Catch the kayak fishing wave

[This was the first of a regular paddling column in Texas Sporting Journal. For more on kayak fishing, click on the "TKF" link under my profile.]

Snapshots from the cockpit of a kayak: Ghosting along the edge of Estes Cove with an eye on the low, dark line of a cold front to the north. Water like glass. I spot a 24-inch redfish just in front of my boat, now beneath my boat ... then I turn to cast to the fish I just paddled over.

On the San Saba River, a flock of wild turkeys gathers at the lip of a sheer bluff, clucking at each other and peering down at the stream before launching into ponderous flight toward their roosts on the opposite bank.

Just off the rocks of a mid-coast jetty, a Spanish mackerel savages a silver spoon, then tows the bow of my kayak around as it races towards open water.

Such scenes -- each a discreet, vivid memory for me -- are likely shared by the other thousands of kayak anglers in Texas.

Yes, thousands. Tens of thousands, in fact. According to one estimate, there are some three-quarters of a million Texans enjoying the outdoors in some sort of paddle craft. And if Texas follows the national trend, more and more often that's a sit-on-top kayak.

Many of those paddlers are armed with a bait casting or spinning outfit – or, increasingly -- a fly rod.

“The market has completely exploded,” said Benny Landrum, national sales manager for Malibu Kayaks. “You’ve seen the addition of a bunch of new manufacturers, and they’re doing really well because there’s enough market for everybody. People are actually making livings as kayak fishing guides. I think that’s pretty phenomenal.”

Anglers choose kayaks as fishing platforms for lots of reasons. Stealth is one: kayaks are quiet and unobtrusive. Access is another: the boats typically weigh less than 70 pounds, can be launched nearly anywhere and can go places bigger boats can't.

Cost is another consideration. For anglers who want to simplify their fishing lives and save on a monthly boat payment -- or for anglers who can't afford the monthly boat payment to begin with -- something on the order of $1,250 will purchase a complete kayak fishing package, from paddle and PFD to roof-top rack.

Not that kayak fishing is a poor man's sport. An increasingly common sight on Texas bays is a $30,000 center console with two $800 kayaks lashed to the gunwales, making wake for some distant and lonely shore.

For many, a single trip in a rented boat or with a guide is all it takes to catch the kayak fishing bug. The only question they then have – and it’s probably the most common question posed on the kayak fishing message boards – is what kind of boat to buy.

Fortunately, there are plenty of good choices these days. Roto-molded plastic, sit-on-top boats are the overwhelming favorites of Texans who paddle to fish.

Major manufacturers like Wilderness Systems and Ocean Kayak have a well-established line of kayaks designed with anglers in mind; the WS Tarpon and OK Prowler series are popular with coastal anglers. Malibu is gaining a growing piece of that market with its decidedly dry, super-stable X-Factor boat.

“I think most people, when they start out, try to find one boat that will suit all their needs,” Landrum said. “Then I think those people end up graduating to where they have different boats for different applications. For rivers, you’re looking for something in a small package with a lot of storage. For flats fishing, you want a long boat that will cover some water.”

Perhaps nothing illustrates the growing popularity of the sport in Texas like the tournament calendar.

In March, Malibu pro Larry McAfee won the first-ever kayak division of the long-standing Galveston Bay Specktacular series with two slot red drum. More than 20 other tourneys, most open to kayak anglers only, are slated for the state’s reservoirs and bays this year.

“The end isn’t even in sight, because we haven’t even really tapped into the freshwater market yet,” said Landrum. “It’s going to be really interesting when those guys catch on.”

[A note on the photos: That's TKFer Ruben "Snookdude" Garza at Packery Channel, TPWD photo by Chase Fountain; next, 7-year-old Patrick Reed on the San Saba River; finally, Team Karankawa stalwart Danny Paschall with a nice Baytown red.]