HACKED BY CYBER-ATTACK - ALPERENBTN

[pennspin]

I went fishing a couple of years ago with a friend who carried a kayak in his bay boat. We pulled up to an area with several lakes, he dropped the kayaks out of the boat and sightcasted for redfish all afternoon long. It was much easier and quieter than wading through the muck. I have since then purchased my own boat and was interested in getting a kayak. With so many kayaks on the market today, how do I decide which one is right for me?

[tyler]

Go try some of them out. It depends on a lot of things, how tall you are and how much you weigh, do you plan to use it in the surf, rivers also.
Many of the Kayak dealers will let you rent some of them to try out first. If you live in Corpus see Frank Floyd and the folks at Wind and Wave, they can help you or up in Rockport Captain Sally. If you live in the Houston area Fishing Tackle Unlimited has a tank at the store on 45 that you can paddle in to test out how you like some of their kayaks.
Usually, wider kayaks are more stable but slower, the shorter ones also are not as fast as the sleeker longer types.
I have the Perception Bimini and Illusion, both are over 14 feet and they are quite fast.

Tyler

[pennspin]

Shallow water in the bay mostly, thanks for the info.

[Bluffer]

Good Idea. I have the O.K. Drifter. at 12' 6"" its not as fast as some other yaks but its a great fishing yak. At 34in wide is extremly stable.
If your gonna launch it from your boat you wont need a fast yak to get to your spot anyway.
The prowler13 is a good mix of em to.
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Fish hard, fish the Bluff. Surrounded by water!
-A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem-

[GoinCoastal]

More things to think about..

When you are looking at kayaks there are several things to think about. Is there a place for all your gear? Do have enuf deckspace for rigging? Are you ever going to just go out in the kayak? (YES.... once you start yak fishing and realize how much less hassles and how easy it is to get to some great fishing.... you will leave the powerbaot at home).

If I was just gonna mothership the kayak from my powerboat, I would get the shortest and widest kayak that would carry my weight plus 75-100 pounds. I want it to be easy to get out of the motorboat. I also do not want to flip over every time step from boat to my kayak.

If there was any chance I would end up yak fishing without the powerboat (which will happen!!!!), I would go for a longer boat that better meets my everyday fishing needs.

I am 6'4" and 260#. I own 3 kayaks. All are Wilderness Systems. I use the RIDE. My wife and guests use the Tarpon120. And we play in the surf with a RIOT.

There are a lot of kayaks on the market now. Definitely paddle before you buy!!!!!
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GoinCoastal aka Cap'nSherbet

[funmeters]

I have a Kiwi Kayak and I have to say it is a killer fishing machine. It is exteremely stable which works great for me as I do ON water OK but not too well IN water. I does not tip over. With the fishing package I have 6 rod holders and room for a cooler and other misc equipment.
I have to say it does paddle a little heavy but the trade off still makes it great for fishing. I you want to try it out give me a holler and you can test drive mine.
all the best
Gene
Here is the link to the kayak
http://www.kiwikayak.com/angler.htm

[GoinCoastal]

It is not unusal for me to paddle 6-7 miles in a day of fishing. I can tell ya right now, I do NOT want to paddle that boat for 6-7 miles. OUCH!!!!!!!!
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GoinCoastal aka Cap'nSherbet

[rabbit]

A electric trolling motor or a small 1 1/2 motor would be great for that one. I have to agree with coastal that would be a paddleing nightmare.
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Fishing and Kayaking its a rough life but somebody has to do it.

[Lat22]

You're welcome!
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/

[pennspin]

Thanks for everyones help.

[Kyle aka Kcon]

I used to load up mine, and my bud's Perception Swings(now the Illusion that Tyler mentioned) and cruise to some incredible places that even the airboats can't get to. Can't remember the names now but they are between Mesquite and SA bays. Don't buy a surf style yak that has a keel running down the length of it because you won't have a shallow draft and it will be slow in comparison to bay yaks, which are stable and built for speed. I don't care what anybody says, even with a boat, you will still paddle for miles in the bay, so get a fast yak. You won't realize how fast one is untill you have a buddy in one brand and you in another trying to keep up with him while he is just doing a liesurely(sp?) paddle into the wind. Don't skimp on the paddle either. Get a power paddle. One day you will be paddling upwind to your boat and a little paddle won't even keep you from going backwards. Been there, done it. And it's awesome to fish lakes that are never fished at all. You will find whole ecosystems that don't relate to anything you've ever seen in a boat, or a yak by itself. Ever try to catch up to a school of reds cruising at 3-4 knots, against the wind in an 18" deep lake that is 1.5 miles long, while eating everything in their path, shrimp jumping in front of them and then you finally get a cast to them. Instantly, they eat anything you toss at them and the fight is on! Good luck...........Kyle

A little later you're trying to chase down another school with two 27" reds on a stringer behind you! LOL! Get a fast yak and a soft ATV ice chest!
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I fish, therefore, I am................Happy!

[GoinCoastal]

I have to agree with Kyle here. A faster boat and a good light paddle are well worth the investment.

Couple of things about boats then a some info on paddles.....

kayaks ----

Speed verses Stability - The more stable the yak, the slower the yak. However, they are getting the gap narrowed with the newer designed boats. The longer and narrower the boat, the faster. For instance, probably still the fastest fishing yak is teh WS Tarpon 160 (16') and the Perception 15' Bimini & Illusion. The slowest yaks are the 9'-11' models like the Riot, Frenzy, any Hobie, and the Caper. That is why the kayak manufacturers developed their mid-length fishing boats (12'-13' like the Tarpon120 and the Prowler 13'). These boats are a nice mix of speed & stability. My WS RIDE is probably one of the most stable kayaks at 13'6" and 34" wide. It also has a concave hull shape that mimics a pontoon boat. My boat is also slow, but I have NO problems paddling with anyone due to the fact that I KNOW how to paddle, I am strong, and I use a light carbon-composite paddle. (Tyler can confirm as he has a very fast kayak and he has to keep up with me)

Tracking and Turning ---- Shorter boats tend to "walk-da-dog" like a topwater lure. Every stroke you take turns the bow. This means a long paddle in short boat will wear you out because you zig-zig instead of tracking a straight line. Longer boats track straighter and therefore take less correction strokes. By the same design, shorter boats are more manueverable than long boats. Rudders can help both boats to overcome there inheritent shortcomings here. This is why you will the surf yakkers using short boats and bay dudes like me with longer boats.

Capacity ---- The bigger the yak teh more capacity....DUH! But besides weight of you and your gear, consider teh deckspace you will need for your gear. Consider how you will rig your boat. Where will I put the rodholders, my tackle boxes, my anchor & drift sock, ice chest, etc. Yo may find some boats just have a better deck layout than others for your fishing needs.

I have had my RIDE for almost 4 years. I have yet to find a boat that would rather have. I am 6'4" and 260#. I want a stable yak that I can turn sideways and fish with my legs crab-walking my yak in shallow water. I have plenty of deck space that is within my arm's reach. The boat tracks well except in high winds (most all kayaks want to do a 45 degree angle into or with high winds). I have my anchor and drift sock very handy. Boga grips handy, Tackle boxes handy. In other words, the RIDE although not the best boat for many anglers is perfect for me and my needs.


Paddles ---- It may not sound like it is all that important. And most newbies buy the cheapest aluminum paddle they can get when buy a boat. SAVE YOURSELF THE MONEY, TIME, and SORE ARMS.... BUY A GOOD LIGHT PADDLE. I used to prefer a wide short POWER blade for the very reasons Kyle just mentioned. But then I won a touring blade carbon-composite paddle ($180-$200), it changed my mind. This paddle does however have about the same surface area as a power blade but it catches a lot less air. AIR you say???????????? YEP!!!!!! Every time a blade is in the water, one is the air. And it works just like sail. In fact with hard wind at your back, you can just hold the paddle up the air and sail your yak without paddling at all. This why you want a paddle that can be set with the blades and angles to one another. As one blade is opposing teh water, teh other is cutting air on edge!!!!!!!!!!! This is a very very big thing when you paddle all day in teh wind. Also the weight is a hugh factor. Consider how many strokes you take in 6-10 mile paddle day. The difference between a 50 oz metal or fiberglass paddle and 20-30 oz carbon or composite paddle adds up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I highly highly recommend spending the $180-$350 for a better lighter paddle. Also find a hybrid touring blade that has about the same surface area as a power blade. You get the surface you need for the water but its slim longer profile catches less wind for lond paddles.

If yo have any questions at all feel free to PM or email me. Also spend some time searching the older posts and the rigging pages at TKF.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!
joe
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GoinCoastal aka Cap'nSherbet

[Bigwater]

Capt. How do the three you mentioned compare in the surf and how do they compare in sability and speed? I've been looking at the Ride The tarpon and the prowler. I just don;t know which one is less likely to tip over in the surf. I still want to go fast inthe surf.

Bigwater

[GoinCoastal]

Of these... I would prefer the Ride in the surf. It is without a doubt the most stable of these kayaks. I believe the Ride is the most stable boat built. If go to Wilderness systems website and look at the hull diagrams, you will see why. It really is like a pontoon boat that doesn't catch wind. And it isn't that slow because it is 13.5' long.

Now.... the only time my boat has ever flipped was in the surf. If you ever get sideways to the waves, any kayak will flip.

RIDE - most stable and slowest of these
Prowler 15 - fastest and pretty stable
Prowler 13 - the jury is still out on the 13' -- but it should be fairly stable and fairly quick
tarpon140 - pretty darn fast too less stable
tarpon 120 - about the same as the 140

so IMHO from best to worst----

speed:
1. Prowler15
2.Tarpon140
3. tarpon120
4. Prowler13
5. Ride

Stability ----
1-4. RIDE ****
5. Prowler15
6. Tarpon140
7. Prowler13
8. Tarpon120

*** The Ride is just that much more stable than these other kayaks
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GoinCoastal aka Cap'nSherbet

[GoinCoastal]

Go test paddle all 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You really need to "feel" the boat. What is great for someone else may not suit you at all.
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GoinCoastal aka Cap'nSherbet