New to 'Yak Fishing

[Schief]

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking around this site picking up great tips and ideas for quite a while. Based on what I saw I finally bought a Crow Wing Pro Angler on Monday and am getting it all ready to go. I won't be done with the rigging until next week but I am dying to get out and give her a try before it is all finished. My problem is I don't know how to fish the lakes that are closest to me. Like every other dork I read the article in the Trib about Nokomis and I have heard good things about Hiawatha so I was thinking about trying these. What I am realizing is that fishing out of a yak limits the area that you can cover so, does anyone have any tips that they wouldn't mind sharing about either of these lakes so I could get on something other than bullheads and perch?

Any and all advice would be appreciated, or if anyone is looking for a fishing partner that would be great too.

Thanks a ton

[HuskerBen]

I fish those lakes pretty frequently. I'd rather not tell you what I know in a public forum. Email me. I'll spill a few beans.

benandhisbeard at hotmail.

[reelemin]

Harriett is a goos bass lake, so is Calhoun. I haven't fished Nakomis yet, but hear its good.

Yak fishing is not a whole lot different then other boat fishing. Use your maps, GPS, and locator and you're set to go.

[Cyberfish]

I like to fish the city lakes in my yak, I have had some success with bass. If you want to go sometime, that would be cool, I like to get out in the evenings

I dont have much gear on my kayak because i tend to tip over too much! It hasn't stopped me from catching lots of fish!

[goblueM]

all you need is some hooks, weights, and plastics. And maybe a couple spinnerbaits and 2 or 3 cranks and buzzbait. basically just one small plastic box. lotta times I do better when I don't have all my tackle, because I spend less time debating tactics and more time fishing

[DT10 Guy]

Hey Cyberfish, do you tip over on purpose to cool off during the hot summer days? I have yak fished for 3 years now and never had an issue with tipping over. In fact, I am convinced that my yak is way more stable than a canoe.

DT10

[Schief]

So, I got out yesterday afternoon. More to see how the yak handled and how it easy it was to get around the lake. I gotta say that I am hooked, unfortunately I am the only thing that got hooked yesterday (other than a tiny bullhead). Lots of fun, easy to maneuver, and WAY more stable than I could have imagined. Got some good ideas of the type of stuff that I should bring with, like a larger variety of tackle. Still gotta figure lots of stuff out but I wasn't expecting a whole lot during the middle of a 85 degree day.

Cyberfish, someday next week work for you? I am open most evenings, let me know.

[Quetico]

Do you still need a special city permit to have a boat on Minneapolis lakes? I used to fish Nokomis and they said my canoe needed a special permit just like any other craft including yaks.

From my experiences on nokomis, fish the sail boat pattern. You will find eye's, 'skies, pike and maybe a few bass in there. Its a great lake for fishing from small craft. As long as you dont mind the airport noise.

[goblueM]

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=132#boat

You no longer need the permit to fish on city lakes in your boat. Now I heard something about not being allowed to fish after midnight, but I've never gotten any definitive or official response about that