Independent Playak Review: Discover Kayak Fishing

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Independent Playak Review: Discover Kayak Fishing – Andy Benham

About the Author

The blurb of the book states that Andy Benham “…is a lifelong angler and journalist, currently kayak fishing correspondent for Sea Angler Magazine. He first tried kayak fishing in 2009 and was immediately hooked; you will be too.” Andy now lives overlooking the sea in South Devon where he spends as much time as possible fishing from his kayak.

Content

Kayak fishing is a relatively new sport with limited literature available, in terms of books. Andy has set out to create a book that anyone wanting to branch into this sort of fishing, or even kayaking, and given a heap of information in a super format. The book covers everything from choosing a boat, the paddle and all the required safety gear, to fitting it out with fish finders and GPS’s, basic seamanship, VHF radios, anchoring, tides, weather and more. There is also a section on what species to go for and how to go about it - bearing in mind that this section would be aimed mainly at UK based paddlers. There is also a very short part on freshwater fishing.

I found the book very easy to read and informative. Being a long time whitewater and surf kayaker I really appreciated the angle at which Andy approached everything in terms of doing the activity safely. The author is clearly a safe paddler and throughout the book this theme is strongly supported.

There isn’t much to criticise, perhaps the only thing being that more could have been shown on how to paddle the boat. Yes, there are many books on this and Andy recommends attending courses for this but many of us do not live in countries where these sorts of courses are available. The text does mention forward paddling and a description on how to self rescue, which is always important.

Conclusion

Being an avid fisherman I’ve tried a little kayak fishing and after reading this book, I’m very motivated to keep at it and head out more often. The book is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about kayak fishing with clear and concise text and wonderfully illustrated diagrams and good photos. I certainly gained a lot from the book.

The Physical Book

The book itself comes in a soft cover format and is A5 in size, but a touch wider. There are over 130 pages. The print is a decent size and this makes for very easy reading. There are many very good quality photos, annotated pictures and diagrams to explain anything where needed.