Anyone else fish out of a kayak?

[Savinkov]

[LuniticFringeInc]

Originally Posted by Woodswalker

I've been thinking of getting a canoe to replace my clunky old aluminum rowboat .

What are the advantages of a kayak over a canoe ?

I've looked at kayaks but it seems to me that a kayak is less versatile than a canoe .
you are stuck sittng in one position
not much room to move around
have limited space for gear
no room for another person or a dog
can't put a trolling motor on it .

I will argue the first point in your observation with you. They are quiet versatile. They are extremely manuverable too as well. Their biggest down fall is weight capacity. There are some that can hump a considerable amount of weight but they are barges to paddle and will give you a work out. One of the biggest advantages to a Yak are that they can be paddled with much less effort than a canoe.

I will argue this point and the 3rd point with you too. On a SOT, you can sit in the seat and straddle your legs over the side, you can sit side saddle and assume a number of other positions if you so desire. You do want a good quality high back seat with good back support and for long paddles a gel seat for the fanny to help maintain comfort and blood circulation to the legs so you dont fatigue.

In some cases you are limited to gear but not as bad as you might think. Instead of humping around a big huge tackle box you need to get the worm binder bags and keep your tackle stored there. It keeps it more organized and you can carry more gear in far less space. Thats just one example of ways you can go to maximize your space and weight capacity in a Yak. You gotta think outside the box and work smarter not harder.

Get a two person Yak and yes you can bring a buddy along, human or dog. In some sigle person Yaks this is still possible to do.

Yes there are several models of Yaks that will accept or have provisions to be fitted with a conventional or internal electric trolling motor. I believe Ocean Kayaks and Hobbie both have such a model. Now the down side is your state is then probably going to want a piece of the action and require you to register it annually so they can get thier piece of the pie too.

On another note I really like the Hobie Yaks with the Mirage Drive. You can paddle them or you can peddle them and the mirage drive makes them blazing fast! You have to see one in action to believe just how fast they are over paddle Yaks!!! Yes the Hobies seem rediculasly expensive. They really arent. By the time you consider all of the things that come with them as standard equipment that a conventional Yak does not in addition to the mirage drive, they are actually only a couple of hundred dollars more and a comprablely equipped conventional Yak. The Hobie Pro Angler is a beast of a Yak for a one person Yak. It has tons of storage, a lot of weight capacity and aint short on features by any means. It is a bit pricey though...


And yes vegaswhales, I have some pics on photobucket I believe and I will look into PMing you so you can look it up when I get a chance. Id post them here but the last time I tried that Photobucket changed their format and I got my butt kicked trying to copy them to another forum.

[corybdesign]

i use a float tube and/or waders

[Bucksnort]

I fished out of my Old Town Loon for many years. The bottom finally started to go, from sliding over rocks and stumps, and I got a canoe. I can carry more gear, and have a little more freedom of movement in the canoe, I've found.

[JJohnson1]

I love fishing out of a kayak early mornings when no boats are out on the water. When i dont want to paddle ill take out my 10' pond prowler and trolling motor and hit the water. I only like fishing smaller lakes and ponds so these both work real well for me.

[Corsican]

Started kayak fishing back in 1999-2000 or so. Back then i would have people stare at me when I pulled at the ramp.
A buddy wrote a good basic book about it.

Kayak Fishing: The Complete Guide: Cory Routh:... Kayak Fishing: The Complete Guide: Cory Routh:...
Kayak Fishing: The Complete Guide: Cory Routh:...

[deruke]

I own a Wilderness Systems Ride 135 that I added rod holders and an anchor trolley to. I love fishing out of it - I can fit into water that boats could never get in to.

[toobboy]

My brother came up with his new sit on kayak, and I took it out for a spin.
it was very nice, but not for this area as it gets rough with big waves. Back in
the weeds for Smallmouth, you bet. He got dragged around out front by a
20lb Pike before the line snapped.. screaming like a little girl!! He will never
live that one down..

[gbm75]

I've done a bit of kayak fishing. I bought a 10' sit in that I started fishing out of in calm water. Mounted a rod holder on the back. Then I bought a cheap 10' Pelican sit on top for the marsh. My middle brother is more into it than I am. He's got a Ocean prowler 13' all decked out.

As far as the manual drive yaks, the Native system has an advantage with their propeller system over the Hobie's in that they can go in reverse. I looked at some Hobie's & Native's at the boat show I went to last year. Checked out some paddle board's as well. The Hobie Pro Angler & Native Mariner have some cool features, but it comes at the expense of weight (around 90 lbs) that kinda takes away from the mobility. That & the price tag ($1800-2000).

I opted to buy another jon boat. Weighs 10 lbs more, I have extended range with my motor on it & the main thing for me was, it was $500 new. That said, if I didn't have a bay boat for bigger water I'd probably go ahead & dish out the $ for a nicer kayak & get into it a little more like my brother has. I've still got my yaks, but these days I use them more for paddling than fishing these days. The picture of the od green boat is the Hobie Outback. I was really impressed with that model & the Native Mariner 10. Threw in a couple pics of my crate, my sit in & the one on top of my Jeep in the Pelican sot.

CT summer.jpg

boat show 10.JPG

boat show 12.JPG

pelican.jpg

crate3.JPG

crate4.jpg

[WonderMonkey]

What do you use that crate for, just storage?

[Red31]

I LOVE kayak fishing and bowfishing. I just have a small 7 footer right now, no extra storage or anything, but I absolutly love it. Want to upgrade to a larger one sometime but I like the ease of use my smaller one has!

[gbm75]

Originally Posted by WonderMonkey

What do you use that crate for, just storage?

Use it to carry my rods & other gear. Some yaks have built in rod holders, but they usually sit down in the hull & get wet easily. Having rod holders attatched to the crate allows the rods to sit higher from the waterline & they don't get wet as easily. The kayak has tie downs & I just strap the crate to the back.

[gbm75]

How's this for tranquility?

ReedFishingL.jpg

Washington State Hi-Lakers.

[Oathkeeper123]

I swore I replied to this, but oh well. I have been fishing for a long time in a yak. In So CAL I would fish the coast and bay in my malibu extreme. I now fish the rivers in an ocean kayak trident angler.. This was a couple months ago at one of my spots.

[Tactical Retreat]

I've got a Sevylor Tahiti HF inflatable kayak. A bit slower than a hard body, but WAY more stable. Perfect for fishing, and you don't need to strap it to your roof rack.

[justanotherface]

Yep... mine is a good ole Cajun Pirouge ( pronounced pee-row)






JAF

[slickwilly]

I use a 12' canoe. I love the way they are able to get in hard to reach places. They are nice and quiet allowing you to see much more wildlife than in a boat. I have been doing it for many years and would recommend a canoe or kyak to anyone.

[Tactical Retreat]

Originally Posted by gbm75

Use it to carry my rods & other gear. Some yaks have built in rod holders, but they usually sit down in the hull & get wet easily. Having rod holders attatched to the crate allows the rods to sit higher from the waterline & they don't get wet as easily. The kayak has tie downs & I just strap the crate to the back.

I do the same thing. but my crate sits in front of my feet. Full of gear, rod holders attached, fishfinder bolted on, strapped down in the well between the pontoons.

[cwbys4evr]

I have done it once. Didn't catch anything but it was in Ohio in mid to late summer, so I didn't expect to get much. It was fun, overall. I would love to get back into it.

[WonderMonkey]

Originally Posted by gbm75

Use it to carry my rods & other gear. Some yaks have built in rod holders, but they usually sit down in the hull & get wet easily. Having rod holders attatched to the crate allows the rods to sit higher from the waterline & they don't get wet as easily. The kayak has tie downs & I just strap the crate to the back.

That is a good idea for my sit in recreational style.