Kayaks can do things other boats cannot. I know that is a common theme in any article about kayak fishing, but how often is this characteristic utilized? In my case, and I'm sure in many others, not often enough. I spend a lot of time kayak fishing open water that most people would consider better suited to a 20 foot bass boat. The primary cover in these lakes are docks. As I watch the bass boat guys go down a row of docks that I know are productive the standard approach is as follows: cast across the face, cast down right side, cast down left side, attempt a flip underneath that hits its mark half the time, and is deflected by the dock Wilt Chamberlain style with a loud THUD the other half; then it's on to the next dock.d inexpensive will, in some cases, pay dividends.
All the nooks, crannies, suspended brush piles (usually inverted Christmas trees hung by a rope) are bypassed. These are the spots that often hold quality fish that everyone is looking for. I think the reason this prime territory goes untapped, this is more a function of the angler not wanting to wedge their large expensive boat between docks in choppy waters for fear of damaging their side imaging sonar, GPS, ham radio, astronomical optical interferometer fish obliterator, or whatever else they put on bass boats these days, than it is the angler not knowing that those are the spots they should hit. A ten foot pelican angler kayak suites the situation perfectly. It can be slammed against pilings, and smacked against whatever else there may be in these confined spaces, and suffer very little damage.
Taking the polls out of the holders, then laying them on the deck, usually covers all the safety concerns. you're then free to paddle underneath, between, and around the rows of docks, flipping to the sweet spots. Fall and pre-spawn seem to be when this technique is most effective. it shines when the fish are shallow and tight to cover. My lure choice for running this pattern is a bit atypical. On account of the fish being shallow, I find that when flipping plastics into really small spaces around pilings and other things that seem to be designed to slice line on hook set, most of the bites would come on the fall, allowing any decent size bass to wrap, hang, or break off in a hurry. So, instead of plastics I flip a red eye shad at the same targets. It sounds odd but it is extremely fun and effective! After the flip I give the rod a sharp twitch to get the bait upright, I'll let it fall to the depth I suspect the fish is (usually no deeper than two feet) the burn it back to the boat to cause reaction strike. The idea is to pull the fish away from the cover that it was relating to. When the strike comes it isn't in the middle of the thick stuff. The fast retrieve also has the bass coming towards the kayak and away from potential break-offs at the time of hook set. the flip is usually no longer than 15 feet. short repetitive cast are the key! I work the docks thoroughly, especially if its one that I've known to be productive in the past. These are usually the taller, larger docks that offer more shade. and the more cover aside from just pilings, the better. While running this pattern I've seen the bass boat guys pass by the dock I'm currently underneath fishing without even knowing I'm there. it's a bit of a sneaky pattern, but if you're looking for big fish; you have to go where others can't, or won't. Small, low tech and inexpensive will, in some cases, pay dividends.