Today we feature a guest post from outdoor writer and expert kayak fisherman Ric Burnley.  Ric contacted us several years ago about rigging his kayak with Garmin gear before we knew such a thing was even possible!

Think about the relationship between technology and sports.  Without key inventions, many sports would be impossible.  The invention of the wheel led to Formula 1 racing.  Who could have guessed that a pack of warriors fighting over a stuffed goat skin would end up playing soccer?  And football wouldn’t be as much fun without polypropylene for the helmet and pads. In fact, almost every sport owes its origins to a key invention. 

Kayak fishing is no different. Without the invention of the sit-on-top kayak, many anglers would not be able to fish out of these versatile boats.  And, without advancements in electronics, many kayak anglers would not be able to take their sport to the extreme. 

I started kayak fishing shortly after the dawn of the sport, when guys were still bastardizing existing boats into kayak fishing machines. Just like their boat-bound brothers, kayak fishermen won’t leave the dock without taking every advantage.  So, I pimped out an Ocean Kayak Prowler with rod holders, tackle boxes, and electronics and charged the waters around my hometown, Virginia Beach, VA.

At first I targeted speckled trout, flounder, and schoolie rockfish, but soon I turned my attention towards bigger game such at cobia, big red drum, and trophy rockfish.  As I set my sights higher and higher, it became more and more important to have high-quality gear that was reliable and accurate.  At first I burned through fishfinders and GPS units like a NASCAR team goes through tires.  Then I picked up a Garmin 250 fishfinder and 76Cx GPS and the same units are on the bow of my boat today.

My first target was bull reds around the barrier Islands of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  These fish feed in the surf breaking on shallow shoals at the mouth of ocean-side inlets.  The key to catching them is getting close enough to the shoals to cast to the fish while staying out of the crashing waves.  In order to perch on the edge of the shoals, I would watch the fishfinder and maneuver my kayak like playing a video game. 

Next, we paddled miles out to sea in search of cobia.  To attract these fish to our kayaks, we would deploy a steady stream of chum. Unfortunately, this technique also attracted unwanted dinner guests including some monster sharks.  Fishing open water required a reliable GPS to track position and speed and to lead us back to the beach where we launched. 

When winter rolled around, I was ready for the annual return of striped bass to Virginia Beach.  We chased rockfish from the Atlantic Ocean to Chesapeake Bay, again using my GPS and Fishfinder to track my trolling speed and keep my baits in the strike zone. 

Since that first year, we’ve mothershipped our kayaks to offshore towers to catch hard-pulling amberjack and this summer we plan to carry our kayaks to the Gulf Stream in search of billfish, tuna, and dolphin.  With the proper safety equipment, detailed planning, and a little luck, the only limitation to fishing out of a kayak is the kayak angler’s imagination. 

While it would be foolhardy for any boater to head out on the water without good electronics to guide his trip; for kayak fishermen, it would just be foolish. Not only has my basic electronics set-up allowed me target more, big fish, but it has given me the confidence to head out into big water in a little plastic boat. 

Like other ground-breaking technologies that have contributed to the growth of other sports, compact, high-powered electronics have allowed kayak fishermen to take their pursuit to a higher level. 

About the Author: Ric Burnley is a freelance outdoor writer based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.  He is Regional Editor at The Fisherman Magazine and Salt Water Sportsman and contributes to Outdoor Life.  Burnley is also the author of The Complete Kayak Fisherman.