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Kayak fishing kit: the obligatory towel

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Thursday, 31 January 2008

Towels: not just for hitch-hiking around the galaxy

A wet towel is perfect for handling fish that you intend to return

The late great novelist Douglas Adams knew the importance of having a towel handy and as such, so to did his most famous character, Arthur Dent. Anyone attempting to hitch-hike around the galaxy without one was seriously rolling the dice. I feel the same way about the proximity of a towel while fishing - especially when kayak fishing. I'm often asked what I think the most important bit of equipment to take out kayak fishing, and believe it or not, the towel is right up there with my other requisites. Specifically, I like the Sea to Summit 'Tek towel' but find any of the 'me to' copycat brands (of which there are many) all suffice nicely. I find having a towel handy especially important if I'm not carrying a net. I use to take a towel instead of a net deliberately, but now I take both.

There's a few reasons for this, but the most important reason is for handling fish. Especially when I intend to put the fish back in the water, which is most common with flathead and bream. Handling a fish with a wet towel is much less likely to peel any protective slime off their scales, and thus increases their chances of survival. Even if I intend to keep a fish I will often handle it with a towel - particularly if that fish is a flathead. I keep the towel pretty close, usually between my legs. When I land a flatty I just place the fish on the towel and then lightly fold it over the top. This seems to keep the fish pretty calm and also protects me from being spiked. Then I can pick up the fish, peel back a few inches of the towel near it's head and then gently remove the hook. It's really easy to get the hang of and makes a great alternative to something like an Environet.