Lightweight, with a shallow draft and damn near indestructible, a kayak is perfect for bouncing over rocks and twisting through swiftwater. These same qualities make a small, plastic boat ideal for dragging through the woods, lowering down a steep bank and muscling over a deadfall. You also need the right rigging to really get the most of out fishing a river from your kayak, so consult our comprehensive guide.

man rigging a sit-inside kayak for fishing Ultimate Rigging Guide For Sit-Inside Fishing

Ultimate Rigging Guide for River Fishing

In Alabama’s Coosa River Basin, tournament pro Tim Perkins does it all. “Just yesterday I had eight or nine tree crossings,” he groans, then laughs. He also caught several trophy red-eye bass under the deadfalls. Perkin’s biggest obstacle is also his biggest asset, the backwoods angler says simplicity and efficiency are the focus of his rigging.

Tim perkins fishes from a kayak with expert rigging for river fishing
When you’re rigging for river fishing, a hybrid boat lets you skirt over rocks and trees with plenty of room to pack gear and tackle. | Feature photo: Tim Perkins

River Fishing Kayak

To skirt over rocks and trees with plenty of room to pack gear and tackle, Perkins uses a Wilderness Systems Commander 120 hybrid kayak and canoe. The design combines the light weight and open design of a canoe but Perkins can use a kayak paddle. “A hybrid is great for kids and camping,” he adds.

Fishing between a rock and a hard place, River anglers prefer easy rigging. | Photo: Tim Perkins
Fishing between a rock and a hard place, River anglers prefer easy rigging. | Photo: Tim Perkins

The wide, pontoon hull is stable for standup fishing, but at 12 feet long and only 60 pounds, the boat is easy to drag over obstructions. Perkins compliments the handling, “I’m not fighting the boat in gnarly water and I can turn on a dime to make a pinpoint cast,” he says.

The hybrid design gives Perkins a convenient place to lay rods across the gunnels while he’s fishing. He can quickly store his sticks below to pass under low hanging trees. The frame seat is elevated off the deck to stay dry and comfortable. Unlike a sit-on-top kayak, the hybrid places the seat lower to the water line for improved stability. “It’s like the best of both worlds,” Perkins says.

VIEW ALL HYBRID KAYAKS

A kayak angler runs through a fast moving river. How To Choose The Right Kayak For River Fishing

Life Vest

In the southern heat and humidity, Perkins chooses a Mustang Survival Elite 28 inflatable PFD. “The hydro static inflator automatically activates if it is submerged under water,” he says. Should Perkins lose consciousness, the PFD will inflate to still float him.

VIEW ALL INFLATABLE PFDS

Transport to the River

A kayak offers easier access to fishing spots that are off the beaten path. “I just discovered a little flow not far from the house that has produced trophy largemouth and red eye,” Perkins says. The place is so difficult to reach, Perkins figures it has never been fished.

To get to the water, an angler often has to traverse fields, woods and steep riverbanks. Perkins uses Wilderness System’s Heavy Duty Kayak Cart with Beach Wheels. “The large, low-pressure tires will pass over anything,” he says. Once he secures the kayak to the cart with a pair of straps, he can pull the boat under or over any obstacle.

VIEW ALL KAYAK CARTS

Kayak Paddle

To beat his way into the tightest flows, Perkins uses a Wilderness Systems Alpha Glass paddle. The durable fiberglass blades will take the abuse of pushing off rocks and scraping bottom while a carbon fiber and fiberglass composite shaft keeps weight down.

Perkins likes an adjustable paddle; the Alpha can be set at 240 cm to paddle from the seat, then extended 20 cm for standup paddling.

VIEW ALL KAYAK PADDLES

Rod Holders

“I hate rods sticking up from my kayak,” Perkins admits. Vertical rods inevitably tangle in overhanging trees. Instead, he prefers to keep rods lying on the gunnels in front of him, or tucked inside the kayak. His crate has six vertical rod holders. “I keep my net in one and a follow-up spinning rod in the other.” If a bass strikes his lure and misses, Perkins will grab the spinning rod with a finesse bait to tempt the finnicky fish.

VIEW ALL ROD HOLDERS

Dry Storage

To keep his gear safe and dry, Perkins uses three sizes of drybag. A five-liter bag holds his keys and wallet. A 10-liter bag will accommodate his puffy jacket and dry clothes. He can fit a tent and sleeping bag in a 20-liter bag. For longer expeditions, he packs a 35-liter drybag with food and gear.

VIEW ALL DRY BAGS & DUFFELS

YakAttack Leverage landing netNets, Gaffs and Grippers

Perkins keeps a YakAttack Leverage Landing Net folded in his tankwell or stuck in a vertical rod holder ready for action.

VIEW ALL FISHING TOOLS

kayak angler fishing with a frabill bearclaw net and a gaff 4 Great Gaffs And Grippers For Kayak Fishing

Storage Crate

Perkins looks for a tackle crate that will secure his gear in case his kayak goes over. “The Wilderness Systems Kayak Krate is a complete storage system,” he says. The rotomolded crate is sealed with a lid that Perkins can secure. “I can add up to six rod tubes to the outside,” he says.

VIEW ALL STORAGE CRATES

YakAttack PanFish Pro Portrait camera mountCameras

To capture the action, Perkins uses two cameras. One is mounted on a 11-inch YakAttack PanFish Portrait in front. The second camera is on a 33-inch YakAttack PanFish Pro mount behind his seat.

VIEW ALL PHOTO & VIDEO MOUNTS

Electronics

Electronics can cause trouble on a shallow, tangled creek, as the display snags overhangs and the transducer scrapes across rocks. To meet these obstacles, Perkins uses a Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Pro. “It’s simple to operate and simple to rig,” he explains. The compact unit offers fish finder and chartplotter without taking up much room.

YakAttack CellblokPerkins mounts the unit to a YakAttack CellBlok attached to a gear track on the gunnel. The CellBlok holds his battery, transducer and display so he can install or remove in seconds. “Everything is compact,” Perkins stresses.

VIEW ALL KAYAK ELECTRONICS

Other Rigging Tips for River Fishing

As a Wilderness Systems pro, Perkins prefers to use the company’s rigging accessories. Keeping it in the family is a good way to ensure fit and function when integrating systems. Many kayak companies produce rod holders, crates, gear tracks and other gadgets designed to complement their boats.

a man holds a trout he caught while kayak fishing in a shallow river Trout Fishing Tactic: Catch More On The Inside River Bend

This article was first published in Kayak Angler Issue 43. Subscribe to Kayak Angler’s print and digital editions here, or browse the archives here.

When you’re rigging for river fishing, a hybrid boat lets you skirt over rocks and trees with plenty of room to pack gear and tackle. | Feature photo: Tim Perkins

 

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Ric Burnley
Kayak Angler editor Ric Burnley has been kayak fishing since the dawn of the sport. In 2007, Burnley wrote The Complete Kayak Fisherman, with chapters on how-to make a PVC rod holder and glue a fish finder transducer to the hull. In 2013, he landed his dream job as editor of Kayak Angler magazine. Burnley is a regular contributor to Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Outdoor Life, In the Bite and other print and online publications. Burnley lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, adult daughter, daughter’s boyfriend and daughter’s two cats. Experience In 2004, Ric Burnley stole his first milk crate from behind a 7-Eleven and fashioned it into a gear crate for his Ocean Kayak Prowler 15. Many years and many milk crates later, Burnley has witnessed the rise of kayak fishing from a bastardized fringe element to a legitimate industry with millions of devotees. The journey to becoming an angler started early in Burnley’s life. His father, Eric Burnley, is a renowned outdoor writer and former fishing guide, so the boy grew up in the cockpit of a charter boat and in the pages of national magazines. After college, Burnley lost easy access to his father’s boat, but not his passion for fishing. Once he had exhausted the limits of land-based angling, Burnley decided to try out a new thing called kayak fishing. About the same time, Burnley was looking for extra work to pay for his expensive addiction. His father, editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman Magazine, offered him freelance assignments for the weekly publication. That led to a position as regional editor at Salt Water Sportsman, publication of The Complete Kayak Fisherman and editorship of Kayak Angler. Meanwhile, Burnley and his partner-in-crime, “Kayak Kevin” Whitley were exploring the boundaries of kayak fishing. With the bountiful Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean as their playground, the two anglers were the first to target big red drum, cobia, trophy striped bass, monster black drum, sheepshead and many other species. Once inshore species were exhausted, Burnley loaded his kayak onto motorboats and fished for bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, king mackerel and amberjack. All the while, Burnley shared his experiences and knowledge with anglers through print, photos, video, radio, seminars and online. Almost 20 years later, Burnley continues to fish obsessively and share the stories. His recent projects for Kayak Angler cover the latest trends in forward-facing sonar and remote-controlled electric motors. Over the past two decades, kayak fishing and Ric Burnley have come a long way from PVC rod holders and stolen milkcrates. Education ● Radford University: BA English; Virginia Teacher’s License. Highlights ● Other Interests: Mountain biking, traveling, hiking, surfing and skateboarding ● Day Job: High School English teacher at an alternative school for at-risk students Fun Fact Ric’s name is a contraction of Eric. Ric is named after his father, Eric Sr. To differentiate between the two Erics, Mrs. Burnley removed her son’s E. To this day, she writes the boy’s name ‘Ric, with an apostrophe replacing the E.

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