Decent kayak forum for a new kayaker

[straightShot]

I've wanted a fishing kayak for quite some time.  I don't know which brand or features to even consider.  Since the ice is gone near me and the temps will be near an unseasonable 60F this weekend, I really need to do some research over the next couple of months and find a fishing kayak so that I can get on the water this spring.  Does anyone have any suggestions on kayaking forums where I might learn a little about fishing kayaks?

I'm still hoping for a two week freeze so that I can get out and do some hard water fishing once more.  That's what I really like, but I also want to get out and do some fresh water kayak fishing.

[adkRoy]

www.MyFishFinder.com

[3300]

what's your budget?

[Whopper Stopper]

We have run the gamut with kayaks.

For fishing, it is a sit on top Hobie X 3 here.

              WS

[Jason1817]

Check out nucanoe

[Stickhick86]

I like my old town vapor 10 angler

[jrtbaits]

www.yakangler.com

[straightShot]

what's your budget?

Maybe $800 or so, and then paddles, a life jacket, and extras.

[3300]

i bought three now. the best one for the money is
http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/angler_kayaks/prowler_13_angler/
it's light weight for a sit on top. it runs 1k$ retail, but dunhams sells it on sale for 550$ in the mid summer.
the front hatch allows your rods to slip inside. even long fly rods and i keep throwable pfd's in the hatch too. it is water tight from front to back in the hatch section under where you sit.

hobie are the top if you have that kind of money.

for just over 13k$ you can get one with foot pedals so your hands are free to fish. it's like a bike.

your other costs will be anchors and anchor trolley system on both sides and a good seat that clips in.the stock clip in seat is okay, but you'll probably want a taller version.

[icejohn]

last year i tried a sit in 10' and 12' sit on (cheapie) then ended getting ocean kayak prowler 13' sit on top and absolutely love it, very stable good features....bought it used but very good deal...look at craigslist.
icejohn

[Caseman2]

I have a ride 115 wilderness systems.  I lIke it .    It's really stable. 11.5 ft  I can stand up and fish in it easily.   
There is all kinda youtube videos showing how stable it is.

I think I paid $700.

They also have a x that let's you mount a fishfinder in the middle and it has a hole for the transducer.   And the whole thing comes out easily .

[Knife2sharp]

Many options to consider and your choice will depend on your weight with gear and the type of water you'll fish.  Although the pedal kayaks are nice, but are you going to be fishing shallow water at times or going through weeds?  A rudder is almost a must because you can steer with your feet while casting and retrieving.  Wind, current and reeling will pull the front of your kayak to one side. 

My choice is the Ocean Kayak Big Game.  It is a bit of a barge to paddle, but it's the highest weight rating for a SOT kayak. I was able to take it to the Boundary Waters for a 5 day stay and loading it with all my camping, fishing gear and food.  I even had room for a soft sided cooler with several pounds of frozen smelt and blue ice.

You also need to consider, do you want to do the rigging or buying an angler package with accessories included. I bought mine with the depth finder, rudder and some rod holders. I've since added a dash mounted compass, another anchor trolley and a couple more holders. 

[wyogator]

My favorite is the 14 or 16 ft. Wilderness Systems Tarpon. Add a couple of Scotty rod holders and a fishfinder and you are all set.

[sig]

Best kayak fishing site by far

www.yakfisher.net

Lots of info on this site for the new yakfisher
Cheers

[Whopper Stopper]

Maybe $800 or so, and then paddles, a life jacket, and extras.

That will cut out a lot of kayaks, but it still gives you some good options. I had a Wilderness and liked it a lot, I could stand in it and shoot carp with my bow.

Don't rule out used vessels. Many people buy them and just never get into it, or their kids get tired of paddling and stop using them. I had put a wanted ad on C-List a few years back for a used one and a guy responded with a Wilderness that hadn't been used in a few 3 years, I got it for a steal.

Not sure if applicable to you, but here there are at least 3 kayak places that have on water demos once a week all summer long. You can request which one you would like to try and they will bring it to a lake and let you have at it for the evening. It sure makes choosing a lot easier.

Good luck! Have fun picking out the best fit!

                    WS

                     

[straightShot]

That will cut out a lot of kayaks, but it still gives to some good options. I had a Wilderness and liked it. I could stand in it and shoot carp with my bow.

                      WS

I'm from the "buy it once" crowd.  If I have to spend a bit more to get a kayak that's sturdy, maneuverable, and is a fish magnet, I'll do it.  I was guessing on the $800 figure since I am a kayak fishing novice.  I'd rather buy something, be happy, and not think about getting rid of it to get something else in two years.

[Whopper Stopper]

I'm from the "buy it once" crowd.  If I have to spend a bit more to get a kayak that's sturdy, maneuverable, and is a fish magnet, I'll do it. 

Then check out Hobie Pro Angler. The last one you will ever need or want. And if the time comes resale value will recoup most if not all of the initial investment.

http://www.bassmaster.com/kayak-bass-fishing/video/hobie-pro-angler-14-walk-through

              WS

[Spider1]

www.yakangler.com

beat me to it. yakangler is the best yak specific web site. I'm a regular there so if you head over, introduce yourself and have a good time. The guys and gals are great over there.

[Ramp 23]

Oldtown makes some really nice stuff too, their Predator series & several lower cost kayaks. I also fish out of their hybrid canoe / kayak, the "Next ", I really love that boat too. Two things I would consider, depending upon use, is weight & speed. I can say kayak fishing is so fun & productive I dont use my bass boat much, 4 times in last 2 yrs  Have fun with whatever you get !

[straightShot]

Wow!  So many great suggestions!  Thank you!  I appreciate it!

I've spent the last day and a half at yakangler reading the kayak reviews.  Lots of great information, but when I start reading about all of the extras and all of the modifications that everyone makes, my head spins. Ice fishing seems so much simpler.

[steve339]

My two-cents.
- Sit-On-Top (harder to sink than a Sit-In), 12 footer unless you plan to do a lot of Great Lakes or big waters, then a 15 footer.
- Inflatable vest only for small inland lakes, otherwise a standard paddling vest for big waters.
- Don't forget to save money for accessories like rod holders, anchor trolley, paddle, rudder, etc.

[Unclegillhunter]

Not an owner yet, but I have doing a bunch of research. One piece of advise that I see repeated over and over is find a dealer that has different models and try them out to get a better feel for the one that will work best for your style of fishing. Good luck with what ever you end up getting.
Keep it safe! JDL

[NateD]

Wow!  So many great suggestions!  Thank you!  I appreciate it!

I've spent the last day and a half at yakangler reading the kayak reviews.  Lots of great information, but when I start reading about all of the extras and all of the modifications that everyone makes, my head spins. Ice fishing seems so much simpler.

You don't need all that stuff, whichever kayak you get, fish with it bare bones first and decide what you think you need.  I have paddle clips, wind socks, trolley hardware, and other various things I thought I needed but after a full season fishing with it, I don't need any of that. Rods/reels, pfd, paddle, tackle, whistle, fish finder, maybe a light, and you are set.  I have an OK Trident 13 btw, great starter yak, but you can probably get away with one a little shorter, I fish salt water so I needed some length.

[straightShot]

You don't need all that stuff, whichever kayak you get, fish with it bare bones first and decide what you think you need.  I have paddle clips, wind socks, trolley hardware, and other various things I thought I needed but after a full season fishing with it, I don't need any of that. Rods/reels, pfd, paddle, tackle, whistle, fish finder, maybe a light, and you are set.  I have an OK Trident 13 btw, great starter yak, but you can probably get away with one a little shorter, I fish salt water so I needed some length.

This is good advice.  I'm trying to figure out whether I should get a sit inside or sit-on-top style of kayak, but it looks like the sit-on-top is sturdier for fishing.  Not sure if I want to go all the way up to the nice pedal kayaks to start.  I think that I'll start with one that I can paddle, drop an anchor, store my gear, can mount a fish finder, and doesn't weigh 200 lbs.  Not sure if I need a rudder or not.   I'll also need to get a PFD, paddles, maybe a little two-wheeled cart, and I wonder how wet I'll get early in the season when the water is still cold...
 

[Knife2sharp]

If you get a pedal kayak you won't need a rudder.  If you get a standard SOT kayak you'll want to see if a rudder can be installed on it.  I wouldn't recommend a sit inside kayak unless you go with a canoe/kayak hybrid.  The SOTs have more stability, they're easier to fish from and you can store and mount things that are reachable.  They tend to have a much higher weight rating as well.

[Spider1]

knife2sharp, I neverwas in a pedal kayak or even seen one except in videos. Every one I saw had a rudder. I always thought that the pedals just made you go and you needed a rudder to turn?

Straightshot, the sit on top kayaks make a better fishing platform but the sit in types will work for you too. they both have pros and cons. Personally I wouldn't get a sit in for fishing though. I would also have them put on a bow to stern anchor trolly right out of the box. Get a 3# anchor and set it up the right way and get a good milk crate.

Figure out how you want to hold yer fish after you catch them. I use a stringer in fresh water in the early season but later when the water gets too warm I use a soft sided cooler that I got for $10. I dump a bag of ice in it and store it behind my seat.

I keep a waterproof box attached to the inside of one of my hatches to store my wallet and keys and I have a waterproof case for my phone.

In my crate I have a couple boxes of lures, try not to go crazy here, just bring what you want to use. I have a waterproof container with my rubber baits and a waterproof container with bandaids, sunscreen, bug spray and antacid. got some other junk in there too. But the most important thing is I have it set up with a top that I can lock down and everything is secured with bungees.

Rule #1 - rig to flip, dress to swim.

cuz it will happen sooner or later. the worst thing is flippin your kayak and then gettin back in only to find that all your gear is 20 ft below you.

a real simple safeguard is to get a fat pool noodle. Cut about 6" off of it. Take a cheap plastic fish stringer and feed the point through the hole in the chunk of noodle and then stab it back into the noodle. Attach a small carabiner clip to the ring on the other end. You'll have a smaalll float that can easily handle a bass pole. You can attach this float to your poles, pliers or whatever so if they fall over board you can get them back. I usually cut the string shorter and attach it to the carabiner so it isn't too long and getting in the way.

[kb]

Most shops will allow you to try them out.  They have demos to use.  It's really a personal thing.

I had an ocean kayak Scrambler ft that was very stable, but paddled like a brick. Then prowler 15 that was way faster and great on the salt and larger bodies of water, but too big for smaller ponds and creeks.

I settled on a Hobie revo 13.  Bought it used.  I never looked back. 

If I didn't fish saltwater, I probably would have stuck with a paddled yak.  I needed something to handle wind, current, and lots of waves.

Good luck and have fun with your choice.

[Knife2sharp]

I admit, I've never tested a pedal kayak, but since you use your feet to propel the flippers, how would you use a rudder, which is also foot driven?  I would think you use the flippers to adjust your drift, or use the paddle. 

[Spider1]

the rudder is controled buy a hand lever on the left side of the cockpit.

[bearnoob]

I bought a low end kayak mostly because I'm cheap (got a 9ft sit in because under 10ft does not need to be licensed here and got it sub $100 out of pocket after Cabela's bucks) but have not regretted it. After that, I spent about $100 on an anchor system, rod holders, and the other necessaries. It has been great and it is light enough (around 50lbs) that I can carry it fully loaded on one shoulder from the car to the access (once had to go 1/2 mile like that).

I subscribed to paddling.com newsletter. Sometimes they talk about fishing kayaks but not often.

Flukemaster on YouTube does a lot of kayak fishing advice/videos.