Fishing from kayaks

There's a good article in today's NY Times on the challenges and satisfactions of fishing from a kayak. Once you get past the inherent instability of the craft, and the fact that a sizable fish may end up pulling you a sizable distance, they're apparently not a bad platform for angling, particularly if your aquatic quarry lurks in hard-to-reach backwaters, or is so skittish it's liable to turn tail at the sound of a motor.

While I've fished from some fairly tippy canoes, I've never attempted it from a kayak - so one of these days I think I'll rent one in Berkeley or San Francisco and give it a try.

Kayaks and canoes aside, I still think the finest fishing craft is the sleek, energy-efficient pedal boat. Seriously. I caught a couple beautiful Dolly Varden from one on Lake Quinault in Washington State. Sure, it helped that my parents were pedaling the whole time - but I did all the real work.