Paddle Board Fishing
Paddle Boarding in the UK is now and is continuing to be a popular sport. My wife and I are now in the process of considering purchasing Paddle Boards so we can enjoy the open waters together but I'm also considering fishing at the same time. This is an early posting to share my thoughts and obtain opinions from you guys. More to come later.
Benefits of fishing from a paddle board
In a nutshell, here are the benefits of fishing from a paddle board:
Lightweight and easy to transport (especially inflatable fishing SUPS)
Provides excellent mobility to quickly and easily reach spots where the fish are – they are even more agile than kayaks
There is more freedom of movement on a SUP and you have a better field of vision of the fish swimming around you
Paddle boards are virtually silent along the surface of the water so you don’t scare away the catch of the day
Fishing while standing provides you with enough room to properly cast your rail
Board fishing, also known as extreme fishing and “Man on fish”, has been around almost as long as surfing has. It was originally done on long boards that were paddled out to the fishing hole in the prone position. While a big enough long board would do the job, they weren’t exactly designed for standing on when not on a wave. Still, adventurous surfers with a penchant for fishing made due. With the advent of stand up paddle boards, the game has changed. The larger paddle boards are much wider, more stable, and specifically design for standing up on or kneeling on the entire trip. With SUPs popping up everywhere, board fishing is poised to take off.
The great thing about stand up paddle board fishing is that you can get just about anywhere, especially shallow places where you wouldn’t dare go in a boat. You can also launch a stand up paddle board pretty much anywhere you can get to on foot unlike with a fully loaded fishing kayak. Unlike surfboard fishing, you can get around a lot faster on a stand up paddle board so it makes the sport all the more accessible.
While most of the fish the average SUP fisherman is going after is on the smaller side, there is an extreme element to SUP fishing in going after larger fish.
Like decked out fishing kayaks, some stand up paddle boards on the market have design features to accommodate fishing. You can mount specialty made “fishing boxes” onto tie down points (4 extra leash plugs in a square formation) on the front of an SUP. These fishing boxes hold your gear, hold a paddle, have pole holders off the sides, and then store your catch. It’s a fascinating sport that’s sure to blossom as stand up paddle boards catch on around the world.