If I had a dollar for every time a haughty internet critic or passing angler asked me why I don’t “just get a boat,” I’d be able to pay cash for a vessel, maybe two. You’d think my simple response—because I want to fish out of my kayak—would suffice, but I’m still met with incredulous stares.
I guess it never dawned on me that anglers who’ve never tried kayak-fishing might focus primarily on the boat’s stunted mobility. (It can’t fly at 75 mph down the lake.) However, in a world that constantly ushers us into the fast lane, sometimes it pays to slow down.
Kayak-fishing pauses our sense of urgency. It profoundly connects us to the outdoors. Intimacy comes with being inches from the water.
More than a kayak’s obvious advantages—low overhead, low maintenance—these paddlecraft appeal to the adventurer’s wild heart. Adrenaline spikes when you connect to a fish capable of towing you.
Lastly, kayak-fishing reinforces the realization that we are small. It diminishes our self-importance and helps us consider what’s around us. And that fosters inner joy.
But I can’t tell you that. You have to experience it for yourself.
Kristine Fischer is a Hobie pro angler from Minnesota and the 2021 Hobie BOS Tournament of Champions winner.
