Kayak Fishing Blog

Hobie Mirage Drive - Service and Maintenance

28/1/2018

With a Hobie Kayak you rely almost entirely on the Mirage Drive to get you around on the water. Maintenance is key to keeping the drive in good working order. I have put together a step-by-step video guide on servicing and maintaining a Hobie Mirage Drive with in-depth discussion on dismantling, cleaning, re-lubricating and re-building a Mirage Drive.

Safety Equipment for Kayak Fishing

22/1/2018

Safety is paramount whilst kayak fishing. The water is a hostile environment, even on a calm day. In an ideal world you will not find yourself in trouble, but if you do you need to be prepared and equipped to either self rescue or get in contact with someone who can rescue you. This guide offers generic advice on safety equipment to help those entering, or progressing, in the world of kayak fishing make sense of what safety kit they may need to stay safe on the water.

Catching a Porbeagle Shark from a Kayak!

23/12/2017

Catching a Porbeagle Shark from the Kayak

It was time to take my kayak fishing to the next level. After much planning and research, with a few blank trips and many miles covered on the water, everything finally came together.... i caught a Porbeagle Shark from my kayak!

Clothing for Kayak Fishing - What to Wear?

11/12/2017

What to wear for kayak fishing - clothing guide

One question asked by many when entering the world of kayak fishing.... What shall i wear? There are numerous options and it very much depends on what time of year you are planning to kayak fish and your budget! I've put together this little guide with some info on recommended clothing for kayak fishing.

Autumn Rays

14/11/2017

It has been many weeks since i have had the chance to get out on the open coast. The autumn has arrived and brought miserable weather with it. A small break finally aligned with a day off and i didn't need to be asked twice. This time of year can produced excellent fishing for rays over clean ground so a session was planned to target a big Autumn Blonde Ray!

Catching Couch's Bream

16/10/2017

Couch's Bream have increased in numbers across South West England in the last few years. A relatively rare species, these fish are now becoming a viable target at a number of locations in Cornwall. A number of shore anglers were reporting good catches so i decided to put a few sessions in to try and catch my favourite bream species.

New Video - Kayaking with a Basking Shark!

27/9/2017

Some footage from a magical day back in 2013 when a Basking Shark decided to feed right around the kayaks! I managed to get some great footage of the shark swimming right up to the kayaks, including some underwater shots. Majestic gentle giants of the ocean, and an incredible experience to see one up close.

Testing the Hobie Eclipse 12.0 SUP

21/9/2017

Testing the Hobie Eclipse SUP in Cornwall

The Hobie Eclipse stand up pedal board is a revolutionary new design from Hobie Kayaks. They have managed to incorporate their famous Mirage Drive pedal system into a stand-up paddle board and as a result have come up with something quite unique! I recently had the opportunity to demo one through Cornwall Canoes, so one evening took Holly down to Hayle estuary to try it out.

New Video - Bow Riding Dolphins

20/9/2017

I love Dolphins. Whatever the weather, if i see a pod of Dolphins it always puts a smile on my face. On a recent boat fishing trip we had a pod of Common Dolphins bow riding the boat and showing off their underwater skills!

New Video - Paddling in Fast Tides at Longships Lighthouse

15/9/2017

The tidal flows at Lands End are complex and can run very fast. The Longships Lighthouse sits 1 mile offshore of Lands End and is surrounded by shallow reefs. Deep water is forced up over these reefs on the flooding and ebbing tides, causing fast flows and overfalls. This can make for challenging and potentially dangerous paddling and fishing conditions, even on a calm day and small tide. This footage was taken during the flood on a small neap tide on a calm day. The tide was still flowing at over 3 knots and is at the limit at what most kayaks can paddle against!

New Video - Up Close Encounter with Pilot Whales!

12/9/2017

Whilst boat fishing in Falmouth Bay, Cornwall, UK, we spotted a pod of Long Finned Pilot Whales - Globicephala melas. They were very inquisitive and came over to us to say hello! This video shows the footage from that moment....

Trigger Happy!

28/8/2017

Kayak Fishing for Atlantic Grey Triggerfish - Balistes capriscus

There has been one fish near the top of my 'want to catch' list for a while.... the Atlantic Grey Triggerfish. A summer visitor to our coastline, this exotic species is known for its fighting prowess. With news of them showing at a North coast mark i planned a session with Mark Radcliffe with the hopes of us both catching our first Triggerfish.

Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet 2017

27/8/2017

A weekend of fishing and fun in West Cornwall, the Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet is held on the August Bank Holiday Weekend and attracts kayak anglers from across the country. This year we were blessed with 5 days of very calm and settled weather. That meant for lots of fishing and lots of great fish!

Tope Under Pressure!

9/7/2017

The mission was set. Catch a Tope for a magazine article! My good friend Kyle is a writer for Saltwater Boat Angling magazine and they had a special shark edition coming up. Kyle also needed to catch his first Tope so we hatched a plan and waited for the next available weather window to try our luck.

After-Work Tope Fishing

20/6/2017

Early summer gives us just enough time in the evenings to head down to the coast after work for a few hours fishing. The gate at Cornwall Canoes closes at 5:30pm. Andrew and myself only have to shoot a few miles down the road and can be on the water by 6:30pm. There is one fish we love to target as it gets dark.... Tope!

Smooth Sharks

4/6/2017

I've been itching to get a session in on the North Coast to see if i could catch a Tope. Conditions haven't been great for several weeks but things were shaping up for an evening session with a big Spring tide. With the light evening there was just enough time for a few hours on the water after work.

Big Blue Shark on Bite Adventures!

3/6/2017

Something different. A last minute opportunity to fish on Cornwall's best charter fishing boat Bite Adventures couldn't get turned down. We would be heading out from Penzance for an early try on the Blue Sharks. Little did i know i was in for a BIG surprise!

The Swanage Classic 2017

1/6/2017

It was time for the annual pilgrimage to the lovely seaside town of Swanage in Dorset, to fish the Swanage Classic 2017. A superb kayak fishing competition attracting many competitors from across the country, all hoping to catch lots of species and win the grand prize of a Hobie Revolution 16. I had other targets though... I wanted to catch Undulate Ray and Baillons Wrasse!

Adding a H-Crate to the Hobie Revolution 16

2/5/2017

Hobie H-Crate Storage Crate for Fishing Kayaks

Crates make a great addition to the rear tank well of any fishing kayak. They provide organised storage space for fishing tackle and gear. Hobie produce a storage crate specifically designed for kayak fisherman with some very cool features including H-Rail accessory mounting rails and integrated vertical rod holders. It was the perfect solution for gear storage in the tank well of my Revolution 16...

ROKK, Wrasse and Wrecks

30/4/2017

A few weeks ago i was contacted by George, Product Designer at Scanstrut. The guys at Scanstrut are releasing an exciting new range of accessory mounts for the kayak and small craft market using their ROKK Mini mounts. We had planned a day on the water to test a range of the new products, discuss future products and provide George with a taste of kayak fishing to better understand the needs of us kayak anglers. The day went to plan, the weather was perfect and i caught a stunning new PB....