Sea Kayak Fishing: How to Fish for Lake Trout on Lake Superior

Fishing from a sea kayak is a little different from the kayak fishing you might be used to seeing. There’s limited space, you’re sitting low to the water, and on a multi-day sea kayaking trip, fishing gear is only one small part of everything you need to carry.

Over the years, I’ve joined Zack, owner of Such a Nice Day Adventures, on a number of his Lake Superior sea kayaking trips, helping guide and filming the adventures along the way. And if you’ve watched some of those videos, you’ve probably seen a few of his fish catches make an appearance.

While we were out on Lake Superior, I asked Zack to walk me through his sea kayak fishing setup, how he trolls for lake trout and how he manages to land a fish from the cockpit of a sea kayak.

Sea Kayak Fishing While Guiding

When Zack is leading a sea kayaking trip, guiding always comes first. But when conditions and the group allow, he also likes to take photos and get a little fishing in along the way.

That means his fishing setup needs to be relatively simple and allow him to continue paddling while trolling from his sea kayak.

Zack’s Sea Kayak Fishing Setup

One of the key pieces of Zack’s setup is a rod holder mounted to a small wooden deck.

Rather than permanently attaching the rod holder to one kayak, the wooden base allows him to move the setup between different sea kayaks. He can adjust the angle of the rod and position it far enough away from the cockpit that it stays out of the way while he paddles.

Zack says it isn’t designed for enormous fish, but it’s strong enough for the lake trout he typically targets on Lake Superior, usually in the four-to-six-pound range.

sea kayaking fishing set up with sunset on lake superior

What Does Zack Use to Fish for Lake Trout?

For lake trout, Zack likes shiny spoons and will sometimes use other diving lures or jigs.

In the setup he showed me, he was using a Williams Wabler with approximately a four-foot leader and a 1.5-ounce weight. The extra weight helps get the lure deeper into the water while trolling behind the kayak.

His approach isn’t overly complicated. He lets out enough line to get the lure down and then paddles along at a slower pace.

Trolling for Lake Trout From a Sea Kayak

Rather than trying to perfectly calculate his trolling depth, Zack focuses on the underwater terrain.

He looks for shoals, ledges and areas where the bottom drops off, where lake trout may be hanging out. He then adjusts how much line he has out and his paddling speed to try to get his lure down into the right area.

As Zack puts it, sometimes he catches a fish and sometimes he doesn’t. That’s fishing!

The nice part about his setup is that he can troll while sitting normally in the cockpit and paddling. If a fish takes the lure, he can feel the pull through the rod holder.

How Do You Land a Fish From a Sea Kayak?

Catching the fish is only part of the challenge. You then have to manage a rod, net and fish while sitting in a sea kayak. Having another paddler nearby to lend a hand can definitely make things easier, but as Zack’s setup shows, it’s not always necessary.

When Zack gets a bite, he releases the rod holder and removes the rod so he can manage the fish. His net is stored within reach behind the cockpit, allowing him to easily grab it.

Once the fish is in the net, Zack has learned not to rush things. He lets the fish settle in the net before attempting to remove the hook.

He also keeps pliers or a multi-tool easily accessible in his day hatch in case the hook is difficult to reach.

action shot of catching a lake superior lake trout on a sea kayak

What Happens to the Fish After He Catches It?

If Zack is keeping a fish to eat, he can tow it behind his sea kayak until there’s an opportunity to land.

Once on shore, he prefers to fillet it rather than continue towing the whole fish, which creates additional drag while paddling.

Zack packs the fillets into a sealed bag and stores them in the hatch at the bottom of his kayak, letting the cold Lake Superior water act as a natural refrigerator until they’re ready to cook and eat.

And I will say, anytime Zack catches a fish while we’re out sea kayaking, I’m pretty grateful.

There’s something special about getting to enjoy what he catches right there on the trip. And it’s pretty hard to beat fresh Lake Superior lake trout.

Especially when my contribution is mostly just eating it.