SUP Fishing

Fishing from a stand up paddle board is a natural–you can get it into the water easier than even a kayak. You can see down onto reefs better than you can on any other craft I’ve experienced, and you can fish comfortably in places any boat would fear to tread–kelp beds, shallow water with waves, tricky leeward shores. You can cast from a standing position, and fight your fish either standing or sitting.

You don’t need much gear–a plastic “milk crate” from Office Max holds all my stuff–I think it cost about ten bucks. My big Starboard 12’6″ X 30 already had inserts in the front deck, so I made a frame out of PVC pipe and screwed it to the deck. the fishing crate then bungees to the frame. The frame is good for a lot of things–carrying kids or the dog, stowing a pack with water and lunch, tossing any plastic trash I find while I’m doing a downwinder.  I leave it on the 12’6″ all the time, even when I’m surfing on it.

A piece of PVC pipe zip tied to the crate serves as a fine rodholder. I have a Dakine fishing roll that holds my lures, hooks, weights, tools, etc. And I generally drag along a double sided tackle box though I have yet to open it. The Dakine roll really holds all I need. A good saltwater baitcaster rod and rell setup, some extra sunscreen and goofy hat rounds out the gear.

I generally use a floating lure that pulls down a foot or so at paddling speed. I copied what the kayak fishermen were using on the south and west side. So far it’s been very productive, though I’ve been releasing all the fish. I always figure I’ll catch something to keep just before I paddle in–but so far that hasn’t happened. I’ve recently added a net bag to keep fish fresh in, we’ll se how that works out.