What is the best kind of kayak for fishing? Sit on top? Sit inside?

What is the best kind of gear/attachment for fishing, something you wouldn't go with out?

River, lake, bay, ocean?

Rivers and Lakes

Jackson Coosa

Fished out this kayak a few times on the Devils and Guadalupe. Really like it.

http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/kayak/coosa/

Where will you be fishing and what's your size? Do you want to be able to stand up cast, get in shallow water, etc.? I am 6'2" 245lbs and have a Jackson big rig. I can comfortably stand up cast and get in shallow water however it's not fast paddling on open water. Check out the Texas Kayak Fisherman (TKF) group on Facebook for more info. There's a lot of yaks on the used market as it seems folks like to flip boats often so look there as well.

Thanks, Ill check it out

Are you around central texas?

Yeah, south of Austin area

Hey, I'm looking to sell my Wilderness Systems Ride 135 if your interested. It's super stable and is great to fish out of. It's setup with a rudder, ram mount rod holders, anchor trolley, and more. Email me at my handle @ gmail if your interested.

Oh - I'm in Round Rock.

Hobie Outback or GTFO

javajaws said:

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Hey, I'm looking to sell my Wilderness Systems Ride 135 if your interested. It's super stable and is great to fish out of. It's setup with a rudder, ram mount rod holders, anchor trolley, and more. Email me at my handle @ gmail if your interested.

Oh - I'm in Round Rock.

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I've fished in a buddy's Wilderness Systems kayak (think it was a Tarpon). It's a nice fishing rig IMO.

These are my favorite yaks at a few price points, I wish I had more time in Jackson kayaks. They all look really nice but I can't recommend either way due to no hands on experience. As you can see I'm pretty partial to Wilderness Systems but at the end of the day I think they make some damn good kayaks.

I wanted to like FeelFree, but in my opinion the Moken is outdone by the Tarpon and I think the Lure is beat out by the Radar or Ride.

You aren't losing quality of construction usually by going with a cheaper yak as long as it isn't something like a pelican or sun dolphin but you'll have way less extra features than the more expensive yaks.

If you want a pedal yak, I think the Old Town PDL is my favorite out right now but is a pretty penny at 2799.99. While Hobie is/was the industry standard I just don't like them. Their drive system takes more effort imo and the Pro Angler is massive. I don't mind the Outback by Hobie, its pretty nice but I think the Old Town PDL is better.

Budget option
Pescador 12-should be 399.99 until Weds if I have academy's sale rotation right
Pescador Pro-704 until weds as well I believe

Mid level
Tarpon 120 $939.99-Good balanced yak, pretty quick but stable enough you shouldn't end up in the water
Ride 135 $1049-This is with the low seat instead of the frame seat, so prefer the frame seat but I really like the low seat instead. Its also a pretty standable yak
Diablo Amigo-999.99 plus seat, I had really wanted one of these until I tried one. Really slow but super stable. Great flyfishing rig if you're into that
Viking Profish Reload-1299.99 similar yak to the tarpon but more features, I like the feel of the tarpon on the water better though

High end
Radar 135 1499.99 This is my favorite yak on the market right now, will be my next yak unless something else comes out between now and then. Big and stable but still pretty quick, I like it way better than the other comparable yaks I've been in. Namely the Lure 13.5, Atak 140, The Radar also has the option for a pedal system, but I actually like it better without.
Tarpon 130x 1469.99 faster than the Radar and ride but slowly than the base tarpon, more stable than the base tarpon but not a good standing platform

Also go used, unless you're wanting to blow money.

Both my yaks ,Pescador 12 and Tarpon 120, were bought used and at about 80% and 50% respectively of new price. Lots of people buy yaks and then either don't use them or get a bass boat instead and sell the yak after it sits in the garage.

ETA I would email Javajaws

Don't dismiss a good sit inside boat for inland lakes and streams. I use my old OldTown Loon 100 more than either of my sit on kayaks in small waters. It is lighter, faster, and has better secondary stability.

jackson cuda 14

MouthBQ98 said:

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Don't dismiss a good sit inside boat for inland lakes and streams. I use my old OldTown Loon 100 more than either of my sit on kayaks in small waters. It is lighter, faster, and has better secondary stability.

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This x 1,000,000! I have had a Pescador 120 since 2014, and took it on the Pecos last year and both scuppers under the seat broke and cratered, allowing my boat to fill up with water every few hundred yards. 2 more guys in our group on that trip had Tarpon 120's and their scuppers broke in the exact same two spots as mine did. Then Perception Sport gave me so much hell on the warranty of my hull that I vowed to never give then another dollar of mine ever again.

Did 29 miles of the Devil's River from Baker's Crossing to the bathtub this past weekend in a brand new Old Town Vapor 10 Angler and loved it compared to my S.O.T., you can steer the Vapor so much better than the Pescador in a river that it's not even a contest. I would still fish out of my Pescador in a lake or bay though.

Vibe Sea Ghost

I fish the Jackson Cuda 12 and love it.

Before I bought the Cuda, I bummed an Ocean Prowler 13 from my fishing buddy. It was a great boat too if you don't care to stand (which I rarely do).

Prefer sit IN far more than sot !

Diablo Amigo and trolling motor

He said best, not best value. Why has the Hobie PA14 not been mentioned. It is the best hands-down, just not a great cost-effective solution. I would never do a Sit-in for fishing. Must have rod holders and a crate is great for tackle storage

If you take into account the rivers more than the lakes, the Outback would be my secondary solution

Hobie was mentioned earlier in the thread.

However, in central Texas I'm not certain it is hands down the best. They are great yaks for sure, but the weight, and depth constraints would certainly limit some areas that other kayaks can reach.

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He said best, not best value. Why has the Hobie PA14 not been mentioned. It is the best hands-down, just not a great cost-effective solution.

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I think that's debatable. That is a BIG boat that works well on big water but not sure it's the "best" all around. I went to buy one a few months ago and wound up with an Old Town Predator. Again, not the lowest priced option but it seemed to fit my needs better than the Hobie PA.

reddog90 said:

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jackson cuda 14

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My son has the cuda 12. Its a nice yak, but not nearly as stable as say my Ride 135. He even flipped once just screwing around not standing in it. I couldn't get my 135 to flip even if I tried.

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I wanted to like FeelFree, but in my opinion the Moken is outdone by the Tarpon and I think the Lure is beat out by the Radar or Ride

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Not sure about the Moken, but no way on the Ride! Unless they've redesigned that cambered hull. The Feel Free seat is superior, the flat padded hull is better for standing. The molded handles are nicer. The adjustable foot pedals are better designed and the hatches are some of the best there are. The wheel in the keel is handy too. The Lure is legit, just ask me.

96ags said:

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Hobie was mentioned earlier in the thread.

However, in central Texas I'm not certain it is hands down the best. They are great yaks for sure, but the weight, and depth constraints would certainly limit some areas that other kayaks can reach.

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what depth constraints? You can always pull up the mirage drive and use your paddle when you are in a hobie.

shiftyandquick said:

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96ags said:

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Hobie was mentioned earlier in the thread.

However, in central Texas I'm not certain it is hands down the best. They are great yaks for sure, but the weight, and depth constraints would certainly limit some areas that other kayaks can reach.

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what depth constraints? You can always pull up the mirage drive and use your paddle when you are in a hobie.

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Yes, you can do that. Little inconvenient to be going back and forth between the drive and the paddle, but you can certainly do that.

I love my hobie outback but because I haven't caught a single fish yet, I'm gonna blame the hobie and say it's terrible for fishing

There's at least four or five kayaks on the market I would buy before I got down my list to the PA 14.

It's huge, it's heavy and it's not for me. Like I already said, I don't like the Hobie drive. And the PA really just seems big for the sake of being big.

It is stable and I'm sure a good fishing platform but not for me.

I agree that the PA is too damn big and heavy. I do, however, love the Outback.

raidernarizona said:

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I wanted to like FeelFree, but in my opinion the Moken is outdone by the Tarpon and I think the Lure is beat out by the Radar or Ride

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Not sure about the Moken, but no way on the Ride! Unless they've redesigned that cambered hull. The Feel Free seat is superior, the flat padded hull is better for standing. The molded handles are nicer. The adjustable foot pedals are better designed and the hatches are some of the best there are. The wheel in the keel is handy too. The Lure is legit, just ask me.

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Yeah the lure has a bunch of creature comforts but it paddled worse than the ride and radar. I can stand equally in all three.

The seat is really comfortable but I prefer non frame seats, being down in the yak is more comfortable to me.

They're nice, just not for me.

The tandem outback is really fun, you can get that thing hauling.

CharlieBrown17 said:

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There's at least four or five kayaks on the market I would buy before I got down my list to the PA 14.

It's huge, it's heavy and it's not for me. Like I already said, I don't like the Hobie drive. And the PA really just seems big for the sake of being big.

It is stable and I'm sure a good fishing platform but not for me.

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Do you find the circular motion of the pedals on the Old Town, Radar, Natives, etc. to be easier to use than the back and forth motion of the Hobies?