Over the past dozen years or so, when giving my kayak fishing talks, I have mentioned how a “too heavy” paddle can make your outing more challenging. I’ll touch on this more in an upcoming paddle article, but transporting your kayak can also be a challenge.
As I’m driving around Door County heading out to chase smallmouth bass, I see many vehicles with kayaks on top. Most of these kayaks are the smaller recreational type, which are easier to put on top of a vehicle with a good kayak rack. When buying a kayak, take into consideration whether you will be loading and unloading it alone or have someone with you.
It is even more challenging if you have a heavier sit-on-top fishing or recreational kayak, which is noticeably heavier than a sit-in recreational kayak. My fishing kayaks, whether paddle or pedal, weigh between 85 and over 100 pounds. I’m also out by myself most of the time, so putting one of these on top of my Subaru Outback is tough. Fortunately, I have been using a Malone MicroSport kayak trailer for over a dozen years and love how easy it makes loading and unloading. Many launches in Door County allow kayak trailers. It’s so nice to back right up to the water! Also, for storage between outings, I leave the kayak on the trailer.
Whether you use a roof rack or trailer, there are going to be times when you can’t get right up to the water, so you may want to get a kayak transport cart. Do your research and ask the outfitter you buy from for suggestions on how to best transport the kayak or kayaks you purchase.
Smallmouth bass fishing has been somewhat off and on this season, but no matter how they’re biting, it’s always great to be on the beautiful waters of Door County in a kayak. Also, this time of year, bass are spawning, and the male smallmouths will be guarding their nests. Please don’t target the males on nests, as this can really hurt the fishery. Even if a male is only off the nest for a short period of time, gobies will inundate that nest, eating whatever they find. With the fishery receiving a great deal of pressure and numbers being down for several years, our Wisconsin DNR has made Door County 100% catch-and-release until July 1. This is a great move!
As always, if you have any questions related to kayak transport or other kayak fishing topics, please email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com. Also, my 2026 Canoecopia talk, Kayaking & Kayak Fishing Door County, Wisconsin, covers most of the great launches in the county. Let me know if you’d like a PDF of this presentation.
