I'm considering a new kayak. It will be my first fishing kayak. I will be fishing small lakes here in East Texas as well as ponds and possibly rivers in the hill country. I think I would prefer a shorter kayak and a wide one.
What's the difference between the Wilderness Systems 115 and 115X. ACK has 4 listed from 900 to almost 1600.
Who has a 115 and what do you think about it?

I have a 115x and like it a lot. i had a 9 ft ocean kayak and hated it because it was 9ft and wide. It did not track well on any body of water and i hated it. I decided on the 115x as an upgrade because it is not super big and I can actually carry it myself. The 115x tracks well when you stop paddling. I installed a lowrance fish finder and the whole unit with the battery is removable. The X means it has the fish finder unit that can be removed. Overall the 115x is a great yak and stable.

http://www.kayakcity.com/search.php?search_query=115x

I went to kayak city and had mine shipped in for free to the terminal. NO tax either. https://www.forwardair.com/locations/falocations.htm

let me know if you have more questions.

I've had mine since 2012 and it is a good, solid kayak. Tracks well and is not too burdensome to handle on relatively flat ground. Not the easiest boat to move uphill. Upgraded to the Phase 3 seat and it certainly opens up a lot of space to manage your stuff. ACK will take good care of you if you prefer to do all of this from your couch.

The 115/115X are two of the best all around kayaks out there. Easy to transport and load/unload, very stable, tracks great. Demo one but I bet you wont be disappointed

C-Frog is giving you great advice! Demo first. The Ride 115 and 115x are two of our best selling fishing kayaks. If you are near Austin ACK has some demo days coming up. If you are closer to Dallas, we offer demos every Wednesday and also have a big demo day coming up. We also have some prior year models available. If those sound interesting please call for availability. The main thing to worry about with ordering a kayak online is potential shipping damage. Most folks do a great job but you'll want to inspect it carefully before you accept delivery. We always unwrap them to make sure there isn't any hidden damage. Have fun and let me know if we can be of any assistance.

Aris

I've got the 115x and it is a beast. Perfect size to get up in the creeks but can handle some wind on a lake. I like how many options there are for rigging. I put a trolling motor on the back of mine super easy with foot controls. Removable fish finder is nice. As you probably know a kayak cart makes your life so much easier.

I bought (2) Ride 115x from Mariner Sails and my son and I fish lakes and the coast in ours. LOVE THEM!

115x has a removable pod that you put your fish finder in and has a place for the transducer, battery and display in the pod.

More pics of my son and I in salt and fresh water in our Ride 115x

I have 2 of them and no complaints. I would however like to upgrade to the newer seat

Have 3 Wilderness System Ride 115's. I love the stability. Good for every kind of fishing I do in the rivers, lakes and creeks. Comfortable to fish out of all day. I owned a Jackson Cuda 12 and it was a great fishing platform but the stability, for me, sucked. Get a Ride 115X and you will be glad you did. Mountain Sports in Arlington has them in stock and is a great place to buy your kayaking stuff.
Let us know when you get your Ride 115.

Wow that's a lot of positive feedback. Do any of you ride 115 owners also have a Tarpon 120? Would love to hear comparisons from someone with lots of time in both yaks.

I spent quite a lot of time in both. I take the Ride 115 out if I want to stand up and fish but I take the Tarpon 120 if I don't care to stand up that day. Because the Tarpon 120 is noticeably faster, I take it when I know I'm gonna have a longer paddle or if I'm paddling back upstream to a takeout point.

Ride Advantages:

• seat moves forward and back, gives you more room
• wide cockpit is comfortable
• stand up friendly
• very stable
• very high weight capacity
  

Tarpon Advantages:

• lighter and much more carry friendly
• noticeably faster/accelerates quicker
• tracks noticeably better
• its still very stable, but not really for standing up
  

Regarding the stability of both, I'll say that I haven't met many people who aren't able to stand up in the Ride. Usually people who say they can't just don't realize that the Ride is more stable than it initially feels. The Ride's combination of a slightly rounded hull and a tri-hull design means it will roll just a little until the bulky sides of the kayak are contacting water; at that point, the kayak is rock solid.

The Tarpon is also very stable, as long as your sitting. I have never flipped it, or even felt close to flipping it while sitting. I can technically stand up and paddle, but I'm not really comfortable standing up and fishing in the Tarpon 120.

Thanks everybody for the info on the Ride 115. I'm looking for a used one now. If you know of anybody that has one for sale, let me know.