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My son won a das king titan fishing kayak. We are clueless when it comes to kayaking any tips for someone who has yet to get their feet wet? There is a very sheltered cove near by, I was thinking I could throw him in there with 100 feet of rope tied off to his kayak so I can pull him in if he panics.
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Absolutely. Firstly congrats on your son winning a kayak. That is awesome. Don't know how old your son is? The ability to swim is always good. A PFD is a must when on the water. Paddle in nice weather without fishing gear. Have him dump over the side etc to start having some fun and getting used to the boats handling etc prior to bringing fishing gear. I have taught many to canoe and kayak. Important to keep it fun especially for the young ones. Best of luck and please keep us posted with pics. David K
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Will do David! We are very well versed on small boat safety, we started fishing last year from shore, if the kids are 10 feet near water they have a life jacket on. My son is 9 years old and very tall/athletic for his age. I'll update some photos when he gets out for the first time. Can you secure the paddles to the kayak incase he drops them?
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Yes you can. They are called Paddle Leashes. You can either purchase one (Sail, Bass Pro etc) or you can make one. They are easy to make. Youtube has lots of DIY kayak modifications. They also have leashes for rods. etc. Some will tell you that if you want to keep it, tie it down. I use a paddle leash only. I do not leash my rods unless in some ocean surf or white water river paddling. Also something to keep in mind......when you get 3 kayak anglers together, you will usually have 15 different opinions. Best of luck
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There is ton of good info on Youtube. Just type "basics of kayaking sot". Sot means sit on top kayak. This it the type of kayak that your son have. I am with Dave. Wait for a nice weather. Let him try what he learned from videos. Do not put any fishing gear into kayak yet. Let him to see if he actually likes it. There is lot of people who invested good amount of money into kayak fishing stuff just to find out that they do not like it.
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It can be very rewarding and quite peaceful. I've been doing fishing from a variety of kayaks for the last 10yrs and by far my Tarpon 120 SOT is the best. On a hot sunny day, I love sitting sideways, feet hanging in the water casting or jigging depending on where and what I am fishing for. The world opens up in a kayak I find. But i do agree, get used to the yak first, the feel of the paddle, how it moves, the tipping point. Once comfortable try in less that ideal situations with no fishing gear- you'll want to know how it handles in waves, wind, etc. Practice, Practice, practice.
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HI Swiftdeer, I am with you all the way. My yak of choice is Tarpon 140. I have 3 yaks but that is my go to for the most part. I also enjoy fishing in the rain. A good rainsuit and I find it very peaceful as well unless it's beyond pouring. I hope to see you on the water. What area are you in? What do you normally target and where? David K
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Thanks alot guys, great advice. We will probably hold off till the beginning of June for his first kayak venture. If he really digs it I'll keep inind that mid you both mentioned for myself
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QUOTE (David K @ May 09, 2019 - 11:39 am)
HI Swiftdeer, I am with you all the way. My yak of choice is Tarpon 140. I have 3 yaks but that is my go to for the most part. I also enjoy fishing in the rain. A good rainsuit and I find it very peaceful as well unless it's beyond pouring. I hope to see you on the water. What area are you in? What do you normally target and where? David K
HI David,
Usually I am in my orange Tarpon 120- sometime though if I am travelling longer distances, I'll take out my 16' sea kayak, red in colour, or the inuvik 12' from clearwater designs. My cottage is down in Prince Edward County, but I live in Peterborough. The sea Kayak stays here. I'm often on the tri lakes, usually pigeon or chemong, but do spend most of the time on the Bay of Quinte, fishing adolphus reach, east lake, or wapoos. But hey, I love an adventure and finding new areas to explore and fish!
As for targeting species, depends on the time of year. Pike, bass, walleye, but also love to get into some panfish as well! On a hot summer day, the rain is welcomed especially if there is end in sight, don't usually venture out in it, but don't mind getting caught out in it.
Where do you fish?
As to the original post, like I mentioned, it's all about the practice. Just gotta get used to the yak and all the things you can do in it before loading it up with gear. My first time fishing from one was a sit in 16' sea kayak, boy can that one move, but not the easiest to fish out of. When i moved to the SOT, I was already well practiced and this one made life so much easier...just be prepared for the weird yet defining kayak tan!
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Hi again Swiftdeer, My first kayak fishing experience was actually from a canoe. I then tried yak fishing out of a white water style kayak (too difficult to control on the flat water). I did my research and ended up buying 2 Wilderness Systems Pungo yaks (sit inside). I taught my wife how to paddle (I used to teach canoeing back in the day) in a canoe and it was a very easy transition to the yaks. She does not fish but loves the serenity of the paddling and she loves to take photos as I am fishing. I love the Pungo, it is fast and easy to control and it is especially great when you put the skirt on it and fish in the rain. I then had the "need" to paddle bigger water. I wanted to ocean fish. I ended up with an orange Tarpon 140. It has been great for me. It is so stable and I was totally comfortable in the ocean with it. These days I usually target bass and pike. My favorite is Lake Simcoe as it is so productive. although I do travel around quite a bit. It would be great to get together and do some fishing. I am away the 2nd and 3rd week of June for the annual fly in fishing trip but will be available after that. I hope this wasn't too much info. Happy paddling or peddling, dk
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Hi David,
That sounds awesome. I am taking quite a bit of time off this summer from work, to well, hopefully get out and fish. Only ever fished Simcoe on hard water. while I would like a peddle drive system, I don't think I would trade my tarpong. We've been through a lot together! I tried sending you a pm but you can't receive any yet from the looks of it. Keep in touch though, always nice to get out with folks who enjoy the yak fishing!
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So it took all year but I finally was able to afford myself a yak so me and my son can go together. He got out enough to learn the basics this year but didn't really get to do much fishing as he's only 9 and cant go off on his own so he just did circles about 20 feet from the shore of me. Ended up getting a Das king nautilus peddle drive yak for myself so when he tuckers out I can tow him back to our launching spot. We got all winter to figure out how we are rigging our stuff and then we will be a lot more active around these parts next year!
New to kayaks, Son just won one. 
