One of the most common questions after a person buys their first kayak is, “What else do I need?” If you bought that kayak to do some fishing in, these kayak accessories will make your time on the water a little easier.
Kayak Anchor Trolley Kit and Anchor
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| Kayak Anchor Trolley Kit |
A big need for kayak anglers is the ability to stay still in wind or current. Kayak accessories like anchors and anchor trollies are made for just that. Often I will see someone just get the anchor which can help a little bit but an anchor trolley will serve you much better. The trolley mounts to the front and back on one side of the kayak. It uses cord and a pulley system to move a ring, which is the attachment point for the anchor, to different positions. These positions along the side of the kayak allow you to fish into the wind, crosswind or downwind. On most kayaks I have ever owned, an anchor trolley was the first accessory I purchased and installed.
Extra Tip: Make sure you use a carabiner to attach the anchor rope to the anchor trolley ring for quick release if needed.
Kayak Cart
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| Ascend Sit On Top Kayak Cart |
The cart is one of the most frequently overlooked kayak accessories. It’s easy to move a kayak off of your kayak rack and into the water when you can get your vehicle down to the water. What happens when the prime spot you have picked out is 100 yards or more from the nearest road or parking lot? Dragging a kayak can do damage so a cart is the best option. A couple of different cart types exist and then dozens of variations of the two types.
One style has the kayak sit on a crossbar or pads. The cart is then strapped to the kayak and hauled to the destination where it is unstrapped and stowed. This style of cart can be frustrating to handle alone as the cart will often fall over when attempting to put the kayak on it. These carts are often bigger framed than the other option and don’t stow quite as nicely.
The second style is a scupper cart like the Ascend Sit On Top Kayak Cart. This style of cart uses two prongs that fit up through the scuppers (or drains) in the rear tank well of the kayak. If you don’t have two symmetrically aligned scuppers or no scuppers at all, you won’t be able to utilize this style of cart. It is also important to buy a scupper cart that has an adjustable width, otherwise the prongs that go through the scuppers might not fit your particular model.
Extra Tip: Scupper carts are much easier to use on lighter kayaks that you can lift with one hand. If using on a kayak over 80 pounds, have a buddy help lift.
Kayak Crate
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| Yak Gear Kayak Crate |
Of all the different kayak accessories available, the kayak crate is easily one of the most affordable. While you can spend upwards of $100 on a specialized crate, often an old milk crate will do just fine.
The kayak crate serves as a consolidated place for all of your lure boxes and other gear. It often fits perfectly in the tank well right behind the seat and makes grabbing another lure or your stringer as easy as reaching behind you. The crate keeps the angler from having to open large hatches to get to stowed baits and keeps everything at the ready when you need to switch up techniques.
Many anglers will add rod holders to the crate which allows them to carry even more fishing rods than they could have previously with just the included rod holders on the kayak. The crate also makes removing all of your tackle and many rods a one trip action because it is all consolidated around and in the crate.
Extra Tip: If you are fishing near trees, be mindful of your rods that might be in rod holders along the crate. Low hanging branches can lift rods out of their holders or snap off a tip which makes for an aggravating day on the water.
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