fishing kayak

[redrockgrizzly]

well my wife wants to get into kayaking and I figured i might as well get one that i can fish and hunt out of. Ill get her a basic one from cabelas or gander mountain. I might as well use this as an excuss to get one for hunting and fishing. anybody have any suggestions on a kayak.

 

[delta_dog]

The best advise I can give anyone getting a kayak for fishing or hunting is get a sit on top. I have a Ride 135 and use it for hunting and fishing and love it. Super stable,very comfortable,camo option, more than enough storage inside and out.

 

[pete41]

if you are going to be fishing still water a hobie is hard to beat.

 

[pwk5017]

I have a canoe, so I cant add a specific model to this discussion, but I agree with the sit on top. Next, ask yourself what water you will be on the most? If you are doing all rivers and streams then get a 9-10' boat. A lot more maneuverable and will suit you well for moving water. If you are doing still water, then I would do a 13'+ for increased tracking and speed. I am not telling you what to do, but last year when I was considering a kayak in addition to my 17' canoe, ****'s had a perception sport sot on sale for like $350-450. This is the same exact boat as the older trident series. The trident 13 is like a $1000 boat so you can see the deal here.

 

[melvinp]

Sit on is the way to go for just the ease of getting in and out of,You will get a little wet at times (Minor Drain holes)its worth it.Ocean angler 13 .

 

[jabink84]

Native Kayaks are worth every penny you spend on them. I have the ultimate angler 12 and love it. here is a link for the dealers in Pa. Dont buy one before you at least look at a native.

http://nativewatercraft.com/us.cfm?state=PA

 

[Architeuthis]

SOT is the way to go. Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks are what I've had my eye on ever since I sold my Tarpon 140 a couple years ago. Thing was a fishing machine. Two rear rod holders. Another on a adjustable ram mount in front. Rudder, anchor trolley, GPS/fishfishder combo, waterproof battery box. Was a great yak for the Ches. Bay and the open ocean, but not so much in tighter spaces due to it being 14'. Got it all for $500. Only complaint was having to paddle. With the mirage drive on a Hobie your hands are free to cast while you peddle.

A good source for fishing kayak info is stripersonline kayak forum. There are a lot of pics and how-to's of various rigging setups.

Good luck!

 

[Lonewolve]

I have tried a bunch of Kayaks, an IMHO Hobie {withe Mirage drive} Native, and Freedom Hawk are really nice Yaks. My first pick would be Hobie. and you can remove the Mirage drive where things get shallow an just paddle.Hobie recently put out a shorter model that will be great on a river.
My buddy got me interested in Kayaks about 4 years ago, there was a place called Kayakfishingstuff.com that had a nice store over in Jersey, they held a event down at a local lake that had every model of the Kayaks they carry for you to try out.I found that i really enjoyed the Hobies the most at the time they had four different models an i tried em all i liked the revolution.
I also tried the native ultimate angler was good .
The other choice is the freedom hawk.You can stand an cast in this model, as for dealing with wakes an chop well theres only so much you can do with a Kayak.
I also know that theres a wavewalker someone mentioned earlier an thats another yak that you can stand up in.
By all means though you will not ever out paddle a Hobie with the mirage being used.
some will say stuff about prices...yes you can get a yak for a few hundred bucks..will it have enough to keep you happy,possibly.
It all depends on what you like and can afford.just tryin to help is all.I do know as was mentioned the longer a kayak the better in open water, the shorter the yak the better on moving water.

 

[Chaz]

I was out on Moosehead Lake last week for an afternoon in an otter and had a great time. It is a sit in, very stable, and light. It' wouldn't do for a fishing kayak, but I mention it because of the ease of getting aound on a large body of water.
I paddled around 2 coves, and across another, in all I believe about 6 or 7 miles, which from my experience is about all you'd do on a pontoon or a float tube, if you can do that. You might do that much in a canoe but they are much harder to control.
The otter was quite short though I don't know the length. I did get some good pics of loons, manuvering to get the shots was jst a paddle stoke.

 

[midnightangler]

+1 on native watercraft. I have the Ultimate Angler 14.5 foot. They are double hulled, which makes them extremely stable if you want to stand and fly-fish. The seats are very comfortable, which is a big plus for my wife.