question on kayaks

[psilvers]

I have NEVER been in a kayak, but I am thinking about possibly getting one for fishing. I live in Kansas and I own a 17' center console that I bought when I lived back on teh East Coast. I have no intention of selling the boat - it is a great boat and does well on the bigger lakes. However, I also want to fish for crappie in some of the smaller arms of the lake and I want something that I can launch easily and fish with anywhere. I have a couple of questions:

1- How stable are kayaks? Are they kind of tippy like some canoes?

2- Are they easy to fish from?

3- If the wind comes up, how do they deal with water that has a light chop?

Thanks,
Pete

[Clint]

1- How stable are kayaks? Are they kind of tippy like some canoes?

2- Are they easy to fish from?

3- If the wind comes up, how do they deal with water that has a light chop?

Thanks,
Pete

1 - It depends on the boat -some have very poor initial stability (they are tippy when sitting still) but great secondary stability (they are stable when moving). My Perception Sundance has great initial stability and good secondary.

2 - It depends on the boat - Your Sit in Kayak (SIK) can be fairly confining unless you find one with a very large cockpit. Most fisherman rave about the Sit On Top (SOT) boats because of the access you have to all your gear. My boat is a SIK but I like to fish early spring and late fall and the SOTs are chilly even here in KY. I trade access for being able to launch in November.

3 - It depends on the boat - (you knew that was coming) - Compared to my Jon boat my kayak is great in a light wind - it sits low and with its' smooth top sheds wind pretty well.

The one piece of advice I will give you (as will every Kayaker) is to try the boat before you spend $ on it. Almost all "real" kayak dealers will arrange for you to spend an hour or half a day in a boat. While you can get lower prices at the Mega Mart, the guy in the small shop will be a wealth of information that will be missing elsewhere. When it comes to rod holders and anchor systems and such the small shop is where the experience of the clerk will save you much more than the Mega Mart will.

Find a local shop and ask if there are any local fisherman and you will gain a great deal of information talking to locals who have "been there, done that".

Good luck,

[Rangersedge]

Clint is right. There are variances among the different models and sizes. Almost everything has a tradeoff. My wife and I have Wilderness System Tarpon 100s rigged for fishing. They are sit on tops. They are pretty stable. I would venture that most kayaks are probably more stable and wind resistant than most canoes. That said, you can still dump them. I have done it just a few times. Most of those were when getting in or out next to bank. Other time was to see how stable and if I could stand up in it to fish (yes; but wouldn't recommend). Last time was when large Golden Retriever I had in front of me decided to lean down over the side and get a drink. We both did... A few caveats I've found. I haven't found a great way to climb back in out on the water once I was dumped out. There's got to be a better way than what I've tried. I just know there is. Second, although you can definitely have all the necessities, you might miss the big tackle box, coolers, etc. Third, casting is a little different with a long butted rod and kayak life vest. Fourth, your hook sets might not be as forcefull. On the flip side, the fish don't seem to sense that you're anywhere around like they do in a boat. A big fish can actually pull you around. It's a little different being almost on the fish's level. Finally, it is just pretty neat. Try some out and then give it a try.

Also: FWIW: We went with bright yellow kayaks with reflective lettering on the sides and life vests with reflective strips. We want to maximize our chances of being seen when we might be around motor boats.

[mb4850]

Pete you're on the right path by asking lots of questions. As most people will tell you there are a lot of different kayaks and a lot of difference between the different styles. Another type not mentioned above is the hybrid kayak. It's a cross between a kayak and a canoe. I've been fishing from a kayak now for about 8 months and haven't come close to turning over yet. I have fished every week except the 3 weeks our lakes were frozen over. I have a Wilderness ride and a Hobie Outback which are both very stable SOT's. The main thing you need to do is to figure out what style and type of fishing you are going to do. If you jig fish, troll, spider rig or cast and if you crappie fish only or want to bass fish. I pretty much just crappie fish and mostly jig fish and just love the Outback. I have started spider rigging and the Outback is wonderful for that also, but it is expensive and everyone dosn't want to invest that much money. Feel free to IM me if you have any other questions, as you see I love to talk kayak fishing.

[psilvers]

Thanks for the feedback. I am just now thinking about a kayak, or other small and portable boat, for areas that are tough to fish with my center console. I am alos looking for something that is simple and quick to launch. When I want to launch my boat - it can be a pain. I don't store the electronics on the boat - for security reasons - so I have to hook that up, load stuff in the boat, hook up the boat and drag it to the lake. I am looking for something that I can just throw in the water and fish from for an hour or two without all the prep time.

I would also think about an inflatable - I used to fish out of some nice inflatables I had, but they also required time to pump up and put together. They could go places my CC can't, but they were not quick and easy.

Pete

[kb2112]

Definately try before you buy. Im over 6 feet tall and can honestly say that not all yaks are comfortable for extended periods of time. Get in one and sit in it for a while as you talk to the salesperson. Then get out and try it on the water. For fishing you want it to be stable enough to cast, catch, and move around. I had a Perception Arcadia that was too small, and I regretted getting it. For a SinK, I like a large cockpit, so I can move around, stow things, and stretch out. My SOT is perfect for what I do.