Kayak Fishing Blog | Cornish Kayak Angler

The Swanage Classic 2018

11/6/2018

Undualte Ray Swanage Bay Kayak Fishing

It was time for the 2018 Swanage Classic. The forecast was looking to be fantastic for once and i had 3 days to spend on the water. The fishing was great on the days leading up to the competition and i managed several new PBs. The competition proved a little more difficult but i just managed to sneak into the top 10....

Hobie Livewell - Overview & Installation

28/4/2018

Hobie Livewell Overview + Installation

Live baiting is one of my favourite ways to fish on the kayak and it can be a killer method for some species. Keeping baitfish alive for long periods of time on a kayak has previously consisted of chucking fish in a bucket of water with an air pump, however they never last very long. Catching a fresh bait fish when you need to re-bait is very hit and miss too. Thankfully the struggle is no more with the Hobie Livewell!!

Hobie Mirage Drive - Service and Maintenance

28/1/2018

Hobie Mirage Drive Servicing Guide

With a Hobie Kayak you rely almost entirely on the Mirage Drive to get you around on the water. Maintenance is key to keeping the drive in good working order. I have put together a step-by-step video guide on servicing and maintaining a Hobie Mirage Drive with in-depth discussion on dismantling, cleaning, re-lubricating and re-building a Mirage Drive.

Catching a Porbeagle Shark from a Kayak!

23/12/2017

Catching a Porbeagle Shark from the Kayak

It was time to take my kayak fishing to the next level. After much planning and research, with a few blank trips and many miles covered on the water, everything finally came together.... i caught a Porbeagle Shark from my kayak!

Testing the Hobie Eclipse 12.0 SUP

21/9/2017

Testing the Hobie Eclipse SUP in Cornwall

The Hobie Eclipse stand up pedal board is a revolutionary new design from Hobie Kayaks. They have managed to incorporate their famous Mirage Drive pedal system into a stand-up paddle board and as a result have come up with something quite unique! I recently had the opportunity to demo one through Cornwall Canoes, so one evening took Holly down to Hayle estuary to try it out.

Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet 2017

27/8/2017

The Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet 2017

A weekend of fishing and fun in West Cornwall, the Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet is held on the August Bank Holiday Weekend and attracts kayak anglers from across the country. This year we were blessed with 5 days of very calm and settled weather. That meant for lots of fishing and lots of great fish!

Tope Under Pressure!

9/7/2017

Tope Fishing from a Kayak

The mission was set. Catch a Tope for a magazine article! My good friend Kyle is a writer for Saltwater Boat Angling magazine and they had a special shark edition coming up. Kyle also needed to catch his first Tope so we hatched a plan and waited for the next available weather window to try our luck.

After-Work Tope Fishing

20/6/2017

Evening Tope Kayak Fishing

Early summer gives us just enough time in the evenings to head down to the coast after work for a few hours fishing. The gate at Cornwall Canoes closes at 5:30pm. Andrew and myself only have to shoot a few miles down the road and can be on the water by 6:30pm. There is one fish we love to target as it gets dark.... Tope!

The Swanage Classic 2017

1/6/2017

It was time for the annual pilgrimage to the lovely seaside town of Swanage in Dorset, to fish the Swanage Classic 2017. A superb kayak fishing competition attracting many competitors from across the country, all hoping to catch lots of species and win the grand prize of a Hobie Revolution 16. I had other targets though... I wanted to catch Undulate Ray and Baillons Wrasse!

Adding a H-Crate to the Hobie Revolution 16

2/5/2017

Hobie H-Crate Storage Crate for Fishing Kayaks

Crates make a great addition to the rear tank well of any fishing kayak. They provide organised storage space for fishing tackle and gear. Hobie produce a storage crate specifically designed for kayak fisherman with some very cool features including H-Rail accessory mounting rails and integrated vertical rod holders. It was the perfect solution for gear storage in the tank well of my Revolution 16...

ROKK, Wrasse and Wrecks

30/4/2017

Big Ballan Wrasse Kayak Fishing

A few weeks ago i was contacted by George, Product Designer at Scanstrut. The guys at Scanstrut are releasing an exciting new range of accessory mounts for the kayak and small craft market using their ROKK Mini mounts. We had planned a day on the water to test a range of the new products, discuss future products and provide George with a taste of kayak fishing to better understand the needs of us kayak anglers. The day went to plan, the weather was perfect and i caught a stunning new PB....

Hobie Mirage Drive 180 ST Turbo Fin Upgrade

28/4/2017

Installing MD180 ST Turbo Fins to a Mirage Drive 180

All 2017 Hobie Mirage Kayaks come as standard with a Mirage Drive 180 equipped with MD180 ST fins. Hobie also produce a longer MD180 ST Turbo fin. This larger fin gives increased performance by providing greater top end speed and a lower cadence at cruising speed. They are available as an upgrade kit and can easily be fitted to a Mirage Drive 180, in place of the standard ST fins. This blog post runs through how to upgrade the MD180 ST fins to MD180 ST Turbo Fins.....

Exploring Lands End

23/4/2017

Kayaking at Lands End

It is not very often that you can fish the end of the land here in Cornwall. Lands End is very exposed to the weather and prevailing swell, and is subject to fast and confusing tidal currents. It can only be safely paddled and fished in very calm weather and on small tides. Luckily we had such conditions last weekend so we took the opportunity to fish in the wild waters at Lands End to see what treasures it would hold....

The Unexpected Pollack

18/4/2017

13lb Pollack caught Kayak Fishing

It would be the Revo 16's second time out but i wasn't the only one with a new kayak. The Viking Kayaks have arrived at Cornwall Canoes and Andrew is now paddling and fishing from the very nice Viking Profish Reload. We both now have our weapons of choice rigged and ready for the season. A small weather window showed itself so we launched early on Sunday morning to make the most of it....

First Session on the Hobie Revo 16

14/4/2017

Maiden Voyage on the Hobie Revolution 16 Kayak

The Revo 16 was rigged and ready for its first session. The weather forecast was looking perfect toot! A day on the water was planned in West Cornwall with Andrew on his Revo 13 and Adam joining us on his new Revo 16. It was going to be a Hobie day!

Fitting a Rod Rest to the Hobie Revolution 16

12/4/2017

Fitting a Rod Rest to the Hobie Revolution 16

I have been using a rod rest on my fishing kayaks for the last few years. It is a really useful piece of kit, and perfect for keeping rod tips at a low level when bottom fishing on the drift or at anchor. It makes for a handy place to rest a rod whilst tackling, baiting up and unhooking fish too. I would now struggle without one on any of my fishing kayaks so here is how i fitted my DIY rod rest to the Hobie Revolution 16....

Installing a Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro on a Hobie Kayak

10/4/2017

Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro Fish Finder installation on a Hobie Kayaks

Next up on the Hobie Revolution 16 rigging list is the installation of a fish finder. I have been using a Raymarine Dragonfly 5-Pro for the last couple of years and it's great, so it was time to fit this to the Revo 16. This blog post runs through how i installed the 5-Pro using the 'Lowrance-Ready' fish finder installation system that comes as standard on the latest Hobie Kayaks.

Installing YakAttack GearTrac GTTL90 to the Hobie Revolution 16

3/4/2017

Installing YakAttack GearTrac GTTL90 on the Hobie Revolution 16

I needed a versatile way to install accessories such as a fish finder and camera mounts on the Hobie Revolution 16. Space is limited so I opted for slide tracks, in particular the high quality YakAttack GearTrac GTTL90 tracks. This blog post runs through how i installed them....

Installing an Anchor Trolley on the Hobie Revolution 16

1/4/2017

Installing an Anchor Trolley on the Hobie Revolution 16

An anchor trolley is essential for the safe anchoring of a kayak. It allows you to set the point along the kayak at which your anchor line enters the water, usually the stern. It can be fully operated from the seating position for ease of use. I often fish at anchor for numerous species so i an anchor trolley is a must for me. This is how i installed an anchor trolley on the Hobie Revolution 16....

Hookless Pocket Upgrade on the Hobie Revolution 16

30/3/2017

Installing Hookless Map Pockets on the Hobie Revolution 16

The rigging begins! First up is a simple upgrade. Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks come as standard with mesh net side storage pockets. Hooks can easily get tangled up in mesh net, often resulting in the need to cut the mesh. Hobie make a rubber mesh 'hookless' pocket upgrade to replace the mesh net, reducing the risk of fouling your hooks. This blog post runs through how to carry out this upgrade....