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I am looking into getting into yak fishing some and have been doing some research on it. I know that some of you in here yak fish and am hoping for some ideas. Right now I am looking at a 12 ft Ascend SOT for the yak and then doing some customizing to it slowly as I take it out. Any yak fishermen out here that can help me out with that. I will probably use the yak in both fresh and saltwater.
Buy once cry once... Look for a higher end yak or youl just end up wasting money.. I know a ton of people that have been very disappointed with the ascends.. Keep your eyes on Craig's list for something used.. And paddle as many kayaks as possible before you buy
Kayak fishing is addictive and can get extremely expensive if you buy gear only to find out it doesn't fit your style of fishing. I was sold on a high-end paddle SOT from Ocean Kayak but once I test drove a Hobie with Mirage Drive I couldn't imagine going back. Call around to the various kayak shops and ask when they are having their demo days and you can pretty much try as much as your heart desires within the limits of what they have on hand. Once you figure out which yak fits your needs the best, some very good deals are out there on barely used boats on Craigslist and various local forums.
You don't have to start at the top of the market, but some SOT kayaks are pretty poor fishing platforms. You need a certain amount of room and a certain amount of stability in a fishing kayak and deck space is not something you can add later.
drive before you buy,,i have essentially a prowler 13,sold by bps as an endeavor,wet ride but I love it,,one getting pretty good reviews is the pescador 12,,seems like 499 at academy,actually a wilderness 2008 tarpon mold,like my boat actually ocean kayak prowler but 400 cheaper,,pescador is 3-3,5 hunnert cheaper than ws tarpon 12,,,tkf forum has all kinda feedback,,,,wilderness systems ride 135 should be considered for btb,,,theres lotsa good ones out there,,,,have fun,,everybody has their favorites,,,chuckster
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Originally Posted by Peaches
Peaches,
Is your support of Hobie 'generic' or is it more the drive that you like a lot?
Mirage drive... I think other kayak platforms are designed better for take storage but the mirage drive can't be beat... And in my opinion the native pedal system doesn't compare...
I have a friend that is going to take me to her brothers kayak rental place and he is going to let me paddle a few SOT models in some rough freshwater. Getting wet is not an issue for me. One of the reasons that I am doing it is I need more exercise, I WILL paddle in order to get to fish. LOL Right now I have a budget of $1300 for a yak and the accessories for it. May hold off if I need to have more so I only buy once.
Look into Jackson kayaks and Malibu .. What's your height and weight
6 foot down to 255 and steadily declining.
That original yak you brought up wouldn't be a good fit until you lose at least another 50 pounds, 75 would be better. Let me put you on an older Ride135, cheap.
Look into Malibu X factor or stealth
Bud of mine has an X factor and he loves it, he isn't little either, 6'4" and 240lb. But I love my 11' kingfish
I paddled 8 different yaks today and found one that I thought was perfect for me. Sad thing is my budget for what I thought was an entire outfit was just the down payment on the Hobie Mirage Outback. Thanks for all the input on this and I know I could have found one cheaper on CL but for a man to take time to spend with me going over everything I needed to know and take the time to get in the water with me he won my business based on his service. Hope to be paddling about mid September :congratulatory: