I’ve fished out of a lot of small watercraft. Twelve foot jon boats, canoes, kayaks, micro skiffs…even honest-to-god, handmade wooden pirogues. I’ve fished a lot of waterways, but I’ve always been at my happiest snaking up fishy-looking little creeks too small for conventional watercraft. The fish in these streams usually aren’t very big, but they’re plentiful and dumb, and a paddle craft is usually the best way to get at them. The first time I saw a stand up fishing paddle board, I was skeptical. “I guess that’s the new fad,” I snidely remarked to my wife as we watched a teen paddle one along the shore of Mobile Bay. But as is often the case, I’ve had to eat my words.
The Appeal Of Fishing Paddle Boards
Last year, BOTE was kind enough to send Great Days Outdoors staff a paddleboard to test and review: a Rackham Aero 12′4″ Bug Slinger, to be exact, complete with all the fixings. Three large boxes showed up at the office, containing the inflatable board, pump, tackle rack, seat, paddle, and even BOTE’s drop-in pedal drive unit.
The first time I took it out for a spin, I left my fishing gear at home. To be honest, I was more than a little skeptical of the integrity of the inflatable hull. My home river is full of cypress knees, shell banks, and old debris, and I figured if I sprung a leak I’d rather not be scrambling to save a rod or tackle box.
First impressions of the fishing paddle board were begrudgingly positive. Aside from a bit of a struggle to fit the pedal drive unit into its port, the drive system functioned well. I was able to cruise at 3-4 mph comfortably, which I thought was acceptable for a paddle craft. I worked up the nerve to stand and paddle, and was really blown away with how secure I felt in doing so. Paddling was much slower, but from a standing position and wearing polarized lenses, I had an excellent view of the bass, pickerel, bowfin, buffalo fish, and panfish that inhabited the small creek I was exploring.
The appeal of paddle boards started to dawn on me. I was able to stealthily glide across the creek, making very little noise. Combined with my higher vantage point, I was seeing fish that I usually wouldn’t have been aware of.
That evening I purchased a sand spear to use with the board, and packed a tackle bag, Engels bait cooler, and medium spinning rod. Come sunrise the next morning, I was back on the creek. I tied on a long, fluorocarbon leader and a 2/0 bait hook, and nose-hooked a live shiner to freeline at any fish I saw. I placed the rod in the rod holder on the tackle rack, and let out just enough line to let the shiner swim in the water. I picked up my paddle, and started easing down the creek looking for fish.
What followed was one of the best mornings of creek fishing I’ve ever had. From a standing position, I was able to quietly cruise up the creek looking for fish in the clear water. Once I spotted a target, I could quickly stick the paddle in the paddle holding slot in the bow of the board, grab the rod, and flip a shiner towards my target. The fish were hungry, and the result was usually a strike within seconds of presenting the bait. Fighting and netting the fish was much easier on the board than it was sitting down in a canoe or kayak, and if I saw a deep hole or sunken log that warranted slower, more careful fishing, it was easy to quickly stick the anchor spear through the well-thought-out hole. The paddleboard effortlessly floated across shallow spots that were barely ankle deep, and in some places I simply anchored the board and stepped off to wade fish the sandbars.
I fished through my live bait, catching plenty of bass and pickerel, as well as a nice bowfin and a couple of channel cats. I then switched over to a ned rig, and caught fish on that until a hankering for lunch set in. As I paddled back to the launch, all I could think about were how many little creeks and ponds this board was going to let me float and fish.
Fishing SUP Factors To Consider
I realized that day that stand up paddle boards (SUPs for short) were surprisingly practical for freshwater anglers, especially those who like to fish “skinny.” Over the past year, I’ve put that Rackham Aero in a lot of water, and have caught a lot of fish both on conventional and fly fishing tackle. I’ve grown to love the open floor plan, the well thought out rack and accessories, and the soft, comfortable, and quiet hull. My canoes and jon boat have largely sat neglected in my yard, because in addition to being very fishable, the SUP is just plain fun to paddle around!
That being said, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before deciding if a fishing SUP is right for you.
Physical Fitness And Balance
SUPs scare a lot of anglers, but fishing-specific models are surprisingly stable. The Rackham I have measures 38” wide at the beam, which is wider than any canoe or kayak on my rack. It’s even wider than the floor of my small jon boat. With this generous width and a 400 lb weight capacity, the Rackham Aero is bigger than it looks, and fishes well in small, calm water.
That said, your center of gravity is much higher on a SUP than in most paddlecraft. After a day of fishing on mine, I usually wake up a little stiff. Keeping your balance for hours on end will activate muscles you didn’t know you had if you’re a keyboard jockey like the author. Paddleboard fishing is definitely a more active form of fishing, which is something to keep in mind. I enjoy it, but there are some evenings where I’m looking for relaxation on the water instead of exercise.
Type Of Fishing And Water Bodies
While I see lots of promotional material showing paddleboards out in open water, I would not personally want to take one out in areas that might be exposed to strong winds or currents. Even a light chop results in soaked feet as waves wash over the board, and it’s hard to make headway into the wind with your body acting as a sail. The skeg on my board definitely helps with tracking (as I found out on a trip where I forgot it) but making strong headway in a straight line in wind and current is more difficult for me in a SUP than in a canoe or kayak.
Open water just requires much more exertion, both physical and mental, when fishing from a paddleboard. I fish much more effectively from mine in calm water. Think small, protected lakes; ponds, and moderately flowing creeks and smaller rivers. A paddleboard shines in these areas, particularly if there’s no boat ramp access to them. My board is much lighter than a fishing kayak with equivalent deck space, and even when fully inflated it’s much easier to transport into remote fishing spots than a kayak or canoe.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think a SUP would also make a great vehicle for an overnight float on a sandy river. There’s definitely enough deck space for a dry bag with a tent and sleeping bag, and I suspect I could use the inflatable board as a sleeping mat with a little planning.
Storage And Transport
Perhaps the most unique feature of the Rackham Aero is the ability to deflate it for storage and transport. Many anglers drive small vehicles and live in small homes with small or non-existent garages and yards. Storing a boat, even a kayak, can be difficult in these circumstances. An inflatable paddleboard can be tucked away into a closet, making it perfect for storage space challenged anglers.
Accessories
The demo model paddleboard we were sent came with “all the fixin’s.” Something that I feel like BOTE really has in-the-bag is their accessories, which seem really well thought-out. The Tackle Rac that came with mine is really slick, and makes it easy to store and access a rod, a landing net, a life jacket, and a tackle bag. I can’t imagine trying to fish from the board without it. The Rackham Aero is also compatible with BOTE’s Bucket Rack and KULA cooler, which doubles as both an ice chest and a seat. These add-ons are spendy, but they do a really good job of solving basic storage needs in a streamlined manner. Whichever direction you go, definitely take some time to consider how you’ll organize your tackle and must-have gear. A SUP is surprisingly roomy, but space fills up quickly and it’s easy to inadvertently knock gear into the water when fighting a fish.
Fishing Paddle Board Pros And Cons
After several months of fishing, I feel like I’ve got a pretty solid grasp of what my specific fishing paddle board can and can’t do.
For starters; the good. An inflatable paddle board like the one I have is super quiet, weighs very little, and drafts almost nothing. I really feel like it’s a perfect watercraft for the type of fishing I like the most; small, intimate streams. It’s easy to launch in those little out-of-the way places under bridges or at dead-end dirt roads, and it lets you easily fish those creeks that are too small to get a “real” boat in but too deep to wade. It is also much easier to fish out of than a kayak or canoe, especially in shallow water where “dropping anchor” is as simple as shoving a sandbar spike through an integrated hole in the board and into the bottom. It also takes up almost no space in storage when deflated.
Now for the bad. I feel like you sacrifice performance with an inflatable paddleboard as opposed to a hardshell. My board has no “glide;” if you’re not paddling, it’s not moving! It also has no keel, relying instead on rear skegs to keep the board tracking straight. A long distance cruiser the Rackham Aero is not, in my opinion. The modest performance gets worse when wind and current are introduced.
Of course, the Apex Pedal Drive system does mitigate this drawback a bit. The prop-driven system propels the boat with a bit more power than you can achieve from a standing position, and has been problem-free for me as long as I was diligent about keeping the set screws on the steering cable system tight. If you find yourself traveling further than a mile or two on a trip, I think the drive system is a good investment.
However, to use the pedal drive you have to sit down, and I’m not a huge fan of BOTE’s inflatable seat. It doesn’t agree with my back at all, and the vinyl doesn’t breathe at all, which makes for a…swampy…backside after a few hours in warm weather. But I like the idea of the seat, which allows you to use the board as a fishing paddle board, sit-on kayak, or pedal drive boat.
Final Thoughts On Fishing Paddle Boards
I feel like the Rackham Aero really shines for anglers who don’t have the space requirements for a bigger hull, who travel a lot, or who really enjoy stealthily fishing skinny water. While I initially dismissed it as gimmicky, you can tell that BOTE has put a good bit of effort into making a very fishable little craft. The drive system is unique and functional, the Tackle Rack is superb, and little details like the sand spear sheath, paddle slot, and MagnePod tumbler holder are well thought out.
Overall, I’ve been pretty impressed with the fishing paddle board. I find myself deliberately looking for new creeks to fish with it, and leaving my other boats high and dry on the trailer. The truth is that small creeks often provide simpler, more productive, and more enjoyable fishing than bigger bodies of water. The Rackham Aero is the perfect tool to fish those intimate bodies of water.
