Fishing kayaks today rival the features of larger fishing boats without the major drawbacks. You get to be out on the water, where shore anglers can’t reach, without the major price tag of a bigger ...

I grew up fishing with my dad from the shore, or sometimes from a rowboat or canoe. We never caught much. Although these were "fishing trips," I recall spending more time paddling than casting.

Some of my favorite fishing adventures were fishing for speckled sea trout, jacks, pompano and redfish from kayaks in the backwaters of southwest Florida from St. Petersburg, Fla., to Sanibel Island.