Category: Massachusetts

This online magazine is dedicated to fishing from kayaks in cold regions. This implies both cold water and cold weather which can affect the angler and even be hazardous, and cold water fish species, although to a lesser extent.

Judging by the number and quality of fishing kayak reviews and trip reports recently contributed to Wavewalk’s website by northern kayak anglers, the message is finally understood – There is a kayak out there that protects you from cold water and bad weather, allows you to wear normal clothes and not waders or dry suit, or worse – a wetsuit, and even offers you to keep your feet dry when you launch and beach.

Let’s see what we can learn from these kayak anglers:

Most people don’t perceive the San Francisco Bay area as a particularly cold area, but the ocean there is cold, to a point where paddlers, surfers and kayak anglers have to wear wetsuits or dry suits, at least when the summer is over. Says Edwin, from Oakland, who’s passion is crabbing out of his new W kayak: -“This boat is amazing and one of my favorite things about it is its versatility. You literally can do just about anything with this boat… -I am amazed at how easy it is to move at a good cruising clip.
-The sitting/kneeling paddling position really affords a strong stroke with very little effort which doesn’t really help with the “workout” aspect of it
-I have been averaging just over 6km/hr over a 7.5km distance in flat water with no real wind to speak of. While not blazing fast the effort required to do that would allow me to paddle all day. -Changing your position fore/aft really changes the behavior of the boat! I’ve found that for cruising neutral balance really speeds things up.
-Beach launching is a piece of cake as well as you just step in and weight forward until you float, then move back accordingly. Getting down to the beach isn’t hard either as I can just shoulder it and carry my paddle, necessitating only one trip. I like that…”
Edwin is a big guy (6’5″ / 260 lbs), and his experience with common kayaks, including a large-size one has been unpleasant, to say the least. They were uncomfortable and not stable enough for him, and they swamped. Needless to say that carrying and especially hauling heavy crab traps on board a kayak isn’t something that any kayak may allow you to perform, especially if you’re such a big guy. In order for a kayak to allow such performance, it has to be extremely stable, and the Wavewalk 500 is the world’s stablest kayak.

Next on this review is Jeff, from New Zealand’s Southern Island. Again, most people don’t associate New Zealand with cold weather, but it gets really cold there in and around the southern island, where there’s even a mountain range called the New Zealand Alps that’s peppered with glaciers and ski stations…
Says Jeff -“The W500 has no rudder but you don’t need one. It tracks beautifully and if you get side on to a wave you just lean into it and carry on, very stable.
When I got out of the sit-in kayak at the end of a long trip I have to walk around a bit to loosen up my ankles and knees as I have arthritis in both and sitting for long periods with legs stuck in the same position causes a bit of pain. When I pulled on to the beach in the W500 I just stood up and stepped out, no pain. . Felt like I could go out again…The W500 comfort and stability were the biggest sellers for me. I enjoy not having sore ankles and knees at the end of the day. Oh and I have slept on it a few times as well with no concerns about falling overboard…
The other selling point is storage. I have bought some long narrow bins and everything on board goes in them. One for bait one for fishing tackle one for food. There is room for up to four good sized kingies, if you get lucky.”

Joe is a river-rat from Pennsylvania, who lives next to the world famous Susquehanna river, which is a big river, and considered as number one for smallmouth bass fishing. Joe and his friends fish in the fall, and when possible even in winter.
Says Joe: -“I’m not much of a story teller but I stood up most of the time which allowed me to wing a crank bait out and run it through the deep water haunts where the breeders lay.
I had no need to stop, cause I could stand to fish and sit down to relax every so often. This is extremely important to me cause I have gone through three back surgeries and I need to be able to stretch out once in a while so I don’t get stiff.
There was a stiff cross wind blowing up river which would be a problem with any other kayak, but my Wavewalk tracked straight and true even in the cross wind.”

Chris is a fisherman from Gig Harbor, in Washington state. He lives near the Pacific ocean, and here’s a quote from his story about catching his first pink salmon out of his W kayak: -“This boat was designed with fishing in mind. It is truly a stand up fishing platform. Comfortable, roomy, and able to be rigged to meet the fish that you are going after – Great fight and the sport of the kayak makes it all the better!”

Maine is known as a cold, wind-swept state, and although it’s known for its great fisheries, you wouldn’t necessarily want to go kayak fishing there. Says Linwood, a local, elderly and disabled W kayak fisherman: -“I’m a little fella at 6 feet and 265 lbs, and I had my left knee replaced.
I venture to northern Maine, where I lived for 40 years, and do a lot of fly fishing in both remote ponds and large lakes, so this kayak is a lot more convenient than towing my 14 foot Jon boat. Thank you for a kayak I feel I can safely fish out of.
I hadn’t been in a canoe or kayak for 5 years, so it took a little getting use to, but nothing major. Easy in and easy out, and my feet stayed dry. Pretty cool, and it sure paddles well… After being out two more times I found that my replaced knee cap causes my left foot not stay in the proper position very long, under me, without discomfort, when paddling.”

Paul is yet another fisherman from Maine, who says: -“I can tell you that the W is much more comfortable to fish out of than my 16’ [brand name kayak]! I can stand up in the W to stretch my lower back while fishing and then am able to step right out of the W after five or six hours of fishing! So, it’s doing what I wanted it to do.
I have taken the W out in some good wind to see how it performed compared to my canoe and my standard kayak. The W is much better! The W is more stable in the wind and easier to handle than my [brand name kayak] or my [brand name] canoe, too.
So far, I’m very happy with my W. I like it!”

A little south of Maine in Western Massachusetts, Robbie, a local, middle aged paddler and fisherman who goes on long camping, paddling and fishing trips in Vermont and Massachusetts, tells about his experience wit his W kayak: -“I love changing positions, standing while paddling and especially fishing from a standing position, again increasing visibility. I understand why you asked that I use it for half an hour before showing it off to friends. A very steep learning curve, I was so comfortable in half an hour and now after what I estimate to be over 50 hours I am a hopeless show off… Oh, problems? I had to transport 90% of the camping equipment when a friend and I went camping on Grout Pond in Vermont last weekend. We only were a half mile from the launch but made it in one trip. With 2 conventional yaks it would have been several trips at best.”

Says Denise, from yet another part of New England – Rhode Island, a.k.a. The Ocean State: -“I love my Wavewalk!! The first trip out was a bit rough. We took it out offshore on Greenwich bay on a pretty windy day. We (Chris and I were in it together) struggled to keep it straight in the strong current and wind. We were exhausted once we finally made it back to shore.
The next trip out we decided to take it to Roger Williams Park and try it out on the lake. We had a much more pleasant experience! Had no problem keeping the kayak straight and no undercurrent to fight so we didn’t have to work as hard.
We have been out on Greenwich bay many times since but we make sure to look at wind and tide factors before we go. I am considering adding a motor so we can go out on the windy days as well. ”

And back to coastal Massachusetts, with Bill, an elderly saltwater fly fisherman, who says: -“I’m a 6′ 3″ 210lb disabled senior citizen (knee) and I knew that the Wavewalk would be perfect. If only I had known about it before purchasing my [fishing kayak brand name].
I got a tan W500 T and a PSP paddle, and I’ve been a good boy and familiarized myself with the W on a shallow pond before taking it in the salt. On my first trip out on the ocean I made a few casts without looking for fish, just to feel the joy to be able to stand.
I don’t like it, I love it. It is all that I hoped for and more. ” Later, after becoming well acquainted with his W500, Bill says: -“There is no place I’d rather be than in my W on the water when it’s calm and the sun is setting or rising… Hickory Shad and Striped Bass help to make it all the more enjoyable.
I’ll be fishing until at least Oct. and then hunting until I’m iced out. Wind has more of an affect than cold for me.”

Paul Malm is a legendary angler from Northwestern Iowa, in the Midwest. In fact, he’s a professional fisherman, since he runs a fishing guide service and manufactures fishing tackle, which is sold in stores in his area and around it. Says Paul: -“I have recently purchased a new type of fishing kayak called the WaveWalk 500 that’s very useful in the waters around here. I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying the W. I wish I would have bought one sooner!… I have been fishing out of my new WaveWalk 500 fishing kayak and it has been giving me access to waters that others are not able to get to. As a result, I am able to target fish that are not pressured, and it is working very well. It is amazing how much you can see and learn from such a silent , low-profile craft. Fish swim right under you without spooking. Awesome to see! I am now offering kayak trips and kayak fishing through my guide service.” More about Paul, a.k.a. The Musky Guy >
What’s especially interesting with Paul is that he bow fishes standing in his W kayak, and needless to say that one needs a very stable platform for that.
Paul recently caught a state-record (unofficial) sunfish (Read more >)

Upstate New York is yet another cold place, where Ernie, a middle aged, tall and heavy fisherman enjoys his Wavewalk kayak: -“I bought a W500 and have been very happy with it so far. We have a couple large power boats, several kayaks and some canoes, so I have a good basis to compare the W 500 with other boats.
Now you can show a 290 pound guy paddling around with no problem.
Not wet footing is nice – I really like he fact that I can step in and out of the kayak while at a dock, something that is impossible with my other fishing kayaks and relatively difficult with my various canoes.”

And so the list of cold water anglers’ testimonials goes on with variations on similar themes that this magazine discusses in length and breadth. Some talk about their motorized W kayak, others about how being elderly and/or disabled prevented them from fishing out of other kayaks except the W, and many tell about how their large size made paddling kayak and fishing out of them an impossibility, until they started using a W. Many cold water anglers hold small things such as staying dry in high regard, and getting into the kayak and out of it without having to step in water is viewed as a blessing.

For a broader and better overview of what it feels like to fish out of a W kayak, we recommend reading more fishing kayak reviews >