Fishing kayak

[Thenewguy]

Potentially in the market for a fishing kayak. Would like it to be portable enough I can carry it to a beach, but stable enough I can downrig for blackmouth. Any help would be appreciated!

[ghosthunter]

Asend H 12

I have two. They are sit ins. Very stable, 450 lb capacity. And can stand in them.

76 lbs, 12 ft long , watch some videos.
Plan on getting a CTUG too.

Bass Pro shop.

[ghosthunter]

One more

[ghosthunter]

You need to decide what kind of fishing.

This yak good for quit water. Lakes etc.
Not the best choice for salt water.  Might want a sit on .

Sit in......
Stable,dryer,more storage,

Sit on ......
Wetter
Less storage,easier on and off.

 

[rainshadow1]

There aren't many sit-in fishing kayaks, but the principle of lower butt = more stable is definitely in play. The reason the fishing units often have higher seats is for turning and casting mobility. To run a downrigger in salt water I'd suggest a pontoon off one or both sides. There's lots of options, enjoy the shopping! Check out some of the kayak fishing groups on facebook, I know there's a demo day coming up somewhere in western WA that you can look at a bunch of different kayaks, even try them out. (Or try them on, in the case of a sit-in!)

I have cheaper kayaks ($3-500), but I'm considering going Jackson or Hobie or something someday.

[Okanagan]

I have two sit-in kayaks (SINK) that I use almost exclusively for fishing, plus have paddled a sit on top (SOT) and fished salt water in a foot pedal Hobie for striped bass and bluefish.  Be warned: kayak fishing is addictive!  You don't get in a sit in kayak but rather you put it on.  You feel every nuance of tilt and motion, move the boat with a twitch of hip, etc. and people either love that sensation or hate it. 

My favorite is still my beamy Sun Velocity 13 foot SINK, 41 lbs. with unneeded rudder unit.  Have caught salmon in salt water with it, rock cod, etc.  As Rainshadow said, low center of gravity.  My butt is below water level in my SINK, very stable.  With a spray skirt and rain jacket I stay dry and warm, even in wind waves and pouring rain. 

If I were fishing only quiet water, lakes or inside salt, in warm Florida places, I'd have a SOT.  Our cold, wind, currents, rivers, etc. made my choice a sit in.  SINK's paddle faster than SOT's and generally handle bigger waves and currents in rivers and tide races better.  SOT are easy on and off and have easier access to gear and compartments while on the water. 

The Hobie was great for fishing a big estuary near new York City.  Tide currents but basically flat water, mild wind.  It was a help to keep both hands on the rod with big fish and still power the boat with leg paddles.  It is a complex propulsion system, and would be hard to launch anywhere other than a sloping beach or dock.

With some checking you should find a place to try paddling.  Seems like an outfit in Seattle used to offer one day every few months for people to try out any boat they had.

Errata:  Tie a lanyard to EVERYTHING.  If you use a jumper cable type clamp to clip to kelp or anything else, attach it BEHIND your seat with a slip knot.  That way when a fish pulls on your rod, it will pull the bow toward the fish so you face the fish while fighting it.  Fighting my first salmon in my SINK was hard and I would not have landed it had not my son pulled his yak alongside in a kelp bed and helped control boat direction and net the fish.  A short rod makes it easier to land/net/gaff a fish when kayak fishing.  In rivers, I use the yak mainly to access places to fish from shore or gravel bars. 

[rainshadow1]

http://northwestpaddlingfestival.com/


There will be some Jackson Kayaks there, I don't know what all else...

[Trapper John]

I don't know anything about kayaks but I see that "Tractor Supply" has two of them on sale.
Sale runs from April 11-15th.
10 footer for $229.99
12 footer for $329.99
JC   

[Fungunnin]

I stongly recommend a Sit on Top for fishing. They are far safer than a Sit inside.
If you want to run a downrigger often I'd look at a Hobie Pro Angler. They are more boat than kayak and a bit on the heavy side but better for hanging a down rigger off of.
If you didn't need the downrigger the Hobie Revolutions are awesome boats so are any of the Ocean Kayak boats. Personally I'm not a fan of any of the Jackson boats, but I haven't played with their new boat, the Kraken.
Check out Www.northwestkayakanglers.com

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk