thinking about buying a kayak

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lovedr79

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i am thinking about buying a kayak for fishing due to the fact that i have been without a boat for over a year now. i am not sure what to even look for..... other than i know i cant afford a hobie. i am looking in the low price range as i am not sure i will even like this manual paddling mess....... if you have or have had a kayak what did you like, wish you had on it and dislikes?

Thanks!
 
If it's for fishing, I find a sit on top is going to fish better. And as light as possible. Unfortunately those two criteria together make for a usually expensive kayak.
 
I don't fish from one, but I do yak very often. The cheap part is what will require patience. Going to need to find a deal on a used setup.

A used Tracker and outboard would be cheaper than what I've seen. Not to mention needing a boat ramp depending on how much the thing weighs. My girlfriend's 10 foot Ascend is hardly a fishing yak, but it is a nice, comfortable, quality sit on kayak and it alone is 40lbs. Just some things to think about.

Old Town is a quality kayak mfg. comparable to Hobie. Look on Craigslist and you might find some deals.
 
If the seller will let you, go for a paddle test before shaking hands.

Some of them track straighter than others. I personally like Necky.
 
Get some experience in different kayaks if at all possible. I did what you are talking about doing when I was young with a canoe and had a hard time getting used to it enough to fish out of it. I was 15 or 16 and bought a 12' canoe from Sears for $200 thinking it would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong. It is very unstable compared to other canoes I have been in since. I had to take out the seats in it because you could not sit in them without turning it over. Over the years I have gotten very good at keeping the right side up but you have to respect it. I can fish out of it with no problem now, even for very large catfish(50+ pounds).
 
Bateman said:
I don't fish from one, but I do yak very often. The cheap part is what will require patience. Going to need to find a deal on a used setup.

A used Tracker and outboard would be cheaper than what I've seen. Not to mention needing a boat ramp depending on how much the thing weighs. My girlfriend's 10 foot Ascend is hardly a fishing yak, but it is a nice, comfortable, quality sit on kayak and it alone is 40lbs. Just some things to think about.

Old Town is a quality kayak mfg. comparable to Hobie. Look on Craigslist and you might find some deals.


yeah, when i bought the tracker i had i looked at the Hobie's, then i saw the price....... so i bought the tracker instead. the shenandoah close to where i live now is not conducive to power boats. further north you can run an outboard.
 
I can understand that. I love my boat, but I got wayyyyyyy more miles in my kayak. It's been used in white water, flat water, the big river, summer and winter, at the beach and sometimes has a dog on it. I couldn't trade my little walmart yak (gift for rebuilding my bud's jet ski engine) for anything. Me and my friends pretty much go weekly. I don't think you will go wrong. Just try to get as much hands on as you can so that you come out with what you want on the other side.
 
Fishing yaks - My opinion, definitely a Sit On Top (SOT) type.

If fishing protected waters, I'd get a 10' minimum. I just bought a Pelican Strike SOT for $200, 1/2-price, and the former owner has it all rigged for fishing. It is reasonably lightweight (< 60-pounds) and car tops easily.

Rigging - Skies the limit, but online searches will help you!
 
I run a 12’ tarpon 120 that I rigged for fishing. If I had to do it over I would probably get a 10’ to save some weight.

My .02
 
I want a 10'. Will be used in rivers and lakes. I have been reading reviews, asking people who yak fish what they do and dont like. Been reading up on yak fishing. Will probably end up waiting til end of summer to buy one, unless I find a deal on craigslist or Facebook marketplace
 
lovedr79, I have had three fishing kayaks. I started out with an Ocean Kayak Trident sit-on-top. It was a good kayak for teaching stability skills, it was fairly easy to handle, and it tracked and glided very nicely. I then went to a Santa Cruz Raptor SOT. This was a very stable fishing platform and an unusual design out of California. It was however, pretty bulky to manhandle. My last yak was a Hobie Outback. I had high hopes for this boat because of the Mirage Drive and the superior seat. I have had two lower back surgeries and a truly comfortable and supportive seat had become a critical factor. It was not to be, because that Hobie was just so bloody heavy, especially when you put a little gear on it/in it.
I am yakless right now, but if I get another, I am looking hard at the new Pelican Catch 100, a 10-foot boat with lots of stability and a very good seating system. It is relatively lightweight, and retails for $650. Good luck. It is just a hoot to catch fish from these little boats.
And by the way, if you need a bed extender for your truck to handle your kayak, this one works great.

https://www.austinkayak.com/products/15163/Boonedox-T-Bone-Bed-Extender.html
 
I have a nucanoe frontier and an original nucanoe both are great overall and very versatile, I probably don't use them as much as I should. When I went to a jet on my boat that reduced the usage a lot cause places that use to be impossible on rivers to get to with a prop, and could only get to if I had a whole day to make a float trip in the yak, I now can get to in minutes for quick evening fishing outings, or a quick morning. With that said I still love they yaks for some small rivers/streams that really aren't feasible in the boat even with the jet, and for lakes with electric motor restriction, no wake lakes. My only complaint on the nucanoe any of them is the weight. They aren't super heavy, but with a good seat in it, fishing gear cooler, it gets heavy. But same can be said for any craft really. I think bare hull the frontier is around 65lbs it's not horrible, it's super stable, I can throw my cast net out of it easily, paddles well, can be set up for two easily or one person, has enough room for over night float trips, can handle a little motor I have an old johnson 2hp for it and transom motor bracket I made zips along with the motor. The down sides to the nucanoes price, kind of heavy, and it paddles well but not as fast as a smaller narrower yak. But a smaller narrower craft wouldn't be as stable.

I couldn't bring myself to pay the price for one new I bought both of mine used and got good deals on them. If the nucanoe appeals to you get on the nucanoe forum and keeps yours eyes peeled on the buy/sell/trade section on there. That catch 100 looks like a great little yak for the money I have to admit. If I buy another paddle craft it won't be another yak it would be a higher end light weight canoe in the 13-14ft range that I could paddle solo like a yak. But the real light canoes aren't cheap, and I'm a cheap arse, so don't know that I will have one anytime soon.
 
I think you would be happy with either of these

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/magellan-outdoors-origin-12-ft-sit-on-top-angler-kayak#repChildCatid=5098525

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/magellan-outdoors-origin-10-ft-sit-on-top-angler-kayak#repChildCatid=5098527

I have a 6 year old Perception Pescador 120. It's exactly the same as the new magellan. Not sure why they rebadged it. Great all around kayak and can handle abuse. And you can't beat the price to quality on it. The 12 footer has an oval front hatch that lets you store full size rods in.
My son has a wilderness tarpon 10, seems like it sits a little high. His friend has a perception 10 (the now magellan style) and it's a great simple kayak.
FYI the older perception/new magellan are old wildernes system hulls.

I'm in the red kayak
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mTOwUKnveRw
 
I've owned five of them. Loved them all. SOT for fishing.

Wide and slow for stability. Long and skinny for speed.

Watch your weight ratings.
300 lb yak is good for 200 lbs, but not for 250 lbs, IMHO.

Used yaks come with paddles; rod holders; anchor trolleys, etc. New ones need all of those things.

How you are going to transport it and store it will often determine weight, length, etc.

Have fun. Kayak fishing is a blast. Nothing like a sleigh ride from a big fish.
rich
 
thanks. i am leaning towards a used one at the end of the summer that is rigged somewhat and half the price. i did get to play on a paddle board. this week. i dont see how pepole fish off of them. my 7 year old daughter took right off on it thjough
 
you won't regret having one worth while, the pescador 12 kayak is a good one for the money. I about bought one before finding my nucanoe used.
 
I catfish the Ohio river from a sea ghost 110. It has a transducer hole and guard built into the bottom. It’s pretty stable, comes with everything you need besides a PFD.
 

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