The kayak fishing accessories checklist

Buy in this order

This list is sequenced by what stops you fishing, not by price. Work down it and you will not waste money on the wrong thing first.

Required by law before anything else

1. A Coast Guard-approved PFD. One wearable, correctly sized, per person, readily accessible — that is 33 CFR 175.15. For fishing specifically, a high-back vest clears a raised fishing seat and its pockets keep pliers and a line cutter on your chest instead of in the footwell. Detail on whether life jackets are required.

2. A sound-producing device. A whistle. Attach it to the PFD, not to the boat.

3. A white light if you fish dawn or dusk, which most kayak anglers do. A headlamp meets the requirement and lets you tie knots.

4. A fishing license. Obvious, and worth stating: the rules are the same from a kayak as from the bank, and they are your state’s to set.

The four that actually change your day

5. A crate. The single best value item in kayak fishing. It carries everything, needs no holes in the hull, and costs almost nothing — see the crate setup.

6. A rod holder. Hands-free paddling is the entire point of fishing from a kayak. Buy one with a front locking ring: Scotty publishes one on the 230, along with a 1.95-inch interior diameter that takes any reel.

7. A way to stop drifting. An anchor kit with a buoy for lakes and mixed depth; a stakeout pole for shallow water; a drift sock for wind. They are not interchangeable — the comparison is on anchor versus pole versus drift sock.

8. Dry storage, and a phone on your body. A dry bag in the crate for a spare layer, and a waterproof pouch on your person for the phone. The phone is your rescue device and it is useless in a bag that floated away with the boat.

Cheap things that punch above their weight

• A knife on the PFD. You have an anchor line aboard. That is something that can trap you, and the knife has to be reachable one-handed.
• Leashes on everything expensive. Rods, pliers, a fish grip, the paddle. A short cord to the crate costs nothing and a dropped rod is gone.
• A longer paddle than you think. Wide fishing hulls and raised seats both need reach. Bending Branches sells the Angler Classic to 260 cm for exactly this reason — check yours on what size kayak paddle you need.
• A measuring board, if you fish anywhere with size limits. Cheap, and it settles the question at the boat.
• A sponge. Unglamorous. Gets the last inch of water out that a pump cannot.

What can wait, possibly forever

A fish finder. The most expensive item in kayak fishing and the least necessary on water you know. It also brings a battery, a transducer mount and wiring — three more holes or three more things zip-tied on. Fish a season without one first.

An anchor trolley. Genuinely useful, and it is a rigging job rather than a purchase. Fit it when you know where you want the attachment points, which is after a season, not before.

A pedal drive or motor. Different boat, different budget, different site.

Four rod holders. Nearly everyone who fits four uses one. Two behind the seat and one in front is the arrangement that actually gets used.

The whole list, in one place

Legally required: PFD, whistle, light after dark, license.

Genuinely useful: crate, rod holder, anchor or pole or sock, dry storage, knife, leashes, correctly sized paddle.

Can wait: fish finder, anchor trolley, extra rod holders, measuring board unless you need one.

Priced out line by line, with running totals, on the first season kit.