I recently posted a Tips for New Kayak Anglers post that definitely erred more on the side of whimsy than gear technical. This time I'll try to focus on gear, but simple stuff, for those who've gotten into kayak fishing and are curious about what's out there. With ICAST next week, I've got great gear on my brain. I'll be traveling to Orlando for the "World's Largest Sportfishing Tradeshow" and I'll report in to our social sites (Facebook , Twitter , Instagram) with all the good gadgets I come across. In the meantime, these are some of the things I've found that currently help me have a good time on the water. These are some of my essentials.

Good Gear

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1) Get a good cart. We stock quite a few, here. Currently I'm using a Sea To Summit Solution Cart for SOT kayaks. A good cart allows you to load up your kayak with the gear you need and wheel it to whatever launch you want to use. Do the back and forth kayak to car loading trips enough, you'll invest in a cart.

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2) Invest in a quality paddle. Seriously, it's an integral part of your propulsion. We have a stable of paddles that get used by our staff, including Cannon Paddle Wave Slider, Bending Branches Angler Pro, Werner Paddles Cyprus Paddle, and the AT Paddles Oracle Angler. These paddles all range from $275-$400. They are light and they will save you energy. But you can get a decent paddle starting in the $130 range. Here is where you hit the lighter shaft, carbon sticks with a fiberglass blade. Look at the Werner Hooked Series, The Bending Branches Angler Classic, the AT Search, etc.

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3) A good PFD is essential. Above is the Astral Ronny Fisher. There are many great fishing/paddling PFDs like the NRS Chinook, the Stohlquist Fisherman, and the ExtraSport Osprey and they're all designed to be comfortable with today's high back kayak seats. I have a lot of tools attached to my PFD that I need on the ready. It's as important a tool as any other. Above I'm scanning depth for ledges on an app on my iPhone, which is in an E-Case, which has velcro adhesive attached to it so it sticks in the pocket on my Ronny Fisher. Solid.

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4) A good hawg trough aka a measuring board. If you plan on competing in any tournaments or just want to jump into the lifestyle, a Hawg Trough is a necessity. Kayak anglers typically measure and release their catch after photographing it, at least for tournaments. Measuring boards are good for determining if your catch is in the slot for table fare as well.

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5) Speaking of handling fish, this is my set-up for holding my catch before I measure or take a picture. I have the T-Reign Track Mounted Retractor with my Fish Grip looped on it. When I catch a good fish I lip grip'em and then keep them fresh in the water while I set up my board or camera.

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6) Setting up the camera. I'm usually fishing alone, so capturing the moment is something I work at diligently. We carry Yak Attack and Yak Gear products. Both of these companies have various mounts for your cameras. Check out the Yak Attack Panfish Portrait, and the Panfish Camera Pole, or the Yak Gear accessories. Look at what others have done, figure out what will work for you and then experiment with different angles. I get a lot of enjoyment out of a cool fish pic.

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7) An anchor trolley. One of the first things I install on a kayak is an anchor trolley. I use it to tie off to stumps on Briery, or drop anchor in the river, or I drive my stakeout pole through the ring when fishing flats or close to shore. Add a little bit of wind to your day, and having a way to hold position becomes critical, to both success and sanity.

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8) Footwear. It seems silly right? I mean you're in a kayak, why is footwear important? I can't sit for multiple hours. I have to get up and move about. Often that involves me wading and fishing with my kayak tethered to me. I like stretching my legs and cooling off in the water, but you need to be sure of foot when wading in creeks, lakes, flats, etc. So I wear some Astral shoes with sticky rubber. They also flush water out, and dry very quickly. I combine these with some Farm To Feet Blacksburg Low Water socks and it's the perfect on-the-water/off-the-water combo.

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9) Lures. Don't be scared to throw big baits. Don't be scared to break with convention. I have this Egret Baits Vudu Mullet I've been throwing lately. I threw it in the NC salt over Father's Day and snagged some speckled trout. July 4th weekend I decided to throw it at a local lake and snagged a bunch of quality largemouth. I have the same fascination with the Powerteam Lures Swinging Hammer. Throw big baits and big fish will try to eat them.

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10) A good pair of shades. Yes, it's another thing that seems silly, but for me it's essential. I've had some terrible days fishing when I've forgotten my shades. Why? I couldn't see the fish? No, though being able to break the glare off the water is cool, I got tired of squinting into the sun. Pure and simple. Not having sunglasses on caused me to squint, which caused me frustration, which led to bad fishing. Seriously. I have a lot of little fishing quirks, things I need to have in place to feel confident and relaxed, and a good pair of shades is one of them. Lately it's been my Smith Optics Touchstones. But I've also enjoyed shades from Native Eyewear and Salt Life Optics.

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Once again, this was not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather a fun look at good gear. None of this stuff is essential to kayak angling, and many an angler gets by with much less. I'm a certified gear junkie, and there is a lot more gear involved in a day on the water, but if I gave it all up now, I'd have nothing to write later. ;) These are some of the things I personally need to have with me to make for a good day on the water. If one of these things is missing, it dampens my psyche. It's kind of ridiculous, but that doesn't make it any less true. These are some of my essentials. What are yours?