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Jimmys Kayak Redfin Kit
By Angus James
What I love most about fishing is the many ways that you can go about it. Adding kayak fishing to the mix has now definitely become my favourite way to wet a line and enjoy the environment. There is a magical feeling of being at piece on the water. Not only is it a great form of exercise it also gives you the ultimate stealth to sneak up and present your lures to the sometimes hard to catch fish. Living down in Victoria there are so many excellent freshwater impoundments that are strictly no power boats, so kayak fishing was always going to be on the cards for exploring these beautiful waterways and optimising my results and time on the water.
My favourite species of fish to target in Victoria is the redfin. Not only do they look fantastic the larger models can put up a solid fight and sure do get the adrenaline rush going. I have caught way more redfin out of my kayak than in a boat or landbased because I can sneak up to likely looking areas and strategically work my lures in the strike zones, without disturbing the surrounding environment. I am basically a floating log that is flicking lures.
I have my Hobie Compass set up exactly the way that I like, and it is light enough to chuck on the roof so that I can travel to my fishing location. I have plenty of storage options to carry everything that I need for a fishing adventure.
When kayak fishing for redfin it is all about finesse. I love utilising spin gear and prefer my rods to be in the 1-3kg range. All my reels are 1000 size and fully loaded up with the super smooth Pulse 8 Platypus braid. I always use a fluorocarbon leader and often around a rod length of Platypus 8lb Stealth leader is attached with a beautiful little FG knot, to give me full confidence. Having this style of set up gives me the ability to flick my lures long and accurately into the sweet spots. The braid also gives me direct contact to my presentations, so that I can feel everything and detect any strikes.
My Kayak Lures
Like most lure anglers, I like to take out a wide range of lures. Having the ZMan Deluxe Tackle Block in the kayak means that I can take out 30 packets of ZMan plastics, ensuring that I have everything covered in the kayak! I always have three lures tied on before I start every session and they are…
ZMan 3” Baby GOAT
I have the ZMan 3’’ Baby GOAT rigged on a TT HeadlockZ 1/12oz jighead, with an attached Jig Spinner for added flash and vibration. This is by far my favourite presentation for Redfin! It’s the perfect bite size offering, and the perch can’t resist it. The flash and vibration from the Jig Spinner draws fish in from long distances and the double paddle tail from the Baby GOAT just makes it a dynamite presentation. It looks like a small yabbie and a fish all in one.
TT Vortex Spinnerbait
More specifically, the 1/4oz TT Vortex Spinnerbait. The number of huge redfin perch that have been landed using this finesse size spinnerbait is insane! I love slow rolling them tight along the weedy edges. They are basically snag resistant, so they can be worked hard in the strike zones.
ZMan Slim SwimZ
I fish the ZMan Slim SwimZ rigged on a TT HeadlockZ jighead. Everything eats a baitfish and the Slim SwimZ is the perfect baitfish profile to have in the arsenal. It also comes in very handy to have one ready to cast straight at a big trout that may be hanging around the redfin.
Kayak Combos
These are my go-to kayak combos that have proven themselves time and again on the big redfin. It’s all about finesse, for getting those long and accurate casts when fishing light lures.
Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels – ITX-1000 / TT Rods Black Mamba Spin Rods - BMS701L 7’ 1-3kg
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels – EPXT-20 / TT Rods Red Belly Spin Rods - RBS701L 7’ 1-3kg
Okuma JAW Spin Reels – JAW-30 / LRF GEN2 Spin Rods - LRF2-S-662 6’6” 1-3kg
Platypus Pulse X8 Braid
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader – 8lb
If you haven’t fished for redfin get out there and give it a go and the above kit should see you hooked up to plenty of fish. I can’t wait to hit the water again in the yak and am pumped for my next session! See you out there folks. Fish on!
Cheers, Jimmy