I love fishing with my brother on our skiff, but sometimes there’s not enough time to make a trip possible. When I have SOME time but not enough, I still try to get out to the beach or more recently have done half dozen trips or so on an inflatable SUP. I like fishing from a SUP - but it is tricky.
Pros: getting in places a skiff can’t, ultra stealthy, far superior visibility vs kayak, better paddling ergonomics, easy to store and transport
Challenges: managing SUP position in current and wind, switching off between paddle and rod without spooking fish or loosing balance, accessing gear is more difficult due to balance issues (re-rigging, accessing cooler, managing an anchor, etc requires getting down on hands and knees and carefully repositioning).
Anyone else SUP fish and have any opinions, tips, or gear recommendations?
PS - if SUP or kayak discussions are verboten apologies in advance!!!
I fish off of a SUP pretty regularly, usually for hitting dock lights in protected bayous & canals. I carry a small, 2.5 lb. claw anchor that I can drop anytime I find an area stacked with fish, & also to keep from getting dragged into a dock by slot redfish!
Last week was fishing a back lake and two of those fishing Jet Ski’s blew by with SUP’s mounted on them. Saw them later working a shoreline on the SUP’s. Looked stealthy.
I have a nucanoe kayak which you can use like a SUP, its normally my duck boat but fly fished from it like a SUP for the first time this weekend (did ok - 4 reds in 3-4 hours of fishing). I found the challenges to be similar to fishing from skiff solo - switching between fly rod & pole (or paddle in this case) so the 2 must haves are:
belt clip for pole / paddle so you can put it down without moving and spooking fish 2) rigid bucket that will hold fly rod up right so you can pick it up and cast without moving and spooking fish.
I find it is better to reel in all line and hook fly in a guide between shots and have to strip out line rather than leave line ready and deal with a tangle.
Gear wise, I kept all my gear in the same thing I do on my skiff, a milk crate with waterproof boxes for the sensitive stuff. Crate has a mesh bag it sits in with handles. Easier to access stuff / less rummaging that a bag. When you get back you just hose everything off in the crate and let it dry, no need to worry about zippers rusting on a water proof bag
I think no cooler - keep a vacuum bottle of water in the crate with basic snacks.
No anchor just stick paddle into the mud and clip to belt.
I absolutely love the Nucanoe and definitely recommend if you’re looking for something a little more manageable than a SUP - you can even put a motor on them.
I’ve used a small anchor, but I’ve found with the rope tied to the back of the sup, I have to get down, reorient myself towards the back of the skiff, and grab the anchor line. I’m thinking about using a stick pin tied off, resting against my body when not in use
Back in my yakk days, which I fished like sup. I used my stake out pole as my push pole. I had anchor trollies on both sides with a short piece of para cord that had a big loop tied in. When I’d see a a fish, it was just a matter of sticking the pin through that loop and making the shot. Otherwise I could drop the pin through a scupper. I realize neither of these solutions work on an inflatable though. The flip side to using a stake out pin, is if the fish are close, and they generally are, they will often see the pin enter the water and spook.
1- Owned a Bote Ahab 14 for several years. Amazing platform for fishing off of, terrible platform to store and load/unload. The place I would launch it was about 100 yard walk. I used the tackle rack which was great. Really enjoyed it once I was on the water but was such a hassle to get down to the water as it weigh 50-60 pounds.
2 - Used a 10’6 Bote Flood frequently, this board I fished simple with just a rod laid out ready to go on the deck. I do think I enjoyed this more as it was intended to be just quick trip.
I carried a 2.5 lb claw/collapsible anchor on both boards. Many times I would find fish from the board and then stalk them on foot. Really the anchor only came in handy when fighting a fish from the board so I wouldn’t get dragged around.
The boat had a paddle sheath that you could stick the paddle in relatively easily, however it would become an obstruction when casting. However, I found it easier to use it.
Currently don’t own a paddleboard but would be picking up another Bote, as they are plentiful in my area.
Since it looks like you already own a heron, I would opt for a lightweight easy to handle board that you can load and unload easily for a quick trip.
