Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Kayaks, Canoes, and small boat fishing rigs...

am in the market for a fishing kayak. have mostly decided to go that route over the small pontoon & canoes, but am still considering all options.

i fish mostly small lakes and larger ponds, no long distance paddling, no rapids or fast waters.

a few yaks i've sat in lately that looked to be of promise were the Old Town Predator 13, the Ocean Kayak Big Game II, and going down to a local shop next week look over a couple of options by Jackson Kayak.

love to see pix if ya got 'em, ideas on rigging, etc, how well you like the boat, or downsides if you went that route and didnt like the results...

thanks!

We bought one of these and really like it. Stable enough and floor is stiff enough to use as a stand up paddle board, so you can stand and cast.

http://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable_fishing_kayaks.asp

I've owned and liked both tubes and 'toons but never liked having my feet cold and/or wet all day. I also never trusted the combination of hooks and "balloons" if you know what I mean.

My kayak is a Hobie Pro Angler, which is a lot more than many or even most anglers need - or can afford.

Look through the online edition of Kayak Angler magazine for their kayak reviews. Good stuff HERE.

For decades 75% of my fishing with a boat was on ponds, small lakes and non whitewater streams with a canoe. Some of my friends had sit-on kayaks and I tried them out but 7 years ago I purchased a 11' America Angler made by Islander (on a Perception mold).

I like the sit-in style for my purposes. It is lighter than most of the sit-on kayaks and offers better weather protection with a spray skirt. In addition I float streams duck hunting and I feel more secure in a sit-in when the gun goes off.

My kayak weighs 52 pounds and with the use of a yoke I can carry the kayak, a pack and breakdown fishing rods into remote lakes and streams.





An upgrade and a little longer than mine is the Perception Patriot Angler 120.

http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/perceptionkayaks.php

I like my canoe for fishing (sets you a little higher off the water for casting) but here's a pic anyway.

Old Town 119Discovery,,,, 46#

I went paddling for a week in Adirondacks in May, I am a novice but at age 58 I may have found a new hobby! I rented a 12 foot Spitfire made by Placid Boatworks, it was a lot of fun but I would not be able to afford one. I need the lightweight features of a Kevlar boat, but can't do $3200.

I think a lot of guys use the Wilderness boats for fishing, as stated above the Hobies are great but quite expensive too.

Good luck with your search!

I used to fish from a rigid version of the Fol-bot back in the 70s. I built it as a kit for under $200. Used it for 7 years. IMO kayaks are the ultimate steath boat for fishing small waters quietly.

I like this idea, a stable platform so you can stand:

http://freedomhawkkayaks.com/freedom_12.php

The Wilderness kayaks are popular here. I have the Tarpon in a 12' version my wife the 10' model. They push the "Ride" as the best fishing platform but it was a lot heavier. It is also more stable, you're supposed to be able to stand in them to fish.

The Tarpon is lighter, and much easier to carry from the truck to water with only one person.

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/kayaks

Street prices are much better than listed on the website. I paid $750ish for my 12' and my wife about $600 for the 10'.

Sub'd. I am also looking for something to fish the small lakes and ponds around my house

Was looking at a kayak at Bass Pro the other night.

Much wider and flatter than my Old Towne 119 and I really wish I had bought it rather than the canoe.

100 bucks less too!


I have only had the canoe out once and I can see some seating mods are in order big time. Only hope they work.

That seat's a joke.
I put cane seats in mine.
Big improvement. Sets level and about 1.5" higher.

I've got a Native Slayer 12' its a fishing machine.

Its all about the seat. Better the seat the more time you can focus on fishing. Get you some good river shoes, you will get wet.





My son has a Field & Stream Eagle Talon 12.5'.

Its faster than my Native, sets a little lower in the water. Seat needs up-grading. Can't stand up in it, at least I can't.

Good boat for the money.

I fish a Malibu Stealth 12; very stable and love the compartment right between your legs that will hold 3 Plano 3700 boxes with room to spare. Spend as much as you can afford on the seat. I also added a Airhawk cushion, not cheap but I have spent up to seven hours on the water. Don't skimp on the paddle; I like the Werner Camano. Stake out stik and anchor trolley are good investments.

Have looked at a couple so far, seats were comfortable, and i liked the layout. seat was especially comfortable on the first one, and it came more rigged from the factory, but was a few hundred bucks higher...contenders:

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

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/kayaks/predator_13/


going down later this week to sit in one of these...it is a bit larger boat, gonna see how comfortable it is.

http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/angler_kayaks/prowler_big_game_II/

Field Grade.

The additional height is one thing I was going for.

Sitting WAY TOO low in the factory seat for an old fat guy.

The Yak I was looking at at Bass Pro looked like it would be VERY STABLE and would track in the water better.

As soon as I get the seat modified I will be back in the water for a test.

I may look into going forward several inches also.

Wish I had a 2 foot deep swimming pool to test it.

The very most comfortable way to fish that I've ever tried is a float tube.

Coincidentally, there's a discussion on another board about the Predator 13. After using one for a while this summer, the owner (also new to kayak fishing) is absolutely delighted with it. It's stable, comfortable, and easy to fish standing up, he reports. With a great seat.

I have three. An Old Town Square Back canoe with a 2.5 Susie and outriggers, trolling motor depth finder and whatnot. But since 99% of my fishing is alone, I found myself taking my F&S Eagle Talon kayak. But I wanted a kayak that could get me there more quickly with less effort (when the thunderstorm is coming and the dock is a mile away) and give me hands free fishing. That left two choices. The Hobie drive and the Native Watercraft Propel system. The Hobie has the edge in two areas. It's a bit more efficient, and you can flatten the flippers against the hull for shallow water, though they can still be damaged on rocks, but weeds will mostly slide under the apparatus. The Propel system allows for reverse which can be a real game changer in the fishing game, and is as fast as the Hobie, but the propeller can be damaged if it strikes an underwater object you didn't see. As for shallow water/weeds, it can become tangled and have to be cleared. The good news is, it takes about 5 seconds to unlatch and raise the drive system when you see shallow stuff coming.

I went with the Native Watercraft Slayer 13 Propel.

https://www.austinkayak.com/products/13591/Native-Watercraft-Slayer-13-Propel-Kayak.html

I like the reverse. It's heavy and solid. I don't fish much weedy water and that which I encounter, is normally along shorelines where one stands off and fishes the weeds with a bait...and not the boat.

Both the Hobie and the NW are expensive boats! But Kayak fishing with the NW is a whole new ball game. It's not as fast or effortless as the motorized canoe, but sitting inches above the water and sneaking into little back waters where no one can go with their fishing boats open up a lot of fishing area and places to view wildlife that make the experience a lot more interesting. I've had beaver, muskrat, raccoon, otter, mink, deer and any number of snakes, turtles and birds just literally 10 feet away and relatively unconcerned by my presence if I don't move and just drift. It's like being in a tree stand. For some reason they don't seem concerned.

Very true, Dan. Even when I'm pedaling, if I don't wave my arms, animals just seem to look at me quizzically. I have literally bumped into carp with my Hobie before they reacted - but then it's like a depth charge, LOL!

I was timely with my Hobie. I was able to buy a demo model just before the next year's models came out. I not only got 20% off, but the new models went up $500 to boot! Not a bad return for a few scratches.

i picked up a new boat about a month ago...i also got the Predator 13.

Seat is quite comfortable, and the boat handles well. Still havent finished adding all the assorted rod holders, rigging, etc, but i've already had it out.

Place we hunt quite a bit is a creekbottom pecan orchard, and it has flooded several times this year...timing was good, after i had the boat a week, the water came back up, so i loaded up and went & caught a few fish.

i have a spare 4-wheeler trailer i was going to make into a kayak trailer...didnt have time for that, so i just stuck in the back of a truck and hauled it on down.

I didnt try standing up in it yet; wanted to get used to the balance a bit more, but so far i'm liking it quite a lot. Spent about 6 hours on the water on the maiden voyage, caught a lot of fish, and enjoyed the hell out of the day...