Fishing kayaks

[clone4life82]

Anyone have any experience with fishing kayaks? Live in Ankeny and wouldn’t mind having one so I could go drop a line and catch a few walleye in big creek. I’m wondering what everyone’s experience is with them. What kind they have, size, stability, comfort, things they like about them or would change about them . Any input would be appreciated! I’m 6’2 and about 220 so something stable would be preferred.

 

[simply1]

Anyone have any experience with fishing kayaks? Live in Ankeny and wouldn’t mind having one so I could go drop a line and catch a few walleye in big creek. I’m wondering what everyone’s experience is with them. What kind they have, size, stability, comfort, things they like about them or would change about them . Any input would be appreciated! I’m 6’2 and about 220 so something stable would be preferred.

I’m just beginning to look as well, saw sometime this weekend with a seat and it looked like an SUP with rod holders. That was a new one.

 

[GTO]

I've never fished for kayak. What type of bait do you use?

 

[ruflosn]

I've never fished for kayak. What type of bait do you use?

bucks, dough, bread, moolah, cheddar, paper, stash, Benjamin, Benji, loot, smackers, and samoleons. Outdated or rarely used terms include: bones, clams, tamales, scratch, grease, cheese, guap, lettuce, salad, scrilla, scrill, chips, cake, ducats, spondulix, celery, and cabbage.

 

[jmb]

bucks, dough, bread, moolah, cheddar, paper, stash, Benjamin, Benji, loot, smackers, and samoleons. Outdated or rarely used terms include: bones, clams, tamales, scratch, grease, cheese, guap, lettuce, salad, scrilla, scrill, chips, cake, ducats, spondulix, celery, and cabbage.

My teen son researched a ton before he bought his. He loves it. I will get brand and share.

 

[cstrunk]

My wife and I bought Lifetime fishing kayaks from Walmart a couple years ago. Theyre obviously not the best out there but we only paid about $230 each as they were on sale. We've been pleased with them. I'm 6'1" 220 lb.

Obviously if you want better options you can open up your wallet and pay for those, too. But for something cheap that works well, I'd recommend it for beginners.

 

[CyOps]

I have a 10' Ascend that I bought used. They sell the brand as Bass Pro. Mine wasn't designed for fishing but had been modified with rod holders, an anchor and a fish finder. It works well for small bodies of water. We got the wife a kayak from Menards and added a rod holder. Big difference in the two as far as tracking. The Ascend stays strait when paddling. The Menards one, not so much. For as often as we use them it hasn't been an issue.

 

[CycloneVet]

Be ready to spend money because the less expensive ones are gone, thanks Covid

 

[CYnic]

I have the Perception Pescador Pro 12 and I've been very pleased with it. It's a quality, beginner-level kayak without the price tag of the high-end brands and can be customized as needs/budget allow. I used mine extensively while living in Florida in the bays, backwaters, and paddling out into the gulf without any problems. I plan to use it in the Mississippi and some of the local rivers when I can find the time. I've added a few rod holders, because the molded options aren't very secure, and an anchor trolley system to suit my style of fishing.

Price point is obviously a big consideration, but outside of that think about where and how you plan to fish. If there is a lot of boat traffic and/or you plan to stand and fish from the kayak, go with a wider option for stability. If maneuverability is a priority and you don't mind having a little less space for your gear then you might prefer a shorter option. Save your back and get a comfortable, high-back seat. If you end up using the kayak more often, upgrade to a lightweight paddle. Happy to answer any questions.

 

[JSmoove]

Been very interested in picking one up so will be following recommendations in this thread.

 

[clone4life82]

My wife and I bought Lifetime fishing kayaks from Walmart a couple years ago. Theyre obviously not the best out there but we only paid about $230 each as they were on sale. We've been pleased with them. I'm 6'1" 220 lb.

Obviously if you want better options you can open up your wallet and pay for those, too. But for something cheap that works well, I'd recommend it for beginners.

what size did you get?

 

[AuH2O]

Good luck finding almost any kayak anywhere. I'm not in the market right now but was probably going to buy a couple for next spring. Seems like there are inflatables available and those fit for ocean duty. Damn near everything else is sold.

Out of curiosity checked Scheels and ****'s for availability of Sit on top fishing kayaks, and the closest available to Iowa I think was Billings, Montana.

My guess is a lot of people will be selling kayaks over the next couple of years.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

Price point is going to be your determining factor. Most stores have demos where you can try boats out but that's probably not the case right now.
You can get a decent boat for 300-400. 1000-1200 will give you a lot more stability if you're looking to stand and cast easily. My favorite SOT is the old town predator, easily the most stable you will find. You'll fall out of the boat before it ever tips.

 

[VeloClone]

Good luck finding almost any kayak anywhere. I'm not in the market right now but was probably going to buy a couple for next spring. Seems like there are inflatables available and those fit for ocean duty. Damn near everything else is sold.

Out of curiosity checked Scheels and ****'s for availability of Sit on top fishing kayaks, and the closest available to Iowa I think was Billings, Montana.

My guess is a lot of people will be selling kayaks over the next couple of years.

Interesting. I've seen kayaks at both Fleet Farm and Costco up here in MN and I'm pretty sure at REI and Menards as well. I think Fleet Farm was the only place that had ones specifically for fishing, though.

We have two cheap Menards ones we got for the kids several years ago (10', I believe) and an inflatable two person we got about three years ago. The inflatable one is a lot more work to keep on course. I think the little skeg is too small to do much good. I don't think I would be comfortable fishing out of an inflatable. I'm sure I will be adding fishing gear to one of the Menards ones soon as my daughter keeps asking me to go fishing in them.

The Mrs. wants a sit on top one or a paddle board.

 

[simply1]

Good luck finding almost any kayak anywhere. I'm not in the market right now but was probably going to buy a couple for next spring. Seems like there are inflatables available and those fit for ocean duty. Damn near everything else is sold.

Out of curiosity checked Scheels and ****'s for availability of Sit on top fishing kayaks, and the closest available to Iowa I think was Billings, Montana.

My guess is a lot of people will be selling kayaks over the next couple of years.

Haha might be time to wait or buy a cheap inflatable and then grab a quality used one as I suspect you are right.

 

[tman24]

i was able to score a 11.5footer lifetime from walmart. still looking for a normal sit on top one for my wife. but everything is gone.

 

[sunset]

You don't need anything special, as long as it floats you it will work. I'm about your size, 6' 215, and I fish in the ocean from a 9'6" surfboard. Just strap a milk crate to the front with bungee cords and I'm ready to go. Attach pvc pipes to the milk crate to hold your rods and throw a tackle box and a billy club in the crate. I'm sure there are all sorts of conveniences you can pay for but none of it is absolutely necessary.

 

[simply1]

You don't need anything special, as long as it floats you it will work. I'm about your size, 6' 215, and I fish in the ocean from a 9'6" surfboard. Just strap a milk crate to the front with bungee cords and I'm ready to go. Attach pvc pipes to the milk crate to hold your rods and throw a tackle box and a billy club in the crate. I'm sure there are all sorts of conveniences you can pay for but none of it is absolutely necessary.

Is the billy club for pirates?

 

[cstrunk]

what size did you get?

We got the Tamarack Angler 10' kayak. Added a milk crate to the back. The seat is not the most comfortable but I can handle it for 4-5 hours. There are ways to upgrade your seat if you do a little Google research. We also purchased anchor trolleys but have yet to install them. If it's not too windy and you're not in a current you can throw an anchor off the side and tie a LOOSE knot (don't want a tight knot in case of an emergency) and stay put fairly well. The kayak has built in rod holders and comes with another you can snap in place on the side which works fine. We also bought soft golf balls to plug the skupper (sp?) holes in the bottom to prevent backsplash (obviously then it holds a little bit of water, but not that much) but that's up to you.

I've used it probably a dozen times in the last couple years and have had no issues.

 

[cstrunk]

Here's a pic.