Favourite Fishing Kayak Brand

[Unknownwaters]

I am considering getting a fishing kayak someday and was wondering what everyone's favourite maker/brand/whatever is. Not exactly sure what kind of kayak I would want, but it would be nice to have some brands to look over to help me figure it out what I am looking for.

[hookedahawg]

I too am looking into a fishing kayak. personally i think im going to go with the Ascender 12 sit on top version. for the price it looks pretty legit. and the reviews seem to back it up. good luck!

[joedoozer]

I have been fishing out of a kayak for a while now. Nothing like catching a big fish in a little boat. My first yak was an 11 foot Ocean Kayak Caper. I needed a small yak I could put on top of a little car. It was fine for small ponds but it was as fast as a paddling a trash can lid if I had to cover water. I upgraded to and Ocean Kayak Prowler 15, which was a 15 foot yak. Much, much faster! I sold my Caper and kept the Prowler.

Here are some tips to buying a yak.

1: Don't worry about stability. You will outgrow a stable kayak in 2 days and want something faster.

2: Always buy a sit on top, forget the sit insides. Sit insides are dangerous. If you flip them, they are swamped and you are not getting back in. A sit on top you can climb in and out of in the water.

3: Read reviews and maybe test paddle some if you can.

4: Try and stick with the bigger name brand models....Ocean Kayak, Native, Malibu, Hobie, Wilderness Systems. They have been building quality products for a long time.

5: Use your yak a lot before you start rigging it up. Remember once you drill a hole in it......it will always have a hole in it .

6: Don't underestimate the power of a rudder. Being able to steer a yak with your feet is fantastic. You can now drift fish and steer your yak. It makes it much easier to paddle tight creeks as well.

I love talking yaks. A rigged up kayak is really fun to fish out of.

If you want to know how stable a sit on top kayak is. I sit sideways on mine when I fish, like sitting on a park bench. Both legs hanging in the water. And I stand up in it and push with a pole to sight fish for Reds at high tide. I have also had it anchored and climbed in and out of it in the water.

[moguy1973]

I have two ocean kayaks. One is a prowler 11t and the other is a trident 11. Pretty much the same boat except the trident came with the nice modular rod pod which you can mount all sorts of stuff on.

It also depends on what you are going to use it for rivers or lakes. For rivers you probably want something that turns well like a Jackson Coosa or a Wilderness Tarpon. For flat water you'll want something that tracks well so you aren't weaving all the way across the lake like a snake. My ocean kayaks are made for flat water but they actually don't do that bad in streams and rivers.

[Gavin]

The Jackson Coosa is the top seller for river fishing kayaks, but I'd lean towards the Wilderness Systems Ride for lake use. If price is an issue...check out the Perception Pescador 12.

[HeavyDluxe]

Not the OP, but I want to chime in here how thankful I am for this thread... I am hoping to purchase my first fishing kayak next spring. I've been picking through the old threads I can find on here for thoughts, but it's great to have another thread to read!

[J Francho]

Seat time, seat time, seat time. You gotta try them to find what works for you.

[joedoozer]

Seat time, seat time, seat time. You gotta try them to find what works for you.

Literally . I always like the Wilderness Tarpon Yaks. And liked the way they handled. I just never found one used I could afford. And when I bought my Prowler 15. It was a left over model from the year before. $385 brand new. I couldn't pass up the deal.....even if it was green.

A good idea is try and find some yak fishers in your area. I know down here in Ga there is a forum for just yak fishers. They have tournaments, and someone always has an extra yak. Talking with those guys, and paddleing a few yaks is a great way to find what works for you.

[joedoozer]

Here is a link to my "ride".

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/25485-show-your-ride/page__st__435#entry1157358

[Unknownwaters]

Thats a nice fishing Kayak joedoozer. I currently fish out of a two man raft with an 8hp nissan motor, but have long been considering a fishing kayak someday. thanks for the info

[Shaky Head]

I got into yak fishing about a year ago. Man what a blast! Catching a fish of any size is a pure thrill. My first yak is a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100, which is a 10' kayak. It is great for ponds, rivers, creeks, and lakes up to about 200 acres. I would agree with some of the other posters on here. Go with a little larger yak if you are going to be fishing anything larger than 200 acres. I put mine in a small stream about a mile from my house all the time. Catching a 1 lb. to 2 lb. spot is the best. Kayak fishing definitely gets in your blood, and you can't get enough. While it is fun when you are alone, it is 10x better to have another yak fisher with you. Good luck and great fishn.

[elhoward622]

I agree with most from above. If possible, go to a kayak dealer on water who will let you test drive some. If you fish mostly open lakes and have to paddle long distances you want a longer boat, 12-14, with a very sharp keel so it tracks strait and true and is fast; ocean kayaks, wilderness sys. tarpon 120-140, jackson cuda. If you fish ponds or small rivers you want a shorter, rounded hull for manueverability; wilderness sys. tarpon 100-120, jackson coosa, wilderness ride series, wilderness commander series. It all depends on the water you use it in and most can do the rest in a pinch. For rivers or ponds, a longer, sharp keeled boat is harder to turn and runs deeper making for a tough day in the river. In lakes, round hull boats get blown around by wind and are slower to paddle. Find a happy medium. To me, the Tarpon 120 is a pretty good General purpose boat along with a Commander 120 which you can stand and fish in all day. I fish out of a Jackson Coosa simply because it has the most comfortable seat, I can go about 8 hours without a stretch in this seat vs. 4 hours in my Tarpon 100, and it has the best layout for minimalist, no rigging fishing.

[elhoward622]

Tackle boxes go under the seat. I carry two rods in the built in holders. Extra stuff in the gear bag attached to the seat. Very spartan so I can just fish and not worry about gear.

I don't like to carry much gear at all so I can just fish and forget about the rest of the stuff. I also try to focus on a technique when I got; pretty much always swimbait.