Tell us about your kayak

[RichF]

On 1/16/2020 at 9:59 PM, Bird said:

I love most everything about kayak fishing, the solitude, simplicity and efficiency of just throwing it in the truck and going. My boat actually has a motor pod.....Jonnyboats Bass 100 made by FeelFree.

 

My only gripe:

I lost the casting accuracy I had on the big standing platform of my Nitro but firmly sticking with the kayak.

How's the stability of that little sucker?  Can you stand and fish fairly easily?

[Bird]

11 hours ago, RichF said:

How's the stability of that little sucker?  Can you stand and fish fairly easily?

You can stand but wouldn't consider it " fairly easy " .

They do however make a standup bar for it .

[RichF]

3 hours ago, Bird said:

You can stand but wouldn't consider it " fairly easy " .

They do however make a standup bar for it .

Thanks for the response.  Idk if this yak deal is for me.  I'm a standup, casting machine when I fish.  Even the "very stable" kayaks would make me nervous. 

[Smalls]

2 hours ago, RichF said:

Thanks for the response.  Idk if this yak deal is for me.  I'm a standup, casting machine when I fish.  Even the "very stable" kayaks would make me nervous. 

Maybe take a look at the Bluesky angler 360? If you fall off one of those, you're just a klutz. 

[RichF]

20 minutes ago, Smalls said:

Maybe take a look at the Bluesky angler 360? If you fall off one of those, you're just a klutz. 

Eh, I wouldn't have to room to store that thing.  I'll probably just get a Big Fish 105 and actually wear my PFD, haha.

[Smalls]

45 minutes ago, RichF said:

Eh, I wouldn't have to room to store that thing.  I'll probably just get a Big Fish 105 and actually wear my PFD, haha.

You're not going to have any issues standing on a BF. I've never once thought I was going to fall off or tip, and I've had it in some rough water. 

[HookInMouth]

I'll have to upload some photos but I added that one Bonafide SS127 in true grit sand a little while back for the wife and I fell in love with it. She didn't love the color so she went an bought an SS127 in venom. So now we have two Voodoo and two SS127 (with two Vibe Yellowfin 100's on the way too that have been on order forever).

 

Took the SS127 out last weekend. Not a full be all end all review but initial impressions:

 

1. This thing is set up to fish. Everything is there and it's exactly where it should be. 

2. This is a lot more comfortable than the Voodoo. The seat isn't as useful (and doesn't look as durable), but it's more comfortable. 

3. It's not as stable as the Voodoo but it's pretty close.

4. Not quite as fast as the Voodoo but again, it's pretty close.

5. Turns better than the Voodoo. 

[Westcoast]

I just upgraded my pelican catch 120 to a riot mako 12 with pedal drive. I love it. It’s quick to pedal it across distances, where as the pelican was a slug to paddle. It super stable, standing and casting is not a problem at all. It’s actu a few pounds lighter than the pelican which helps packing it on the top of my Jeep Cherokee. It was about twice the price but so far it worth it. I also have a helix 5 finder on the way too. Can’t wait to get this all rigged up. 

[Ogandrews]

You guys blow my setup out of the water. 3 years ago I bought a used 12ft sit in field and stream kayak for $150. It’s got 2 rod holders so technically it’s a fishing kayak. With it being longer and wide it quite stable to fish out of. I have a bracket I mounted into the rod holders that I attach a 55lbs thrust minkota on and have a big deep cycle battery behind my seat. Thing flies with the 55, on a calm day I’ll get it around 10mph. I can fish for 12 hours and it still has batteries. I’ve got 2 rod holders on top of the bracket, and I have a garmin striker 5 that sits in my lap with the ducer drilled into the side of the yak with some silicone around it to keep it from leaking. It’s not pretty, but it’s comfortable to fish out of and I’ve caught some amazing fish out of it including the 44.5” northern in my profile picture. Doubt I’m going to upgrade any time soon. I’ll drag this thing with all my gear in it down gravel roads and through anything to get to my launch and not feel bad about it. Beat the crap out of this thing on rocks, tying up to concrete walls on dams, wedged it on top of ice shelf’s while river fishing in the winter, throw it in the bed of my truck, and the bottom still isn’t noticeably scratched up. Best 150 I’ve ever spent. This pic gives somewhat of an idea of the setup.

[Bankc]

I just bought a Lifetime Yukon to get off the bank.  I wanted something small and light enough to be able to fit on the roof of my tiny car, plus stable enough to stand in.  I'm really liking it a lot, at only 75lbs and 11.6 feet long.  It's well made, tracks really well (when I don't have the fish finder boom lowered), and pretty stable.  The only time it feels unstable is when I'm standing and try to turn around to face the rear.  It's secondary stability is great, but the primary stability is a very narrow zone.  My only serious complaint is a lack of cup holders.  The seat is great!
 

I have a Lowrance Hook2 5 Tripleshot hooked up to it.  It's easy enough to use, though it's hard to get the sensitivity right in these muddy, central Oklahoma lakes. It's either too sensitive where I'm picking up junk everywhere, or not sensitive enough to pick up fish. I'm betting that would be the case with any fish finder though.  These lakes usually run from about 6" to 1' of visibility this time of year.
 

The worst part is the loading and unloading.  It takes about 20 minutes to get it all set up or broken down.  Maybe I'll get quicker at that, but that's the price you pay for towing it on the roof of a coupe.  I turn the kayak cart upside down and strap it to the trunk to make (un)loading by myself easier.  That way I can just lean the front on top of the wheels and roll it up there, pushing from the rear.
 

I've noticed turtles see me as a preditor and move if I get near, but water snakes just see me as a log and pay no mind.  They're neither aggressive nor fearful of me.  I don't know how I feel about that.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Bankc

[GioFromNJ]

i have a 2020 vibe sea ghost 130 in smoke scheme -- i've already done the following mods (had it since middle of march):

 

- Yak Attack HD Anchor Trolley

- DIY Kayak Cart

- Amped Outdoors 60AH Lithium Battery and custom battery box

- 55# Minnkota Endura MAX trolling motor

- Yak Gadget stern mount with braces

- Yak Gadget steering mount

- upgraded pedal/steering lines

- custom mounted Minnkota Endura MAX head unit in left rod holder for easy access/throttle while seated

- RAM x-grip phone mount

- RAM Go-Pro long arm mount

- Flambeau Crate with (4) rod holders

- (2) Yak Attack Omega rod holders

- Yak Attack track mounted paddle holder

 

[YakingBass]

In January bought a Sea Eagle FX, with the small watersnake trolling motor.  Bought an inflatable for storage space, price, transportation and it looked so easy to rig and get in the water.  I was wrong, I was spending an hour and a half getting in the water, and after being in the water for the day, having to break it all down.  Not a horrible rig, but I wanted something that I could get on the water more quickly.  

 

Two weeks ago I went ahead and spent some money.  Bought the Jackson Big Rig FD HD, added the edrive and the micro power pole and a trailer.  I can rig on my trailer (not the electronics, last thing I get out of the truck to add).  

 

It is truly a "Big Rig", but perfect for me.  I am a big guy and 62 years old with bad knees, but I can stand and cast frogs into the back pads, which I would have never been able to do in the inflatable.  Happy Camper.  

[ApacheGuns515]

I have a Feelfree Lure 11.5. 

 

Pro's:

-Extremely comfortable seat that I've dozed off in on more than one occasion when the bite was off. 

-Very stable, you will fall out of this yak before you will flip it over even if you have never been in a yak before. I was able to confidently stand up in this thing 30 mins after first getting it on the water having never been in a kayak before. 

Nice layout with the removable sonar pod that is perfect for my fish finder as well as built in rod holders.

-Has a wheel in the keel which is helpful for some to transport but the yak doesn't balance well on it for me so I've found myself tipping it over more often than not. 

-Rugged design, it's built like a tank. 

 

 

Con's:

-Heavy, that seat is nice but it has some weight too it but it's easily removable if necessary for transport. 

-Due to the width it's not the most pleasant craft to paddle. My buddy in his sea kayak was able to literally paddle backwards and shout mocking words of encouragement at me faster than I could paddle at full speed going forward. But he ended up taking a dip in the drink later that day after turning around too fast to retrieve something from the back of his yak which is something I don't think I could do unless I specifically tried. So a pro and a con. 

-In regards to the above, it's a pond/lake kayak that you can get away with on some rivers if the current isn't too bad. Last year I made the mistake of going on an unfamiliar river and I crossed a bend in the river "of no return" and I was pretty screwed. With every once of energy paddling at full strength for 45 mins straight I wasn't able to get more than about 10 feet. So I ended up having to get out and drag this heavy thing up a heavily wooded steep bank and then drag it miles back to my truck. Meanwhile recreational kayaks were able to paddle right on by me upriver without issue. 

-No factory rudder came with mine but I added the rudder kit which made a HUGE difference in tracking. 

 

I know it seems like there are more cons than pro's but it's a great craft for what it's designed to do. As with anything as long as it's kept within the limitations of the design it does quite well. I wanted stability over maneuverability at first but if I could go back in time I would have met somewhere closer to the middle. 

 

If you only fish lakes and ponds and calm bays then it's almost perfect. If you like rivers then I would highly recommend you have somebody waiting to pick you up at the next boat launch downriver because even if you can paddle back upriver if you weren't someone who uses profanity before you certainly will be after about 20 strokes lol.