How often do you stand in your Kayak?

Is the sacrifice in speed worth the ability to stand in a Kayak? Each time I think I know what I want, something else pops up. Money is an issue. I'm torn between the sale price on the Pescadore vs the Ascend 12T. I think I could stand in the Ascend but not the Pescadore. Pescadore looks to be a lot faster.

It sure would be useful to be able to throw a cast net out of a Yak.

So...do you spend much time standing at all?

I fish for cats mostly, i only stand to throw my castnet and ocationally to streach my legs on the super long days.

Probably depends on what kind of fishing you enjoy. And what you are comfortable with.

I stand 95% of the time when I'm fishing and even part of the time paddling. I like to paddle around looking for fish and structure and standing gives me better vision over sitting. Most of my kayak friends almost never stand and do just fine fishing while sitting. I'm generally more comfortable standing for long periods over sitting. I used to fish out of kayaks that weren't stand up types, but long periods of sitting in a kayak without standing wreck my back.

To keep kayak fishing, I found a good stand up model. Turns out I really prefer standing and casting over sitting and casting. It's pretty rare to see people standing in kayaks. Looks they are having a good time sitting. A lot I see are soaking bait like shrimp and I don't think standing would add anything to fishing with bait. Sight fishing with lures or flies and I see value in standing in those situations. But you can still sight fish sitting down. My friends and I all sight fish to some degree or another. They do it mostly sitting with lures. I do it mostly standing using flies. We also cast to structure and sign. Either way can be productive. For me, it's more about comfort and enjoyment.

Good points shared already!

I stand >75% of the time if I am in my Meyers Sportspal S-15 canoe. I like it fine if I am casting something out away from the vessel and I like the views/feeling of it better than being seated. But, in my little Slayer Propel 10, I stand only to stretch my legs and prefer to stay seated. Thank goodness it has a seat that is super comfortable.

In my canoe, standing requires little attention and I can do it crossing a lake under TM power on a windy day; in my Propel 10, I have to stay focused while standing and think about what I am doing. But, I'm large at 6'3" and 250 lbs. and the larger you are, the taller, the more difficult it is as your center of mass is higher . . . and heavier.

Some criteria to consider:

1) if you are more of a power angler and casting crank baits really far to cover maximum water, opting for a kayak that is standing-friendly is a big deal since we can all cast much better on our feet. Too, lure retrieval methods are wide open if you are standing . . . harder to do many of them if you are seated. Accuracy is better standing, too.

2) Fly fishing - - - you need to be up.

3) Sight fishing - - - you need to be up.

Most of us in kayaks tend to be more in the finesse camp with regard to fishing presentations, so as you look around, you don't see a lot of guys up off their seats. I fished along side two men recently and one of them in a Jackson Big Rig was up most of the time.

There is a "balance versus speed" trade off to be sure. Unless you are really covering a lot of water to get to your fishing spots . . . or if you need speed for entering tournaments, top end speed is greatly over-valued.

I mentioned this elsewhere in another post that when we talk about the speed range pedaling or paddling kayaks from our general easy cruise speeds (like 2 to 3 mph) to our top end speeds (4 to 5 mph), we are always talking about "walking speeds" and none of the fishing kayaks ever even approach a general jogging speed.

Brad

rarely, i have a [censored] kayak

I have a Jackson Big Rig and I seldom stand....Its a very stable yak but at 6'4 and 240lbs I am not the most nimble of fellas. I will stand and cast here and there, stretch my legs, take a leak, but I am fishing while seated 98% of the time.

Mud I would go with a boat you could stand in. If you want to throw a net from the yak you need a stable boat. The speed trade off is not as huge as you would think. I think it comes more into play on long paddles.

When we were paddling from the State Park on Falcon to the Damn everyday... I was wishing for a faster yak but thats a heck of a paddle and most trips are not nearly that long or on water that big.

Get the stable yak.

PS When you get your yak I am totally coming down and yakking with you.

Never. But stable is well worth the money. And if you have been around as long as your signature pic, stable and light is well worth the money.

There are so many different styles and offerings out there these days. I've been through 7-8 kayaks that I owned or still own and paddled or pedaled several more to try out. Everyone has their own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. If you are going to own just one, pick out one that hits your most important check boxes. I'm extremely happy with my WS Commander 140 because I put a huge premium on stand up sight casting fly fishing. Someone who needs amazing speed to cover miles of water probably would hate that kayak. Someone who needed a self-bailing model would be out of luck. Someone who needed hatches and mounts for electronics and gear would not be happy. But for me, it's about perfect. We all like to fish in our own particular ways and waters. Think about that most of all. Fishing is pretty personal, how you do it. No legal method is better or worse. It is good to get ideas from others about kayaks, but watch out letting anyone pick your kayak because they might have needs that differ from your own.

I stand all the time. This is the first kayak I have that allows standing and it is amazing. I love to fish while standing

I stand a lot getting my bait out of those damn trees!
Actually I'll stand to stretch my legs and fish if I'm not in the wind which this year seems to always be blowing.
I'll also stand to throw my cast net. I'm probably on my feet less than 10% of my time on the water but stability is on the top of my list of must haves for my Yak.

I've seen a lot of folks fishing from a kayak over the years and I honestly can't remember seeing anyone standing but maybe a handful of times, and that was just for a few seconds.
I guess if you like to stand then getting a standing friendly kayak should be your priority.

Early this year I got a new ATAK 120 and now I stand up about half the time. For Fly fishing = it's a must. Other types of fishing its not critical but its a nice change and for some techniques I really like it.. I used to get really tired if sitting in a low seat after a few hours. Whether its worth the sacrifice in speed depends on what you do and where. If you fish bigger waters and cover a lot of ground its probably not worth it. There are a few yaks that have pedal drive and allow you to stand, but they are the heavier and more expensive.

I stand most of the time when I'm fishing. Casting is so much easier and effective. I love getting angled just right so the wind blows me down the bank, standing up and casting as I go. Boaters can see you easier too.

I use Pescador mostly. You really need to be able to stand if you do fly fishing or sight casting reds on shallows. I can't think of any other type of fishing that requires that.

Great thread but what kayak's are you guys using for this stand up fishing / stable kayak ?

I'm in a WS Commander 140. It has a bench seat that makes getting up and down fairly easy. The Commander is crazy stable, but not self-bailing so not a good choice as a big water kayak. I haven't yet taken a tumble out of the kayak that I got in 2012. I didn't stand a ton at first when I got the kayak. It took a little while to get completely comfortable standing. Now, it's second nature. The Commander might not be made anymore, but there seem to be a lot of recent models aimed at being stand up worthy.

I have a Commander 140 and it depends on the type of fishing I'm doing if I'm standing or not. If I'm in the shallows I'm standing most of the time. If I'm fishing out deep there isn't much advantage there for I sit. It's also nice to stand to let my old body stretch out from time to time. The Commander has to be one of the most stable kayak I've been in.

Check out the Pelican Catch 120 if you are looking for a cheaper model standup style kayak, I have one and ise it more than our Jackson cruise 12. The kayak is super stable and paddles quite well for a big barge looking kayak

I have a Native FX Ultimate and a FX Propel and both are very stable.
Also there are a few guys fishing from the Diablo's and they claim to be one of the most stable yaks for standing.

I have the same kayak and for the money its great! Great comfy seat, not super heavy, I found that it paddles easy even when standing and at $750 I can't find another kayak with the same features cheaper. The only other model that comes in close is the vibe seaghost 110 but I'm not sure if it is as stable as the catch 120. It is a barge but for me it works for my style of fishing.

I've tried outa Diablo and it is beyond a doubt one of the most stable kayaks I have been on. I'm not fond of the seat though. And I actually felt it was tougher to paddle while standing than my Pelican. If I could find a killer deal on one I'd get it though. I have a buddy who has a Native slayer propel 10 and it was super stable for me too. Nucanoe makes some awesome stable kayaks as well!

Never have stood and never will. That's just a physical limitation of mine. Still enjoy kayak fishing.

The Enforcer 120X I have is definitely not good for standing, however I always out-paddle everyone else in their super-wide kayaks and leave them behind!

I've never tried to stand in mine. When I watched a promo video, the guy in the yak stood up, made a few casts, and sat back down. But, he must have had tons of practice or perfect balance, or both. There's no way I would try it unless the width was at least 36". Mine's 28". As far as speed, I bought one with a built in troll motor, because where I fished, I would have worn myself out before I even got started if I would have had to paddle to the fishing spots. If you want to be able to stand, buy a wide bottom. You won't regret it. Just my opinion, and you know what's said about opinions.

I have the Ascent 128T.... Worth the money! you cant flip it if you tried! I stand in it constantly its amazing.

I mostly fish out of my SoloSkiff, but I also use an OK Trident 13 and an OK Torque. Both are easy to stand in, but I have fallen out a couple of times while sitting down. It seems that the colder the water and air temperatures, the more likely I am to fall out. They generally feel "shakier" than they really are.

Something else you might consider is a stand assist strap?
STAND ASSIST STRAP