How to Fish on your Paddle Board

A paddle board is very versatile and fishing is a perfect activity on your SUP. It can add unique challenges to your fishing experience, provide some great core strengthening while casting and reeling, and give you access to quieter and more remote corners of a lake. We’ve put together a guide of things to keep in mind when venturing out for the first time.

Pack Light: A paddle board is not the same as a large fishing boat and space is limited. Therefore, it is important to pack light when preparing for your fishing excursion. We suggest bringing one rod and a small tackle box with essential gear - be sure to bring a pliers. We also recommend you use a waterproof tackle box, or have one that is small enough to fit inside of a dry bag with other essentials (wallet, keys, phone, etc.).

Start Small: It can take a little time to get acquainted with fishing on your SUP. To ease into it, we recommend starting on a smaller body of water. There will be less variables to negatively impact your experience as you’re learning, such as high winds and boat traffic. This increases your chances of maintaining balance on your board, and hopefully catching more fish.

Stay Shallow: There are plenty of great places to catch fish closer to the shore. You’ll also be in better shape if you happen to lose your balance and fall, or drop gear. Locating dropped items in shallow water is also much easier. As your confidence builds, you can venture out into deeper water.

Start Low: Learning how to balance on a SUP while fighting a fish can take some time. When getting started, we suggest staying on your knees or sitting down until you get accustomed to balancing with a fishing rod or a fish.

Go Slow and Be Respectful: Part of the fun of fishing on a SUP is accessing areas that larger boats can’t. This allows you to be quieter and hopefully avoid alarming the fish. You’re also never going to move as fast as a boat, so take your time and enjoy the quiet solitude of the outdoors.

As always, we also recommend looking out for other boaters and fishermen so as not to disrupt their time on the lake. Be respectful when paddling or fishing near other people’s docks, rafts, or boats.

Pick your Species: If you’re just getting started and are concerned about stability, consider focusing on smaller fish, such as Crappie or Sunfish. Once you are more comfortable, then you can move up to larger fish such as Bass, Walleye, or Northern Pike.

Be Safe: Make sure you always have a life jacket on board. You never know what you might encounter, or when you might fall over.