SUP Fishing |
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Stand UP Paddle Boarding Why fish from a Paddle Board?
So as you can see there are a lot more positive reasons to give it a go than negative ones. Let’s go into a bit more detail – Area – Without putting huge amounts of effort in a Sup travels at about 2 to 3 knts so in a hour you can cover 3miles of coastline or around most lochs/lakes trolling lures or you can get to areas to far by foot or to tricky by boat. In 2 hrs you can travel 6 miles, even on a bad day you are going to go past quite a few fish in that time. Getting them to bite is another matter though. Vision - I strongly recommend wearing polarized glasses on all but the dullest days. Polarized glasses cut out surface glare and allow you to see down into the water. Since paddle board fishing I have seen things that I have never seen in 35 years of fishing, such as 5 mackerel following my lure, seals swimming under the board etc. This diagram shows how much better the vision is compared to when sitting in a kayak. Access – Most boards can be easily carried in one hand, they all have a carrying handle specifically positioned to allow you to carry the board with one hand. The weights of the boards vary a bit but a reasonably fit person should be able to carry the board about a 100 meters with ease, further than that you can use various trolleys or slings. Once at the water edge you don’t require a slipway and once on the water you are free to go where you want (within reason). Exercise – Just how physical is it? Paddling tends to be at a work rate that you don’t really notice the exercise, only after a few hours do you notice any fatigue. Paddling into a strong head wind is hard work and is best avoided but of course weather can change and sooner or later you will have to paddle into the wind. If you find it too hard work then by simply sitting or kneeling it reduces the area the wind can act on and it becomes a lot easier. Versatility – Paddle boards are so much more than a fishing platform, you can surf , windsurf and go white water rafting on them, you can even race them. It is unlikely that all your family members are going to want to fish from the board but its adaptability cam make it popular across the whole family. Weather – The wind is the biggest limitation to when you can fish from your SUP, but the weather is ultimately the biggest consideration for any water born activity. Generally on fairly open water paddle boarding becomes hard work in anything over about 5 mph winds. You can still have a good session in stronger winds but you need to take the wind direction into consideration and find a sheltered area. (Safety Note- once the wind gets towards 15 mph it becomes very hard if not impossible to paddle into it standing up. In such conditions you must sit or kneel to reduce the windage. Once kneeling it is possible to make headway into about 20 mph winds but it is hard work and is best avoided.) People sometimes use the wind to their advantage and have a friend drop them off along the coast or at the other end of a lake/loch and then paddle with the wind and providing the water is not too rough you can travel along quite quickly, in fact too quickly for trolling lures. But it is a great way of covering larger distances with minimal effort. I think the easiest way to learn a bit more about fishing from a paddle board is through some questions and answers, so here you go – Q. Is it hard to do, won’t I fall in all the time? Q. Should I wear a life jacket? Q. What should I wear? Q. The boards look very big, are they heavy? Q. What happens if I fall in? Q. Can my children use the same board to surf small waves. Q. Should I use a leash? Q. Is there a chance I will loose my fishing tackle? Q. Do I need a licence or permission to fish? Q. Can I take a child out on the front of the board? Q. Can I take paddle board lessons? If you have a question and we haven't answered it please email us. Click here for “how to videos” |
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SUPfishing.co.uk e-mail - info@supfishing.co.uk Sailrepair, Seawinds, Kirk Brae, Shandon, Argyll, Scotland, G84 8NP..... tel - 01436 820948 or 07881 581618
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