reach around the bow and stern while we’re perched on our keisters, or standing in one spot. Here’s another issue, a decided lack of cast-
ing range due to lower seat height. A five-foot, six-inch rod might work when casting from the deck of a bass boat, but it doesn’t cut it when seated inches off the water. A longer rod makes up for other shortcomings, and for casting, the longer the better.
St. Croix Rods offers a bass-specific rod, the Mojo Bass, in several lengths, including a 7’6” model that’s perfect for plunking swim baits in search of largemouth. $99 •
www.stcroixrods.com
A LONGER ROD MAKES UP FOR OTHER SHORTCOMINGS BY BRIAN COPE
Leverage is another factor. It can be tough to
get a good hook set from water level, especially if your rod is shorter than your own body. While longer is generally seen as better in
most circumstances, kayak anglers also need to keep portability in mind when considering proper rod length. A rod that doesn’t fit your storage area or that gets hung up or broken in the brush and trees is no help, no matter how much punishment it dishes. How do you right-size your quiver? Con-
sider kayak length as well as your own reach. If you’re in a short boat or Stretch Armstrong has nothing on you, you can get away with shorter sticks. For most kayak anglers, rods that are at
least six feet, six inches in length should do the trick. It’s rarely necessary to go longer than seven feet, six inches. For rods, size matters. Get that right, and
your stick technique will be so much more effective. BRIAN COPE is a kayak fishing guide and writer,
www.FishCarolina.net.
Abu Garcia’s new Verdict rods may be the perfect fit for kayak anglers. With handles that retract almost four inches, the 6’9” version will help when distance casting a Texas-rigged plastic worm to smallmouth bass, then shrink to 6’5” when flipping a jig in tight quarters. $129 •
www.abugarcia.com
CastAway Rods offers the Skeleton Camo, which has a cork split grip and digital camouflage paint scheme. The 6’6” model is perfect for throwing topwater plugs to sea trout, and won’t disappoint when it’s time to set the hook. $299 •
www.castawayrods.com
EXPENDA-BUZZ READER TIP SEND YOUR READER TIP TO
BY JEFF LITTLE
Price tags flashed in my mind the instant my finger should have released the line. A frugal voice from the back of my brain called out, “Don’t throw that there! It’s not coming back. You’ll be out another six bucks!” That kind of hesitation costs fish. I eliminated it by ordering supplies from Do-It Molds to make 15 lures for the price of one. Now my buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, cranks and jigs go far behind enemy lines.
www.do-itmolds.com
24 …KAYAK ANGLER SPRING 2011
editor@kayakanglermag.com
PHOTO: JEFF LITTLE
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