What Is The Cheapest Option?

[Baseball 'n Bassin]

I am a teenager and as you can probably imagine, I am extremely broke.  

 

I live near lots of body of water that aren't easily accessible to bank fisherman so I want to get some sort of watercraft. What is the cheapest option?

 

Thanks!

[Born 2 fish]

Kayak I got mine on a Black Friday sale for 180 bucks. Or you can keep your eye on marketplace and Craigslist.

[PourMyOwn]

Probably a canoe or Jon boat with oars. 

[MN Fisher]

Kayak or Canoe. I've heavily modified my canoe to be a fishing machine and not including the trailer, it's still under $1000 total including TM, sonar and battery...add the modified trailer in and it's around $1600.

 

[Baseball 'n Bassin]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

Kayak or Canoe. I've heavily modified my canoe to be a fishing machine and not including the trailer, it's still under $1000 total including TM, sonar and battery...add the modified trailer in and it's around $1600.

 

I work in a food truck so it will take me a while to get that much and I have to wait until after the pandemic is over...

[MN Fisher]

8 minutes ago, Baseball 'n Bassin said:

I work in a food truck so it will take me a while to get that much and I have to wait until after the pandemic is over...

Base, good quality, square-stern canoe can be had for under $500...carry in the back of a truck. My first year, it was un-powered and I carried it with a bed extender in the back of my pickup.

 

Start with that and add things as you get the money. It's taken me 3 years to get mine up to where it is...retired on fixed income.

[Throwafrog]

Check craigslist and look for a used kayak. Or the lifetime teton angler is a really good kayak, you can get cheaper but for fishing its a good choice. my brother has one and I almost like it better than my vibe yellowfin which was twice the cost. 

[CountryboyinDC]

How comfortable are you swimming?  And by that, I don't by any means mean not having a PFD while you're in a vessel that you'd fish out of ever.  I mean, almost anything you paddle has the potential to sink or turn over, and I call that swimming even if you're held up by your PFD.  You can get a pretty inexpensive inflatable, down to a $20 raft.  Not the same as a $1,000 kayak, but it'll get you off the bank. Sea Eagle has a lot options for the budget-minded.

[Teal]

Find a 200 kayak...and when you get money upgrade to a nicer yak that is tailored towards anglers.  I know a few people that use cheap recreational kayaks to catch fish.  When there's a will theres a way.

[Dirtyeggroll]

Make a friend with a bass boat.

[Hower08]

35 minutes ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

Make a friend with a bass boat.

Don't do this. I've had plenty of people want to be "buds" just cause I have a boat. They don't get invited to go on the water 

[Smalls]

Keep an eye on Craigslist/marketplace. I was in the same spot a few years ago, just wanted anything to get me off the bank. I happened across a 11' inflatable dinghy for $75 or something, and a trolling motor for $20 in the same day. It worked well for me for a while. 

[Scott F]

Making friends who already have a boat is by far the cheapest and best option, especially if they already know how to fish. Fishing clubs are a good place to meet other fishermen. 

[Teal]

11 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Making friends who already have a boat is by far the cheapest and best option, especially if they already know how to fish. Fishing clubs are a good place to meet other fishermen. 

Just be appreciative to them and make sure to always help them out with fuel....and please allow a friendship that.goes beyond fishing. Dont be a gold digger??

[FishinBuck07]

I started out in a float tube to get of the shore!  It works great for small water, and back bays of larger lakes.  You won't go anywhere fast but it will get ya off land.  

[RoLo]

For years, I fished from a 10-ft jonboat with oars.

Being a cartopper, there were no trailer woes.

 

Roger 

[PourMyOwn]

24 minutes ago, RoLo said:

For years, I fished from a 10-ft jonboat with oars.

Being a cartopper, there were no trailer woes.

 

Roger 

I still have my 10'. Caught my PB in it, too.

[K1500]

I outfitted 3 cheap(er) kayaks plus paddles, pfs’s, and milk crates for under $350 each. 

[wisconsin heat]

I would suggest a cheap kayak, for around $200 you should be able to get a lifetime tamarack which is a fine boat, or as @Throwafrog had mentioned earlier, You could upgrade to the Teton which is a little bit nicer. 

 

If you get a kayak, you'll need to plan and factor in a way to transport it. My roof racks cost almost 3 times as much as my kayak. If you have a pick up then that is easy. If a car, you can get away with use some rachet straps and some rope directly to the roof - just throw down a towel, rubber mat, or pool noodle to minimize movement and prevent the roof from getting all scratched up. Not ideal, but works if you drive really slow and have no other option.

 

Personally I don't want myself in any inflatable on the water while I'm fishing. I feel like it is just a matter of time before a hook finds it's way into the hull and ruins the boat. At that point hopefully you are not far from the boat ramp.

 

Don't give up on finding a vessel to get you on the water, I know sometimes the options can seem daunting, but honestly buying something to get you off of the bank will be the best purchase you will make to increase the amount of fish you catch. It's amazing how much it opens up the amount of fishable areas on any body of water.

[Bankc]

2 hours ago, wisconsin heat said:

I would suggest a cheap kayak, for around $200 you should be able to get a lifetime tamarack which is a fine boat, or as @Throwafrog had mentioned earlier, You could upgrade to the Teton which is a little bit nicer. 

 

If you get a kayak, you'll need to plan and factor in a way to transport it. My roof racks cost almost 3 times as much as my kayak. If you have a pick up then that is easy. If a car, you can get away with use some rachet straps and some rope directly to the roof - just throw down a towel, rubber mat, or pool noodle to minimize movement and prevent the roof from getting all scratched up. Not ideal, but works if you drive really slow and have no other option.

 

Personally I don't want myself in any inflatable on the water while I'm fishing. I feel like it is just a matter of time before a hook finds it's way into the hull and ruins the boat. At that point hopefully you are not far from the boat ramp.

 

Don't give up on finding a vessel to get you on the water, I know sometimes the options can seem daunting, but honestly buying something to get you off of the bank will be the best purchase you will make to increase the amount of fish you catch. It's amazing how much it opens up the amount of fishable areas on any body of water.

I use the pool noodle method on my kayak.  I put some 3/4" PVC tubes through the middle for extra support.  It works really well, actually.  I have no problems driving 75mph on the interstate in the wind with it.  It's just a wise idea to pull over after driving for about 5 minutes to check to make sure nothing has shifted or come loose.  After that, it's good to go the long haul.  Just make sure you don't strap it down too tight, or you'll cave in your roof.  

[schplurg]

Pretty much everything has been suggested already. Do you have a vehicle that can carry a kayak?

 

I think the cheapest is a float tube. No truck needed. You can spend a lot of money on any choice you make, but float tubes are easy to haul and potentially very cheap.

 

Some other inflatable, maybe an inflatable kayak can be cheap, especially used. You're not dangling in the water, and you don't need a truck, trailer or roof rack.

 

Personally I'd wait on the kayak unless you find a great deal, but I'm older and could not fish out of one of those cheap Tamaracks because they don't have a real seat. If you're young that may not matter. For me - deal breaker.

 

I've never even used a float tube, but to me it seems the cheapest not only for the vessel, but also for the paddle and other accessories you may need. I'm sure one could dump a bunch of money into one of those too.

[Boomstick]

Well the cheapest option is probably a float tube. If you have the money, a used kayak or canoe can be a great way to fish! I gave up my dreams of a bass boat for the foreseeable future and bought kayaks for the kids and myself this year, and kayaking is awesome! I've even dropped 10lbs since getting my kayaks on the water a couple weeks ago!

 

I got my youngest son a 12' Old Town Topwater (now renamed the Sportmans for 2020). That's a really good affortable kayak if you can afford it and it's very stable. It comes with 2 cup holders, 2 rod holders that are angled for trolling, and a third designed to let you rig up on the boat, but it's hard to paddle using that one. Add a YakAttack Blackpak and you can fit a YakAttack landing net and 4 rods off the bat. I then added an anchor trolley and an anchor wizard and that's a pretty sweet fishing setup. You can add a trolling motor or power pole off the back and a fish finder -- we haven't got that far yet. But it's a near tournament ready setup at a reasonable price point.

 

You can find used Gruman canoes for as low as $450 on Craiglist as well if you can't swing a kayak. It gets you off shore.

 

Then there's stuff like this as well. I have a friend with something similar and he loves it!

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/sun-dolphin-sportsman-2-person-boat

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/pelican-bass-raider-10e-fishing-boat

 

 

[Backroad Angler]

I was in your same boat and bought a cheap kayak when I first started out.