Kayak Suggestions

[NoShoes]

Recently picked up a nice 18.5 foot skeeter with a 150, and as much as I love it I won’t be able to take it to a couple of the places near my house (no landing, crap landing,etc). Looking for possibly a kayak to let me fish these places when I can’t get the skeeter out. 
 

I’ve always liked the Nucanoe stuff but can’t say I know a lot about kayaks. Don’t really have a budget in mind, but know I don’t want a trolling motor on it.  What would y’all look for? 

[GTN-NY]

First look for used. Better bang for your buck. 
Do you like to stand while fishing?

I first bought a used Jackson Liska. Nice kayak but I couldn’t stand comfortably while fishing. I traded that for a original Jackson Big Rig. Very very stable for standing but it’s heavy

[casts_by_fly]

I have an old town sportsman autopilot which you’ve said you don’t want because of the motor. That said, the sportsman line are incredibly stable boats. I stand and fish the entire time and motor at up to 4 mph while standing. I’ve never been close to tipping the boat. You can stand to pee like captain Morgan with one boot up on the side. It paddles fine. The rudder is handy while paddling since the boat is a bit wider and harder to turn with a paddle. The pedal version of this boat would be pretty awesome too.

[NoShoes]

I love standing on my bass boats. I’ll give old towns a look too. 
 

i like the idea of pedaling in theory, some places I’d be taking it are weed fields that I’m not sure the pedal drive would work well in

[casts_by_fly]

6 hours ago, NoShoes said:

I love standing on my bass boats. I’ll give old towns a look too. 
 

i like the idea of pedaling in theory, some places I’d be taking it are weed fields that I’m not sure the pedal drive would work well in

you pop the drive up and paddle then

[the reel ess]

Well, budget is everything. If you want a light one, don't expect to stand up in it. I highly recommend a stadium seat. I have a Perception Pescador Pro10 as well as a first gen Pescador 12. The old 12 footer tracks better. If I had it to do over, I'd get the Pro 12. If I had a boat with pedals I'd be fouled in weeds all the time.

 

I had a Feelfree Lure 13.5 rigged with a trolling motor. Too heavy to load/unload, more maintenance keeping the battery charged and more time consuming assembling/disassembling the trolling motor setup. I guess I'm saying I like to keep it simple.

[FishTank]

Either the Old Towne Sportsman with the trolling motor or a Hobie Pro Angler.  

[Krux5506]

Really love my Old Town Predator PDL I got last year. Super easy to stand up in. Yes weeds can be annoying with a pedal drive but like mentioned above, pop the drive up and use a paddle when necessary. I bought mine from Eco Fishing online and they were great. At the time there were some major delays and I think it took me about 2 and a half maybe 3 months to actually get mine but they made it very clear everything was delayed with material shortages, shipping etc. Hopefully by now it's improved though. 

[Bluebasser86]

I've got an Old Town Sportsman 120PDL and really love it. Weeds can be difficult and I've heard a Hobie drive does better in weeds because they paddle instead of rotating but I can't confirm that. A lot of times, I can reverse pedal and blow the weeds off if I'm not in the thick stuff. If I am, then it's time to pull the drive and paddle. 

[Bankc]

The best thing to do is to make out a list of your priorities.  With kayaks, there is no "best".  Each one does something the other's can't (or don't do as well).  So choosing the right one is all about figuring out what you want out of it.  

 

Everything is a tradeoff in the world of kayaks.  So you just have to find the one that balances all of those tradeoffs in a way that suits you best.  It also helps if there's a local shop that will let you demo some ones that look most interesting to you.  

[casts_by_fly]

also, your profile doesn't saw where you are but absent a good shop that can help I'm sure there are plenty of enthusiasts around that would let you take theirs for a spin.

[Boomstick]

The Old Town Sportsman line is pretty solid and very competitively priced. My youngest son has the Topwater 120 (older version of the Sportsman 120) and it's more than stable enough for me and the way it handles chop on the water keeps it from being rickety so it's easier to stand on than my Bonafide SS127. However you have to work to get it rigged out as nice as my Bonafide - but he does have a pretty nice setup.

[NoShoes]

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've got an Old Town Sportsman 120PDL and really love it. Weeds can be difficult and I've heard a Hobie drive does better in weeds because they paddle instead of rotating but I can't confirm that. A lot of times, I can reverse pedal and blow the weeds off if I'm not in the thick stuff. If I am, then it's time to pull the drive and paddle. 

I know you kayak fish quite a bit. Do you ever standup?  
 

old town 120pdl is really the only one I’m considering new, they’re just not available much used. 

[Bluebasser86]

25 minutes ago, NoShoes said:

I know you kayak fish quite a bit. Do you ever standup?  
 

old town 120pdl is really the only one I’m considering new, they’re just not available much used. 

Yes I do standup pretty often, it's easy to do and really stable. I got mine at Eco Fishing Shop also.

[schplurg]

Another vote for Sportsman...mine is a 106 PDL. Great seat and you can stand in it all day. I'm 5'11, 190 lbs. Great warranty and best price for an "upper tier" kayak. $999 with no pedal drive, $1999 with.

[NoShoes]

What y’all think of the 10 footer vs the 12?  How would that impact the kayak on the water?

[Koz]

You first need to decide how much you want to spend in total (including accessories) and if pedal or paddle more suites the bodies of water you will be fishing and your style.

 

In my opinion, the primary benefit of paddle kayaks is that they are typically light and easy to transport. But for me, the huge downside is out on the water you have to spend a lot of time repositioning the kayak to fish, especially if there's any wind out there.

 

I did a ton of research last year before I made my purchase. Once I settled on a pedal drive I researched those. Since I had only rented and not owned a kayak before, I didn't want to spent $4k-$5k on a kayak and accessories and find out I didn't like it.

 

I ended up buying a Seastream Angler 120 PD (Seastream is a FeelFree company) and I love it. With the money I saved on the initial purchase I bought a Lowrance Fishfinder (with side scan), C-Tug, etc. and I had money left over to buy new rods and reels.

 

I did a write up here last year on my Seastream and plan a one year update post soon. I will say this - I do not regret my purchase in any way.

 

 

[NoShoes]

Eh long story short we stole the Skeeter for 3k and selling my old tracker for more than double. 
 

I’m not trying to spend a fortune but want to buy my last one first if that makes sense

[Jmilburn76]

@NoShoes You have the right idea of buying your second kayak first, Im on my third!  I think a pedal-driven kayak is the way to go to free up your arms to cast more.  You can always get one of the paddle kayaks that also has the option of adding a pedal drive later on like the Recon, Wilderness Radar and Nucanoe Frontier.

 

 I don't think you can go wrong with Old Town, Native, Hobie or even a  Bonafide P127. I currently have a Native Slayer Propel 10 and it has been great for the 3 years Ive had it.

[NoShoes]

Any thoughts on 10 foot vs 12?  
 

i don’t plan on bringing my whole arsenal out with me. Maybe 2-3 rods and a couple bags of plastics. 

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, NoShoes said:

Eh long story short we stole the Skeeter for 3k and selling my old tracker for more than double. 
 

I’m not trying to spend a fortune but want to buy my last one first if that makes sense

 

57 minutes ago, NoShoes said:

Any thoughts on 10 foot vs 12?  
 

i don’t plan on bringing my whole arsenal out with me. Maybe 2-3 rods and a couple bags of plastics. 

 

To answer your question I refer you to you previous statement.  You may think you only will take 2-3 rods and a bag of plastics.  You might think "I'll just get the little one, it will be enough for me".  There is a big difference between the 106 and 120 (let along a straight 10').  If you're going to sit to fish and only bring a smaller bag then I'm sure a 106 is lovely.  Since you're alternating with a bassboat, I predict there will be times when those 2-3 rods aren't going to get it done for you.  If you're the type that likes to have 5-6-7 rods rigged on the deck, then only having two hanging out of the back of the kayak is going to feel limiting.  You're always going to be wanting a bigger boat.  So I refer back to the first statement- buy your last one first.

 

I went autopilot 120.  I debated the 136.  My reasons for not getting it were (1) I didn't want to deal with a bed extender for the truck (or god forbid a trailer!) and (2) I didn't "need" a bigger boat.  Having fished ~250 hours in the AP120 now, I'd still struggle with the decision 120 vs 136.  I'd probably go 136 since its my only boat.  I have no limitations that force me into a 120 (garage space, car topping, tiny arms) so the extra 12" in the front and 6" in the rear well would be bonus space.

 

rick

[NoShoes]

22 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

 

To answer your question I refer you to you previous statement.  You may think you only will take 2-3 rods and a bag of plastics.  You might think "I'll just get the little one, it will be enough for me".  There is a big difference between the 106 and 120 (let along a straight 10').  If you're going to sit to fish and only bring a smaller bag then I'm sure a 106 is lovely.  Since you're alternating with a bassboat, I predict there will be times when those 2-3 rods aren't going to get it done for you.  If you're the type that likes to have 5-6-7 rods rigged on the deck, then only having two hanging out of the back of the kayak is going to feel limiting.  You're always going to be wanting a bigger boat.  So I refer back to the first statement- buy your last one first.

 

I went autopilot 120.  I debated the 136.  My reasons for not getting it were (1) I didn't want to deal with a bed extender for the truck (or god forbid a trailer!) and (2) I didn't "need" a bigger boat.  Having fished ~250 hours in the AP120 now, I'd still struggle with the decision 120 vs 136.  I'd probably go 136 since its my only boat.  I have no limitations that force me into a 120 (garage space, car topping, tiny arms) so the extra 12" in the front and 6" in the rear well would be bonus space.

 

rick

Even when I’m in my bass boat I have those same 3 rods in my hand 95% of it. 
 

Is the difference in length just a storage issue out there a tangible difference in performance?

 

 If I can bring a few rods, a speed bag of plastics and terminal stuff, and be able to stand it wouldn’t be too far off from my normal rig. 

[michaelb]

1 hour ago, NoShoes said:

Any thoughts on 10 foot vs 12?  
 

i don’t plan on bringing my whole arsenal out with me. Maybe 2-3 rods and a couple bags of plastics. 

How tall are you and how much do you weight. A 12 ft boat is much larger than a 10 and so one reason to go to 12 is to better fit you. The other reason to go 12 is they paddle farther faster and handle waves better. But for an extra boat you take out on smaller water for local trips, the 10 may be adequate. 

[NoShoes]

49 minutes ago, michaelb said:

How tall are you and how much do you weight. A 12 ft boat is much larger than a 10 and so one reason to go to 12 is to better fit you. The other reason to go 12 is they paddle farther faster and handle waves better. But for an extra boat you take out on smaller water for local trips, the 10 may be adequate. 

I’m 5’8” 190.  I’d be surprised if the 10’ would cramp me anymore than a bigger one. 

[Bankc]

2 hours ago, NoShoes said:

Any thoughts on 10 foot vs 12?  
 

i don’t plan on bringing my whole arsenal out with me. Maybe 2-3 rods and a couple bags of plastics. 

The longer the kayak, the more stable and quicker it will be through the water.  A longer kayak will sit higher up in the water, because it has more surface area below it.  So it'll produce less drag.  Also, because it's larger, it'll be more stable.  And because it's longer, it'll track straighter.  However, the shape of the hull has a lot to do with this stuff as well, so length alone doesn't mean much.  

 

The longer kayak will also be heavier, take up more space and won't maneuver as easily.  The maneuverability isn't usually an issue for fishing kayaks, unless you fish very narrow creeks or deep inside submerged forests.  But the added weight and the amount of storage space you have available to allocate to the kayak (as well as transportation concerns) are things to consider.  

 

12 feet seems to be about the sweet spot for fishing kayaks.  Most fishing kayaks tend to be between 10-14 feet long, with a whole bunch being made right around the 12 foot mark.  But. like I said, length alone doesn't mean much.