Hunter Harlow’s 5 SUP Fishing Tips

Want to start SUP fishing but need a few helpful hints? Here, BOTE SUP fishing ambassador Hunter Harlow shares his expert insight on SUP fishing and gives his top 5 tips. Take a look:

1. Balance

When you’re on a SUP, you’re going to be moving around, paddling, getting gear on your board and fishing, all of which involve motion. So, you’re going to need to be comfortable with all that motion and keep your balance before you start fishing. Make sure you’re comfortable back paddling, forward paddling, and big motions like sending a big cast before you try it.

2. Gear Management

On a SUP, space is a premium and weight is a premium so you’re going to want to make sure that you efficiency place and pack the gear on your board. All of the items that you’re going to be using a lot while SUP fishing you’re going to want to place on the front of your board and the gear you might not need, place on the back. Think critically about what gear you want.

Photo: Hunter Harlow

3. Fish Structure

If you’re around on the lakes and rivers in Texas or if you’re up in some of the pristine rivers up in the Big Sky Country you’re going to be looking for things like downed logs behind boulders, and shelves, because that is where fish will stage to get their prey. Also, keep in mind that unique water features like confluences where two bodies of water will meet, big slack water, big eddies, are also places that fishes will stage.

4. Zone Placement

When you’re fishing, you’re specifically targeting certain areas where you think fish are. When you’re on a SUP, 99% of the time, there is going to be wind, water current, something tracking your board when you are not paddling. So, the first thing you should do is get out to your desired area, stop paddling, and see what the board is doing with the natural currents and wind, and then that way you can strategically place yourself where that current is going to place you in the area where you want to make your cast.

Photo via: Hunter Harlow

5. Water Hazards

When you are on a SUP, you have fins, fiberglass you need to take care of, and you don’t want to pop your inflatable, so you need to make sure that you are looking for things like downed trees, boulders, or anything that you think is shallow enough that you can get hung up on. In fast moving currents you don’t want to get turned sideways, so really pay attention to these things out in the water because if you’re going to drag your fin while you are standing up fishing you are likely going to face plant and the last thing you want to do is jam your rod into the mud and jam all your fly gear.

Take these 5 tips into consideration for your next SUP fishing excursion and more likely than not you will have one heck of a time out on the water relaxing and fishing. Check out the video below for more from Hunter Harlow!

To see more SUP Fishing tips, click HERE.