Thread: Concerns about Yak Length - 9' Kayak

Just like with boats and trolling motors, longer yaks are faster and track straighter. Get the longest boat you can run in the waters you fish. I would consider 12' minimum unless you're in really narrow creeks.

As for SOTs vs SINKs: you're gonna flip your yak fishing a river. It will happen. Do you want to recover on something that filled up with water or something that drains water off the top?

Longer doesn't always equal faster. As stable doesn't always equal slower the designs have a lot to do with that.

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i agree with froggywaters on longer doesnt always move faster. i just sold a moken 12.5 and it moved like a tank

I can list a dozen kayaks upto 12 ~14 ft that a tarpon 100 will outrun with little effort. It is about design. One of the first comments says reach out to an outfitter. They have demo days. Demo days are great. You get a few minutes on the water to try everything by the end of the demo. You have a sore back and sat in so many kayaks you are not sure where it came from or what is important anymore . Overall they are sort of confusing. Guides step in. Here. So you have an idea of what his want. Now you want to try it. They're a few guides out there that pick up and say I think you should try this based on their experience try say these 3 . Then you decide what works for one may not work for the next. And every location is differnt a pond fishes with no current lakes have wind to deal with some have current the coast has current and wind all which have attributes certian kayaks excel in.

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One of the yak's I most often fish out of is a Tarpon 100 which is a 10' sit on top and it is plenty stable ( and I'm not real skinny) but still light enough to easily transport. You may want to check it out if you are too wary of going 9'.

I agree. The tarpon 100 is wider for stablity. I am 5'7" 265 I fish out of it comfortably I will say for a little more change the pescador pro 12 has a fish finder pod. And gear track. And the all important drier seat.
I have been a guide for 10 years. I have owned over 25 kayaks in that span. And it is still climbing. Anywhere you will be dealing with boat traffic you do not want to be a the kayaks limits. You want some extra room. Capacity wave handling ability.even A 10 ft kayak is marginal to offer that. The old saying it's not what you are doing it is what everyone else does you have to watch out for.

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I do want to say I fished streams rivers ponds and a few lakes from this jewel for years with no issue. Notice how small life gets. When you begin adding

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Which is faster? A Tarpon 100 or a Tarpon 120? Sure there are variations that affect how different designs handle water and how much is in the water at the waterline, etc. You can make the decision as simple or as complicated as you prefer. The short story is, if you're looking at a kayak you like and need to decide the length, as in Tarpon 100 vs Tarpon 120, get the longer boat.