Sit in or sit on top fishing kayak? Which one do you guys prefer?

Both have their places. I like my Sit on top Old Town Big Water Sportsman 132 paddle kayak. The reasons why I bought it was I fish a lot and this allows me to do this more efficiently than a sit in style. It has storage areas to stow all my gear, tracks to attach things like fish finders, rod holders, anchor cleats. This year I’m headed down the Mississippi for an overnight camping fishing trip. The Kayak I have has two seat positions to get me higher up for fishing. I have also had my sit on top out on Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan. It handles big water and waves just fine. If you take water over to bow or side from a wave, no problem, it drains out with the one way check valves in the scupper plugs. It’s like a bobber out on the water. My kayak weights 85 pounds and would be a bear to portage. But I live on a lake and have it out a few times a week. I would have no problem with taking it the the BWCA if you could be in an area with small or no portages. A sit on top allows you to also stand up in your kayak if you want, can’t do that with a sit in style. A sit on top style allows me to stretch my legs better during long times on the water. Then when I get to shore I just rotate and stand up, like getting out of a chair. If you are paddling a route with many portages, then I would suggest a sit in style, made out of a light weight material.

Gary. Would like to hear where and how you did kayak fishing on the Mississippi River this coming year.

I finished paddling the entire Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to the Gulf last year. I saw quite a few fish along the way. Wish I had a line in the water for my Source to Sea trip but it was a kayak paddle adventure and not a fishing trip.

Wally13, wow epic trip for sure. I’d like to read about that trip. Did you do a trip report?

1) I have fished the Mississippi many times before. I start out below the dam in St Cloud. Then I just slowly float and paddle downstream. There are many places to pull out. Sometimes my wife shuttles me back to my truck. Most times I just call the people at Clear Water outfitters in Clearwater Mn. They send a guy with a van and trailer to shuttle us back, or they shuttle us up stream at the start of the trip.

2) how is the easy part. Most topwater lures like whopper Plopper, or spooks will get a strike from a smallmouth bass. Other was of fishing is to float a spinner rig with a night crawler.

Next year I’m planing to Tiger Musky fish out of my kayak on area lakes more often. I hope to get out and do that at least 4-6 times.

Savage Voyageur,

No, I did not post a Trip Report on bwca.com. I did put together a Power Point Presentation and have given it to several local groups.

I saw quite a few smallmouth in the clearer water on the upper area of the Mississippi. Some were quite large. Along the way I met a few fisherman throwing top waters for smallies.

On July 24, I met a guy near Monticello, MN that was using a float boat like they use river fishing in Alaska. He was guiding 2 fly fishermen and was going after smallies. They were having a lot of success.