TexasKayakFisherman.com est. 2000

[YakRunabout]

This is one of the reds from the recent drum beat outing and one of the things that I noticed about this pic is that it is showing key items of my current on-the-water foods. So, I thought that I would toss out info on how I ended up with these items and solicit info on what others take along.

I have been taking the mixed nuts and raisins for a long time for no particular reason, other than it being a long time snack staple. The coconut water and dates and prunes are recent adds from this summer. All three of these were added due to their high potassium content and my desire to replenish that in my body. Now the raisins that I add to the mixed nuts are also high in potassium. Both the raisins and the dates are also high in sugar, so I tend to have those while out on the water. The prunes (packaged as dried plums – guess prunes get too much bad PR!) are not as high in sugar, so I tend to have those after the trip to kick up the potassium.
The coconut water is new for me. I have had it in the past, more as a novelty. But it is loaded with potassium along with some salt and some sugar. A key final point – I now like it!
Anyway – the focus of these items is the potassium. There is more that you need than potassium and so a mix of foods is good. On longer trips I also generally have a turkey or chicken sandwich to provide protein, potassium, salt, etc.

What other Good Eats are out there?

[Ron Mc]

bars are handy for quick food, beer counts as liquid bread, but my favorite fishing lunch is Beach Cliff herring steaks (Not sardines) in LA hot sauce on crackers. When you first crack the tin and pour the oil out on the water, it attracts redfish - learned this from my guide buddy Tim decades ago.



Stevo likes to bring leftover pizza, but I've never shared his fondness for cold pizza

[junkyard chihuahua]

If you are fishing near Palacios, a Bahn Mi from The Point is a great lunch on the water...

[Neumie]

I like low sodium sunflower seeds, beef jerky, and Powerade Zero. I'll also bring a Sweet & Salty Almond granola bar for something sweet to snack on. Longer trips I'll make a sandwich or bring summer sausage (in lieu of jerky) and cheddar cheese. Maybe those Keebler peanut butter on cheese crackers.

[WC53]

Cold pizza is awesome, jerk chicken wings, Atkins Bars, bbq habanero almonds. Herring steaks and hot sauce, hmmmm
GatorAde powder mixed weak. If its cold, soup is great!

[Spoonbill]

For a longer outing it's 2 PB&J sandwiches, and a granola bar. Water bottles and Monster.

Short trip, banana and water.

When I duck hunt instead of PB&J I bring sardines and crackers. If it's REALLY cold I bring a thermos of coffee.

There was one trip when I finished off my water early and the paddle back was brutal. Just two miles or so but I was fighting a strong tide and wind. About a mile into it I was getting lightheaded and had never been so thirsty. Ever since then I bring more water than I think I'll need. Anyone here pack a LifeStraw on trips?

[Ron Mc]

I forgot to mention one thing, sparked by Neumie's list - Dziuk's dried venison sausage from Castroville - I haven't been through Castroville in too long.

[karstopo]

If I’m out in the heat of summer and expect to be out past noon, I’ll take along some iced down watermelon slices, fresh grapes, or fresh mango slices. Rarely, I’ll munch on some roasted sunflower seeds in the shell or homemade beef jerky on exceedingly long trips.

Otherwise, it’s just water for me and maybe once in a while have a single beer with a friend once I’m back at the launch. I hardly ever eat breakfast and often skip lunch as a normal daily eating pattern so I’m very adjusted and accustomed to fasting for long periods.

I never feel hungry and only occasionally feel thirsty when out in the kayak even if it’s for several hours, but only force myself to eat or drink a little just to be prudent and only if it’s a really long trip.

[Ron Mc]

I'm a qualified watermelon thumper - can pick the best one in the store - those personal-size melons HEB sells, chilled and packed in a gel-ice lunch bag are excellent in the heat. Always have knives for quartering them.
here on LHL

this Case copperlock my daughter's eating with stays in my gel-ice lunch bag, along with a cheap Buck lockback.
here on the San Marcos river

[SWFinatic]

When we have more than a few people we typically just go get tacos. I'll buy 3 and eat on them throughout the day. Bean, bacon and potato for me so there's less to spoil in the summer. Most of the time it's just a couple of granola bars, water and a Gatorade Zero.

I do keep a granola bar in my dry bag along with all my other safety stuff just in case.

[screwston420]

mmmm cold pizza, nothing better

[Ron Mc]

mmmm cold pizza, nothing better

sure there is, smoked venison backstrap breakfast tacos (can come up with a Really long list of better eats)


umm, bambi tacos good


similar to, though much better than cold pizza - long ago I used to play with the bread machine and bake up 2'-long strombolis (meats, cheeses, mushrooms, veggies).
Slice and package in sandwich bags and share with fishing buddies on Cedar Bayou trips.
Guess if I got motivated and didn't feel like pulling out the bread machine, could still do the same thing with prepared dough from Trader Joe's.

[YakRunabout]

Great ideas here!
I can do left-over pizza any time, have not had it on the water yet, but will do.

Fruit - have taken many fruits. Cold watermelon can't be beat. My latest is apple pear (aka Asian pear). I get them from Costco cause they are a lot cheaper than at the other stores. Firm, crunchy, crispy coolness - mmm mmm.

The latest turn toward meaty tacos has reminded me of my purchases from Buc-ee's for the past few months - a brisket taco - either with or without eggs. Tasty! and the prep is oh so easy. Better when warm but they are fine saved for later as well.

[shoffer]

Usually, it is 2-3 Whataburger justaburgers, and some Gatorade Zero, bottled water and a beer or two. Sometimes we bring an extra Bucee's Rhino or Hippo Taco if we are not hitting the W-B. If I am trying to stay true to my high protein diet, then 2-3 hard boiled eggs and dried sausage.

[ben_beyer]

I usually grab some jerky, trail mix or granola bars, and Smartwater in addition to of course regular water.

I like the lean protein of the jerky but also the quick energy of the granola bars. The Smartwater is for electrolytes without the sugar of Gatorade. Nothing against Gatorade though.

[Ron Mc]

I'll add a vote for SmartWater. It's the only water I take bicycling or kayaking, buy it in 2-liter bottles, 1-liter 6-packs, and you can find 1/2-liter bottles with sipping caps.

Even better, have two Laken thermo bottles - stick the empty thermo bottle overnight in the freezer, fill it with chilled SmartWater, and it keeps it cool all day.

[Dandydon]

I vote for fudgy delicious Brownies!
Shoffer & Kickingback can attest to their magnificence. Been baking them since my college days at dear old Princeton...
Get ya SOME! You'll be happy & well-fed.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

[Neumie]

I vote for fudgy delicious Brownies!
Shoffer & Kickingback can attest to their magnificence. Been baking them since my college days at dear old Princeton...
Get ya SOME! You'll be happy & well-fed.

[YakRunabout]

Brownies, hmmmm.
Brownies baked with a recipe used since college, hmmmm -
So the buoyancy of the kayak may not be the only floating object out on the water - hmmmm -

[mwatson71]

I usually have Gatorade or Mountain Dew Code Red and I carry a pack or two of trail mix or a granola bar but I rarely eat anything on the water and end up eating in the car on the way home.

[Yaklash]

Many things over the years but among them:
- cold fried chicken
- hard boiled eggs
- trail mix, any kind
- nuts
- Antone's poboys from Kroger (this is a recent add in)
- fruit, especially cold mango, but apples, oranges or chunks of pineapple

and last but not least, a full size Snickers bar.

Water, ice tea with a ton of lemon and honey in it top my list of liquids, and for the end of the day, a Dublin Dr Peppers with real pure cane sugar

[karstopo]

Fruit, seeds, and nuts are such a good kayak food. Often, Potassium and Magnesium get depleted by exertion and sweating. Chronic heavy habitual alcohol use will deplete potassium and especially magnesium. Low levels of either in the body is a cause of excessive fatigue, among other symptoms. Fresh fruit such as oranges and mangoes help replenish the much needed Potassium. So do dried fruits like raisins or cherries. Seeds and nuts are good for replacing both needed nutrients, especially pumpkin seeds and pistachios. Dark chocolate is a good source of magnesium.

[YakRunabout]

Karstopo - good add on the magnesium aspect. My initial focus above was with potassium, mainly because it is often included in package nutrition information, whereas the mg is not as often. They seem to be related where a good source of one is also a good source for the other - such as dates and coconut water. But there are also good sources for each individually, as you indicate. Along those lines, I have some pistachios that I will add to my mixed nuts/raisins mix in order to kick up the mg a bit.

[Neumie]

Lots of good info within this thread.

[Ron Mc]

all good as long as we allow room for the beer-thirty tradition on the water
a great Corpus-brewed IPA that's very similar to Sculpin Aloha, including the right touch of mango