for the past month, I've been fishing from an inflatable kayak.  this decision was made because i have no garage space, but the kayak itself is still great.  it tracks pretty well, has Scotty style mounts for all sorts of things, has space for a milk crate, and it has rigid inflatable floor.  this allows me to stand up, which I do 80% of the time I'm fishing, since inflatable kayaks are so stable.  I have loved the ability to leave the bank and have caught quite a few fish that I never could before, but I've recently noticed an issue with a certain lure. 

 

since the kayak is much lighter than a standard hard-body kayak, fishing a jerkbait on it causes the kayak to start spinning to the side, since my jerking motion is to the side.  except for buying a hard-body kayak (not even close to an option right now), what are some suggestions you guys have that could prevent this issue?

 

the setup was a 7'0" casting rod, I used both the small and large sized rapala ripstops.  maybe a 6'6" spinning rod would allow me to get more of a downward jerk?

 

I had already caught a fish with a jerkbait on the yak (since it's that time where it dominates), but stopped trying as I got fed up with the spinning. 

All I can say, since I'm absolutely terrible with jerkbaits is 1) even in my big kayak, using even a chatterbait will turn the nose of the boat.  Reeling in a fish can spin it and 2) give a few jerkbait tips lol

When I was doing rapid/hard jerking in the canoe - even that would turn it's nose. Just something you're gonna have to deal with IMO.

 

The old canoe.

Best thing I can say is cast directly in front of you, i.e. off the nose of the yak, to TRY and cut down on the spinning. 

I had that problem when I use to Floattube, but I had swim fins to correct it. 

Fishing rubber ducks (or whatever type of inflatable kayak you have) is probably like fishing from a whitewater canoe.  The 'equal and opposite reaction' thing reveals itself big time.  While big fishing kayaks hold in place against jerkbaits and things that pull as hard, a deep crankbait can pull a Predator PDL.  It's easier to see when you throw out some marker buoys.

I think @Hammer 4's advice of trying to use retrieve off the bow is probably your best bet.  He actually had a propulsion system he could use while his arms/hands were tied up with the rod/reel.  Since you won't be that lucky, about the best thing that you can do is us an anchor that opposes the tendency of your boat to drift.  This will be really slow, and infuriating to watch the people in their Hobie Pro Angler 360s easily maneuver and position themselves, but if you need a boat to roll up and fit in the trunk of your car, that's the trade off.

For me, I like fishing the shoals of shallow rivers.  You might find they're the best place to fish from an inflatable too.  It's a little bit of a learning curve, learning how to use the river to ferry to where you want to go, and fishing the river rather than fighting it, but it's way more fun than the crowded still water places around here, imho.  I was out on the South Fork of the Shenandoah Wednesday for a 6 hour float with only 3 smaller brown bass to show for it, none over 14".  I saw 2 other boats the whole time, neither of whom had a fishing rod.  It was still a good day.

Having a fish or even a lure give you a "Sleigh Ride" is just part of the kayak fishing reality.  The more resistance a lure gives being retrieved in relation to the angle from the bow of the kayak is going to increase or decrease.  Some kayaks deal with it better than others.  My Kaku Wahoo for example which has high rocker (The front and back are up out of the water a bit) seems to be super sensitive to this.  

Try fishing a deep diver jerk bait and use a straight upward jerking motion. I fished with a really good fisherman & he used an upwards motion instead of down or to the side & he matched me fish for fish on Erie smallies. 

A 7' rod for jerkbaits is pretty much too big, especially if you are that low to the water.  No matter the boat, I use a 6' 2" rod for this.  You can get a 20' bass boat to turn with some lipped baits, so that aspect is something you learn to deal with.  I fish spinnerbaits a lot, and I actually make a cast that will correct the turn in my kayak.  I often catch on these correction casts, so it's not a waste to me.

Jerk to the left, jerk to the right.  If I want to throw a JB in the kayak I borrow, this is what I've got to do.

Either jerk straight down, or alternate sides.  I have the same issue in my hard plastic kayak.  And it's far from just jerkbaits.  Deep diving cranks are the worst.  About all you can do is position your kayak so that you can pull it off to two sides, so as the boat starts to pull off in one direction, you switch sides to counter the spin, and get started spinning off to the other side.  Even a stakeout pole or anchor won't really help much.  Two might, however.  

In fact, I'll often cast a lure to reposition my kayak.  Or even use the rod tip like a paddle to swing it around.  Without much weight, it doesn't take much to get it going.  So you have to learn how to use it your advantage, rather than let it be a disadvantage.  Plan your cast and retrieve out ahead of time, and figure out what you'll need to do to maintain control of your kayak.  It sounds like a royal pain, but once you get used to it, it's no big deal.  

1 minute ago, Bankc said:

In fact, I'll often cast a lure to reposition my kayak.  Or even use the rod tip like a paddle to swing it around.  Without much weight, it doesn't take much to get it going.  So you have to learn how to use it your advantage, rather than let it be a disadvantage.  Plan your cast and retrieve out ahead of time, and figure out what you'll need to do to maintain control of your kayak.  It sounds like a royal pain, but once you get used to it, it's no big deal. 

I do this too.

As others have stated, even in a hard kayak a bait will move it under the right conditions. What helps with my 12' pedal kayak is the ability to set the rudder to help compensate for any changes in the angle of the bow.

 

It's to the point that while I'm reeling in I don't even consciously notice that my hand will leave the rod briefly to nudge the rudder. Man, machine, and tools become one.

Sometimes I will hold my rod out a different direction to steer the boat the other way.

 

Example, if I cast to the side and reel in and my yak starts spinning one way, I will hang the rod tip toward the back of the yak which turns the boat the other direction.

 

Like an anchor trolley. It effectively changes the point of um can't think of the word.

 

The center of the kayak is like the fulcrum point. Where the rod tip is in relation to this will decide which way the boat spins.

 

Edit:

I have a very small one handed paddle for quick corrections. I rarely use it but it works well.

I’ve moved my self along with a crankbait like it was a trolling motor in a kayak. And I’ve casted  in one direction or the other to intentionally turn the kayak 

It’s a feature of fishing from a kayak.  I have 2 sit-ins and a sit-on, and even my 98lb sit-on spins with a number of different lures.  When I started fishing from a yak, it was a little annoying.  But I hadn’t thought about it in a long time until reading your post.  Thinking about it now, I realize I’ve simply developed a routine of casting, retrieving, and adjusting my position with a small hand paddle that I bought specifically for this purpose.

I can imagine it being much more annoying if you’re standing most of the time.  It seems it would be pretty cumbersome to drop a paddle blade to adjust  your position while standing.

Probably the only way to stop this without beaching is to run two anchors, which usually isn't advisable. 

 

Before I bought a kayak I fished out of an inflatable dinghy. Because they have practically no draft, literally every action I made to a bait would spin me. I would often try to tie off to a tree or something if I could. If I was in small waters with absolutely no traffic, wind, or current, I'd anchor from both sides.

 

It's better in a rigid kayak, but not eliminated. 

When I first got into kayak, some told me to use the lure to position kayak. That how I do it cast to different directions when kayak move and try to get back to target without using paddle.