My Reason for a Light Weight Kayak

I love my Coosa FD but at times the weight of this kayak does not allow me to launch at areas that are not very friendly for a heavy kayak. These areas either require me to drag the kayak over rocks, oyster beds, over a sea wall, or some type of portage to get into a fishing area. In this type of situation I have the Jackson Liska kayak for me to get on the water in these type of situations.

One area in the Charleston (SC) area is along the Stono River where you can park along a road next to the water at high tide. If the water level is at the low tide you have to drag the kayak over the short sea wall, over some concrete chunks/rocks, and some oysters. With a heavy kayak you would need assistance from your fishing buddy.

I’m not one to advocate fishing from a kayak by yourself but safety should always be number one but there are occasions when this might not be possible. So at the least I always keep my wife informed of where I’m launching, fishing and an approximate time off the water (the float plan). Then I always call her to let her know that I’m off the water.

So using the Liska in this scenario or a kayak that can be easily handled by a lone yak angler is key for me when launching in an area that is close to where the redfish reside. Basically I only have to paddle maybe 200 yards to where the fish are hiding. Otherwise if I would launch from the closes ramp I would have a paddle of about two miles of which a portion of that would be through some pretty swift water.

I understand that maybe as a kayak angler the thought would be to have just one kayak to fish from. However if you get into the mood to try launching from shorelines that are not solo friendly; you just might consider a second kayak that will allow you to fish quickly and safely. Now if only I can get those redfish to bite.