Advice from kayak anglers please!

I'm going to try and start getting into kayak fishing this spring. Any advice about a possible good starter?

The idea of getting into small narrow spots excites me as well as the ability to stand.

Also what's your favorite way to transport? Bed, rack, extender?

Thanks!!

 

Hey so I just got a vibe sea ghost 130 in smoke grey and love it!!! It is super comfortable and comes with tons of features that are great. I got mine for 900 bucks. Also, you can stand in this kayak. I'm a pretty big guy at 6 foot 1 and have no problem in it whatsoever. I use the rack on my snug top to transport it. I got the rhino roof rack heavy duty 54 inch crossbar kit for Yakima tracks, and got Malone j cradles.

 

theres a kayak thread in the sticky portion at the top of the boating & fishing page. might have to scroll down in there.

 

I purchased a Jackson Kilroy Dt an I absolutely love it.

 

I have an academy cheapie. Can't stand in it, but I can fish from it. What is your price range on a kayak?

 

I have a Wilderness 15 sit-on-top that is long and narrow for speed (15' L x 28" W).

If you want to cover water fast searching for fish the longer and narrower the better.
On the other hand if you are not used to paddling and dont need to cover water you probably want a wider shorter platform.
I was stationed in Puerto Rico for a year and fished river mouths for giant tarpon (50-70lbs.) with a Ocean Kayak Prowler 13.
I loved that Prowler. It has the same width of 28" as my older Wilderness 15 but is more stable and is shorter at 13'.
I covered a lot of water with that kayak.
They make a prowler 11 fishing kayak that would be an excellent compromise.
https://oceankayak.johnsonoutdoors.com/fishing/solo

BTW, get a sit-on-top. You can get in and out much more easier and no bailing...

 

What’s your budget? I would say sit in as many as possible. Obviously we are all partial to our own brands but that may not work for you. The best advice I can give is buy your second kayak first. The second bit of info I can pass along is buy the kayak with the most comfortable seat.

In your budget make sure you budget for a PFD and spend some money on one that’s comfortable so you wear it every time.

I’ve got a gen 1. Access cab and a 12 foot kayak. I just throw mine in the bed with the tailgate down and a red flag on my boat.

 

I think the advice of buy your second kayak first is good advice, unless youre on the fence about how much you'll like or use it. At the same time, buying a good kayak will give you more resale. A cheap kayak will sell for nothing, while a good kayak will give you a lot of your money back.

I bought a good rec kayak (wilderness pungo) because i mostly paddle and outfitted with a couple rod holders. For what i do which is occasional fish, it works. If youre crazy about fishing, things like being able to access tackle and other items would be a must i guess. I fumble around when having to change out equipment. A good fishing kayak is expensive i found, but i think if youre serious about it, its the only way to go.

 

I bought a used 2005 hobie tandem for $700. It was missing the rudder and a second set of peddles but I found them on the hobie forums. I use it for crabbing in the sound, havent done much fishing with it but I'm sure it'll be great for it.

 

I have a Cobra Fish n’ Dive.. slow but I put my premium in stability and weight capacity and not on speed.. if I were to to do it all over again I would have gone with the Hobie pro angler...

 

I've got a Bonafide SS127. Love it. Super comfortable seat and I can stand on it without any problems. For comparison, I have tried stand up paddle boarding and while I can stay up I do tip over frequently.

Sit in and test out as many as you can. We have an outdoor store with a decent sized pond in the back and they will let you take anything out to try. You would be surprised how the different brands paddle different.

 

Kayaks with foot peddled is a game changer. And save yourself a large chunk of money and buy used. My personal preference is hobie kayaks, I’ve owned a total of 10 of them. Yes they are expensive but they also hold their value like a Toyota.

As far as transport, nothing beats transporting it in the bed with a bed extender. I’ve done it in every way imaginable. Roof, roof with hydrolic lift, roof with saddle, roof with boat loader bars, on a trailer, on crossbars in the bed... In bed with tailgate extender is by far is best.

 

One more for the SS127 Bonified watch, I use a Yakima bed extender. I prefer it over most others as it come up from the hitch on an angle right to the cross bar Vs many of the cheaper ones go straight out from the hitch and then go up which limit the type of terrain you can travel on . It will hold 300lbs and 60" wide you can also stand it up vertically and add their extension and use it for the rear support if you have a roof rack. It has a threaded half of the part that gets inserted into the hitch so you get no rattle being it is then tight and it comes with all the tools to assemble it . shop around as I got mine for much less than what they advertise . Y01149.html

 

My profile shows a Jackson Cuda but I now have a Hobie PA-14. It is very stable but heavy.
hobie by David Middleton, on Flickr