Trailer
GOLDEN AGE
SENIORS HAVE TAKEN TO KAYAK FISHING IN WAVES
Recently more than a dozen of us took an afternoon-long kayak trip on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Half of the party was pad- dling away from the launching site when a conservation officer pulled up. He asked where we were headed and for how long. He had some concerns. “We’ve had a lot of calls to assist kayakers this year,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about this bunch,” I offered. “There are
a lot of experienced paddlers here. And they’re all part of the Social Security set, so there’s not much chance of extreme behavior.” In fact, the most extreme thing that happened was that four of
us who carried fishing rods had to paddle like madmen to catch up to the rest of the group after plucking a few sea trout from some of the marshy drains that we passed. It used to be that older adults associated kayaks with whitewa-
ter rivers and small tipsy craft, but I haven’t heard that mentioned in years. In 2000, when I wrote the first article published in Field & Stream
about kayak fishing, it concerned prospecting for largemouth bass in otherwise inaccessible Mississippi River oxbow backwaters. The main comment heard while toting kayaks through Arkansas then was, “There’s no room in that dang thing for the beer cooler.” Times have changed. And not just because small coolers—pri- marily for bait—can be fitted on some kayaks.
32 PADDLING THIS MONTH || March 2013
Older adults with a yen for outdoor recreation have gravitated to
paddling in general, and to fishing out of a kayak in particular. They’re getting kayak holder extensions for truck hitches to make it easy to tote their craft. Many have multiple kayaks, either for other family members or for different situations, like a sit-on-top for warm weather. Common among the senior kayak angling set is that they are
generally physically fit individuals with good balance and mobility; they appreciate a vessel with a large cockpit if they get stiff knees, as well as good back support; and they’re not reticent about ac- quiring accessories to enhance their experience, such as anchoring poles and rod holders, or boats with pedal power. What many new senior kayak anglers can benefit from is tutelage
on power stroking to overcome tough wind, waves or currents. Expe- rienced anglers taking up kayaking can adapt readily; the inexperi- enced have to learn the importance of positioning, refining their cast- ing skills and using good quality rods and reels to fish most effectively. Today’s seniors are redefining the notion of what can be done in
many facets of life and sport, and it’s no different in kayak fishing. Older men and women are capable of excelling in this endeavor if they have the will. I suspect that some older but still ardent anglers who own powerboats but weary of trailering, launching and main- taining them will transition to a simpler fishing style. Most importantly, senior kayak anglers have something that few
younger kayakers do. Time. The time to go when fishing’s best, which is always on Wednesday, followed closely by Tuesday or Thursday. Eat your heart out. —Ken Schultz This Trailer article first appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of Kayak
Angler.
ILLUSTRATION: LORENZO DEL BIANCO
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