Increasingly, anglers are hooked on fishing from kayaks

The bug bit Rob Choi a few years back when he was Christmas shopping for his dad. The lifelong angler was trolling the Orvis store in Short Pump with his mom, looking for a fishing-related gift, when he saw a beautiful kayak hanging from the rafters.

He knew his mom was thinking about a canoe for his dad, but he immediately saw the appeal of a kayak specifically outfitter for anglers.

"I said to her, 'You know, mom, let's just get that for him because it's so versatile.' With a canoe, a lot of times you need two people."

Once he got the kayak home, a problem arose for Choi, who shares his dad's passion for fishing.

"I put it in my back yard waiting for Christmas to come and it sat there and I said, 'Oh God, I've got to get me one too.' I really, really wanted to keep it. So by February, I went and got one."

And with that Choi joined the leading edge of what has since grown into a full-fledged trend, if not a craze. By all accounts, kayak fishing's popularity has exploded in recent years.

"I don't think there's anything new about kayak fishing. People have been fishing since they've been buying kayaks," said Tom Detrick, general manager of the Appomattox River Company, which sells boats in the Richmond, Farmville and Tidewater areas. "But people using kayaks to get on fish that they might not get on [with] a power boat, that's really taken off in the past three years.

"Three years ago, we didn't dedicate space to kayak fishing in our stores. Now, all three locations have a specific area dedicated to fishermen."

Detrick said a marked increased in sales of kayaks designed for fishermen coincided with the rise in gas prices.

"When gas prices went to four bucks, we saw a huge explosion in guys that had power boats coming in. They were all of a sudden saying, 'It's going to cost me $150 in gas to run my boat, plus I have to put $100 in gas in my truck. That's $250 in gas for one outing.'"

Those former power boaters saw in kayaks what Choi and others have discovered: They're cheaper than motorboats, more maneuverable than canoes and silent as the grave.

Parks Rountrey, like Choi a member of the Virginia Anglers Club, expounded on the virtues of kayak fishing.

"It's kind of a whole different experience. You see a lot more things," he said. "It's quiet. You sneak up not only on the fish you might be pursuing but all the wildlife. You just kind of fit in without upsetting things around you as much."

Rountrey added that because kayaks are easier to steer and more fleet than canoes, "It's just so easy to go up current. Even around the Pony Pasture where you have to go through chutes of whitewater. You just bear down with the paddle and go right on up through rushing water."

That means with a kayak you can put in and take out at the same place, something that's often impossible with a canoe.

"For Richmond it's really great," Choi said. "There are so many access points that you can go pretty much anywhere."

Detrick said anglers looking to get on a kayak can do so from anywhere from $300 to $1,500. Most boats he sells are in the $475-$900 range.

"In the past three years manufacturers have made a real effort to make boats that novice fishermen can take out and really get good at quickly," he added.

Appomattox does a standard setup for anglers, which includes rod holders in front and behind the cockpit, a storage bucket strapped to the back that can hold gear and more rods, and other compartments for accessories.

Then it's up to the angler to tailor it to his or her specifications. Choi, for instance, has a depth finder mounted in front of his boat. There's very little a bigger boat has that can't be made to work on a kayak, too.

"That's part of the fun of it all," he said. "Just customizing it to your likings."

Throw in the better handling and the ability to explore shallow water, and you start to understand why this is such a popular way to go fishing.

"When you catch a fish from your kayak it's a big deal," Detrick said. "All of a sudden you've got a fish in your lap . . . It's much more me-against-the-fish than trolling around ripping the lips off of fish. Even catching a twoor three-pound bass . . . it's just different."

Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.