I'm looking at buying an angler kayack, does anyone have any knowledge of some good ones around 400-500 bucks? Thanks in advance!
OT. Does anyone here kayack fish?
- Thread starter PearlRiverCoDawg
- Start date
For that price range I’d look at perceptions. The longer, the faster. But, if you’re doing freshwater then that won’t matter as much. Also, get rotomolded, you don’t want leaky seams. Without knowing what you want or what you’re doing, that’s where I’d start.
I have a Jackson Cuda 12 and I use it inshore. One more piece of advice is paddle choice and length - it’s way more important than you think.
I have a Jackson Cuda 12 and I use it inshore. One more piece of advice is paddle choice and length - it’s way more important than you think.
Yeah I plan on mainly salt water, I live in Mobile so I have plenty of options. What rods do you use?
I’m a baitcast and round reel person, but I can’t use them in a kayak. You don’t realize how much body you use when you cash with them. I have Shimano and Penn spinning reels that I use. I usually carry 3 - spoon, cork and jighead. Shimano Stradic is my favorite spinner I use.
Mobile is a good area to find a deal on a used kayak. Fairhope Boat Co has some friendly guys that may be willing to give advice. I have a Wilderness System Ride in the 12 foot version, but I think the Tarpon is the fishing version. They can be found used close to your price range.
For that price range, I would look at some used kayaks. I'm sure you could find a nice one on Craigslist or something in that range. Most of the "good" fishing yaks will be minimum $800-1000 for new.
Thanks for the heads up. So, what's the skinky on paddles? Thinking about pulling the trigger on something like this myself.
I’ve been at it for about 6 years and it’s my favorite way to fish. I’m actually in the latest LA Sportsman reviewing my boat. First off, some folks will say you need to save and have a bigger budget because you get what you pay for. While that’s true to an extent, $500 is plenty to get in the game. Me and my bil tore them up this weekend and he’s in a $500 yak from academy. A $3k kayak doesn’t catch the fish for you.
My advice:
-Get a 12 ft boat. Do not buy a 10ft despite budget concerns unless your only use is farm ponds and creeks. Trust me
-Search FB marketplace religiously. I’d buy a good boat used.
-It has to have the lawn chair style seat. If it has a molded seat that you clip in, pass. Don’t care how good a deal it is.
-After your boat purchase you’ll spend way more than you think on extras.
-Don’t buy the cheapest paddle but don’t buy the most expensive either. The width of the kayak will determines what you need as far as paddle length, not your size.
-Kayaks are a speed vs stability trade-off. A 36 inch wide boat will be very stable but won’t paddle well while a 29 inch wide boat will be fast but less stable.
-Always ask a used seller if they’ll throw in paddle or any extras
-The name brands really are far superior quality. If you can find a used Native, Wilderness System, or Jackson boat you can trust those names.
My rig:
My advice:
-Get a 12 ft boat. Do not buy a 10ft despite budget concerns unless your only use is farm ponds and creeks. Trust me
-Search FB marketplace religiously. I’d buy a good boat used.
-It has to have the lawn chair style seat. If it has a molded seat that you clip in, pass. Don’t care how good a deal it is.
-After your boat purchase you’ll spend way more than you think on extras.
-Don’t buy the cheapest paddle but don’t buy the most expensive either. The width of the kayak will determines what you need as far as paddle length, not your size.
-Kayaks are a speed vs stability trade-off. A 36 inch wide boat will be very stable but won’t paddle well while a 29 inch wide boat will be fast but less stable.
-Always ask a used seller if they’ll throw in paddle or any extras
-The name brands really are far superior quality. If you can find a used Native, Wilderness System, or Jackson boat you can trust those names.
My rig:
I’m on my 4th kayak of different brands and types so I’ve ran the gamet on brands and types. My yak history:
-Pelican Castaway 116- unstable and uncomfortable but it started the addiction.
-Ascend FS128T- first step up. Great layout but paddles like a barge and quality was suspect them. They’re better now.
-KC12- My first thermoformed boat and I still miss how light it was. Loved everything about this one but wanted to get more serious about tournament fishing so needed a pedal drive
-Native Slayer 13 Propel- my current boat and I really like it. For what I do, it’s great. Also had to deal with Native early on, on some stuff and they’re great.
-Pelican Castaway 116- unstable and uncomfortable but it started the addiction.
-Ascend FS128T- first step up. Great layout but paddles like a barge and quality was suspect them. They’re better now.
-KC12- My first thermoformed boat and I still miss how light it was. Loved everything about this one but wanted to get more serious about tournament fishing so needed a pedal drive
-Native Slayer 13 Propel- my current boat and I really like it. For what I do, it’s great. Also had to deal with Native early on, on some stuff and they’re great.
I hardly ever put the big boat in the water. I'd rather fish out of my kayak. It's stealthy.
9lb 5oz. Towed me around - I bet a big redfish would really be an e-ticket ride. Mine's an Outback. I wish I had one that had a reverse.
View attachment 12614
9lb 5oz. Towed me around - I bet a big redfish would really be an e-ticket ride. Mine's an Outback. I wish I had one that had a reverse.
View attachment 12614
Outbacks are sweet. The 2019 was on my short list. But I’m like you, I’d rather fish from the yak than the bay boat. I still get the itch to make long 30+ mile runs to really remote marsh only reachable by boat but for the most part the yak application is my favorite.
Make sure your paddle is long enough for you. There are guides online to tell you how to do it. I’ve used a shorter paddle before and it’s difficult. Your kayak is always unstable from you having to dip side to side. And a shorter paddle throws a lot of water on you. I stayed soaked the whole time. I also like a two piece paddle. It makes it a lot easier for travel and storage.
a buddy of mine, (RIP) about 20 years ago bought a remote controlled battery operated boat for his retaining pond off his deck. He rigged it with a couple lines with lures. We sit on his deck drinking beer and grilling while he trolled the lake. He would catch on a bad day, 4 -5 bass up 3/lb each. Anything bigger his boat turned into a bobbing cork............
lots of good input here but depending on how you are looking to use it, $400-$500 is plenty to get in one.
I bought one in 2007 from McCoy Outdoors in Moblie. It was a Heritage Redfish Angler, bought for $600 back then... since, I think some big box stores have carried very similar kayaks for less than $600, some almost identical.
Here is what I wanted in a kayak and the Heritage fit my needs perfect. I'd rather wade fish then anything else and back then I was wade fishing Chandeleur Island a lot, especially in winter where we waded the cuts up inside the island. trouble was parking a 27 ft boat as close to the island as possible but still having a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile walk through knee deep water until we reached the deeper cuts on the interior of the island. The kayaks were easy to load on the big boat for the ride out, easy to deploy, paddle to the cut in just a few seconds, hop out and wade fish. We could hit 4 times as many cuts as before and not be exhausted from the long walks from/to the big boat. I also used it around Biloxi periodically but have a small skiff as well for those areas so it wasn't really needed. fishing from the kayak was comfortable and paddling wasn't an issue for me (vs a peddle drive) because I was never paddling more than a mile in total from my launch spot. I agree with what someone else said about the elevated seat being better as mine was not... it was molded into the plastic hull but I would sit on a boat throw cushion and that worked fine for me.
I would have never spent more $ on a higher end kayak because my cheaper Heritage served every need that I had perfectly. But I can understand others spending the $ on higher end models if that is required for your needs.
Edit to add: there is a place in Gulfport called Everything Kayak and I think they have a test pool. You can see different models and actually test them out.
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that high, comfortable seat thing is a true fact.
Mine is low and fold up on an old outback, and it totally and completely sucks. After 3-4 hrs fishing my butt and back hurts - but I am old. I've tried sitting on a throw cushion, a tempurpedic pillow, and combinations of various seating material, even tried to mount a real seat in it(wouldn't fit my model).
If there is any one thing that will cause me to change (up$$) the seat is it.
And I'm seriously thinking about it right now during pre-/spawn.
Mine is low and fold up on an old outback, and it totally and completely sucks. After 3-4 hrs fishing my butt and back hurts - but I am old. I've tried sitting on a throw cushion, a tempurpedic pillow, and combinations of various seating material, even tried to mount a real seat in it(wouldn't fit my model).
If there is any one thing that will cause me to change (up$$) the seat is it.
And I'm seriously thinking about it right now during pre-/spawn.
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